Nurtured by Nature

Today I'm delighted to be joined in conversation by Elizabeth Glenn-Copeland. Having dedicated her life to exploring how eco-activism can be weaved into artistic practice in an effort to facilitate societal change. She draws on myth, indigenous wisdom & collaborations with science through a lens of current events, utilising story-telling, song & poetry to convey powerful messages that speak straight to our souls. 

We discuss the impact of eco-anxiety, low grade fear & complex PTSD that is affecting so many of us who are deeply connected to the environment, & how importantly we need not be blinded by the popular climate doomerism, because when we look beyond this narrative we discover millions of people around the world already doing amazing things. 

Elizabeth poignantly encourages us to not falter or give-up, but to remember that the story is still being written, the ending is not yet determined, that we all have the ability to engage in “Active Hope” & come together with collective strength to reframe how we vision ourselves into the world & forge new ways that nurture the earth.

Learn more about Elizabeth

Elizabeth is a writer, theatre maker & arts educator whose career over the last forty years has evolved at the intersection of arts &activism. She has long had a passion for communicating with the animate world that began in childhood high up in the arms of an old weeping willow.

Fast forward sixty years. Elizabeth is offered a writing residency at the Joggins Fossil Institute, a UNESCO World Heritage site on the mighty Bay of Fundy. She jumps at the chance to connect/converse with 300 million-year-old-rock, to go to Stone as supplicant, to fully engage with sea & sand & sky & winged helpers to deepen her connection to the living world.

What emerged was a narrative of the odyssey in poetic form, "Daring to Hope at the Cliff's Edge: Pangea's Dream Remembered". Music journalist, Nick Starring says of the this work: 

“Lyrical, bewildering, heartening, a& unsettling, this work sees an individual voice reckoning with the overwhelming complexity of our present moment.”

Elizabeth lives in Hamilton, Ontario with her composer husband, Beverly Glenn-Copeland.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Onlythroughart
Website: http://www.elizabethcopeland.ca/

Purchase 'Daring to Hope...': https://chapelstreeteditions.com/book-catagories/poetry/daring-to-hope-at-the-cliffs-edge/

Rock Poem: https://nsadvocate.org/2021/06/26/rock-a-poem-by-elizabeth-glenn-copeland/

Listen to Beverly Glenn-Copeland’s music: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnwmuje1H7edkx3vK47ysrQ

Thank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world.

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Welcome to episode 34 of the Nurtured by Nature podcast, today I'm delighted to be joined in conversation by Meghan, a herbalist based in Yorkshire in the UK.

In this inspiring conversation Meghan shares how her fascination with herbal medicine began when trying to find a solution for her own long term health issues. She reminds us that symptoms are simply messages from our body, an opportunity for us to listen and pay attention, and not something to be feared. Having studied both western herbal medicine and Ayurveda her nurturing approach to embracing herbal wisdom in your life, encourages us to trace the messages back, and what you will normally discover is one of just a handful of core imbalances that can then be addressed. 

We delve into the amazing benefits of utilising herbs and she reminds us that our relationship with herbs should be approached in a similar way to a relationship with other people, moving beyond simply what someone can do for us to understanding the intricate levels of their unique personality. Through it all Meghan offers the most important guidance that now more than ever we need to foster our skills of discernment to make healthier choices for both ourselves and are natural world, to which we are inextricably linked.

Learn more about Meghan

Meghan Rhodes is a qualified herbalist who has helped over 90 people start living herbalism, making healthier, safer solutions for themselves and their families a reality. As the founder of Rhodes Roots & Remedies, she has written 10 course books, authored the books Easy Herbal Remedies for Infants and Slow-Infused Self-Care, and developed a unique four season sense-based herbalism course and journey, Awaken Herbal Wisdom.

Meghan’s practice of herbalism is rooted in the belief that we must remember, reclaim and relearn our knowledge of our bodies, our autonomy and how to work with plant medicine in order to bring control of our own health back into our families and homes for a sustainable future for ourselves and the planet.

Meghan is a member of both the College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy and the Ayurvedic Professionals Association.

Awaken Herbal Wisdom - Meghan's intensive herbalism course - enrolling annually - Find our more and get on the waiting list here: bit.ly/3JsKIAq or DM Meghan the word ACCESS for the link.
Exploring one of the seven tastes - Exclusive access - https://bit.ly/47vdbQs
Website: https://www.rhodesrootsandremedies.co.uk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhodesrootsandremedies

Thank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world.

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Today I'm delighted to be joined in conversation by Phiomène. We discuss her passion for cultivating a more mindful & sustainable lifestyle. She shares how her journey has been inspired by her love of creativity & her insights on embracing the seasons to shape our lives, creating awareness for the wisdom they bring, including her love of slowing down & cozying up in winter. 

Our conversation meanders through a shared vision for supporting women & our communities to consider ways of growing in a new direction, redefining our current paradigm. From looking at where we source our food to the  wisdom the journey of homeschooling her children has given her, we consider the role of education & the space for co-creation that is available when we give value to everyone's voices. 

Philomène shares a gentle reminder that it’s ok: we don’t have to be perfect or do everything & in each small step we take, the seeds of the next step germinate if we have the courage to slow down & be patient with ourselves & others. 

Learn more about Philomène:

Philomène is a passionate advocate for slow living, gracefully navigating the intricate tapestry of family, career & the pursuit of a healthy, eco-conscious lifestyle.

