I grew up on the coast with the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales a stones throw away. I was very lucky to have attended a primary school with a farm next door, so we saw the lambs born and raised through the fence, my mum pointed out species of birds or flowers while out on walks and I loved to make petal potions for fairies whilst running around my grandparent’s garden. 

As I grew up, I knew helping people was something I wanted to spend my time doing so I came down to Oxford to study nursing. I worked in hospitals and then in the community with Health Visitors and then gained further qualifications and became a Specialist School Nurse. All through this time, although I was helping people I didn’t really feel content. I felt the pressure to have everything sorted, have a life goal and be on the way to achieving it, with the perfect partner and enjoying every second of life. And as you can imagine this wasn’t true, I felt lost, on a treadmill of doing what you're 'supposed to’, the career you trained for, the relationship you’re in and generally doing what you think you should rather than what you want! Each time I went home I would ‘soak up’ all the goodness of being up in the Lakes, the views, the smells, the sights, that feeling of contentment, to see me through my next period of work back in the ‘real world’.

I felt disconnected, like I was doing what I should be, but only felt happy when I was taking a rest from it all. 

After the end of a long term relationship, it was time to reevaluate things, I started to explore self-development books and, as a friend’s partner was training, she coached me. I started to see that I deserved to feel happier in all aspects of my life and that maybe I did have more control than I thought. 

What I really wanted was to spend my time being outside, walking, taking photos on my phone, noticing all the small bits of nature we usually rush past. So I spent more of my spare time doing just that. Taking notice in this way, to spot the way the light pouring through new, fresh leaves or stop and feel it warming your back, brought me a contentment I’d never really felt before. 

So after nursing and a years contract in a charity, I had a break in employment and invested in myself, firstly by having more coaching. I wanted to help still, I know it may sound cliched but I feel deeply that I need to be of service to others. I started volunteering with another charity and my local Wildlife Trust, here I combined my love for the outdoors with my previous experience with children. I saw first hand how being in nature, walking, talking was incredibly nourishing and started to think about how I could bring the two worlds of helping people and nature together.  

Throughout nursing and working in the charitable sector, time and time again, the power of truly listening to someone, being alongside them, acknowledging we don’t always have all the answers can be a very powerful tool in connecting with another person.

So I’ve been there, I’ve tried living according to what society tells me is right, and that certainly didn’t feel right when I finally slowed down enough to listen to what my gut was telling me and what I really wanted. That’s why Wandering to Wonder is focused on taking time to slow down, reconnect to the natural world and ourselves. I can walk alongside you, supporting you along the way because I’ve walked this path too.