Willow Therapy Tring

16/08/2025

2 Years ago Today
My Daughter became a Mother
I Became a Grandmother
My Sons became Uncles
Their partners became Aunties
There became Welsh Nannas and Bampis

A Whole New family formation appeared
This Tiny Human connected us All
In ways that made and continue to make
My Heart Swell with a depth of Love
That I myself cannot fully comprehend
How Lucky am I ❤️

Baby Bean Thank you
You My Darling Boy teach me so much
You brought out the very best in my girly
The journey to get you here was bumpy
But every second was worthwhile ❤️

Being a Grandmother
Has changed me profoundly
It has slowed me down immensely
Shown me what is important
Reminding me daily of the value of Family

Connection Community Commitment
I'm re learning all of these values
At a far deeper level of knowing
Through the eyes of a small human

Happy Birthday Baby Bean ❤️

15/08/2025

This really resonated
It can be a painful process
Letting our children go ❤️
Watching them tumble and trip
Into those Adulting years
It Can often be difficult
To become the Observer of our adult kids
As opposed to the Conducter of their lives

But when they stand tall
And get back up from their falls
That's when we can breathe out
Parenting can be heavy at times
But letting go brings so much Growth
In painful heart stretching ways
Because in stepping back from our Bigs
We are saying I Trust You to manage this
That message is a powerful One
Because we also say I Trust myself
As a parent to Let go of my child

No one ever talks about The Letting go bits!
I think it can feel like one of the hardest
Chapters of the parenting story
But it can also be the most transformative
Me as Mum I've learned my greatest lessons
From each one of my children's journeys
And those lessons continue daily ❤️

As we move towards Beans Second birthday
I'm in awe of this tiny humans ability
To somehow make everything Sunnier

My Youngest child standing tall
With my Daughters tiny child
Each containing Bucket fulls of wisdom ❤️
One has travelled 24 years
One has travelled almost 2 years
Yet each has a profound impact

Here's to parents of Tinnies
Here's to parents of Bigs
Whatever stage or age you're at
Take a deep breath inwards and exhale
You truly do have this I promise
It does get easier and it does settle
But we do have to learn to Let Go
For that incredible Growth to happen

We're off to Celebrate a Bean 🎂
Shopping Baskets are Optional 🧺

12/08/2025

Take a Breath
Pause Please ❤️

11/08/2025

I can honestly say this brings tears. It's so utterly Beautiful ❤️ An inspirational Creative. Thinking outside the box. Being a carer may have limits but Kelly The Poet has found a way. To share her Art and Wise words whilst being a carer. This humans Art is incredible. And for the cost of a bottle of wine.....£8.00 a month you get a piece of art and words of wisdom through your letter box!! I've signed up. And I want to do a shout out To all of you Artist's and Creatives out there...you all have no idea what joy you bring. You change lives with your gifts. Oliver & Purchase with your beautiful goods and kind words. Notion Jewellery with Nature's jewellery and so many more Creatives I know. Samantha Lee Counselling with your creative writing in your workshops. Let's all support our Creatives where we can. Not forgetting Where Inspiration Blooms pottery!

11/08/2025

As I prepare to head home
I'm reflecting on my long weekend
I've felt the sun the sea and the salty air
I've chatted to beautiful souls
Locals I've met over the years here
The recognition that life happens
In so many variety of guises
People get married Have babies Get poorly
Life has a habit of unfolding in this way

As I prepare to head home
I'm eternally grateful 🙏 for time
It gently stood still for me here
It brought out the sunshine in abundance
It held me in belly laughter and in silence

Thank you Devon sands
As ever there had to be a new bracelet
From the wonderful Helen here ❤️
As I wore my silver feather 🪶
I looked down to see a little white feather
Settled on the pebbles as I walked

A reminder appeared in thoughts
My Mother's anniversary is slowly arriving
Ten years since she passed away
So my feather became symbolic to her

Please remember to Rest
When your body calls for it
If not for a Day then an hour
If not for an Hour then Ten minutes
If not for Ten minutes then a Moment

Craft And Cultivate Self Compassion
Then you can bring the very best of you
To those you Care for Support Love and Help
Happy breezy Monday All ❤️

08/08/2025

I'm off to do some Beach Combing
Beach bracelets on
Local Devon designers embraced
Oliver & Purchase
And emails are all off

Self care comes in many guises
Sea Sand and Salty Air
Is one of my favourites ❤️

Please remember to self care
However small or brief
Particularly all of you students training
And all those well seasoned counsellors too
It can be a heavy to carry sometimes
And Parents! Parenting
And humans humaning ❤️
Be gentle with yourselves

08/08/2025

It's been a Full on time
Life-ing...yes Life-ing not Living
Life-ing our way through bumps and dips
Can often feel exhausting
Even the wizzy pop specially good stuff
When we life too fast we often trip up
How often do we humans speed through life
Cramming more and more and more in!

