In this episode, Katie speaks with Sarah Hakewill, a Coastal Coach, Culture & Change Strategist, and Londoner turned seaside dweller, about the power of cold water, community, and the sea as a space for reimagining our lives.

“Being in the water is one of the only times my neurodivergent brain powers down. It’s like being transported to another universe.” - Sarah Hakewill

After 40+ years in London, Sarah moved to Margate during a time of personal upheaval and discovered the life-changing magic of daily tidal pool swims. Her journey from burnout to blue health led her to train as a certified Blue Health Coach in 2024 and combine 20+ years of culture change work with nature-based facilitation. Through her work, Sarah helps people and purpose-led businesses reconnect with what matters — through strategic retreats, coaching, and community-building by the sea.

We cover:

- How the stillness of the sea created space for healing and self-connection

- Why midlife can be the perfect time to rewild yourself and ask what truly matters

- The concept of “Naturehood” and building thriving ecosystems of people, purpose, and place

- Blue health and “blue mind” as an antidote to burnout and digital overload

- The power of tidal pools, cold water, and coastal community

- Creative clarity, beginner’s mind, and noticing everyday magic

- Making purpose-led work feel joyful, hopeful, and grounded in nature

More from Sarah:

Website: https://seaofpurpose.com/

More from Katie:

Instagram: @katietreggiden.1

Website: https://katietreggiden.com/

Blue Health Coaching: https://makingdesigncircular.org/

Nature-inspired poetry: Brackish

Resources mentioned:

Exeter University Research about coastal space being more accessible for people in lower socio-economic groups: https://news-archive.exeter.ac.uk/featurednews/title_754908_en.html#:~:text=Coastal%20living%20benefits%20mental%20health,those%20more%20than%2050km%20away.

Blue Mind by Wallace J Nichols (affiliate link)

Going Coastal Blue (Blue Health Coach Training)

What next?

If all this talk of defiant hope has got you wondering where you can find some, I have something for you. Cultivating Hope is my three-part mini-course and it’s the three steps I move through whenever I start to feel despair tugging at my edges.

You will move out of ‘fight, flight or freeze’ mode and into a calm and connected state, reconnect with nature, and find aligned actions that you can take now to keep you to remind you that you can make a difference.

In the current climate, hope is an act of defiance, and it’s one I hope you’ll take with me.

Click here to find out more here

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