Nature-Based Transformational Leadership Certification
Certification Program Begins October 20, 2026
Enrollment is OPEN NOW until October 19, 2026
Space is limited to 15 participants per course!
A CEU-Eligible Program for Social Justice & Systems Change Leaders
Lead Change Without Burning Out.
Facilitate Conflict Without Causing Harm.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect, but what I’ve experienced in the past several months participating in the program was EXACTLY what I needed. I loved the community that was created, the space I was able to think out loud, the beautiful practices that I was taught, and the wisdom that was shared. I feel clearer in my purpose, have new tools to support me when times are challenging, and friends that I will feel connected to for a lifetime. ”
Build Organizations That Mirror Nature’s Wisdom.
Today’s leaders in social justice and community-based organizations face unprecedented challenges:
Political division and polarization
Secondary trauma and staff burnout
Conflict within teams and coalitions
Fragmented leadership models
Urgent calls for equity without sustainable infrastructure
This certification was designed to meet this moment.
Our Nature-Based Framework for Transformation prepares leaders to create systemic change by aligning human systems with the relational, regenerative, and restorative laws of nature.
Full certification requires the completion of THREE courses through the University of the Pacific’s (UOP Stockton) Benerd College’s Professional Development programs.
EARN 15 COLLEGE CREDITS, TRANSFERRABLE SKILLS LIKE COACHING,
AND A HIGHER CAPACITY TO CREATE SYSTEMIC CHANGE IN COMMUNITIES
This certification is designed for:
Executive Directors and Program Directors seeking effective leadership skills with a younger, more fierce workforce.
Managers and Supervisors in social impact organizations wanting to explore perspective alternative approaches to leading their teams.
Facilitators and trainers working in justice spaces craving the strategies that incorporate a systemic approach to empowering their clients.
Community-based service providers who want to develop, heal, and grow alongside their communities with healthy boundaries and a reignited passion for their work.
DEI, equity, People & Culture practitioners wanting to increase the breadth and capacity of building strong bridges and coalitions for positive social change in communities.
Coaches supporting leaders in high-impact roles seeking a more grounded approach to creating transformational experiences for their clients
If you want to increase your leadership capacity while reducing burnout and improving facilitation effectiveness — this program is for you.
Connect with us to find out if this certification is a good fit.
What Makes This Certification Different?
Most leadership programs focus on strategy and performance.
This one focuses on systemic transformation through relational intelligence, communication skills, and ecological alignment.
We integrate:
Trauma- and oppression-informed facilitation
Restorative communication strategy
Ecological systems thinking
Identity and migration history awareness
Traditional healing knowledge & cosmologies
Embodied leadership practices
Applied coaching skills
This is not theoretical leadership.
This is practiced, embodied, and transferable.
Courses Overview
Click for full course outline
The "Radical Nature Framework” connects a deep analysis of self-identity with practical ways to increase self-awareness. This course offers actionable solutions and paths for healing to drive personal, professional, and community transformation.
By integrating coaching skills with a whole-person approach, this course helps leaders develop a stronger sense of agency, confidence in their social justice contributions, and effective communication skills across all relationships.
Click for full course outline
Leaders gain tools to grow from passionate interest to actionable change through nature-based principles and transformational coaching. Leaders develop their own well-being and sustainability while fostering deeper social change, using historical context for storytelling and coaching to drive action. They will apply migration studies, trauma-informed approaches, and restorative communication and coaching skills as an alternative approach to traditional DEI frameworks. The course offers strategies for systemic change that centers healthier communities.
click for full course outline
Achieving radical, nature-aligned societal change requires leaders to be balanced in mind, body, and spirit as they contribute to mission driven organizations. This course provides nature-based foundations and holistic wellness strategies to combat burnout, which is a common outcome of decolonization work. Participants will practice and receive this holistic wellness strategies to embody change, preparing them to guide others through similar transformational leadership development processes focused on an awareness, access, and integration progression.
What You’ll Gain
Systems Thinking: Shift from reactive management to regenerative design.
Conflict Facilitation Skills: Navigate political division and tension while preserving psychological safety.
Informed Presence: Lead with deep awareness of power, equity, and historical context.
Executive Coaching: Empower staff and peers through practical coaching frameworks.
Empowered Leadership & Clarity in Purpose: Implement personal sustainability plans rooted in natural rhythms.
Find out which path fits your goals.
How You Will Learn
Meet twice a week in community virtually
Step into a dynamic, cohort-based community where learning isn't just theory— build in community with supplemental in person convening in nature.
By engaging in facilitated dialogue labs, live classrooms, and peer coaching
You will find yourself in a space that mirrors the interdependence of nature, allowing you to refine your leadership tools alongside fellow change-makers.
Unique, holistic, and rooted in traditional and ancient practices as tools that can be applied immediately into personal or professional settings
You will bridge the gap between insight and action, seamlessly integrating restorative, nature-based leadership skills into your professional life as you gain the confidence to lead with clarity, stamina, and profound impact.
“In a year of fatigue and dread, meeting with others in the program felt like a wave of warmth and healing. I learned so much about myself and how I might gently weave together strings inside me broken long ago. ”
The Results You Can Expect
Certified, you’ll be able to:
Apply nature-based systems thinking to organizational challenges
Facilitate restorative dialogue processes
Address identity and power dynamics skillfully
Coach individuals and teams toward transformational growth
Design leadership practices that prevent burnout
Integrate ecological consciousness into social change strategy
Graduates of this program report:
Greater confidence facilitating difficult conversations
Reduced emotional reactivity in conflict situations
Improved team trust and relational repair
Clearer leadership identity
Increased stamina in demanding roles
Greater alignment between values and strategy
This certification strengthens both the inner capacity of the leader and the outer impact of the organization.