Currently calling a quaintly renovated farm in rural Brittany home, Philomène's journey has woven through the vibrant cities of Bristol & London in the UK, the artistic landscape of Paris in France, & the eclectic charm of Berkeley in California.

Drawn from profound inspiration gathered along her diverse path, Philomène is on a dedicated mission to live & consume more mindfully, actively working to minimize her environmental footprint.

Committed to the philosophy of sharing knowledge & fostering support, Philomène has established a membership platform to empower women in transforming their daily lives & perspectives. Her vision is to guide members in leading lives that are not just sustainable but also joyously creative, where thriving & wholeness take center stage.

When not tending her garden, doing pottery, knitting, or concocting culinary delights, Philomène dedicates her time to homeschooling her 2 children. Education, curiosity, & creativity form the core of the values she instills in her sons. She firmly believes in nurturing strong bonds with nature, hopeful that these mindful children of today will blossom into responsible nature-loving adults, committed to caring for our precious planet.

Get the Beautiful Free Gift: Easy Nature-Based Activities to do with Kids Booklet: https://creativitytochangeeverything.com/easynaturebasedactivities

Website: https://creativitytochangeeverything.com/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thrivingtogetherwomenscircle
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creativitytochangeeverything/

Thank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world.

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Welcome to episode 32 of the Nurtured by Nature podcast, today I'm delighted to be joined in conversation by Claire from the Irish Forest Garden. Claire is an incredible force for nature, having been friends with Mary Reynolds, the inspirational Chelsea award winning landscape designer for many years. In 2014 Claire and her family worked with Mary to bring the Forest Garden from her book the Garden Awakening to life on a small disused 1/8 acre paddock. This was the start of their incredible journey embracing their responsibility to become true guardians of the earth, no longer fighting against nature but working in harmony to nurture all creatures both rooted and un-rooted. As both Mary, Claire and her family’s vision has evolved so too has their approach and most recently they have expanded beyond the forest garden to embrace ARKing and offering up even more land to nurturing the native flora and fauna.

During this magical and laughter filled conversation, Claire takes us along on their journey from the challenges of starting at below zero in a nature depleted couch-grass filled landscape to the highs of seeing their hard work literally bare fruit and witnessing the myriad of creatures that have benefitted during their beautiful journey of co-creation with the earth. We share our mutual hopes as we acknowledge the changes that have occurred in our lifetime and how discussions around nature are seeping into the reality of more people. Claire imparts two profoundly simple but empowering pieces of wisdom for us all to embrace: Before doing something, always pause and ask Why? And Just Do It, no matter how small the action may feel, just make the decision at the start of this new year to just do something and take that first step to becoming part of the solution, you will surprised at how quickly nature steps into the spaces we make for her. 

Learn more about Claire
I’m Claire Leadbitter and I’m sharing about our Forest Garden and ARK designs here in Wexford, Ireland which were inspired by Mary Reynolds and her books The Garden Awakening and We Are the ARK.  

Trying for a gentle, organic approach to living with the land under our care, to feed ourselves and creating as much habitat as possible for native flora and fauna.

Website: www.irishforestgarden.ie
Instagram: www.instagram.com/irishforestgarden

Other Useful Links:

Mary Reynolds - https://marymary.ie/
We Are The Ark - https://wearetheark.org/

Books
The Garden Awakening: Designs to nurture our land and ourselves - Mary Reynolds
We Are the ARK: Returning Our Gardens to Their True Nature Through Acts of Restorative Kindness - Mary Reynolds

Thank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world.

More information about the Podcast & our host Fiona MacKay: Fiona Mackay Photography Website

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Welcome to episode 31 of the Nurtured by Nature podcast, today I'm delighted to be joined in conversation by Lucy, the founder of the medicine woman gathering and a musician based in East Devon in the UK. 

We are living in a time that is calling woman to reconnect with themselves and the natural world and come together through sisterhood, community and ceremony to re-establish the balance of reciprocity and communion with the land and each other. 

Having always felt a connection with the natural world and found inspiration from Mother Earth in her singing and song writing, Lucy shares what inspired her to create a gathering that honours the idea that we are all medicine woman. Based near Glastonbury the gathering is a place where the ancient Celtic wisdom of this sacred land weaves with modern ideas and creates space for us to move into right relationship with the earth and honour our calling as her protectors.

The medicine woman gathering is now in it’s second year and will be held in July 2024 so there is still time for you to get involved.  It is a place where woman and children come together to witness each other and open a beautiful portal of energy for transformation. From the sharing of ancient skills to a concert by the voices of the wild feminine, this years event will create a powerful container to honour the collective grief of our world and offer strength to the wild woman to gently awaken and return to their roots, reconnected to their innate wisdom.   

Learn more about Lucy

Lucy Wylde, Founder of Medicine Woman has a multitude of assets that she is bringing forth to be more in service to this world. Lucy has spent the last 3 years dedicated to sisterhood, the arts and nature. Supporting women through her work to come home to themselves, fully in their sovereignty through what she has learnt through her own life workings. 

Growing up in East Devon, Lucy has always felt a deep connection to nature and the beauty and reciprocity that comes when we tune into our Mother Earth. Nature and the animal kingdom were Lucy’s ally’s through a traumatic upbringing. 

