Nadja Geier

I was born in Schenectady, New York. I grew up mostly here in Nashville and have also lived in Minneapolis, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Chattanooga. As an undergraduate in college, I lived for a semester in Mexico where I spent several months hiking, sea kayaking, and sailing across and then down the Baja peninsula. 

My name is Ukrainian, in homage to my mother’s Ukrainian family. In Ukrainian and other Slavic languages, Nadja is a diminutive for Nadezhda! 

I first started working as a music teacher while studying classical music in San Francisco. A graduate student in my music studio needed someone to fill in for one of his classes, and I ended up taking over for him as a cello teacher at a local arts school. I was so taken with the experience and the kids that I continued teaching when I transitioned to a focus on biology. I have taught a variety of age ranges, from undergraduate biology students to preschoolers. 

At A New Leaf, I act as a teacher and ambassador to the natural world by leading hikes, directing nature-based activities and projects, and sharing my knowledge of botany and ecology. I also help with the maintenance and development of the Arboretum and Community Gardens!

There are so many to choose from! The nature writings of Mary Oliver continually inspire me to look, listen, and exist with more attention and wonder while in nature. I have also learned a great deal from nature and science writers such as Carl Safina, Annie Dillard, and Karen Bakker. Some personal heroes of mine include Nina Simone, Sylvia Earle, Emily Wells, and Diane Nash. 

I think I have come to know my own resilience in the face of challenges and to understand the power of perseverance and self-belief. I have also learned to appreciate the power of taking the time to do things well, and the way that you want to, and to not feel rushed when it comes to the things that matter. 

I write and play music, hang glide, read, and run! I also love to listen to music, especially live, and to dance. 

I was trained as a classical musician so I can read musical notation, and I can ’speak’ the languages of both musical sound and music theory.

I speak the scientific terminology of biology, particularly botany. I also love expressing myself through the languages of poetry, painting, and dance.  

I enjoy studying languages so I am also currently learning to speak Spanish and Arabic. 

 I love to cook and experiment so I make a lot of different things! Right now I am having a lot of fun making my own vegan kimchi. My partner is Filipino and so we make a lot of Filipino and Asian foods at home. I also have a special place in my heart for cooking Caribbean food. 

The purple-blue of twilight. It reminds me of long summer evenings: both deeply serene and richly alive. 

Right now I am working towards performing more of my musical compositions live, and I would love to one day do that with a full band and choir! I have a lot of experience playing in classical ensembles but not with large groups in other genres, and I would love to do that one day. 

An awareness of how the experiences and the teaching that we do at a New Leaf can have a lifelong impact on students keeps me consistently motivated and inspired.

These can be transformative moments; so much is being learned and absorbed by these kids in a way that can have a profound and reverberating effect. I strive to introduce my students to new worlds and tools through an increased awareness and understanding of nature, each other, and themselves.