I've been flying through time this week
Squeezing in too much and juggling lots
Amidst Mabel Mini misbehaving
Bus journeys trains and tickets
Good friends jumping in to help

So when I finally arrived home
To a cottage I forgot I had prepped
Ready for the turn around tomorrow
As I head to Devon for a swift 3 days R and R
I headed up to bed late completely forgetting

In a mad rush of planning a few days ago
Before I had headed for Tring to work
I had stripped all beds of Everything!
Washed sheets and duvets hung everywhere
A suitcase pre packed with god knows what
Sat waiting to go to Devon sands
Pillow cases adorned on all doors drying
I took one look and closed the door

The final straw I stepped into the shower
Only to slip and slide precariously
Remembering that I had sprayed madly
The entire inside of the shower with cleaner!!
Leaving it to soak in for the past week!
As I stood stinking of a mixture of bleach
And possibly fruits of some wild forest!
I smiled out loud thinking how organised I was

It was then that I rubbed my tired eyes
The type of ferocious rubbing
That you do with vigour at the end of a long day
Only then did i realise the worst!
I had filled my contact lense pot up with liquid
And absent mindedly forgotten
To take said hard contact lenses OUT
Poking my poor tired eyes so hard
That one shot almost to the back of my head
Contact lense not eye ball

Lessons learned here
We often think we're in control
When we prep preen organise and prepare
But in reality it's far better to slow down
Take it one day at a time to stop trip ups

I'm only human and I fall into old habits
Going way too fast at times
Juggling too manys balls and plates
Then feeling tired resentful and stressed
Does this sound familiar to you too

But age and wisdom swiftly step in
Thankfully I've learned that it's just a day
I ask myself What Can I learn from this
Look for the good stuff then seek out humour
So I drew on my sparkly clean shower door
A reminder that life needs stripping back
To the bare essentials ❤️
Which equate to One Day At A Time
Less is always More ❤️

Then climbed into an unmade bed and smiled
Tomorrow I head to Devon
In fact TODAY is now Tomorrow
And I go with another juggler of life
I know we'll laugh a lot and we'll smile
At how as Humans we trip fall and stumble
Through life but if we can learn along the way
To be kind and compassionate to ourselves
To take a breath and slow down
To Savour all we are presented with
Then we can say We really Lifed Well ❤️

07/08/2025

This popped up on my FB feed
8 years ago I had photos done for Willow
The beautiful Vanessa Champion
Took me for a summer woodland walk
And we giggled away taking photos

8 years ago I was still steadying myself
Following the loss of my mother
And the ending of a long marriage
Both felt Monumental changes
Both rocked the floor beneath me
As these things do on lifes path

But time steadied my feet
And I rebuilt many things
My children adulted away
And I set about Wobbling along
Growing a newer version of me

A version that took chances
A version that made changes
A version that was braver
A version that tripped and tumbled

Bravery and courage aren't instant
It takes time to cultivate that stuff
As all keen gardeners know
We plant things We nurture them
Some plants flower and bloom
Some just don't! So we try again
Life like Nature is about trying
Taking chances and making changes

If you're mid way growing
Gathering your Brave
Cultivating your Courage
Remember to be patient with yourselves

That woman holding the gate
Was navigating change with courage
I'm eternally grateful to her
She wandered onwards on that path
And became stronger and wiser
We often forget to say Thank you
To our past selves

As humans we become shaped
By the experiences we navigate
How we choose to view them is crucial
And what choices we make create us
Little did I know 8 years ago on that day
That I was travelling a path to here

I set the scene that day
Photos of me in Nature with trees
Walking a path without knowing where
Basket in hand and courage in my pocket
To a version of me now!
Where baskets rule and Nature is all around

Be Brave and Take Chances please
Nurture yourself with Compassion
Hold yourself Accountable often
Stop and Pause to look around you
And be Gentle with yourself on the way ❤️
You never know where you may end up ❤️

02/08/2025

I Went to a Beautiful Wedding recently
It was my Eldest Sons two Best Friends
They Married in a Fairytale way ❤️
I had watched these two humans grow
It was an Honour to be invited along

What completely struck me throughout the day
Moved me in ways that touched so deeply
That expanded my growing heart physically
Were the comments and words I heard
About my two Sons there at the wedding
Other parents and adulting adults
Oh You are Their Mother!
A sudden recognition that brought stares
That said Thank you from our heart to yours

Telling me how incredible my sons were
Telling me how they valued them in ways
That spoke volumes beyond words
Taking me to one side and voicing grattitude
At how these now Men had supported others
How they had stepped in and Up
These parents who smiled had journeyed too
And there was a quiet knowing as we talked

Listening to my eldest child read his speech
Talking of grattitude for friendship
Talking of memories and connections
In that moment I played witness to something
I was playing witness to my son
Being the man he had grown into
I was witness to his growth and humility
Many people there held pieces of the puzzle
That I had no knowledge of no sense of
But now I was hearing from others
And that puzzle became clearer and brighter

All around were people parents and adults
Adults we had watched grow from children
These adults had created stories
Ones that were often messy and bumpy
But here I was 32 years later my heart cracking
As it expanded and filled with such Love

So to All you parents out there Wobbling
Please know I've been there in so many ways
We bumped slid slipped and skidded our way
But Standing listening to my Son in that room
I knew he had become a man to look up to
A man I was proud to call my Son