Bridging a world of modern and ancient teachings, Lucy is here to guide the way that can bring us back into balance through deep connection to ourselves, each other and all that surrounds us. 

Website: www.medicinewomangathering.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/Medicine.woman.gathering

Want to attend the event in 2024 use the special discount code for our listeners: NURTURE20

Which will gift you 20% off their full ticket price.

Find Lucy’s Music:

Spotify: Lucy Wylde

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/lucywyldemusic

Youtube: youtube.com/lucywylde

Other Useful Links:

Robin Wall Kimmerer - Braiding Sweetgrass 

Sharon Blackie - The Enchanted Life

Thank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world.

More information about the Podcast & our host Fiona MacKay: Fiona Mackay Photography Website

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Twitter @FiMacKay

Welcome to episode 30 of the Nurtured by Nature podcast, today I'm taking some time to offer up my gratitude to you my beautiful community and to reflect on our amazing journey a year into our Nurtured By Nature story and to remember some of the incredible wisdom that we have shared with all the amazing guests who have offered us their stories so far.

Whilst reminiscing on some of my favourite moments, I’m reminded of some of the common threads that have woven their way into many of our conversations: 

The importance of community and what we can achieve when we come together (of course that includes not just our human world but our non-human communities too). 

The fact that we aren’t powerless, that as consumers we have incredible power to support those businesses that are holding nature at the centre of their business decisions, that we don’t have to wait for the legislation from governments to make the change, in fact my conversation with Jessica Brennan was a wonderful example of how the legislation often follows the change rather than proceeding it. 

And perhaps most importantly to embrace the power of love for healing ourselves and our world, and remembering to give ourselves and those around us the benefit of grace, knowing that most people want to help and do good, but that no-one is perfect and we are all clumsily simply doing the best we can to make the world a little better, day by day.

Thank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world.

More information about the Podcast & our host Fiona MacKay: Fiona Mackay Photography Website

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I'm delighted to be joined by Lucy the founder of Hedgewitch Essentials.  Whilst we often think about what we put in our bodies, how often do we think about the scents & smells we are exposed to? Lucy shares her passion for the science of smell, the therapeutic properties of essential oils & how this lead to the formation of her own products for both horses & humans. We also delve into the challenges of running a small business, delivering quality essential oil based products that preserve their true therapeutic properties.  

We share how embracing self-selection & the use of essential oils, empowered our horses, giving us a new way to communicate & transformed our relationships, whilst also helping them resolve both emotional & physical symptoms. 

Having overcome some incredible challenges, not least a severe brain injury, Lucy reminds us to have hope, look for the silver lining & the opportunities that may arise. 

Learn more about Lucy
Lucy always had a strong connection with the land being a farmer’s daughter. With a B.Sc. Hons in Agriculture, she began her working life as an agronomist, advising farmers on their crops & soil management. She later combined a love of writing with farming, becoming an agricultural journalist & magazine editor.

Her connection with horses also began at a young age & it was the feeling of helplessness when knowing they were ‘not quite right’ – that led her to alternative therapies, & in particular animal aromatherapy – which has since become known as animal pharmacognosy. 

After a severe traumatic brain injury in 2017, life changed considerably for Lucy but it allowed her to follow her dreams & become an equine pharmacognosy practitioner with Caroline Ingraham. The training involved learning about the pharmacology & biochemistry of essential oils & it was this that sparked the founding of Hedgewitch Essentials Ltd, with her partner Mike.

Hedgewitch recognised that the therapeutic properties of species-appropriate essential oils could be enormously beneficial to the wider population of horses. It was a tough decision because the first rule when offering essential oils to horses to self-medicate is to allow them the freedom to move away – to give them a choice. 

With the use of essential oils growing in horse care products, Lucy wanted to create a natural range, based on the oils horses would select themselves for certain conditions. Importantly, she wanted to make sure that these were pedantically & sustainably sourced because the quality of the oils is paramount when using them therapeutically – both for the health of the horse & to be effective. 

Website: https://www.hedgewitchessentials.co.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hedgewitchessentials/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hedgewitchessentials/

Other Links:
Caroline Ingraham: https://www.carolineingraham.com/

Thank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world.

More information about the Podcast & our host Fiona MacKay: Fiona Mackay Photography Website

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Welcome to episode 28 of the Nurtured by Nature podcast, today I'm delighted to be joined in conversation by Lucy Ní hAodhagáin / O'Hagan the founder of Wild Awake Ireland. 

Lucy is quite simply one of the most kind hearted, intriguing and inspiring people I have had the pleasure to meet. During our conversation she shares her journey which is beautifully woven with her love of nature. A relationship that began from a need for sanctuary from the challenges of life and has blossomed into a life where she consciously awakens a deeper relationship with the world rooted in reciprocity, reverence and responsibility in both her own life but also the experiences of the many people she works with and guides to their own remembering. 

Our conversation gently meanders through her wisdom of ancestral skills, ceremonial rites of passage and wildlife tracking and the richness these threads can bring to the tapestry of life. We also hold space for the grief and pain so many of us are experiencing in this time and celebrate the importance of looking to the richness and resilience to be found in the edges, so we can move away from polarisation towards embracing the incredible diversity of voices in  our own communities and in the natural world. 

Lucy offers up the sacred invitation to deeply listen, and witness each others stories, to find the courage to sit with the questions and challenges of our time and dream into the new world that we believe is possible, whilst remembering to trust that most people have good intentions and truly want to do something to help. 

