Meet The Team

One of the original team to discover The Bioasis, Adrian is an adventurer turned passionate educationalist, with side hobbies in conservation, ethical tourism and, amongst other things, surfing. From an eclectic background in sports science, pub management and purchasing, Adrian found his nirvana when he made a non-risk-assessed leap into the world of adventure travel. That journey has taken him to over 60 countries worldwide and includes the unlikely shenanigans of digging two-wheel-drive delivery trucks out of the jungles of Zaire (now DRC), an unusual story involving a night on the drink, a hyena and the legend of the lost ear, (but we don’t have time to go into that now), having all of his gear stolen inter-railing in Europe and singing karaoke in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou. 

 

Having previously been Founder & Director of STC Expeditions for over 18 years, Adrian has wide ranging expertise from ATOL financial compliance, safety management systems (BS8848, LOTC Quality Badge, AALA Licencing and more), responsible tourism policy development, systems design and, when he gets time, writing blogs about  "Barbie Dolls and Bolivia". You can sometimes hear Adrian’s dulcet tones on Mission Control radio.  

Tara brings infectious enthusiasm to The Bioasis mission. Having spent a lifetime doing fairly crazy adventures (more on that in a moment) Tara has an inherent understanding of risk, reward and safety management.

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Tara brings a unique array of skills and experience to our team - having previously worked as an Events Manager at an upmarket country estate, as Market Operations Manager at Glastonbury Festival and also as Event Manager and Race Director for a company delivering mountain marathons and triathlons for more than 700 competitors.

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She has an eye for detail, a thirst for knowledge, and is never one to shy away from a challenge. We can all learn something from Tara.

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When she’s not out walking her dog Luna, you can probably find Tara on her bike, up a mountain or planning the next big adventure.

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Amongst many things Tara is very modest about are… having a degree in Chinese, previously being in the GB Telemark Ski Team and… well…  that she’s also cycled, solo, from the UK to Kathmandu via the Tibetan plateau, covering 13,000km across 21 countries.  #nails

With nearly a decade of experience delivering outdoor, adventure and environmental education courses, Elliott joined the team here at The Bioasis. Elliott has travelled extensively across South America, including deep into the Amazon, forming strong relations with remote tribes. Whilst receiving inspiration and guidance from their ancient and harmonious ways of life, Elliott’s delivery as an outdoor guide, is embodied with reverence and respect for the natural world.

 

With a mind for the future, as with so many of The Bioasis team, Elliott's personal mission to inspire people, from all walks of life, to re-discover their connection to our Mother Earth. Whether you’re planting a woodland or summiting high peaks, knapping an arrowhead, or tracking wild deer, Elliott encourages anyone who hears the call, to answer it!

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Elliott is a qualified Mountain Leader, Sheltered Water Canoe and Kayak Coach (he leads our Private Canoe Journeys), RCI climbing instructor and a MIAS Level 2 Mountain Biking Instructor. Spending a significant amount of time in the woods, he has advanced his bushcraft practice with a strong focus on ancestral (primitive) skills.

Adrian (not to be confused with the other Adrian) has always lived in the rain catchment of The Bioasis and has an extensive knowledge of the area, He has 30 years of Mountain Rescue experience and a lifetime involvement in the Scout Movement. He has led almost 20 overseas  expeditions in the developing world with school groups and brings an international perspective and huge amounts of experience to the Bioasis project.

 

Adrian has held the Mountain Leader award since 1998 and has worked assessing other Mountain leaders. He is a keen winter mountaineer and trekker and an enthusiastic paddler of both open canoes and sea kayaks. He is a Duke of Edinburgh Award Gold assessor. He also has an interest in Bronze Age archaeology and environmental issues.

 

He sometimes goes by the name of Badger.

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Badger is something of our Tribal Elder. You can read his blog post on how this came about in this heartfelt blog post.

