{"id":79825,"date":"2021-11-15T16:00:05","date_gmt":"2021-11-15T21:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&p=79825"},"modified":"2025-10-17T16:42:55","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T20:42:55","slug":"mba-therapeutic-power-nature","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/mba-therapeutic-power-nature\/","title":{"rendered":"MBA Grad’s New Social Enterprise Taps Into Therapeutic Power of Nature"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n MBA Grad's New Social Enterprise Taps Into Therapeutic Power of Nature\n <\/h1>\n \n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/path>\n <\/path>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

When the challenge of running a non-profit housing organization and caring for her two young children became too much for pandemic-stressed Alexis Ashworth<\/a>, she turned to rejuvenating pursuits such as gardening and spending time outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That respite, and conversations with an executive coach, gave root to an idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Alexis
Alexis Ashworth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think there\u2019s a growing need for people to reconnect with nature,\u201d says Ashworth, the former CEO of Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa<\/a> and a Carleton MBA graduate<\/a>, who recently launched Root in Nature<\/a>, a social enterprise focused on horticultural therapy, nature-based programs for youth and seniors, and employee experiences and well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cAn abundance of research shows that people are emotionally, mentally and physically healthier when they interact with plants and the outdoors. And there\u2019s a huge need for healing right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Years ago, while volunteering at an organic farm in the U.K., Ashworth was exposed to horticultural therapy, which involves a certified therapist working with people and plants to address specific issues. Sessions with an executive coach and a meeting with a local horticultural therapist helped her connect the dots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In September, Ashworth left Habitat for Humanity after seven years as CEO, and this for-profit social enterprise is now her sole professional focus.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cI need to put all my time and effort into it for it to be successful,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cWith a limited number of years on this planet, I want to do something I\u2019m passionate about\u2014something that can help people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Handing<\/figure>\n\n\n

Follow the White Birch Road<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Root in Nature uses the Just Food Community Farm<\/a> in Ottawa\u2019s east end as a base for its programming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A short walk from the barn at the entrance to the 150-acre farmstead in Blackburn Hamlet connects visitors to the Birch Path, a 100-metre corridor through the woods lined by tall birch trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When outdoor operations ramp up again next spring, there will be a series of sensory stations for clients\u2014flowering grasses to touch, plants such as mint and sage to smell, blackberries to taste\u2014as well as places to lay back and look up into the canopy of leaves while listening to birdsong and insects. These moments are meant to be experienced alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in addition to guiding people into nature, Ashworth also wants to bring this type of healing to workplaces and long-term care homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know the need is there,\u201d says Ashworth, who is talking to a pair of long-term care chains about incorporating horticultural therapy into their plans, many of which are evolving in the wake of needs that COVID-19 revealed.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cThere will be an educational process for institutions to see this as a legitimate form of therapy. But it\u2019s gaining popularity as people start to learn more about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Ashworth, who has had an entrepreneurial streak since she was a child, knows that some long-term care operators are already budgeting for nature-based therapy in their business plans. This could help the enterprise develop a client base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also knows that young people have been suffering from tremendous stress and anxiety during the pandemic, so Root in Nature is developing a program for youth with social workers and horticultural therapists.<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Alexis<\/figure>\n\n\n

Why Nature Makes Us Feel Better<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Horticultural therapists provide a variety of services, according to the Canadian Horticultural Therapy Association<\/a>, in many different settings: nursing homes, hospitals, rehab centres, substance abuse programs, correctional facilities and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto uses the practice<\/a>, for example, and many modern hospitals feature healing gardens for patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Horticultural therapy is validated by research such as attention restoration theory<\/a>, which explains why nature makes us feel better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ashworth\u2019s role as the CEO and founder of Root in Nature is to develop and market programs and hire the professionals<\/a> who will deliver them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These multifaceted skills are similar to the work she did at Habitat for Humanity, and the MBA she earned at Carleton\u2019s Sprott School of Business<\/a> in 2013, with a concentration in International Development Management, provided lessons that are still paying dividends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt prepared me to do a wide variety of tasks in diverse areas,\u201d says Ashworth, \u201cand to manage different business lines and tight deadlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn this new job, I\u2019m doing something new every day. The start of a new entrepreneurial venture is tiring. You need firm resolve and a thick skin, and you have to accept failure. It helps you course correct and determine what the successful path will be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Alexis<\/figure>\n\n\n

—
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When the challenge of running a non-profit housing organization and caring for her two young children became too much for pandemic-stressed Alexis Ashworth, she turned to rejuvenating pursuits such as gardening and spending time outside. That respite, and conversations with an executive coach, gave root to an idea. \u201cI think there\u2019s a growing need for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":410,"featured_media":79836,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_story_type":[17,1917],"cu_story_tag":[1923,1922],"class_list":["post-79825","cu_story","type-cu_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","cu_story_type-alumni","cu_story_type-the-new-economy","cu_story_tag-graduate-studies","cu_story_tag-sprott-school-of-business"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":"blueprint"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/79825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cu_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/410"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/79825\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97685,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/79825\/revisions\/97685"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_story_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_type?post=79825"},{"taxonomy":"cu_story_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_tag?post=79825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}