Learn more about Lucy

Lucy Ní hAodhagáin / O'Hagan (They/She) is the founder and director of Wild Awake Ireland, a project which seeks to rekindle ancestral life ways for cultural and ecological resilience across the island of Ireland. 

Lucy is passionate about supporting people to re-establish connection with themselves, their communities and to nature, of which we are a part. Lucy is particularly interested in rewilding and rekindling the knowledge and skills we once knew so intimately, which connect us to place.

Lucy's interests range from ethnobotany to wildlife tracking, ancestral skills to restoring rites of passage. All while leaning into the ways in which we can collectively decolonise our relationship to the land and ourselves and be in reciprocity with life. Lucy is happiest when outside, following the trails of deer across the landscape and nibbling on what nature has to offer. 

Website: https://www.wildawake.ie/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildawakeireland/

Other Useful Links:

Lynx Vilden - https://www.lynxvilden.com/

John Rhyder - Wood Craft School - https://www.woodcraftschool.co.uk/

Rupert Marquez - Hand On The Earth - https://www.handontheearth.org/

Thank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world.

More information about the Podcast & our host Fiona MacKay: Fiona Mackay Photography Website

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Facebook @FionaMacKayPhotography
Twitter @FiMacKay

Welcome to episode 27 of the Nurtured by Nature podcast. Today I'm delighted to be joined in conversation by the fabulous Jackie Winters of the British Academy of Crystal Healing. During this inspiring episode, Jackie shares how her own health challenges with severe Asthma, lead to her delving into the fascinating world of frequencies & how crystals are able to support the restoration of harmony in the natural frequencies of our bodies. 

Wisdom from a neolithic rock in the Spanish mountains leads us to consider the use of language in reconnecting with ancient wisdom & through taking in the lay of the land, we explore how lay lines, nodes & sacred sites recognised by our ancestors provide us places to reconnect to reenergise ourselves. Jackie shares surprising examples of how harnessing this energy can have profound benefits for ourselves & also in helping to heal the land, environment & our own communities.

At a time when we are bombarded by negative stories about the natural world, which are inducing many heavy emotions in all of us, we discuss the importance of intention & needing awareness of the emotions we are holding & carrying into our actions, as these unintended frequencies leave their own imprint on the land & our environment. With compassion & the support of crystals we can learn to return to & hold the frequency of love in our hearts, which can allow us to be of even greater service in being the change we want to see in this world. 

Learn more about Jackie Winters FM BACH
Jackie is an FHT Accredited Course Provider and the founder of the British Academy of Crystal Healing (est. 2004). With 5-star ratings from numerous students, the academy is renowned as a leading authority in crystal healing and energy medicine. Jackie is also author of Messages from Mother Earth Divination Cards Volume 1 & 2 and has a successful free podcast that attracts regular listeners from the UK and around the world.

The Academy warmly welcomes students globally, offering online tutor-led sessions. Jackie’s 40 years of research into energy medicine and crystal healing are evident in her inexhaustible knowledge. As a Shaman at heart, she provides retreats and guidance on Shamanic lifestyle, with a remarkable connection to the mineral kingdom and energy wisdom.

Website: https://www.britishacademyofcrystalhealing.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/britishacademyofcrystalhealing/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/www.britishacademyofcrystalhealing.co.uk

Crystal Lightworkers Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/crystal-lightworkers-podcast-to-aid-spirituality-and/id1605621976

Podcast:https://www.britishacademyofcrystalhealing.com/podcast/

Thank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world.

More information about the Podcast & our host Fiona MacKay: Fiona Mackay Photography Website

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Facebook @FionaMacKayPhotography
Twitter @FiMacKay

Welcome to episode 26 of the Nurtured by Nature podcast, today I'm delighted to be joined in conversation by the wonderful Helen Neave of Make it Wild.

Large Landscape level Rewilding projects are gaining momentum across the UK & Europe, but Make It Wild are taking a slightly different approach, demonstrating Rewilding is possible & scalable for those with less land. 

Helen’s amazing journey provides those of us that care about nature with inspiration & many reasons to be hopeful. We explore how her own concern about the biodiversity crisis, lead to her family deciding they were determined to do something to make a difference. From this humble beginning an incredible ecosystem has evolved encompassing trees, meadows, wetlands & equally importantly local communities, their army of volunteers & numerous other passionate people supporting them in a multitude of ways, that has created an explosion in biodiversity. In just over 10 years, they've demonstrated how nature can bounce back, to the extent 1 of their sites has now been designated a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation. 

As a beautiful reminder that change doesn’t have to be complicated, Helen offers this simple wisdom to guide us all: “Love Nature & She’ll Love You Back”!

Learn more about Helen & Make It Wild
Helen, a retired consultant surgeon, has always been passionate about nature. As she & her husband, Chris, learnt more about the challenges facing nature, they decided they must do their bit to help & in 2011 they bought 26 acres as a family project to ‘give back to nature’.  

They planted thousands of trees, sowed wild flower seeds, dug ponds & installed habitat boxes. The resulting explosion in biodiversity was stunning and inspired the couple to set up their business ‘Make it Wild’ in 2017. With the mission statement “It’s not our aim to protect nature, it’s our purpose” the business exists to support biodiversity.  

