Who we are

Nature Philosophy Australia was Co-Founded by Sam Robertson and Kate Rydge in 2004. Sam & Kate specialise in the facilitation of transformational earth based programs and cultural regeneration experiences.

Since the birth of Nature Philosophy in 2004 Sam and Kate been actively exploring and sharing survival skills, sacred ceremony and deep nature connection practices with 1000’s of humans in Australia and around the world.

Here is some of their story…

As children, we both felt a deep resonance and connection to the natural world.

Moving into adulthood we completed tertiary qualifications in business and economics and worked to financially support ourselves. Working for money with out a deeper life purpose left us yearning for something greater…

We both found ourselves powerfully drawn to earth-based philosophy and its ancient and grounded respect for the Earth. In the years that followed we continued to devour any survival skills, indigenous wisdom and deep nature connection practices we could find, both in Australia and North America. We also explored the many survival skills found in our ancestral European lineages and began to discover the global nature of earth-based wisdom.

When we met in America we spent time together learning survival skills, nature awareness and Native American scout philosophy with Tom Brown Jnr of The Tracker School, USA. During this time Sam wandered through America exploring survival skills and deep nature connection through varied wilderness locations. Kate took the role of a Caretaker at Tom’s Brown Jnr's school in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Here Kate lived for a year in a primitive shelter, exploring advanced survival skills and deeply diving into her spiritual journey.

While both in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey we participated in numerous personal Vision Quests - eventually training for many years with Malcolm Ring-walt of The Earth-Heart Institute to become Vision Quest Facilitators and Trainers. 

These years of wandering and mentorship in America developed in us a heartfelt passion to share the skills of survival, nature connection and rites of passage that had woven true magic into our lives.

Upon returning to Australia in 2004 we offered our first program together and Nature Philosophy Australia was born! Kate also started to search for an Australian indigenous community she had seen in a 'vision' from her shelter in The Pine Barrens.

In search of this community, we travelled for the first time in 2008 into North-East Arnhem Land, Australia.

We met members of an inspirational Homelands Community and were adopted as family. This Australian Aboriginal Community is called Mäpuru. The people of Mäpuru live on their traditional ancestral estates and have a continuous connection to their traditional Yolngu culture.

Yearly we have been invited to return and bring with us members of our community who are willing to respectfully learn from and support our Mäpuru families. It’s always hard for us to put into words our experiences on country and our appreciation and love for our Yolngu families. Needless to say, our time spent living with our Mäpuru families and endeavouring to support the community’s workshops has transformed our understanding of indigenous culture, community villages and survival.

Our ever-deepening love and kin connections with our Mäpuru families have sharpened our belief in the importance of supporting the continuous survival of indigenous cultures.

Western culture is in a rapid transformation and if we can use the wisdom of deep nature connection practices as a north star we can ensure soul-connected and sustainable lifestyles are passed down to future generations.

The Nature Philosophy stream of courses draws broadly from all of our unique life experiences and our heart-felt support of living a nature connected life. At its heart Nature Philosophy is our offering to you of the most powerful techniques for personal transformation we have also experienced. 

Today, 20 years on, our programs sustain and inspire an Australia-wide community of epic humans who are called to empower their modern lives with the power of nature connection and survival.

Time and time again, we see our tribe experience deep soul-level transformations and body awakenings as they embrace themselves through earth skills. Sharing in this process is our most profound inspiration for offering the Nature Philosophy programs.

Thanks for taking the time to hear some of our story. We’d like to hear your story too, maybe by a fireside soon…

In Connection,

Kate & Sam

The Nature Philosophy Team

Here are some of the wonderful humans who have joined the Nature Philosophy Team!

We also have over a hundred humans who volunteer their time to support our programs every year - in the roles of Wild Village Mentor, Nature Connection Mentor and grounds/kitchen support.

We are extremely fortunate to have their support and highly respect these epic humans!