Thought Garden - Personal Growth In Nature

Angie Wakeman is a former Nurse and Steiner Teacher. Her 3 adopted children paved her way to finding clowning, where she discovered her own need for playfulness and freedom.  Having trained as a clown facilitator, she went on to facilitate Clowning workshops for medical students at the University of East Anglia for a number of years.  Her interest in clowning is only really to do with love; which in essence she sees as the freedom to be ourselves, which turns out to be funny and beautiful, or not at all funny, but  still beautiful. Take notice of the world with eyes of  innocence wonder awe and reverence. In this strong relationship, your inner world meets the mystery and invites you to play. It doesn’t matter what you look like in clowning, it matters more how you feel. Find Angie at www.clowns-truly.com and connect with her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/angie-wakeman-596754212/ 

Having worked as a sign language interpreter for many years and experienced stress and burn-out, Robyn decided to research ways in which we can support ourselves to let go of striving and instead begin to thrive. I love both what Robyn has to say and how she says it, a soft Northern Irish lilt that is calming and soul soothing.  We talk meta-consciousness, grief, the irony of sweet treats as rewards and the power of time in the presence of horses. Robyn mentioned the following books which are worthwhile for further reading When the Body Says No by Gabor Maté The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk Find Robyn on the following links https://www.facebook.com/Equenergy  https://www.instagram.com/equenergy/  https://www.linkedin.com/company/equenergy/ If you have a thought to plant and want to join me on Thought Garden, apply by contacting me on the below email   [email protected]

John Freeman calls himself the Stress Buster and he's on a mission.  A mission to prove that our priority should always be to feed our spirit - and everything else simply takes care of itself! He helps his clients turn stress & anxiety into a life of positive choices & freedom. I didn't initially agree with John's assertion that stress should not be tolerated or accepted as normal, until we got clear on how we were each defining it.  Labels matter! About John and key links: Speaker; Author of Vivid Visualisation: Success without Stress; Creator of the world's most effective meditation recordings; Founder (and Headmaster) of The Thriving School; Rapid stress & anxiety 1-1 recovery programs; THRIVE! a 12-week program to break free of unconscious programming and take charge of your life. https://bit.ly/thriving-school https://johnfreeman-stressbuster.com/

Dana Chapman is a Nutritional Therapist with a bachelors degree in Nutrition Science, she specialises in mental health, as it is an area that fascinates here where so many of the bodily systems are involved. Dana is extremely well qualified and shares openly here how the foods we eat can impact our mental health.  Healthy gut, healthy brain?  Listen here and if you want hear more visit Dana's website and subscribe to her fascinating newsletter. Find Dana at www.dc-nutrition.co.uk Facebook: DC Nutrition https://www.facebook.com/DC-Nutrition-109061997319132 Instagram: dchapersnutri

I'm dallying with the competition!  Shock horror.  So yes, we are in the same business but with a shared mission to connect humans with nature for the good of the planet (or at least the bits we have some influence over) it's a collaboration of mutual interest.  So who is it? He's an Associate Certified Coach and Chartered Environmentalist. Now Director of The Natural Coaching Company, Founding Partner at The Human Nature Partnership and Chair of Brighton & Hove Building Green. Oh yes and work with a government agency (although I'm not sure which one - could he be an environmental bond?) He recently published the book ‘Being in Nature - 20 practices to help you flourish in a busy world’ with his business partner Lee Evans, and spoke at TEDx Aston on the subject of Nature Coaching with Diana Tedoldi of The Nature Coaching Academy.   Living with his family in Brighton, and somewhat obsessed with surfing and music.  It's James Farrell..... To find out more about James and his work - here's some handy links.  Also if you want to check out the book, it would make a fab gift. ‘Being in Nature’ book - 10% off for listeners, with code ‘NatureConnect’ Https://natureconnectionbooks.com Coaching and training Https://naturalcoachingcompany.com Consulting Https://humannaturepartnership.com

I last spoke with Maureen Calamia in 2020, her love of nature and her passion for biophilic design is truly infectious.  We never really got to talking about her work in Feng Shui and how she combines this.  Maureen truly is a thought leader and is a sought-after speaker on transforming spaces and clients lives through the inspiration of nature, biophilic design, and feng shui. She is author of Creating Luminous Spaces (Conari Press 2018) and offers consulting, coaching and training for business and residential clients. Maureen empowers others to discover and nourish their True Nature in their inner and outer spaces. Find her on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/maureen-k-calamia-11949b2/ or her Youtube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/luminousspaces  For the advice we offer at the end of this recording, drop me a line in the first instance to [email protected] and I will answer or pass to Maureen for a response.  In the meantime, enjoy🌿

HR teams are awesome, often the unsung heroes in an organisation.  Dealing with everything from serious and complex employee relations cases, union discussions and restructures to births, marriages and deaths. I loved my role in HR until I started to resent it.  One particularly unpleasant episode shook my faith in human nature and was the final straw for my HR career - I had already started to feel the pull of something else and this was the sign I needed to move on. After steering clear for a bit, I've been drawn back in a very different way.  Have a listen and do get in touch and tell me what you think. For more news and views on HR topics and support available I have a monthly newsletter just for you which can be subscribed to here  https://share-eu1.hsforms.com/1FO7rx9efRRGwPNi33r5Cfgf00ty

Glenn has over 30 years experience raising funds for charity and leading fundraising teams. For the past 5-years his mentoring and consultancy business, Caboodle Fundraising fundraising has supported some of the biggest and some of the smallest charities in the UK. Glenn shares how an alcohol fuelled evening and a trip to Bangladesh shifted his focus away from substance misuse and towards volunteering and subsequently working in the voluntary sector.  Apologies for my little swear in the middle, where I mishear Glen completely! To find out more about Glenn and Caboodle Fundraising visit http://www.caboodle-fundraising.com/ or follow and connect with him directly on Linkedin via https://www.linkedin.com/in/glennoakes/

Jon's background in the performing arts, opera and voice work has put him in a great position to offer the most wonderful parody songs and original works. We talk about how music inspires and hits us humans directly in the feels.  With the festive season approaching, we discuss our favourite seasonal tunes and also the power of parody songs. I'd never thought of giving a song as a gift... yet it could be one of the most meaningful and personal ideas ever. Take a listen - watch out for the parody of Thriller, capturing the excitement of Zoom calls! Looking for a truly original gift, try www.jonpagetvocals.com

Thought Garden is delighted to host Claire Victoria Bishop. Founder of "Rewild the Frame". Re-wilding brand photography to showcase our true relationship with nature and the positive stories of living in harmony with our natural world. Claire is a natural light photographer and passionate about all things nature - you, me, others, our planet and the simple beauty of the natural world all around us. Working with purpose driven, nature centric business owners and sustainability professionals, Claire helps them create imagery that connects with their audience and showcases their story with ease and beauty. Away from running a business, she lives in South Gloucestershire with her husband, four gorgeous boys and their dog, Bruce. Loving the  outdoors and one of her favourite places to be is by the sea. She can often be found walking through the fields with the family or on the side of the rugby pitch. "Nature is an inspirational place to spend our time and I feel most at home when I am immersed in the natural world"