Soothe & Settle

20/09/2026

We all need to experience a sense of belonging

Brené Brown about what is the opposite of belonging and that is fit...

20/09/2026

Do you ever find yourself feeling like you just need to fit in?

https://youtu.be/HoJYe8wbi24?si=mSpaAP-ZPXHAdjWI

09/09/2026

One of my favourite things is when someone starts telling me about what’s changed for them since we started working together.

Not because everything has suddenly become fabulous. Usually it hasn’t.

It’s the little things that have changed. They went somewhere they might previously have avoided. They tried something again.
They noticed themselves responding differently. They made a connection. They backed themselves.

That’s been part of Ella’s experience.

As our work continued, she found herself returning to running and going to the gym. She started attending community events, making new connections and friendships, and even thinking about ways she might strengthen connection within her own community.

I love this part of her story because this is where the work matters.

Not just what happens while we’re sitting together.

What happens when you walk back out the door and into your actual life.

That’s where the little changes get interesting.

06/09/2026

Ever feel like everything is just too speedy? You might like to try this the next time you notice yourself speeding up.

Before you do anything else, notice and feel where your body is being supported. Notice your feet on the floor. Notice your back against the chair. Notice your hand resting somewhere.

You don’t have to breathe differently. You don’t have to close your eyes. You don’t have to make yourself relax.

Just give your attention to the support that's already underneath and or beside you.

Can you give yourself permission to stay there for a few moments and notice what happens?

Maybe something shifts. Maybe it doesn’t.

Either way, you’ve interrupted the rush long enough to check in with yourself.

And sometimes that tiny interruption is enough.

**Soothe before Solve.**

03/09/2026

One of the things I want people to know about Soothe & Settle is that you don’t need to arrive knowing what you need. You don’t need the right words. You don’t need to have worked out why you’re feeling the way you’re feeling. And you certainly don’t need to arrive calm (many of my clients don't). Besides, that would defeat the purpose wouldn't it😊

Instead, we can start with what’s happening right now. What you’re noticing. What you're experiencing. What feels uncomfortable. What feels fun. What you’d like a little more of, and what you want less of.

Sometimes that might lead us towards EFT. Sometimes Emotional Fitness Coaching. Sometimes the most useful place to begin is simply helping your nervous system settle enough for everything else to feel a little more manageable.

There isn’t a correct way to arrive. You get to come as you are, and I'll meet you there.

02/09/2026

I must say, I do love when Facebook shares these memories💜 This one is out of 2023 Archives 🙏🏼

02/09/2026

One of the things I hear quite often is: “I don’t even know why I feel like this.” And do you know what? Sometimes, there isn’t a neat answer. Life's messy, right?

You can be getting on with your day, doing all the usual things, and still notice that your body feels restless, tight, tired or just a bit too *switched on*.

We’re often very quick to go looking for the reason.

What happened?
What am I worried about?
Why can’t I just settle?

But here's the thing, sometimes a gentler place to begin is simply noticing:

**What is my body actually trying to tell me right now?**

Not to analyse it.

Not to fix it.

Just to notice.

Not to lay blame.

Because you don’t always need to understand everything before offering yourself a little support.

Sometimes noticing is the first move.

31/08/2026

There are some things we only notice once they stop happening. The shoulders that aren’t sitting quite so close to our ears. The breath that reaches a little further down. The moment we realise we’ve gone half a day without feeling like we’re bracing for something.

That’s often how settling happens.

Not with a dramatic *ta-da, I’m regulated now* moment, or a one-and-done dance.

More often, it’s noticing that something feels a little easier than it did before. Your body doesn’t need to get this right.

Sometimes it just needs enough safety, enough time and enough support to discover that it doesn’t have to work quite so hard.

Remember this: "Soothe before Solve.**

27/08/2026

So, in case you've missed my recent tinkering with Soothe & Settle, here's where I have actually landed:

Somewhere much simpler, thankfully. 😆

There are now two ways you can work with me.

If you're curious about Soothe & Settle, have something going on you'd like some support with, or just know something needs to shift, you can Start Here.

It's one 60-minute session for $150.

No commitment. No deciding what kind of treatment you need. Just bring yourself and whatever is happening, and we'll start there.

And if you already know you'd like some consistency, there's Ongoing Support.

That's 6 sessions over 4 months, usually with two or three weeks between sessions, so you've actually got time to practise, notice, and try things out in real life.

The usual standalone rate is $150 per session. With Ongoing Support, it's $135 per session, paid as four monthly payments of $202.50. So yep, you save $90 across the four months. But honestly, the saving isn't the bit I'm most interested in for you.

It's the continuity.

We get to find out what actually works for you. You get time to practise it. You come back with what you noticed. We adjust, try something else if we need to, and gradually build a toolkit that belongs to you.

That's what I've been wanting to create with these changes.

Less pressure to know what you need.

More opportunity to discover what actually helps. 💜

Start Here:
[https://calendly.com/theinstituteofhope/soothe-settle-start-here]

Ongoing Support:
[https://buy.stripe.com/4gMfZjbch8qq4hU2o02Fa0a]

21/08/2026

When I say I want you to do your homework after a session, I can almost hear some of you thinking, “Oh great. More bloody work for the to-do list.” Right?

Wrong 😆

I'm not handing you a workbook and checking whether you've done your homework before you're allowed back in the room.

What I'm talking about is practising what we've explored together when real life gives you the opportunity. And trust me, real life is usually pretty generous with those opportunities.

Maybe you notice your shoulders heading towards your ears halfway through a prickly conversation and remember to soften them. Maybe you catch yourself holding your breath and try the breathing practice we worked on. Or maybe you feel that familiar rush of irritation and, instead of immediately reacting, you give yourself ten seconds to notice what's actually happening.

And maybe you try something we practised together, and it doesn't bloody work.

That's useful information too.

So if/when that happens, here's an idea: Make a quick note of what was happening at the time. What did you notice? What helped? What didn't? You don't need to write an essay. A couple of words in your phone is plenty.

Then when we meet again, we've got another lived experience to work with. Not what you or I think should work, but what actually happened when you tried it in your life. That's what I mean by practice and integration.

It's not about getting good at doing things for me between appointments. It's about building a toolkit you've actually tried, tested and learned how to use for yourself.

Because knowing a strategy while you're sitting safely in a room with me is one thing.

Remembering you've got it when sh*t's getting real?

That's when it starts becoming yours. 💜

Send a message to learn more