Nurtured by Nature

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:

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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/

Support the show

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 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 

Support the show

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

Support the show

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

Support the show

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 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

Support the show

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 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: [email protected]

Support the show

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/

Support the show

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/

Support the show

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 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/

Support the show

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