Nested Hearts

21/05/2026

Overprotection comes from a place of the deepest love, but it can make anxiety worse - in the short term and the long term.

It soothes in the moment, for them, and for us. But when we step in too quickly, we quietly change the story
they’re building about themselves.

Not in words, but in experience.

‘I couldn’t have done that.’
‘I needed help.’
‘Maybe I’m not capable.’
‘Anxiety means danger, and the only way to stay safe is to avoid.’

Protection has an important place.
It keeps them safe from danger.

But when there’s no danger, stepping in doesn’t protect - it limits.

This is the tension of parenting: knowing when to hold close, and when to let them stretch.

Because confidence doesn’t come from being protected. It comes from discovering:

‘I can do this. Even when I feel anxious, even when I feel like I don’t have what it takes, I can do hard things.’

Stay close. Let them try.♥️

12/05/2026

Rupture and Repair! The most important skill in any healthy relationship ❤️

Perfection doesn’t build safety.
Return does.

Rupture is part of every relationship -
it’s what happens when two nervous systems meet, misread, miss, collide.

But it’s repair that teaches the brain
something deeper than getting it right: that connection can stretch, and still hold.

Children don’t need a flawless parent.
They need a parent who comes back - after the sharp tone,
the missed cue,
the moment that didn’t land.

Because in those returns, they learn something powerful: love doesn’t disappear when things get hard.
It repairs.
It stays.
It begins again.

‘I didn’t get that right. I’m here now. Let’s try again.’

This is how safety is built - not in perfection, but in the courage to return.

30/04/2026

I want to share the poem that I created at the Restoring Resilience and We Al-li Programs Recreating Songlings from Trauma Trails with Somatic Experiencing International on the weekend inspired by Aunty Judy Atkinson. I so enjoyed writing this poem, and even read it out with the hand of Aunty Judy on my back letting me know the ancestors had me! This was such an awesome process, as soon as I got home I did this with my children and husband and had them also create their own poems. So interesting to see how much they all enjoyed it as well. I will definitely be introducing this into my sessions with children both in groups and individually! Woah! Powerful stuff!

I am
I am a fairy wren dancing in the rainforest.
I am a star in the night sky, dreaming.
I am a green frog swimming in the water in the border ranges.
I am

28/04/2026

What a community of care ❤️

27/04/2026

Still basking in the energy of the weekend with .au, Aunty Judy & Carlie Atkinson, , and .kline.7. Somatic Experiencing is a powerful approach that acknowledges the body and spirit in healing. I'm grateful for all the We Ali facilitators who shared with love and heart, continuing a healing tradition that has been around before they were validated by academia. You all embody the spirit of connection, healing and deep listening. Thank you for being a source of inspiration and wisdom. To be surrounded by such an incredible community of care both old friends and new friends it was truly a pleasure to be in your presence. Healing happens in relationship, in communtiy and on country. Grateful 🙏 Heartful ❤️ returning to my practice and my family with more vitality then before.

21/04/2026

PDA - Persistent Drive for Autonomy: How does it show up?

How does my persistant drive for autonomy show up?

20/04/2026

The Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics teaches us that behaviour reflects the part of the brain that is most active in that moment.

So when a child is dysregulated, reasoning and consequences won’t reach them.

Play Therapy allows us to respond in a way that matches the child’s developmental state:

• sensory support when overwhelmed
• relational connection when seeking safety
• gentle reflection when ready

This is not lowering expectations.

It is aligning support with how the brain actually works.

When we meet the child at their level, we give them the best chance to grow.

19/04/2026

This is such a good reframe of Autism!

Autistic people are often identified once we hit a crisis - often burnout, meaning our suffering is often seen as Autistic traits. Imagine if we were actually understood based upon neuro affirming ideas of what it means to be Autistic and not based upon the pathologising medical model.