With a background as versatile as his toolkit, Pete brings a deep-rooted connection to land, nature, and wild living. He grew up on a small farm in the Cotswolds and trained at agricultural college. Over the last winter, Pete has been living in the Scottish Highlands and has backpacked through the Himalayas and Europe.

 

His career started with livestock farming and grounds maintenance but has developed into a niche in wildlife conservation, paddlesports, and ancestral skills. His passion lies in rewilding - both in the landscape and within ourselves - and he’s at home tracking animals, tanning hides, starting fires and crafting with natural materials.

 

With 8 years as an outdoor instructor and a wide range of formal qualifications across paddlesports, animal management, and expedition safety, as well as formal training for his Mountain Leader Award and RCI. Pete blends calm leadership with a deep knowledge of flora, fauna, and the countryside. Whether he’s guiding a canoe trip, sharing foraging skills, or repairing equipment, Pete’s (a.k.a WD40) calm, capable presence helps keep The Bioasis flowing.

Leire leads our Bioasis missions, ensuring everyone has what they need to brave the elements, hone new skills and rewild themselves.

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Originally a teacher from Spain, Leire changed her city life in the Basque Country for the woodlands of Britain, where she became interested in bushcraft, foraging and all things tree related.

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When not teaching groups about the beauty and fragility of natural places, you can find her hill walking in the Lake District, working out a new problem at her local bouldering centre, or travelling abroad on new adventures.

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Her professional experience has taken her across all corners of the UK, and internationally including South America and Norway.

 

 

Jack, or ‘Willo’ as he is sometimes known, has a BSc in Biological Sciences, an MSc in Environmental Forestry and is currently working towards a PhD on ‘Restoring for a resilient future, woodland restoration trajectories in the face of multiple stressors’.

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He often wears two hats, the first as a forest ecophysiologist, carrying out research into the effect anthropogenic pollutants can have on forest health, and another as an expedition leader and outdoor instructor. Fortunately, these two disciplines are not mutually exclusive, as an outdoor professional Jack is lucky enough to guide groups to remote and wonderful forest locations around the world, which feeds his appetite to better understand the ecological processes underpinning the nature of these forests. He’s also passionate about then communicate this understanding to whoever will listen!

Amanda was born and grew up in London, but caught the hill walking bug after taking part in the Ten Tors event. She then spent the next 12 years escaping whenever possible to the Lake District, Peaks, Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia, whilst trying to find a suitable job in the South West so that she could get back to Dartmoor. In 1989 she finally made the move to South Devon. 

 

A career change 25 years ago took her from publishing natural history books and guides into teaching geography and outdoor education, where she had great fun exploring everywhere from the local area with the youngest children to the Himalaya and parts of Africa and South America with the older ones, and all via Dartmoor with as many youngsters as possible. 

 

She now works freelance throughout Devon including as an education guide for the Dartmoor National Park and on Lundy Island. Amanda is also a Scout Leader with a very active group where she runs bush-craft activities and frequent hike camps throughout the UK as well as regular trips to the Scottish Mountains and the Swiss Alps.

The South West offers a never-ending supply of outdoor experiences and no matter how familiar it is, there is always something new to discover and share .... including The Bioasis.

Geri is an outdoor leader, Hill and Moorland guide and a National Navigation Award Scheme Course Director. 

 

Her previous experience includes learning & development, small business development, and conservation work both in Britain and with rural communities in Africa, particularly remote fishing communities in Mozambique.

 

She has an infectious love of nature, Bronze age history, wild habitats and the smallest mosses and lichens. It's a passion that has resulted in a drive to help others appreciate the finer, wilder sides to life and planet earth.  

Laurie works at the intersection of nature connection, adventure and self development. She is a trainee Wilderness Therapeutic Practitioner and Wilderness Rites of Passage guide, integrating soft reflective practices that benefit wellbeing with hard skills such as basic bushcraft, foraging and wildlife tracking. She has a wealth of experience facilitating experiences for adults and adolescents, including those with multiple needs. Her passion is supporting people to become the best versions of themselves, encouraging them to gain insights from being in nature and working through personal blocks.

