GUEST POST BY Wendy Jenkins OAM, READY RESILIENCE
Ready Resilience helps organisations thrive during times of change and challenge, using practical neuroscience-based resilience tools that have been proven to offer in-the-moment solutions and long-lasting results. Learn actionable tips you can apply right away in Ready Resilience Founder Wendy Jenkins’ articles, written exclusively for the TEMi community.
Unleashing the power of neuroleadership: Wired for nature
Despite our sleek office designs and digital workflows, we are still biologically tuned to the natural world, and neuroleaders know that when workplaces reflect this, our brains function more clearly, calmly, and creatively.
The brain’s limbic system, especially the amygdala, is constantly scanning for danger. In modern workplaces, this can be triggered not just by conflict or overload, but by overstimulation – harsh lighting, noise, and fast context-switching. Without cues of safety, the brain stays in a low-level threat state, impairing the prefrontal cortex, which governs executive functions like focus, reasoning, and emotional regulation.
This is where nature comes in. Exposure to natural elements such as trees, birdsong, flowing water can downregulate the stress response and activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which signals safety. However, you do not need to build a forest in your office.
Even microdoses of nature, like indoor plants or nature-based imagery, can lower cortisol and heart rate while restoring attention through ‘soft fascination’, a concept from Attention Restoration Theory that aligns with how the brain replenishes depleted cognitive resources.
Consider birdsong. In the wild, birds fall silent when danger is near, or switch to an alarm call. When we hear steady birdsong, our primitive brain registers that it must be safe to relax. Incorporating such cues into workplaces, whether through open windows, ambient audio, greenery or outdoor breaks, helps employees feel grounded, allowing their higher-order thinking systems to engage more fully.
For neuroleaders, this isn’t about aesthetics, it’s about neuroscience. Nature-based workspaces reduce cognitive load, support emotional regulation, and increase collaboration. When the brain feels safe, it stops bracing and starts building. Cognitive clarity improves, emotions are easier to regulate, and conversations become more constructive.
It’s not just about feeling better at work, it’s about enabling the brain to do its best work. Nature gives us the blueprint; it’s up to neuroleaders to put it into practice.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Wendy Jenkins is the founder of Ready Resilience, Co-Founder of the Lungitude Foundation, certified Neuroplastician, Speaker and Lung Transplant Survivor.
Ready Resilience helps organisations thrive during times of change and challenge, using practical neuroscience-based resilience tools that have been proven to offer in-the-moment solutions and long-lasting results.
Having been told she had two years to live over eighteen years ago, Wendy is passionate about empowering people to transform their perspective on life’s challenges through dynamic masterclasses, workshops, and certified resilience training.
To learn how Wendy can support and inspire you at your next conference, leadership event, or personal development session, visit www.readyresilience.com email [email protected] or connect with Wendy on LinkedIn.
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