Make it Wild now looks after 9 sites in North Yorkshire, UK, totalling over 400 acres, all managed entirely for nature. They’ve planted 60,000 trees, restored wildflower meadows & wetland, protected ancient woodland, & rewilded uplands, helped by their conservation grazing team of Belted Galloway cows & Exmoor ponies. 

They offer a range of nature sponsorship and dedication opportunities to businesses and individuals; carbon offsetting through tree planting; woodland wellbeing activities, and an eco-friendly holiday cottage.  

In February 2023 Make it Wild were awarded the Sustainability Award in the Hambleton Business Awards, and in September 2023 Helen and Chris were proud and excited to win a BBC Make a Difference Award for their work with Make it Wild.

Website: www.makeitwild.co.uk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makeitwilduk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/makeitwilder
TikTok: @make.it.wild

Stay at Make It Wild in their eco-friendly holiday cottage:

Thank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world.

More information about the Podcast & our host Fiona MacKay: Fiona Mackay Photography Website

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Twitter @FiMacKay

Welcome to episode 25 of the Nurtured by Nature podcast. Today I'm delighted to be joined in conversation by the incredible Eleja SunStar of the Sanctuary of Sophia and a beautiful little Aminita mushroom who also had some words of wisdom to share with us all. 

In this inspiring episode Eleja shares her amazing journey from a workaholic in the busy world of corporate marketing and event planning, who reached a place of burnout before finally taking the leap to leave her hectic life to follow the nudges of her deep knowing that there was more to life. Since then her life has magically unfolded, through sacred pilgrimages to connect with her own ancestral roots and her shamanistic calling to connect her more deeply with her sacred relationship with nature and Mother Earth. 

We discuss the simple but profound experience available to all of us by finding the courage to claim what’s calling your heart and how a beautiful army of beings, equipped with their ancient nurturing wisdom in the form of plants, trees and wild creatures are patiently waiting for the opportunity to be heard so that they can guide and assist us once more. We explore the indigenous wisdom of our lands and the need for reverence in our relationships with nature and a remembering of sacred reciprocity towards Gaia. But mostly we are urged by the Fae to remember the magic that connects us all and in attuning with the earth we are being asked to bring our love and the healing sound of joy and laughter to the world at this time.

Learn more about Eleja

Eleja is a Sophianic Medicine Woman, Divine Feminine Transformation Guide and Plant Medicine Oracle devoted to empowering rising Oracles, Priestesses, Medicine Women and Divine Feminine Leaders of the New Earth.

She is the Founder and Cosmic Earth Mother of Sanctuary of Sophia, A New Earth Sisterhood. She leads ascending women on transformative journeys resurrecting their medicine & soul’s gifts, aligning them with their highest timeline through Ancient Sophianic Oracle Arts & transformational embodiment practices to support their divine mission.

Website: https://sanctuaryofsophia.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sanctuaryofsophia/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elejasunstar/

Thank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world.

More information about the Podcast & our host Fiona MacKay: Fiona Mackay Photography Website

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Facebook @FionaMacKayPhotography
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Welcome to episode 24 of the Nurtured by Nature podcast. Today I'm delighted to be joined in conversation by the amazing Jessica Brennan of Clean Product Junkie & the Clean Living Made Easy Podcast. In this informative & inspiring conversation Jessica shares some simple steps to help us make better choices for our own health & that of the planet when we buy beauty & household products. 

She shares with me her truly amazing journey from being a concerned mum making choices to help her young children overcome chronic disease, to recently becoming part of a panel advising legislators in America creating the new guidelines to improve product safety. 

She’s incredibly passionate about how powerful consumers actually are & how it is our duty & responsibility to vote with our dollars too elicit the changes we want to see. Reminding us that we truly are more powerful than we at first imagine.

With a staggering 80,000 chemicals having been introduced to the marketplace since World War II & the fairly unregulated manufacturing & labelling of both home products & those for beauty & skincare, plus numerous studies showing that many ingredients can be detrimental to our health & cause damage to our environment, we both believe that empowering consumers with the education they need to allow them to make safer, healthier choices is imperative.

Learn more about Jessica

Jessica Brennan is committed to transforming the way you think about beauty and skincare. She is a passionate advocate for health and well-being and her mission is to empower consumers to make safer, smarter choices in beauty products. With firsthand experience navigating the often misleading 'natural' labels, Jessica brings a wealth of knowledge and personal understanding to the table.

After discovering that even products labeled 'natural' could contain harmful ingredients linked to asthma, eczema, known carcinogens and hormone disrupters, Jessica took it upon herself to become an expert in the field & founded her company, Clean Product Junkie. Armed with research and a commitment to transparency, she aims to shed light on the murky, underregulated world of the beauty industry.

Through workshops, consultations, and educational content, she focuses on demystifying ingredient lists, highlighting trustworthy brands, and celebrating legislative wins that make our products safer. Whether you're new to clean beauty or a seasoned enthusiast, Jess offers invaluable insights and practical tips to help you take control of your beauty regimen—without compromising your health. 

Website: www.cleanproductjunkie.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/cleanproductjunkie 

Home Detox 101 Free Workshop: www.Cleanproductjunkie.Com/homedetox101 

Thank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world.

More information about the Podcast & our host Fiona MacKay: Fiona Mackay Photography Website

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Welcome to episode 23 of the Nurtured by Nature podcast. Today I'm delighted to be joined in conversation by the sensational Holly Mitchell, a Transformative Coach & Equine Guided Educator based in Gloucestershire, UK. 