 

Laurie works as mission leader at The Bioasis, specialising in running nature connection activities and reflective practices for the students. Laurie is a published writer and editor, having co-created Wilder Journeys with author and adventurer, Miriam Lancewood. The book is a collection of true stories of extraordinary wilderness journeys, and the wisdom people gained from being in nature. She is currently completing a PhD in foraging and conservation and is passionate about wild food and sustainability. Laurie is an example to us all as to how we can live as consciously as possible in the more-than-human world. 

Dan brings an insightful blend of experience, spanning the business world as a senior recruitment manager and nearly a decade as an outdoor facilitator and instructor. A qualified Transformative Coach, he brings a distinctive approach to leadership and personal development, shaped by years of guiding individuals and teams through meaningful outdoor experiences.

 

He has led programmes in both the UK and the jungles of Thailand, using the outdoors as a catalyst for growth, reflection, and reconnection. Whether holding space for quiet insight or guiding group adventure, Dan helps others deepen their connection to nature and to themselves.

With both a BA (Hons) and an MSc dedicated to researching human engagement with nature, Rhi's theoretical knowledge frames her practical delivery as a Mission Leader. 

 

Her academic research explores the benefits of nature connection for individuals with neurodiversity and mental health challenges, with a particular interest in how nature-based approaches can support symptom reduction. Rhi regularly attends conferences, both as a guest and speaker, to stay connected with emerging research in the fields of nature connectedness and neurodiversity. Her commitment to accessibility and inclusive practice is reflected in her extensive experience as a forest school leader and in managing outdoor and residential programmes across the UK. 

 

Rhi has over a decade of experience working with children from 6 months old through to adulthood and is passionate about encouraging connection to nature through craft. In her spare time, you will find her amongst the trees whittling a spoon aside a campfire.

Orla’s work is dedicated to uncovering the intersections between human and environmental resilience. As an anthropologist, researcher, and outdoor leader, she operates at the convergence of environmental and psychological anthropology, fostering a deeply intersectional approach. Orla has over four years of experience in outdoor adventure leadership, leading expeditions across the UK as well as in Kenya. She has collaborated with indigenous communities and eco-initiatives throughout East Africa, particularly focusing on women’s rights and human-wildlife conflict mitigation. She is passionate about exploring how cultural narratives and social conditioning shape our relationships with ourselves, one another, and the environment.

 

In her role as the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity Policy Advisor at The Bioasis, Orla is committed to cultivating a more accessible and inclusive organisation where all team members and clients feel encouraged to express their authentic selves. She is currently crafting Bioasis’s EDI policy and conducting research on diversity in the outdoor industry. She has two seasons of experience at the Bioasis and therefore has a comprehensive understanding of camp dynamics and operations. One of her main focuses on camps is to facilitate experiences that encourage people to interact with their natural environments instead of taking from them. 

Amanda is passionate about life-long learning and the holistic development of individuals. She has over 30 years of facilitation and training experience linked to and rooted in the power and personal healing that can be found in the outdoors.

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Starting with her own ‘life changing’ experience as a participant herself and then progressing through the various stages of instructor, leader, trainer, expedition leader, coach and mentor, she has worked with all ages, abilities, cultures and genders (both at home and abroad), indoors and out.

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She’s a qualified Summer Mountain Leader, Climbing Instructor (SPA), Level 2 Canoe Coach and even has the Cave Leaders Award (although she doesn’t admit to that very often as she prefers to stay above the ground!)

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If all that wasn’t enough, Amanda has a sneaky Masters in Outdoor Education which, combined with her coaching qualifications, has led to a niche specialism in the realm of communication, leadership, life-skills, outdoor pursuits, personal performance and team-building.