researcher · program designer · technologist
Evidence-Based Nature Connection
More of us live in cities, spend our days indoors, and feel overwhelmed by technology, in places that weren’t designed for people to flourish. I help make nature part of everyday life through therapeutic spaces, guided programs, and evidence-based approaches. I also test how AI evaluates natural spaces, so planners know what to expect from it and when a field visit is still needed.
how we can work together
Find your pathway
Authorized to work in Canada and the US. Based in Vancouver, BC.
01
Talks, Workshops, and Guided Sessions
For conferences, health organizations, and teams dealing with burnout
Your people are stretched thin, and a talk about wellbeing rarely changes much on its own.
What you get: A talk or workshop on nature and health, technostress, or quiet spaces. You can add a guided session so your group experiences what the research describes.
The result: Your audience understands why nature matters for their health, and the guided session lets them feel it.
Request speaker kit →02
Guided daily audio practices
For individuals who want a simple daily practice, and for occupational therapists, counsellors, coaches, and guides who want a structured nature practice for their clients
Getting outside is hard when your days are full and screens take up most of them.
What you get: 10-minute audio-guided practices you can do in nearby nature. Practitioners can buy the Facilitator Pack to use with clients.
The result: A daily habit of noticing nearby nature, for stress reduction and attention restoration.
03
Therapeutic and Sensory Trail Assessments
For parks departments, regional land managers, health campuses, and organizations with green space
You know your green spaces matter for people’s wellbeing, but you don’t know which ones actually help people recover from city stress.
What you get: An on-site sensory and acoustic assessment using my Therapeutic Trail Evaluation protocol. The report covers what each trail offers and what gets in the way, such as noise and other sensory intrusions.
The result: Evidence for deciding which trails to recommend, protect, or improve, for the people who use them and the wildlife that live there.
Request an assessment proposal →04
Artificial Intelligence Evaluation and Research Partnerships
For AI teams, research groups, universities, health systems, and organizations using AI in planning
AI is increasingly used in decisions about parks and trails, often from incomplete desk research, and it can miss wildlife and habitat.
What you get: Testing of how AI models handle nature and health questions, compared against real field assessments, with a report on where they fail and when someone needs to visit the site. I also collaborate on nature and health research, from study design to field measurement.
The result: You know where your AI can be trusted, and where human judgment and field observation are still needed.
Get in touch →in their words
What people say after a session
A wonderful guided sit‑spot experience that helped me quiet my mind, release tension, and feel fully present in a safe, healing forest setting.
Tara has created a wonderful Sit Spot program that has helped me get out in Nature and tune into my senses.
Tara creates a welcoming, thoughtful space and guides the experience in a way that feels natural and unhurried.
in the field
Tea, at the end of a walk
Guided session with United Nations GEF
Measuring trail conditions
Background and credentials
Professional Experience
PhD, UBC Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship (2025). Randomized crossover study of forest bathing with 106 participants across four Metro Vancouver parks and four seasons.
15+ years in tech and education. Senior Lead Program Manager at Microsoft, where I shipped ten large-scale Office and Windows Live products. Co-founder of LA Makerspace, whose library STEAM programs were featured by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and KitHub.
Field pilot. Silent Trails pilot with Metro Vancouver Regional Parks, including Pacific Spirit and Campbell Valley.
Current AI research. Researcher, Sentient Futures Fall Incubator (2026), testing how AI language models apply my trail evaluation methods, checked against my field assessments of more than 40 trails, and whether they weigh wildlife and habitat.
Certifications. Forest Therapy Guide (Association of Nature and Forest Therapy; Nature and Forest Therapy of Canada), Forest Medicine Trainee (International Society of Nature and Forest Medicine), and PaRx Connector.
Speaking. The White House, SXSW, IUFRO, Caltech, UBC, GEF Assembly, World Conference on Forests and Parks for Public Health.
Featured in. CBC, Global News, Vancouver Sun, CTV Morning Live, City News, Smithsonian, PCMag, Reasons to Be Cheerful.
15+
years in tech & education, before forestry
From tech to trees
Our bodies crave connection with nature, and when people feel that firsthand, they start caring for the living world they’re part of.
Before earning my PhD at UBC’s Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship, I spent 15+ years in tech and education. I led software projects for Microsoft, built platforms that helped musicians reach fans directly, and developed learning products with research labs at USC and UC Irvine. I co-founded education ventures and nonprofits that brought hands-on STEAM and environmental monitoring to schools, libraries, and families.
My doctoral study found that guided and self-guided forest sessions both lowered heart rate, that mood and nature connectedness improved most for people who started lowest, and that quieter forests produced the largest mood gains. Silent Trails builds on that last finding.
Today I bring my product and program experience to that research, turning it into assessments, programs, and tools that people and organizations can use. My newest work brings all of it together: testing how AI language models evaluate natural spaces, and where field observation and human judgment are still needed.
the framework
My programs are grounded in four interconnected pillars.
01
Self
Presence and nervous system regulation in natural environments.
02
Others
Relationships, peer communities, and belonging.
03
More-Than-Human
Reciprocity with forests, waters, animals, and living systems.
04
Meaning & Spirit
Purpose, awe, and connection to something larger than ourselves.
Pricing and scope
What I Offer
Custom proposal based on trail count, site size, and reporting scope. Starting at $5,000.
Annual license to use the Silent Trails protocol across your parks, clinics, or programs, with training materials and measurement templates. Quoted by organization size.
Talk fees depend on event type, audience size, and travel. Guided sessions and talks with a guided session start at $500.
Scoped and quoted per project.
Individuals: 3-Day Sit Daily free · 7-Day Sit Daily CA$14 · 30-Day Sit Daily CA$39 (lifetime access).
Facilitators: one-time program purchase, not licensing. 5-seat pack CA$175 · 10-seat pack CA$299 · 25-seat pack CA$625.
A good fit if you:
- Need defensible evidence and assessment methods for parks, trails, or health programs
- Build or use AI for decisions about natural spaces and want it tested against field reality
- Want a nature practice your clients or staff can use without a live guide every time
- Value research over wellness trends
Not a fit if you:
- Want a one-on-one or low-budget casual walk
- Need medical treatment. Sit Spot Club and guided sessions are educational and are not a substitute for medical care.
get started
Where to begin
Schedule a consultation about trail assessments or methodology licensing.
Schedule a call →Request a speaker kit, check availability, or ask about a guided session.
Request speaker kit →Testing AI on nature and health questions, or partnering on research.
Get in touch →Contact: hello@taratigerbrown.com. Based in Vancouver, BC. Available on-site in Canada and the US, and remotely worldwide.
also from Tara
Tools for nature practitioners who want less screen time and more client time.
Join the waitlist →An animated mini-drama where every plot point is backed by peer-reviewed science.
Follow the story →insights & resources
- Solo or Guided? Comparing Mindful Forest WalksSummary Both solo and guided mindful forest walks reduce stress, improve mood, and increase nature connectedness. Guide-led programs tend to add greater gains in self‑esteem, emotional regulation, social bonding, and… Read more: Solo or Guided? Comparing Mindful Forest Walks
Weekly nature practice research, free.
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