09/10/2025
Happy birthday to us!!!
I would like to say a GIGANTIC thank you to everyone who has shared any part of the last two years with me. I cant believe I have been here working with incredible people, supported by amazing people in the industry and managing my own personal and professional destiny for 2 years already! It is absolutely mind blowing to me. I am insanely grateful to each and every person who has shared the journey with me. We have achieved some great goals together!
Two years ago I left a great job to follow my heart and my recovery journey. To take the lead again in my own professional adventure and doing what I love to do. Those who know me know that I am extremely passionate about nature therapy, garden therapy, and horticulture therapy, whichever name you like to use and the difference it can make on our mental and emotional health and overall wellbeing. I am just as passionate about mental health recovery and reducing the stigma that can hold us back from reconnecting with life in the way we hope to do. I love providing a space that is safe, with zero judgement, that is trauma informed, strengths based and walking alongside side someone cheering them on as they find the recovery steps that enable them to live the life that makes them happy. Our collective journies are inspiring and I am so grateful I get to share life's journey with incredible humans, their fur babies and in some cases their families or friends. I have learnt so much from you all which is what Peer Work is all about, learning and growing together to continue building our recovery toolkits.
I used to work for a Big 4 bank before my life changed forever. Leaving there after a number of leadership roles to tackle the hardest challenge of my life.... my heart, my body and mostly my brain. Recovering from immeasurable trauma, grief and loss. I always wanted to help people in life and I've had a number of jobs doing just that but never really found the one thing, the one path that helped me be my whole self. 2 years ago I finally reached that position. I've had some emotionally wobbly moments when life has gotten in the way (as my truly inspiring mentor would say) but not once have I woken up and not wanted to go to work and show up for the people I work with. And that is an awesome feeling. I am truly blessed and incredibly grateful.
When I started considering working for myself I wanted to absolutely include the one thing that saved my life. Nature and gardening. Also my boys. My business name reflects colours and the image very important to me. The lilium/Lily is the flower I remember most from when my sons were born, the smell was amazing and still fills me with joy today. The blue is the safe colour i chose as a participant in DBT in 2014, the colour I look for in times of distress. Those who know me know it is always with me. The name Essence in itself relating back to nature in some form. I always think of a Vanilla bean and its essence. I chose the name Essence based on its meaning of being the intrinsic quality of something..... Before I became unwell and fell of my perch sort of speak I had all sorts of qualities, some good, some bad but some that were awesome and made me who I was. In the early stages of recovery I hit rock bottom and absolutely felt like I had nothing, not a single quality left. Over time in rebuilding myself, learning, helping others through volunteering and now my work, I've come to find that I am not a diagnosis and I am not without quality. I am in Essence all of the qualities that I am meant to be and the ones I am still yet to learn.
Our commitment to mental health recovery cant just be found in a book. It is found by reconnecting with ourselves and then to others and then to the natural world around us. Together we make the world a better place to live!
Of course I had to give myself flowers today to celebrate this amazing achievement. And 10 years ago I could not have named a single one. Mostly these are from my own garden. There are Grevillias, Eremophila, Callistemon and Wattle. I am aware my floristry skills are not 100% but I am happy anyway with how this came together and it didn't cost anything but time. Flowers seem to make me light up from the inside and feel an immense amount of joy and gratitude. They fill my emotional cup without even trying. Nature is so awesome for healing me.
I have been booked out for the last 2 years which is amazing. I started my business flat out from day one, it has been brilliant! It is such an honour to work in the NDIS space and beyond. I have 51 years of lived experience being around disability and people with different abilities to others. Its where I am meant to be. To grow into the next 2 to 10 years I will be opening up a couple of spots for someone else who wants to walk the nature inspiring recovery road together. The ability to be ready to do this is super exciting to me and a great gift at the same time. Im super happy!
So here's to our recovery journey for the next 365 days and beyond! Happy birthday to our Essence community, you're all super awesome and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me into your lives.
Kristy
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