My love of horses is certainly no secret so I was delighted that in this week's inspiring episode I got to speak with Holly, who shares her amazing journey & how her calling to be around horses came to her later in life. 

We delve into the incredible wisdom that “Being” in the presence of horses has brought into both our lives. How sitting in a space with her herd, you slowly unwind & begin to hear the whispers of your own innate wisdom, as well as that of nature & the interconnectedness of the world around you, offering you the chance to learn to trust how you can be guided by your heart in challenging times towards what feels good, even if your logical mind might be trying to convince you that on paper it doesn’t make sense.

We also discuss the fascinating research from the HeartMath institute, studying the affects of heart coherence & how the resonance of being around horses in particular can be so beneficial to us. 

Through it all we are reminded of the importance of community, both human & non-human & how having hope is so important in how we show up & experience life & the impacts we can have. If you’re looking for a new way of being & finding resilience then Equine Guided work might just be the missing piece of your puzzle.

Learn more about Holly
Since a child, Holly loved being in nature.  Looking back, it was a place she could play and connect to herself.  There was an oak tree in her family’s woodland that she spent hours around its’ big grand branches, doing lord knows what.  Getting lost!  Holly was raised most of her life on a farm in the Cotswolds, where she now lives with her husband, six horses and Henry, the standard poodle.  

As a creative, Holly pursued many artistic professions in her career-life.  It began early in film and theatre, and later as a freelance photographer, but it was curiosity in her own psychology of mind and that desire to ‘fix herself’ that led her through various spiritual teachings.

In 2015, after years of struggle trying to get it right, she stumbled across a teaching that truly awoke her to something she had not seen before.  That at our core we are never broken and always OK.  The understanding, known as the Three Principles, touches lives all over the world and it’s simplicity in words was profound.  It opened up an understanding about herself that has allowed her to let go of many beliefs and be more of her humanness and ride life instead of trying to drive it.  The learning and layers to be pealed are ongoing. This is the discovery of life.

Today along with her small herd, in a bubble of nature’s English countryside, her desire is to help others point them back to the truth of who they are, providing a space to settle down and connect to their infinite wisdom and beautiful possibilities. 

Website: www.wildhealinghearts.co.uk

Thank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world.

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Welcome to episode 22 of the Nurtured by Nature podcast. Today I'm delighted to be joined in conversation by the amazing Polly Hearsey. 

Polly is a business mentor with a masters degree in environmental science and a background in nature conservation, together we embark on a fascinating and inspiring conversation delving into the empowering concept that Governmental Policy doesn’t change culture, but rather it is culture that ultimately dictates policy. 

We reflect on the phase shift for humanity that is needed, and how by learning to actively listen to nature and engage her principles for eco-system health we can shape businesses capable of offering a way to heal our greatest collective wound. 

As Martha Beck says “Change will come from the ground up”, with this in mind we explore how small and medium size businesses will play a key role in the grass roots movement to shift our current negative environmental narrative. 

Polly’s vision, utilising a move away from the societal predisposition towards linear thinking, to an understanding of the interconnected complex-web that creates conditions to thrive, sees Rewilded businesses incorporate ideas for diversity and collaboration over competition, allowing them to be actively engaged in nature and their communities, with their environmental and social responsibilities ingrained at every level, as a fundamental part of their core DNA.

Learn more about Polly

Polly Hearsey is a nature-inspired design mentor working with the energies at the heart of each enterprise to create truly conscious and forward thinking ventures. She believes businesses can be a big part of the solution to our current challenges if we shift perspective. The changes we need to make include a different relationship with nature. If we choose to stop and listen, she believes nature can help us create new ways of living and working in harmony with our natural environment and business can be rewilded.

Website: https://pollyhearsey.co.uk

Other Useful Links from this Episode:
Knepp Estate, Rewilding Pioneers: https://knepp.co.uk
Martha Beck: The Pyramid and The Pool, Why Things Are Better Than They Seem: https://youtu.be/Xz9IJMMWP4M?si

Thank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world.

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Welcome to episode 21 of the Nurtured by Nature podcast. Today I'm delighted to be joined in conversation by the amazing Anaiya from Les Contes in the French Pyrenees.  

During our beautiful heartfelt conversation we discuss the courage we are all being called to bring forth to navigate the challenges of our times & how the wisdom held in the land & handed down through myth, fairytale & the archetype of the shepherdess can offer comfort by reminding us of the cyclic nature of the natural world. 

We meander through the landscapes that have inspired Anaiya’s life & explore ways to navigate our fears, whilst quietly honouring those who have suffered for speaking out against the status quo & held the responsibility for lightening a path for others to follow. We give thanks to the trees, including the 300 year old Sycamore at Sycamore Gap on Hadrian’s Wall for their sacrifice & remember how little Percy & our animal companions can bring immense joy to our journey in this life.

Learn more about Anaiya Sophia & Les Contes:
Anaiya is a Writer, Mythologist, Somatic Movement Minister & Whisperer of Sacred Wisdom. Her highly acclaimed books, courses, transmissions & workshops focus on the development of the mythic imagination & on the relevance of myths, fairy tales & folk traditions to the personal, cultural & environmental problems we face today.

