Mentorship in the Wild
Lead with Presence, Purpose and Connection. A self-paced course for educators, outdoor educators, school leaders, and youth-program leaders.
One-time purchase for full, lifetime access to Mentorship in the Wild: Lead with Presence, Purpose and Connection, a self-paced course for educators and youth-serving leaders, including all five modules, the participant workbook, and downloadable tools.
The WILD Framework
A framework you can carry into the real world: Welcome with intention, Invite ownership, Lead through challenge, and Deepen the learning.
Welcome with Intention
Showing up fully before anything else you do — starting with your baseline Mentorship Culture Self-Assessment. Includes the real moment that shows trust isn’t built by avoiding the miss, but by what you do after it.
Invite Ownership
Knowing when to instruct and when to ask. Telling closes it down; asking opens it up — including the real moment on the trail where a quiet student steps up and the group sees him differently.
Lead through Challenge
Steadiness, backup plans, and support without rescuing — including the story of a tarp taking flight during a dry run, and weeks later, two students who double-check it unasked.
Deepen the Learning
Purposeful play and reflection that makes meaning stick — the Talking Circle, Rose/Thorn/Bud, and the Debrief Ladder — plus everyday mentorship habits, three closing rituals, your 30-day action plan, and your Certificate of Completion.
Lifetime Access
7-Day Guarantee
Lifetime Access 7-Day Guarantee
Meet Your Instructor
Court Rustemeyer
Outdoor Educator & Author of Mentorship in the WildFor nearly 20 years, Court has worked as an outdoor educator, helping people connect more deeply with the natural world and with each other. He’s the best-selling author of Mentorship in the Wild, and in 2025 he was selected as a National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellow, joining a Lindblad Expeditions voyage to Antarctica. He currently serves as President of GEOEC and Director of Prairies for OCC.
Frequently Asked Questions
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About three to four hours total, video and workbook combined, at your own pace — nothing to keep up with, no live sessions.
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Yes — the Workbook, the Six-Tool Toolkit, and your Certificate of Completion are yours permanently, along with lifetime access to the course itself.
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Court leads workshops and speaking engagements built around the same WILD framework — reach out through the Workshops & Speaking page to talk about bringing it to your organization.
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If Mentorship in the Wild isn’t right for you, email me within 7 days of purchase for a full refund — no hard feelings.
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No. The tools and reflections apply whether you’re in a classroom, on a trip, leading a team, or on a video call.
Built From Real Terrain
Every tool in this course comes from nearly 20 years of leading real students through real challenges outdoors.
Who This Course Is For
K–12 educators
Outdoor educators
School leaders
Camp and youth-program leaders
Beginning teachers
What You’ll Walk Away With
Across 5 modules and roughly three to four hours of video and activity time.
Bite-sized 5–12 minute lessons, you’ll work through presence, ownership, challenge and reflection — building toward:
Your completed Participant Workbook — 19 lessons of reflection prompts and activities
Six practical, reusable tools you’ll keep using long after the course ends
A renewed sense of purpose in how you lead, teach and mentor
A Certificate of Completion recognizing about 4 hours of professional learning
Yours to keep and reuse long after the course ends:
Mentorship Culture Self-Assessment
Educator-versus-Facilitator Decision Guide
Challenge and Adaptation Planner
Purposeful Activity Planner
Reflection and Debrief Prompt Sheet
Mentorship Action Plan
What Mentorship in the Wild Is Designed to Deliver
A practical approach to mentorship that goes beyond theory.
Walk away with strategies you can immediately use to build stronger relationships, create belonging, and lead with greater intention.
Reflection that actually changes how you lead. This course creates space to examine your own leadership and mentorship practice while giving you practical tools for the conversations, challenges, and relationships that matter most.
A framework you can carry into the real world. The WILD Framework gives educators and leaders a memorable way to Welcome with intention, Invite ownership, Lead through challenge, and Deepen the learning.
The Path Is Yours to Lead
You don’t need perfect conditions to start leading well. You just need the right tools and the willingness to begin.
One-time purchase for full, lifetime access to Mentorship in the Wild: Lead with Presence, Purpose and Connection, a self-paced course for educators and youth-serving leaders, including all five modules, the participant workbook, and downloadable tools.
Want to Explore More?
Connect with Court for individual programs, workshops, speaking events and more!
