Experiences in the Rainforest of Olinda, Victoria
ThinkSpring experiences take place in the temperate rainforest of Olinda in the Dandenong Ranges, Victoria, a landscape of towering mountain ash, ancient tree ferns, cool mountain air, and a rich diversity of birdlife.
This remarkable environment naturally invites people to slow down. As soon as you step beneath the canopy, the pace of everyday life softens. Conversations become more thoughtful, attention sharpens, and the mind begins to clear.
It is here that ThinkSpring hosts immersive experiences designed for:
- Individuals seeking time to reset and reconnect
- Small and growing teams wanting deeper connection and creative thinking
- Corporate and leadership groups looking for meaningful offsite experiences that strengthen culture, collaboration, and wellbeing
Participants are guided through experiences that may include:
- forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku)
- nature-based reflection practices
- sound healing and restorative sound immersion
- leadership and culture conversations
- team connection and collaborative exercises
Each experience is designed to create the space for clarity, connection, and renewal — something increasingly rare in the modern working world.
A Place to Pause, Reflect, and Reconnect
Modern life — and modern leadership — rarely pauses.
Organisations move quickly, decisions come constantly, and leaders often operate in environments where there is little room for reflection. Over time, this pace can lead to fatigue, disconnection, and reactive thinking.
ThinkSpring was created to offer a different rhythm.
By stepping outside the usual workplace environment and into the natural world, individuals and teams gain the opportunity to pause, breathe, and reconnect with a broader perspective.
These moments of intentional pause allow people to:
- reset their nervous system
- think more clearly and creatively
- reconnect with purpose and values
- strengthen trust and relationships within teams
- return to work with renewed focus and energy
Sometimes the most productive step forward is simply stepping outside.
Why Olinda?
The Dandenong Ranges are home to one of Victoria’s most beautiful temperate rainforest ecosystems.
In Olinda, the landscape is defined by towering eucalypts, lush fern gullies, filtered light through dense canopy, and the constant gentle sound of birds and wind moving through the forest.
There is something quietly powerful about this environment. People often describe a feeling of calm almost immediately upon entering the forest.
For ThinkSpring founder Rachael Skinner, discovering this pocket of rainforest felt like finding something special — a place where it became easy to think, reflect, and reconnect.
Rather than keeping this experience personal, ThinkSpring was created to share this magical environment with others.
The rainforest of Olinda is now the setting for experiences that allow individuals, teams, and leaders to step into nature and experience its restorative effects firsthand.
Why Nature Works for Leadership & Teams
Nature has a profound effect on the way we think, feel, and interact.
Research across psychology, neuroscience, and organisational development increasingly shows that time spent in natural environments can:
- reduce stress and mental fatigue
- improve cognitive clarity and creative thinking
- enhance emotional regulation and resilience
- strengthen social connection and empathy
- support better decision-making and perspective
When teams step outside the office and into nature, something important shifts.
Hierarchy softens. Conversations become more authentic. People listen more deeply to one another. Ideas emerge more freely.
For leaders, nature provides the space to step back from constant problem-solving and reconnect with strategic thinking and long-term perspective.
For teams, shared time in nature strengthens trust, collaboration, and human connection.
This is why nature-based leadership and team experiences are increasingly being used by organisations around the world.
From Technology Startup to Global Exit
Before founding ThinkSpring, Rachael Skinner spent more than two decades building and scaling technology companies.
In 2008 she co-founded ADI Insights, a workforce management technology company focused on helping organisations optimise labour forecasting, scheduling, and workforce productivity.
The company grew internationally and attracted venture investment, including backing from firms such as Aligned Partners.
In 2022, Oracle announced the acquisition of ADI Insights.
The experience of building, funding, and exiting a global technology company provided deep insight into:
- scaling high-growth businesses
- navigating complex organisational change
- building resilient teams and cultures
- leading through uncertainty and pressure
But it also revealed an important truth:
Sustainable growth requires moments of recovery and reflection.
Where Nature Became Essential
Throughout the intense phases of startup growth, fundraising, and acquisition, Rachael repeatedly returned to nature as a way to reset.
From the forests and coastlines of Australia to extended time exploring the Rocky Mountains of North America, these landscapes offered something that the business world rarely provides: perspective.
Time outdoors allowed space to think clearly, reconnect with purpose, and regain energy during demanding periods of leadership.
These experiences eventually shaped the vision behind ThinkSpring — combining leadership insight, organisational culture expertise, and nature-based immersion.
The ThinkSpring Approach
ThinkSpring brings together two worlds that rarely meet:
strategic leadership and organisational culture expertise
with
nature-based immersive experiences.
Our programs combine:
- culture and leadership facilitation
- team-building and reflective dialogue
- forest bathing and nature immersion
- sound healing and restorative practices
The goal is not simply a day away from the office.
It is to create an experience that helps individuals and teams return with deeper connection, clearer thinking, and renewed energy.
Because sometimes the most powerful insights happen not in meeting rooms, but outside beneath the trees.