Playing witness to school friends grown
Sitting with parents who knew ❤️
Left me softer with a sense of knowing
That When we do our very best as parents
That's all that is needed in the end

Because these children grow in adults
Who one day will have you sat sobbing
At just how Fu***ng incredible they became

Parents bumping the teenager roads now
Or the young adults motorway of mayhem
You've most certainly Got This ❤️
You too will one day have a heart that cracks
With a Love so deep weighty and expansive
As they speak up and out for others
Then you'll Say....Oh Yes I Get it now
Parenting is hard but absolutely Beautiful

02/08/2025

Took me Many Many Years to Learn this ❤️
Getting to 52 and feeling I'm still learning
But I'm rocking Growth and Wisdom ❤️

Boundaries are tricky little things
Sometimes setting them is so very hard
We wibble and wobble and Dilly and Dally
We What If and We Why and We But them

But in the end when we gather up the strength
When we stand tall and strong and set them
We learn that there is a huge sense of relief
It may come after tremors fears and worries

But a Boundary places you at the centre
It says I value myself enough to say No
Or maybe I Value myself enough to say Yes
But remember the Yes I offer up has limits
Boundaries say I will define those limits

Boundaries allow us to feel Couragous Strong
Boundaries can also leave us feeling in pain
Because here's the piece we don't always hear

In my life I've set Many Boundaries
Some Wonky some straight some half hearted
But the ones that were the hardest to set
The ones that I knew in my heart were needed
Often created huge growth but eaqually pain
Boundaries where we step away
Or Boundaries where we say No

I see this so often in my work
People braving life and learning to say No
No that doesn't serve me Well right now
Can be such an uncomfortable sentence
So bring on the growth and grow ✨️
Here's to Boundaries Limits and Wisdom

Feel strong in yourself and Love who you are
Because YOU are Beautiful for being You
In all the Wibbly Wobbly humaness that is

30/07/2025

These photographs
All have something in common
They represent Awareness and Change

This photo popped up on my feed
Me in Devon seas and few years ago
My Devon bracelets adorned my wrist

As I sigh I remember clearly those beads
In France years ago I looked down
The floor was covered in beads bouncing
Two bracelets snapped clear off my wrist
They had broken and with each bead
A memory bounced about within it
They were bracelets I had owned for years
Memories of holidays with my children 💙
We often carry memories in objects we own
Forgetting that they really live within us!

Me in short dungarees soaked and laughing
A reminder that those shorts no longer fit
Long since sent to a charity shop
Menapause has widened my hips
Age and time has softened my belly

The last photo is me now
Trying on a hat set to a wedding
And the newly acquired realisation
That my hair is rapidly greying

The message in all of this?
Our bodies may change shape and shade
They may broaden and thicken
Or soften and slow They may ache a little too
But we must value all we have with Grace
Buy Bigger clothes and dance with Grey hairs
Be Grateful to have a Body that moves
Be Grateful to own hairs that Grey!

The beads may bounce and break
But the memories live on within us
Find more beads and make more memories

Life is so incredibly precious 💖
It's important to focus in on feelings
Create and make more memories
As we age Gracefully or Disgracefully
And wear a hat wherever you can!
Celebrate the Grey
And add the colour to your life

28/07/2025

This is a real honour. Being interviewed by Josephine Hughes was so special. I was so nervous ahead of the interview then the inner critic in me listened back...and told me I talked too much! But when I sat quietly with that critical inner voice....I was able to quieten it. As a child I was often told to Stop waffling, Stop prattling or Be quiet. So it's no wonder that critical voice resurfaced within me! But I took a stand. I told that inner critic to get back in the back seat....I was the driver now!! And i invited grattitude, Kindness and compassion along for the ride instead. That meant I sat proudly and instead of criticising myself for being talkative, I was able to show compassion, and value all the wisdom I had gathered and was sharing. Sometimes in life we need to check in with ourselves. Who do you invite along for the ride? Kindness and Care or Criticism and Shame. Thank you Josephine Hughes For making it seem so effortless ❤️ You fabulous motivator you!

🎤 “I'd like to be a motivational speaker.”

That's what I told Heather, my coach, back in 2019 when we first started working together - picturing myself on a stage with a mic, speaking to a crowd.

Last week she gently said:
"But you are. Through your podcast".

I hadn't seen it that way - but in fact, I've now spoken to more people than if I'd been on the stage.

Sometimes we're living the dream we longed for - but in a quieter, more natural way than we imagined.

And last week, I published episode 75, chatting with the brilliant Becky Willoughby of Willow Therapy Tring.

Becky's achieved a thriving practice not by shouting loudly - but by staying true to her values and connecting with others from a place of service and community.

For her it's not so much about selling as helping - and her practice is a wonderful reflection of what we long for in terms of using our skills to make a real difference to people's lives.

So if you've ever felt unsure about how to "market" yourself or are worried you're not doing it the right way, you'll love this episode.

Remember, your dream may be coming true but it may look different to what you expected.

🎧 Listen to episode 75 here: https://youtu.be/P3LFLS5ulUI?si=SCU25DjzwE4UHU8w