Her work, springs from an irresistible intimacy with the land, which is rooted in the myths & stories of place & a detailed knowledge of the physical & historical environment. She is currently working on Mary Magdalene's Audio Guide to the South of France, an evocative and expressive partnering with the mythic imagination & the land itself. Anaiya leads workshops in Sacred Body Awakening throughout Europe & North America. 

Her home with her husband & mother is in the mountains of the Cathar region in Southern France, where they have taken on an almighty project – the restoration of an old Catholic summer house for children: Les Contes, a B & B at the base of Montsegur. Les Contes is a truly extraordinary place with an astonishing healing presence & is often said to be a catalyst for making important decisions.

Here you will find the Notre Dame de Sophia, a chapel consecrated to the Holy Spirit and the good works of Mary Magdalene, La Source de Belisama, Le Jardin d'Eden (Permaculture Project & Food Forest), The Mary Path (a mystical trail through the land), The Red Rose Cafe, the Apothecary of Body Ritual's (Sacred Spa) & Animal Sanctuary. 

Website: www.lescontes.eu
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lescontesBandB
Website: www.aletheiapistissophia.com

Don’t Forget to tune into Season 2 of “Help! We Bought A Village” to watch more tales of Anaiya & her family’s journey creating a home and sanctuary at Les Contes. https://www.facebook.com/helpweboughtavillage

Thank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world.

More information about the Podcast & our host Fiona MacKay: Fiona Mackay Photography Website

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Welcome to episode 20 of the Nurtured by Nature podcast. Today I'm delighted to be joined in conversation by the inspiring Caroline Mason from Seeds to Thrive.  

During our beautiful conversation we delve into the concepts of regenerative farming, from the perspective of food systems and how these regenerative systems can offer resilience to the unpredictability of our current climate. 
Despite the challenges of a society institutionalised to think and operate in silos, Caroline is passionate about viewing businesses as functioning ecosystems and helping them to create the space for collaborative thinking, by empowering people to become curious and get involved in the co-creation of the solutions that need to be implemented.  
Together we share our hope and excitement for the future by looking to the local heroes, who have quietly been part of a growing grassroots movement, that is refusing to waste time waiting for governmental directives to tackle the challenges our environment faces, but simply getting on and implementing their own positive solutions to create a brighter future where both people and nature can thrive. 

Learn more about Caroline

Caroline Mason is a founder, advisor, coach and speaker living in the beautiful countryside of Shropshire.  Having grown up in a farming family, being surrounded and connected to nature and horses, has always been her place of calm, beauty, and peace, a balancer to the white noise of modern day living.  

Having spent nearly two decades working in large corporate organisations within the food system, Caroline decided she wanted to do more, and so founded Seeds To Thrive, an advisory business specialising in working with business and people across the food system to help them accelerate their sustainability ambitions and dreams.  She believes that if we can figure out ways that will enable nature and people to thrive, prosperously in harmony with each other, it will change the course of the world for better, because thriving businesses support thriving communities.

Caroline loves to take on challenges that others won’t and is passionate about living her personal values through her work; fostering sustainability, effecting positive change, nurturing people’s happiness, and fighting to make the world a better place. She believes in giving back as much as we get and is excited to continually share her knowledge and experience with others - whilst aware she will never stop learning herself.

Website: https://www.seedstothrive.com/

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/caroline-mason-seeds-to-thrive

Twitter: @Mason14Caroline

Email: hello@seestothrive.com

Thank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world.

More information about the Podcast & our host Fiona MacKay: Fiona Mackay Photography Website

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Welcome to episode 19 of the Nurtured by Nature podcast. Today I'm delighted to be joined in conversation by the fabulous Amy Fagan of the Grounded in Maine Podcast. 

During this inspiring episode Amy shares her journey towards homesteading. Offering us simple ideas for living a more sustainable lifestyle; from preserving homegrown foods to the community networks that reduce waste by sharing and swapping what we produce with others when they need it. 

We also explore how podcasting has impacted our lives and given us the opportunity to connect with some amazing everyday heroes, who are making positive changes in the world. Sharing their passion and wisdom with the beautiful communities our podcasts attract, we are able to spread and inspire hope for the future of the natural world. 

Learn more about Amy Fagan

Amy Fagan is the owner and jam maker of Amy’s Garden Jam, and host of weekly sustainability podcast, Grounded in Maine Podcast. Grounded in Maine is an open conversation about how we show up for the world; learning about different ways we can practice sustainability by talking to people who are doing it.

Amy lives with her husband, rescue dog, 2 cats and chickens, and works in medical records for a healthcare organization. Amy also has been a volunteer gardener for 5 years for a local farm that grows organic produce solely to donate to food pantries, loves gardening and cooking and animals.

Listen to Grounded In Maine Podcast: https://www.groundedinmaine.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/groundedinmainepodcast/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Groundedinmaine

Website: https://amysgardenjam.com/

Thank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world.

More information about the Podcast & our host Fiona MacKay: Fiona Mackay Photography Website

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Welcome to episode 18 of the Nurtured by Nature podcast. Today I'm delighted to be joined in conversation by the sensational Erica Wheeler of Sense of Place Consulting.  

During this inspiring episode we discuss how many of us will find ourselves feeling out of place and uprooted at some point during our lives and why connection to the world around us is so important and how by finding a way to belong we can allow the ancestry of the places we inhabit to weave their magical stories into our own unique tapestries of life. 