Why Nature?
Nature thrives through interdependence, diversity, regeneration, adaptation, and reciprocity. Human systems that ignore these principles collapse; those that mirror them flourish.
CEU-Eligible Professional Development
Qualifies for 15 CEUs and includes structured live instruction, skill assessments, an applied project, and a Certificate of Completion.
This is for leaders ready for:
Move beyond performative change
De-escalate and facilitate conflict effectively
Integrate identity, equity, and ecology into organization strategy
Lead from clarity and sustainable stamina rather than exhaustion
Connect with us to find out if this certification is a good fit.
Meet Your Instructor
Raynelle Rino, CPC (ACC)
Principal Coach & Consultant
Nature-based coach & consultant, Raynelle began her career in the sciences as an ecology field researcher then moved onto grassroots environmental education and social justice organizing. Her love for nature and youth development brought her to teach in unique settings like alternative high schools, environmental justice neighborhoods, parks, and juvenile justice facilities. Her personal journey through life up to now has carved a well-rounded and powerful pathway with the support and guidance from her Spiritual Mentor, and Curandera, Tereza Iniguez-Flores.
In 2016 Raynelle started Rino Consulting Solutions, a nature-based consulting firm that provides coaching and consulting services for professionals and other businesses. Its mission is to support and inspire the leaders of today to live in the confidence of their identities as they move through a world in the midst of social, racial, and environmental transformation. Raynelle is a certified professional coach through Leadership That Works. Her "Hike It Out Coaching" Programs blend her science, environmental justice, and spiritual connection to nature by providing "Healing Hikes", where clients increase their capacity to create change with the support and guidance of the nature experience. To read more about the healing hike experience, read this feature in Outside Magazine
FAQ’s
About the Program
What is the Nature-Based Transformational Leadership Certification? It's a CEU-eligible professional development certification, offered through University of the Pacific's Benerd College, that teaches leaders to facilitate systemic change using a framework grounded in ecological principles, trauma-informed practice, and restorative communication. The certification is made up of three courses (UPCE 300, 301, and 303) and totals 15 college credits.
Who is this certification designed for? Executive directors and program directors, managers and supervisors in social impact organizations, facilitators and trainers in justice-focused spaces, community-based service providers, DEI/equity/People & Culture practitioners, and coaches supporting leaders in high-impact roles. If you're navigating conflict, burnout, or fragmented leadership models in your organization or community, this program was built with you in mind.
Do I need previous coaching or leadership experience to enroll? No prior work experience is required. Some exposure to community-based organizations or the social sector is encouraged, but not mandatory.
What will I actually be able to do after completing the certification? Graduates are able to apply nature-based systems thinking to organizational challenges, facilitate restorative dialogue, address identity and power dynamics skillfully, coach individuals and teams through transformational growth, design leadership practices that prevent burnout, and integrate ecological consciousness into their social change strategy.
Format & Schedule
Is the program in-person or online? The core program is virtual, held live over Zoom, with optional supplemental in-person practicums (primarily in the Bay Area) for community-building and shared practice.
What are the class days and times? Tuesdays, 10:00–12:00 PM PT, and Thursdays, 10:00–11:30 AM PT.
How long does the full certification take? The three courses run across roughly 14 weeks of live instruction, though the calendar includes scheduled breaks around major holidays. All three courses must be completed within 2 years to earn the certification.
Do I have to take the courses in order? Course 1 (UPCE 300) is designed to be taken first, and Course 3 (UPCE 303) is intended to follow Course 2 (UPCE 301). If you're only taking one course à la carte rather than pursuing the full certification, sequencing is more flexible — connect with us to talk through the right starting point for your goals.
What's expected of me outside of live class time? Weekly reflective assignments (journaling, essays, or audio/video submissions), structured peer coaching sessions you'll coordinate with a classmate outside of class, and a final applied project or capstone essay for each course.
Credits & Credentialing
How many CEUs/college credits do I earn? The full certification totals 15 units: 4.5 for UPCE 300, 6 for UPCE 301, and 4.5 for UPCE 303.
Are these credits transferable? They're issued through University of the Pacific's Benerd College Extended Learning as CEU credit. If you're hoping to apply them toward another institution's program, we'd recommend confirming transferability with that institution directly.
Do I get a certificate at the end? Yes — completing all three courses earns you a Certificate of Completion and the full Nature-Based Transformational Leadership Certification.
How is the coursework graded? Courses are graded Pass/Fail. Attendance (90%+ of live sessions, camera on, active participation) makes up a significant portion of your grade, alongside weekly assignments, quizzes, and a final project.
Cost & Enrollment
What does the certification cost? The Full Certification Bundle (all three courses) is $3,000. Courses can also be taken à la carte: UPCE 300 is $900, UPCE 301 is $1,500, and UPCE 303 is $900 — taking all three individually totals $3,300, so the bundle saves $300 versus enrolling course-by-course.
What if I only want to take one course, not the full certification? That's an option — each course is available à la carte. Just know that à la carte pricing is different from the bundled certification-track rate, since the bundle is priced to reflect the full 15-unit commitment.
Are payment plans available? Possibly — connect with us directly to discuss options that could work for your situation.
What's your refund or drop policy? You can drop a course up to 3 days before it begins for a full refund. Dropping within 3 days after the start results in an 85% refund (15% administrative fee). No refunds are available after the 4th day of the course.
Is This Right for Me?
How do I know if this certification is the right fit for me? That's exactly what a consultation call is for. Every leader's context, goals, and timeline are different — a short conversation lets us talk through your specific situation and figure out together whether this program (and which path through it) makes sense for you.
I'm interested but not ready to commit — what should I do first? Book a consultation. There's no obligation, and it's the fastest way to get your specific questions answered rather than guessing from a webpage.