Hi, I’m Evan Rapoport. I’m the founder of NatureMe, a product I’ve dreamed of building for several years, even before I left my long career at Google in 2024.

I’ve always been drawn to spending time in nature and observing the animals, plants, and landscapes around me. So, today I’m thrilled to announce the launch of NatureMe, a new app for iPhone and Android that offers guided audio sessions to help people enjoy nature even more in their everyday lives. It’s not screen time, it’s a wise guide helping you tune all your senses to nature.

We created NatureMe in partnership with the Wilderness Awareness School, one of the leading outdoor education institutions who has taught over 50,000 adults and children on their land near Seattle, WA over the past 40 years.

Inspired by Childhood Memories of Nature

My journey to build NatureMe brings me full circle back to my earliest childhood memories of being in nature. As a kid, I’d spend endless time exploring the streams, lakes, and forests where I grew up in upstate New York. I would catch frogs, crayfish, newts, salamanders, and fish. And of course, I’ll always remember our family’s camping trips.

*Here’s me as a kid, setting up our family’s tent on a camping trip. Image copyright, Amy Rapoport.*

In high school, I worked as a summer camp counselor, which is still the best job I’ve ever had. After college, I drove cross-country to explore the wilderness and volunteered for the summer in Yosemite National Park, following in the steps of my heroes John Muir and Ansel Adams.

Balancing Work & Play

As an adult, I’ve always used my vacation time to travel the world to experience its wonders, such as snorkeling in Hawaii, scuba diving in Indonesia, or going on safaris in Africa. I’ve seen the power nature has in connecting me to my best self and building communities.

Free diving with a huge school of fish. Image copyright, Shawn Heinrichs.

Like most people in our fast-paced, tech-centric society, I spent most of my adult life focused on professional goals. I worked for almost a decade at Google, cofounding many cutting-edge products, including:

AI breakthroughs at Google Brain / DeepMind
Moonshots at Google X
Camera & photo apps with Android and Google Maps

Dreams Change

But after a long time working in Silicon Valley, I knew there were other ways I wanted to make a difference that aligned with my love of being in nature. But since I didn’t know exactly what that would look like, I felt very, very lost. To figure out what I wanted to do, it was time for me to wander and rediscover myself.

One of my first big adventures was to Kenya, where I immediately felt the connection to the vast terrain where humanity first evolved hundreds of thousands of years ago. I walked amongst the elephants, rhinos, giraffes, zebras, and dozens of other species I’d always dreamed of seeing.

It was there in Kenya that I remembered what I had always known: being present with nature is one of the most powerful ways we can connect with ourselves.

I was mesmerized watching elephants in the wild for the first time. Image copyright, Evan Rapoport.

Nature & Childlike Wonder

Children are natural observers; they notice things adults often overlook. To them, a beetle on the sidewalk, the sound of a creek, or the way clouds move can seem like the coolest thing ever. But somewhere along the way, most of us lose that sense of awe. Life gets faster, noisier, and more crowded with screens, schedules, and big projects at work

Throughout my adventures to Africa and other magical destinations, I felt that childlike wonder come rushing back. When I returned home, I felt that same excitement as I observed the natural environment I had once taken for granted. I will never forget the joy I felt watching a raccoon late one night in my backyard in California, feeling just as much excitement as when I had watched lions and leopards hunt just a few days before.

Just by sitting quietly outdoors, I found myself paying attention again — to the wind, to a bird’s call, to the tiny movements of life I had stopped noticing. I remember thinking:

If people could just get a taste of this, it could change everything.

That question, “How do we give people a taste of nature’s wonder?” is what led me to develop NatureMe and to partner with the Wilderness Awareness School.

Teachers and students at the Wilderness Awareness School near Seattle, Washington.
Image copyright, Wilderness Awareness School.

The NatureMe App

The NatureMe app is a simple way to help people enjoy nature in their everyday lives. Through short, guided audio practices, it encourages you to step outside, slow down, and use all your senses to notice what’s around you. Whether you’re on a city balcony, walking your dog, or sitting in your backyard, NatureMe helps you experience the natural world with the same kind of curiosity and joy you felt as a child.

NatureMe is easy to use on iPhone and Android. You can use it nearly anytime, anywhere.

People are Losing their Connection to Nature & Community

NatureMe’s launch couldn’t be more timely.

It isn’t hard to see how disconnected we all are from nature and one another. With the rise of social media and new emerging technologies like AI, we’ve never been more screen-dependent and addicted to quick hits of dopamine.

It’s now common to see someone with their eyes down, glued to their phone while they walk outside, missing out on the opportunity to connect with the environment and those around them.

Our connection to nature has taken a drastic hit. Human connection to nature has declined by 60% over the past 200 years. Is it even surprising that rates of anxiety and depression are up among young adults, with so many feeling helpless and hopeless about our future?

We don’t have to accept this dystopian reality. We already know the solution to this problem…it’s nature!

Peacefully observing nature with curiosity has incredible benefits! Image copyright, Evan Rapoport.

Time in Nature Improves Health & Wellbeing

Nature has a significant impact on people’s mental health. According to a recent study by the American Psychological Association, adults who spent at least two hours a week in nature reported significantly greater health and well-being. Spending time outside observing your surroundings and noticing your environment can calm your anxious mind, help you reconnect with yourself, and inspire that sense of awe we all had as kids.

NatureMe isn’t here to replace nature with an app. It’s here to help people rediscover their love for nature again, wherever they are. Even a few minutes of intentional time outdoors (or even gazing out a window) can shift how we feel, how we relate to one another, and how we show up for the planet.

When people use NatureMe, I hope they will rediscover what it felt like to be a kid, when everything around you felt alive and worth paying attention to. Because when we experience that sense of wonder, we don’t just reconnect with ourselves; we begin to care more deeply for the Earth that sustains us.

To begin noticing the wonder that surrounds you, I would be honored if you’d try NatureMe today. You can install it for free on the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.

NatureMe might just become your new favorite habit!

Hello World, Let’s Enjoy Nature More