Our Team

Max Girardeau

Co-Founder | Operations Director

Max has a passion for supporting schools to enquiry into deeply the question ‘what is education for?‘. He love collaborating with educators who share his excitement towards life-enhancing education practices that put liberation, health, nature and community at the heart. He has worked in school development for 4 years, is a qualified Mountain Leader and wilderness rites of passage guide, having trained with the School of Lost Borders. Every year he runs the Forest Family Camp, helping urban families explore collaborative community living and deepen their connection to nature. In his spare time, you’ll find him climbing mountains, playing in the snow or on his guitar, cooking, camping and dancing.

Olusola Edebiyi

Programme Director

Olusola a.k.a ‘Sola’ is a professional storyteller, youth worker and community builder. As a group facilitator his passion for youth empowerment, creative learning and rites of passage is equalled only by his deep desire to see the environment thrive. He runs a monthly online African empowerment storytelling showcase; facilitates rites of passage programmes; co-led an inspirational cultural youth charity; is presently lead facilitator in two creative camp-based youth empowerment charities and is a creative entrepreneurial consultant with African school leaders and youth. As a Mythic Medicine Practitioner he describes himself as ‘playfully serious’ and draws on African Martial Arts, Nature engagement, Drumming, Storytelling, Creative Arts, Mindfulness and Visualisation, most of which he does for fun anyway, in his spare time!

Adrian Kowal

Co-Founder | Producer

Adrian is wellbeing expert, social entrepreneur and community builder. Adrian pines for a healthy mix of adventure (doing) and slowing down (being), both of which he brings into the programmes and expeditions he runs. Adrian deeply enjoys supporting the balance in people’s personal holistic well-being, working with men’s groups and also guiding adventures and expeditions. Adrian is also the co-founder of an alternative primary school in Tuscany and co-founder of Evolve Wellness Centre in London.

Nikki Levitan

Co-Founder | Wellbeing Lead

Nikki’s passion is youth work and community organising, creating spaces for young people to self discover. At the heart of what she does is creating leaders in others and helping them spot their greatness. Nikki has worked for over 20 years with young people in both formal and informal settings. She is a professional coach and a Wellbeing Practitioner, supporting students and staff to prioritise the wellbeing of each person. Nikki’s dedicated work with young people focuses on their life skills, teaching emotional wellbeing, leadership and positive psychology. She is an expert in creating safe, non-judgemental spaces, working with people to identify and understand their driving values and their strengths.

Dr Daniel Ford

Impact & Research

Daniel supports us to learn and improve through his training ethnographic researcher – learning with communities. Through his work with us and as the Director of Rewilding Education CIC, he seeks to inspire and support radical change in education, schooling, and learning. He has worked in Further Education for over 15 years and is deeply committed to a more-than-human-centred approach. His recently completed Ph.D. entitled ‘Between the Factory and the Forest’ was an exploration of contemporary educational programmes seeking to provide young people with experiences of the wild.

David Heinemann

Associate Strategist

David is a world-class facilitator, community organiser, coach, learning partner and leadership consultant. He loves to support people and organisations – young and old – who are trying to meet the challenges and opportunities of the moment we’re living in. He believes in helping people to help themselves, their communities, their organisations, and our world – preferably in that order. His approach is informed by the principles of awareness – of self, of others and of the field. If that wasn’t enough, he is a loving father, a personal trainer, and gets a kick out of long distancing running.

Natalie Vickers

Wilderness Guide

Natalie has been listening and supporting children, youth and adults in what it is to be human for thirty years. Trained and apprenticed in complementary health and earth medicine traditions, she became a wilderness and vision quest guide through the School of Lost Borders in 2011. Natalie encourages all to find our unique ways to joy – through expression as well as compassion, doing that herself by dancing, creating art and tending her own family. Natalie creates meaningful spaces where youth are validated for their individuality and helps them to step healthily into adulthood. She promotes the reclaiming of our own traditions as well as inviting the new. Natalie is dedicated in offering nature’s wisdom through experiential learning and is the founder of Wild and Home,

We are very proud of all the amazing individuals that work so hard to bring the magic to the programmes we offer. They are what makes The Visionaries a transformative, joyful and enriching organisation to partner with. Our highly qualified team of facilitators are experts in education, wellbeing, leadership, coaching, nature connection and rites of passage. Many have been teachers themselves. All are highly qualified and driven to make a positive contribution to the lives of young people and their entourage. We know you’ll love them as much as we do!

All our staff are DBS checked, and take part in regular personal and professional development to ensure our programmes meet our high safety and quality standards.

Want to work with us?