Meet the Gardener

I'm a mum to three adult kids, a proud nanny, Reiki practitioner, life coach, beach lover, nature girl and music tragic, living in beautiful Tauranga, NZ.

I'm also a woman who's been through some shit. Life hasn't always been pretty, and I've had my fair share of hard lessons, messy seasons and moments that have forced me to look at myself, my choices and the life I actually want to live.

I've learnt that you can spend years looking after everyone else, being the strong one, holding shit together and pushing your own needs to the bottom of the list. Until one day you realise you've been surviving life instead of actually living it.

That's a big part of why The Healing Garden was created

It's my collection of resources, tools, reflections and inspiration to help you navigate your own shit, reconnect with yourself and start making changes that feel right for YOU.

Through Reiki, life coaching and my own ongoing journey of growth, I want to share things that might help you see yourself differently, challenge old patterns, set boundaries, find a little peace and start creating a life that feels good to wake up to.

I'm not here pretending I've got life all figured out. I'm still learning, growing, making mistakes and figuring things out as I go. Because healing isn't about becoming some perfectly healed version of yourself. It's about being honest enough to recognise what isn't working and brave enough to do something about it.

Sometimes growth looks like setting boundaries. Sometimes it's walking away. Sometimes it's sitting at the beach, listening to music, watching a sunset and realising that, for once, your mind is quiet and you're actually okay.

The Healing Garden is about tending to your own shit, pulling out the weeds that are holding you back, and making room for something better to grow.

No bullshit. No perfection. Just real growth, at your own pace, in your own time.

Your garden. Your journey. Your rules.

MY JOURNEY

I didn’t become this woman because life was easy.

WHEN THE BODY STARTS SPEAKING

Living with chronic illness has added another layer to my journey.

There are things people can't see.

The fatigue.
The pain.
The dizziness.
The overwhelm.
The days when simply getting through the day takes everything you've got.

For a long time, I struggled with the reality that my body wasn't always going to cooperate with the life I wanted to live.

And it forced me to slow down.

To listen.

To stop treating rest like weakness.

To understand that my worth wasn't measured by how productive I could be.

My chronic illness journey has taught me that healing isn't just about pushing harder. Sometimes it's about learning when to stop, listen and honour what your body is asking for.

And somewhere along the way, I began to understand the connection between my experiences, my emotions and the way I had learned to exist in survival mode.

I don't believe every illness can simply be explained by trauma, but I do believe our experiences can shape the way we relate to our bodies, our emotions, our safety and ourselves.

FROM SURVIVING TO BECOMING

I had spent so much of my life surviving that I didn't really know who I was without survival.

So, I started asking different questions.

• Who am I now?

• What do I actually want?

• What makes me feel alive?

• What boundaries do I need?

• What does safety feel like?

• What happens when I stop abandoning myself?

And slowly, I began rebuilding.

Not the old me.

A new version of me.

• One that understood her worth.

• One that was learning to listen to her body.

• One that could say no.

• One that could walk away.

• One that could rest without guilt.

• One that could find joy again.

• One that could dream beyond survival.

My journey has taken me through self-development, coaching, Reiki, meditation, nature, movement, traditional healing, connection and community.

None of it has been a magic fix.

There have been setbacks.

There have been days I've felt completely lost.

There have been moments where I've had to start again.

But I've learned that starting again isn't failure.

Sometimes it's part of becoming.