About Jenny Flanagan
Mind • Body • Nature • Connection

A Childhood Rooted in Nature

My deep love for the living Earth began in childhood. I spent my early years roaming the East Coast shores of the Atlantic and exploring the wooded pockets of my suburban neighborhood. Even then, I felt a profound sense of oneness with the world, a truth the poet Rumi captures beautifully: “You are not a drop in the ocean; you are the entire ocean in a drop.” As a child, I knew this instinctively. I belonged to everything.

Losing and Rediscovering Connection

As my career in technology grew and a computer screen became my daily view, I began seeking refuge in nature. I escaped to remote landscapes to unplug and recharge. Yet something had shifted. The natural world was no longer the place I lived in. It had become a place I visited.

Everything changed with the arrival of my children. Reading The Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv sparked a powerful realization. My children needed a relationship with the living Earth just as I had in my youth. Their well-being depended on it. So did the future of our planet.

Returning to a More Connected Way of Living

This realization marked the beginning of my return to a more connected way of living. I began to slow down, listen more deeply, and rediscover the interdependence of all living things. Through Buddhist philosophy, meditation practice, and time spent in quiet relationship with the natural world, I found steadiness, clarity, and a renewed sense of belonging during life’s challenges.

The Work I Do Today

Over time, these experiences guided me toward my purpose. I felt called to support others in slowing down, awakening the senses, and reconnecting with the more-than-human world through guided experiences in nature.

At the same time, I began noticing that many women were longing for steadiness in their own lives as they moved through the physical and emotional transitions of aging. Supporting that journey toward strength, resilience, and clarity became a second path in my work.

Today my work through Wanderleaf Wellness follows two complementary directions. Through Forest Bathing, I guide individuals and groups in slowing down and restoring relationship with the natural world. Through health coaching, I support women who want to age with strength, clarity, and resilience in the years ahead.

Training and Background

To hold this work with care and integrity, I built a strong foundation of training in forest therapy, mindful outdoor leadership, contemplative practices, and holistic health.

I am a certified Mindful Outdoor Guide through the Kripalu School of Mindful Outdoor Leadership and a certified Forest Therapy Guide through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy. I am also a certified Mindfulness and Meditation Teacher in the Insight tradition.

My background includes certifications as a PN Level 1 Nutrition Coach, Health Coach, and Personal Trainer through the American Council on Exercise, as well as a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher. These disciplines inform my approach to supporting strength, resilience, and sustainable well-being over time.

When I'm Not Guiding

When I am not guiding, you can find me cycling indoors and out, tending the garden, cooking plant-based meals with my husband, exploring creative art projects with my daughter, or curled up with a good book and my beloved dog.

An Invitation

This work is an invitation to slow down, step into the forest, and rediscover your place within the living world while building the strength and steadiness to move through it with confidence.