Dear there,
Last week, I had a painfully difficult conversation.
I felt stretched thin and regretted that I had started it. But as we met each other honestly, I sensed the aliveness of staying present and something in me began to unlearn the need to hide or be afraid of sharing my truth.
It reminded me of the importance of relationships in our healing journey.
There is a tale we’ve been told, over and over again that healing is a solo quest. One where we retreat to the mountains, meditate alone and emerge fully whole.
I reckon this path is the path carved mostly by men, in cultures that forgot the root systems beneath their feet. While they went on a hero's journey, it was the women who remained, tending the livestock and fields, rocking the babies, weaving the village together.
Our healing does not come from leaving. It comes from remembering.
(To support your journey, we’re offering a special £100 discount on our Annual Membership to The Women’s Fire, scroll down to find out more)
Wounds Happen in Relationship. So Does the Mending.
Much of what we carry as wounding happened in relationship: neglect, betrayal, disconnection, abandonment. These experiences taught us to be on guard, to hide, to armour up. But because the wound was relational, so is the healing.
It’s through safe, present, attuned relationships that we learn to trust again.
That we realise our needs don’t make us too much. That someone can see our mess and not turn away.
As psychiatrist Dr. Bessel van der Kolk writes in The Body Keeps the Score, “Being able to feel safe with other people is probably the single most important aspect of mental health.” We don’t regulate alone. We regulate together.
Listening for Real Connection
One thing I’m learning again and again is how powerful it is to really listen.
Not the kind of listening where you’re nodding and planning your response, but the kind that makes space for someone else to be fully there even if what they’re saying is hard to hear.
Here’s something I try when I remember:
Start with your body. Feel your feet on the ground. Notice your breath. Even just one deep breath helps me come back to myself, especially if I feel like I’m leaving the room emotionally.
Listen beyond the words. Pay attention to the tone, the pauses, what’s not being said. You don’t need to fix or analyse. Just be with them.
Say what you notice. Not in a robotic way, but something simple like: “It sounds like that was an important step for you” or “Tell me more.” Sometimes just being seen is enough.
When it’s your turn, speak from truth. Not to defend, but to share. When I think of it, I place a hand on my belly or heart , it helps me speak from somewhere deeper, not just my head.
Let silence be okay. This one’s hard for me, but I’m learning that not every space needs to be filled. Sometimes the most honest thing is just… being quiet together.
And every time I practice it, even a little bit, something softens. In me, in them, between us.
Join Us
We created The Women’s Fire as a way to reclaim the kind of connection that many of us long for, the kind that doesn’t require you to perform or shrink, but invites you to show up as you are.
More than that, it's a place to come back to yourself. To recharge and return to your life feeling more like you. I'm always amazed by the women in this group. Deep, wise, loving people who care about the world and want to make a difference, in both the small ways and the big ones.
To support your journey, we’re offering a special £100 discount on our Annual Membership to The Women’s Fire.
For the next two weeks, you can join for just £200 for the entire year, a meaningful saving compared to monthly payments totalling £300.
If you've been thinking about joining, this is the moment to say yes to a year of connection, growth and being part of a community that really gets it.
I can't tell you what a support and comfort The Women's Fire has been to me since I joined. You have created such an amazing community and a safe space for sharing, it's a privilege to be part of it. ~ Kate Sutherland
Find out more and join here
Co-Created Gathering
If you want more than only meeting online, we’ve also got our in-person retreat — and we’re about to start regular meet-ups in London, Bristol, and Cornwall (with more locations to come wherever there’s enough interest).
I’d love for you to join us in this special gathering, a place that feels like coming back to yourself, where you can breathe, be seen, and truly relax.
We’ll come together in sharing circles that open the heart, move our bodies with ecstatic dance and gentle movement and end the days with singing and stories around the fire.
You’ll get to swim in wild rivers, soak in the sauna and hot tub, and let the peace of the surrounding forests and moorland wash over you. There are creative workshops and member-led sessions too.
Find out more and join here
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for being part of our True Nature community.
It really means a lot to me that you’re here, showing up, engaging, and sharing in this space.
Healing and growth aren’t always easy journeys, but having people like you along the way makes all the difference.
I am genuinely grateful for you, the support you give and how we are all trying to show up in our true nature together.
With love,
Faye and the True Nature Team 🌿
