Nature helped Nicole Jackson see possibilities over trauma; today she helps others do the same

Editor’s Note: We’re pleased to share this story about Nicole Jackson, who has been a longtime leader and partner in the children and nature movement. She participated in Legacy Camp, leadership development training and continues to bring her experience and perspective to the work of equitably connecting children to nature as part of the Natural Leaders Network.

Nicole Jackson doesn’t remember much about her life before being placed in foster care around the age of 5.

She does, however, remember that being outdoors helped her survive it.

“We were in a suburban neighborhood in Cleveland, pristine with nice schools, and friendly neighbors, from what I can remember,” said Jackson, now 34.

“But my foster parents were abusive. So when I got a chance to go outside, I went into the backyard. The outdoors gave me a sense of calm and let me deal with my feelings of anguish and sorrow and, in many cases, joy, because it showed me that there were beautiful things in the world that I could enjoy.”

It was the optimism that nature sparked in Jackson that helped her turn her trauma into a healing journey. And nowadays, the urban environmentalist is working to help others do the same.

Jackson is the founder of N Her Nature LLC, a Columbus-based coaching business that helps Black women find ways to connect with nature and use it as a conduit for joy and healing.

Kind of like she did.

“That’s what I do with N Her Nature coaching — help Black women understand they can have freedom through meaningful nature experiences,” Jackson said. “My nature-based coaching is one-on-one; I want to help women understand how to see and experience nature… it could be a question like: ‘I’ve never been on a hike. What kind of gear do I need for that?’”

“That’s what I do with N Her Nature coaching — help Black women understand they can have freedom through meaningful nature experiences,” Jackson said.

N Her Nature was inspired by Jackson’s own experience using nature to heal from trauma and grow her self-confidence. As someone who is more introverted and felt a bit different from many of her peers, it took her a while to learn the benefits of these qualities. “I would beat myself up for not being more outgoing,” she explained. 

Eventually, though, she realized that her introspective nature was actually a superpower. “It helped me better connect with nature, and I could be more attentive to my own needs,” Jackson said. “Once I had that understanding, and that self love — then I realized that I can do anything.”

She used her thoughtfulness and capacity for connection to organize a nature retreat for Black women in 2020, during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“It was an amazing experience,” Jackson said. “We got to be together and share stories, and the group came together in a way that I hadn’t witnessed before.” Participant reviews were glowing, and she was motivated to build the success of that event into something bigger. “I realized there was a need for something like this.” 

Nicole Jackson on a hike during the nature retreat for Black women in 2020 that sparked N Her Nature.

For Jackson, her early days of nature connection helped hone her ability to slow down and be present in the outdoors, but she recognizes that isn’t the case for all Black women. “As adults, we have become more jaded, rigid and scheduled,” she said. “It’s difficult to have that sense of wonder and curiosity that we did when we were kids.”

So, she created N Her Nature as a way to help Black women tap into those states of mind as tools for when they’re stressed or anxious. “Nature is literally medicine to help you heal,” Jackson explained. She wants to help her clients bring their stories and their full selves to their nature coaching sessions, emphasizing the client-led approach.  

“Sessions can be whatever you’re interested in or curious about,” she said. Whether it’s about building a fitness routine, or learning a new outdoor skill like kayaking, sessions are tailored to the client, with the ultimate goal of helping them feel safe in the outdoors to express themselves — and create more moments of joy.

Jackson practices what she preaches, too, building her days intentionally to incorporate opportunities to connect with nature, and overall slow down and be more present with life. In 2020, she left a more traditional full-time job to start N Her Nature, feeling burnt out by the 40-hour work week and inspired by her dream of bringing nature therapy to Black women. She employed many of the same skills that she uses in nature coaching sessions to convince herself to take that leap of faith. 

“I had been craving it for a long time, but I was leading with fear,” Jackson said. With the career change came a lifestyle shift, too. 

“I had to start from scratch and redefine what it means to be productive,” Jackson said. “Just being able to read a book cover to cover, take a nap, or go on a walk — I set aside time to do those things.” 

The desire for a slower rhythm makes even more sense when you take stock of Jackson’s accomplishments throughout the last few years. 

Jackson is a co-organizer of Black Birders Week in Columbus, Ohio, a gathering of Black birders who participate in activities that range from lessons on how to identify colorful birds or birds in urban environments, to exploring the mental health benefits of birding. 

The weeklong event is coordinated through another group Jackson works with: Black AF in STEM, a collective which unites Black people who are interested in STEM careers and the outdoors, and works to remove barriers that perpetuate the idea that Black people don’t enjoy nature or want to engage with it in different ways. 

Black Birders Week was “an opportunity for us to come together as STEM educators, communicators, and as birders, to combat those stereotypes,” said Jackson. “It was a space created for us to share our stories and triumphs without having to constantly explain our existence in outdoor spaces.”

That’s not all. 

Jackson also created Black in National Parks Week in 2020, and is finishing up her second term as a member of the National Parks Conservation Association’s Next Generation Advisory Council — which works to engage young people and include more diverse voices in protecting and advocating for national parks.

And, she also co-developed a course with The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Bird Academy team entitled “Let’s Go Outside! How to Connect Kids With Birds and Nature.”

Nicole Jackson, top right, with a multigenerational group of birders during the Biggest Week in American Birding, an annual 10-day birding festival in Northwest Ohio.

So, what’s behind Jackson’s passion for nature and exposing Black people to it? On one level, one might call it payback.

It’s her way of repaying nature for saving her life.

The abuse and isolation she suffered at the hands of her foster parents had her contemplating suicide, Jackson said. But when she went into nature, the imagination and curiosity sparked by being among the birds and the plants helped her endure the travails that awaited her indoors.

So did a caring teacher, Jackson said.

“It was a real struggle for me to make sense of my abuse,” Jackson said. “But I had an awesome preschool teacher who kept me engaged in learning and kept me curious… That’s what also helped me get through it all.”

Years later, Jackson’s interest in birds was piqued when her advisor at The Ohio State University’s School of Environment and Natural Resources suggested that she apply for an avian field technician internship in Columbus.

“I spent my time monitoring northern cardinals and Acadian flycatchers,” she said. “It was such a different experience for me… I loved nature and learning about wildlife, but to be actually out there doing fieldwork as a Black woman, that was a totally different experience.” 

The experience stuck, Jackson said.

Since graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Education and Interpretation in 2011, Jackson has continued to build her niche as an urban environmental educator. It’s a career that has been shaped by a longing to inhabit spaces free of trauma and full of peace and possibilities.

“Nature has taught me a lot of lessons about patience and empathy,” Jackson said. “Nature was that teacher for me; it taught me that you can have meaningful and loving relationships with people as well as have time and space to heal from your traumas.”

When it comes to her ongoing love of birds, Jackson says she doesn’t have a favorite — because for her, they all symbolize the thing she sought while enduring foster care.

Freedom.

“All the birds symbolize freedom and liberation, which is what I’ve been seeking,” Jackson said. “It speaks to a lot of who I am, to my curiosity and understanding of what’s beyond the horizon.”

“That’s something I love and I look forward to giving to other people, both through N Her Nature, and beyond.”

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