About Me
In my earlier career I studied fashion design and fashion writing and worked for a few years in London as a journalist and stylist. Whilst I loved this time I began to crave being closer to the sea, hills and wild places so moved to Edinburgh and started working on a series of refurbishment and renovation projects. My decision to study homeopathy came following a period of ill health. Every winter I caught virus after virus which doctors could do nothing to help with. A friend suggested homeopathy and after taking six little white pills the results were remarkable. I felt better than I had for years and the following winter I caught no viruses. I studied homeopathy at The Lakeland College in Ambleside and graduated in 2003. In my early years in practice I treated mainly women, toddlers and young children.
I began to see clearly how connected with birth were the health and wellbeing of both mother and baby. This strengthened my desire to work more closely with pregnant women and babies. If I could make even a small difference earlier on, the likelihood of stronger vitality and health seemed a possibility. Moving into Doula work seemed a natural progression and I trained as a doula in 2007 after a friend asked me to be with her when she had her first baby. This was the prompt I needed - I’m forever grateful for her setting me on the path to this work I love. It is an enormous privilege to be asked to accompany a woman at the intimate time she brings her baby into the world. Or to be invited into her home to lend a hand, in the precious early days when she gets to know her baby, and begins adjusting to the huge transition of motherhood.
Fast forward a few years..
Life was pretty hectic. Juggling long periods on call, post natal and homeopathy work and travelling up and down the country to my frail and elderly Mum in need of increasing help, when along came menopause. I began to struggle. My long term meditation practice - which had seen me through the break up of my marriage - was no longer doing the trick. Sleep went out the window, anxiety escalated, occasional hip flare ups became frequent and painful and my mind became foggy. Initially I didn’t make the connection. I just knew I wasn’t myself. I was over reactive and my adrenal system was on high alert. Thankfully my GP recommended Autogenic Training (AT). Over the course of the 8 week training, things started to improve. I began sleeping; deep, restful sleep. My body began to rest and repair and the fight or flight response calmed. I had no more painful hip flare ups and life became manageable and enjoyable again. In 2018 I undertook a Postgraduate Certificate in Autogenic Training with the British Autogenic Society and have been teaching it 1:1 or in small groups since. AT’s foundation is the body - giving this truly embodied relaxation technique far reaching results in a wide range of physiological, mental and emotional conditions.
Weaving it all together I now understand that everyone needs a doula (that extra bit of help) at certain times in their life. Major life transitions offer us our biggest challenges and that’s where I come in, offering a pair of hands - either literally or metaphorically. It could be practical; listening, planning, preparation, seeing what’s needed and carrying it out. Or emotional; with encouragement, reassurance, reframing, building confidence and deep listening. What I aim to bring is a steadfast, calm, trustworthy and nourishing presence, offering sustenance and understanding to whatever transition you are navigating. When we understand that what we are experiencing is normal and are given tools to assist us, these rites of passage become much more manageable and even richer, connecting us to our very essence and soul at the heart of us.