We also challenge the concept of utilising negativity to evoke responsibility and explore the power of story to build the bridges of connection in our search for meaning that help leave a lasting imprint and inspire love and the reasons to care. 

From my own experience I know it’s very easy to feel depressed by the negative dialogues we are constantly bombarded by but Erica’s wisdom is simple yet profound: “Ask yourself, does it make it better living in despair? Don’t complicate it your only job is to tune into love and express this…”

Learn more about Erica

Erica Wheeler is an award-winning singer-songwriter, a TEDx speaker, a professional development trainer and a creative mentor. As an interpretive skills trainer, she works with museums, parks, and historic sites across the US – helping staff boost their storytelling skills and hone visitor engagement techniques. She has worked extensively with the National Park and has supported 45+ sites to date. As a keynote speaker, she often talks about tourism, a sense of place, stewardship and storytelling. As a musician, she has 6 CDs to her credit. Her music has charted in the top ten on Billboard’s Gavin’s Americana Chart, and she has been interviewed on NPR’s All Things Considered. Erica also runs creative writing workshops and retreats. Her framework centers around using a “sense of place” as the gateway to creativity, curiosity, belonging and identity. Throughout her career, she has helped people find and craft the stories they have inside them. Her work is dedicated to helping people find deep personal connections to places so that both people and places can thrive.

Website: https://senseofplaceconsulting.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericawheeler
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericawheelerofficial/

Thank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world.

More information about the Podcast & our host Fiona MacKay: Fiona Mackay Photography Website

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Welcome to episode 17 of the Nurtured by Nature podcast. Today I'm delighted to be joined in conversation by the amazing Amy of Mind, Body, Spirit, Breath. 

Amy is a herbalist, energy medicine educator & trauma-informed breathwork coach based in America.  

During this inspiring episode Amy shares her powerful renegade story of how she eventually learnt to tune into her body’s messages & the innate wisdom of Mother Earth to heal herself from the extreme pain that had left her bedridden. 

Despite a society that conditions us to give our power away, Amy explains that it is never too late to learn to trust your body & offers the powerful reminder to us all, that “You are NOT Broken”!

Learn more about Amy Stein

Amy’s mission is to educate and empower those who are struggling with their health on how to reconnect to their bodies' innate intelligence using Mother Nature as a guide. She finds that when we awaken to our inner light and wisdom we can sync the mind with the body and spirit. Amy combines the “power of the plants” along with energy medicine techniques and breathwork to allow you to live in harmony in your body and environment as your authentic self. 

Website: https://www.mindbodyspiritbreath.com/

Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/VioletsBewitching

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/381761643253110

Free eBook for NBNP listeners: https://bit.ly/3h9pQ5Q

Other useful links from this episode:
Bruce Lipton - The Biology of Belief: https://www.brucelipton.com/
Yasmin Boland - Moonology: https://www.yasminboland.com/

Thank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world.

More information about the Podcast & our host Fiona MacKay: Fiona Mackay Photography Website

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Welcome to episode 16 of the Nurtured by Nature podcast. Today I'm delighted to be joined in conversation by the incredible Bobby-Jo Vial. Based in Australia, Bobby-Jo is an award winning wildlife photographer and the chief Honey-Badger at Bobby-Jo Safaris. 

In this inspiring episode we swap stories around our shared love of Africa and Wildlife safaris. Discuss how ethical tourism and Wildlife Photography can provide hope and important support for conservation, whilst sharing some of the incredible grass roots conservation organisations that we have both had the privilege to work with first hand and see the huge contributions they are making to protecting both wildlife and wild places, including the amazing Kope Lion Project. But of course no conversation with Bobby-Jo would be complete without asking ourselves “What Would Honey Badger Do?”

Learn more about Bobby-Jo and how to join her on safari.

Bobby-Jo’s passion is photography. Bobby-Jo’s laid-back approach and bubbly personality see many people loving to travel with her and rebooking time and again on her next safari adventure and she has inspired many people to take an interest in wildlife and conservation. As a qualified zoo-keeper her extraordinary perception and insight into animal behaviour in the wild enables her clients to capture unique and endearing images. Bobby-Jo sees photography as a slice of your life, a drop of your time. Her hope is to freeze those moments that mean the most to her clients. Taking pictures is savouring life intensely, every hundredth of a second. Because you want to remember forever.

Her images have featured in publications around the world including: The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, The Times, The New York Post, Huffington Post, Paris Match, Hello Magazine, Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Africa Geographic. Her opus ‘Reflections of Elephants’ was published in August 2016 coinciding with World Elephant Day. This book features many of her favourite elephant images and raises funds for the protection of some of the last Tuskers of Africa via her work as part of The Askari Project (www.theaskariproject.org). 

Bobby-Jo is also a team member of the Kope Lion Conservation initiative in Ngorongoro, Tanzania (www.kopelion.org)

Website: http://bobbyjosafaris.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bobbyjosafaris/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/bobbyjosafaris

Other useful links from this episode:
Virunga National Park: https://virunga.org/
The Thin Green Line: https://thingreenline.org.uk/
Giraffe Conservation Foundation: https://giraffeconser

Thank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world.

More information about the Podcast & our host Fiona MacKay: Fiona Mackay Photography Website

Connect with us & join the conversation on social media:
Instagram @FionaMacKayPhotography
Facebook @FionaMacKayPhotography
Twitter @FiMacKay