Find a Deeper Sense of Place
A Framework for Finding Stories That Matter and Building Connections That Help People and Places Thrive.
What if the places where we live, work, and visit felt more like places of belonging?What would shift?
Your sense of place can enrich how you experience the world. It can help us:
→ Feel more connected to where we are
→ Find more meaning in everyday experiences
→ Strengthen relationships with ourselves, our communities, and our surroundings
→ Enrich our work and deepen our sense of purpose
When we gain a deeper sense of place, we begin to see places not simply as locations, but as sources of meaning, memory, identity, and possibility. We also gain insights and inspiration for our work, deeper roots in our communities, and a stronger sense of connection to both where we are and who we are.
The Sense of Place Approach is the framework I've developed to explore how meaningful connections with place are cultivated and how those connections can shape our lives and our work. Developed through decades of in-the-field experience working with interpreters and educators in museums, parks, and heritage sites, as well as with communities and individuals through practical and creative programs, today this approach is at the core of everything I offer.
Explore the different ways you can experience this approach below.
Everyone has stories of place and belonging,
waiting to be remembered and revealed.
Let’s find yours.
Appalachian Trail Conservancy, NextGen Summit, Mount Greylock, MA
Sense of Place Programs Offered:
Train.ing for parks, museums, heritage sites, learning centers, and organizations
Create meaningful tours, exhibits, and visitor experiences through a comprehensive training framework that includes practical tools and practices to enrich sense of place connections.
Interpretive Training →
Interpretive Training
Keynotes
Keynotes for conferences and events focused on tourism, stewardship, interpretation, heritage, wellness, and community.
A journey of story, song and conversation customized to connect audiences to places, purpose, and the deeper meaning behind their work.
Keynotes →
Public Programs
Events and programs for communities, organizations,
and individuals.
Uncover and develop your own stories of connection or bring people together through public events rooted in story, place, and belonging.
“We brought Erica in to help us master the art of storytelling and to learn how to share the meaning of these places even more effectively. When I’d worked with Erica before, it was one of the most meaningful experiences of my career. I was thrilled by seeing the growth in rangers and the inspiration they gleaned.”
— National Mall and Memorial Parks, Washington
Hello, I’m Erica Wheeler
I'm the founder of Sense of Place Consulting and an interpretive trainer, keynote speaker, songwriter, and creative mentor.
For more than two decades, I have helped parks, museums, historic sites, communities, organizations, and individuals discover the stories, meanings, and possibilities their sense of place connections reveal.
The framework, tools, and practices I offer I use have been honed through in-the-field experience and a lifelong commitment to connecting people and place.
People leave my programs with a stronger sense of place, a clearer connection to matters, and practical ways to bring those insights to life in their work, communities, and everyday lives.
Let’s bring your stories to life.
Ways We Can Work Together :
NEW HERE?
Learn about the Sense of Place Approach →
FOR INTERPRETERS
Learn to design and deliver programs that create the conditions for connection
Training →
FOR COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS
Provide experiences that strengthen individual and collective identity and awakening a sense of belonging
Community Engagement →
Book Erica →
FOR INDIVIDUALS
Uncover stories and practices rooted in meaning, place, memory and experience.
Sense of Place Writing →
Events Calendar →
“Erica’s workshop rekindled my connection to nature that first inspired me to work in this field, and I left with the tools and resolve to tap more into the power of place as well as the inspiration to help others do the same.”
— Claire Dacey, Naturalist, Educator, Artist, MA