Root & Rise Rambles #4: The Whispers That Lead Us Home
Welcome back to another edition of Root & Rise Rambles. Wherever you’re reading this, I hope you’ve managed to carve out a few quiet moments for yourself this week. Pop the kettle on, take a deep breath and allow yourself permission to simply be here.
It’s been quite a week at Root & Rise… After what has felt like countless twists, turns and moments of uncertainty, today we finally exchanged contracts on the farm. There may even have been a little happy dance! We celebrated with delicious pizza from Luigianos Pizzeria, a glass of sparkling wine from the Loire Valley and, perhaps more than anything, a deep sigh of relief.
In just a fortnight’s time, I’ll begin transforming the Summer House into the new home of Root & Rise. To think that this little dream, which has lived quietly in my heart for so long, is finally becoming reality feels incredibly special. I can’t wait to take you behind the scenes as it evolves. I’ll be sharing plenty of updates over on Instagram and YouTube, so do keep an eye out.
Listening to the Whispers
If you’ve read my last few blogs, you’ll know I’ve been talking a lot about listening to the whispers before our bodies begin to shout. This week those whispers have continued. The lingering ear infection. The aching hip. Lower back pain. Moments where my nervous system gently reminded me that life has been carrying a rather heavy emotional load lately.
So I did exactly what I encourage my clients to do. I listened. Three massages. One acupuncture session. Breathing techniques. EFT tapping (a huge thank you to the wonderful Meeta Darji). Meditation. Unexpected afternoon naps. Walking the dogs. Caring for the chickens. Time spent in the glorious sunshine. A peaceful wander around Mill Gardens and Jephson Gardens in Royal Leamington Spa.
Little by little… I found my way back to myself.
Isn’t it funny how healing rarely arrives in one dramatic moment? Instead, it tends to appear as lots of tiny choices, repeated over and over again. One deep breath. One early night. One nourishing meal. One walk outside. One massage. Until suddenly, one day, you notice… “I feel like me again.”
The Beautiful Thing About Resilience
Trauma has a remarkable way of changing the direction of our lives. Sometimes completely. Sometimes forever. There have certainly been moments over the past few years when I wondered how on earth I would keep moving forwards. And yet… Somehow we do. One foot. Then another. Some days those steps are tiny. Other days they feel impossible.
But they’re still steps.
I think resilience is often misunderstood. It isn’t about pretending everything is okay. It isn’t about carrying on regardless. It’s about allowing ourselves to feel what we’re feeling while continuing to move gently forwards.
Every challenge shapes us. Every difficult season teaches us something. Every act of choosing ourselves helps us become a little more aligned with who we truly are.
Looking back, 37-year-old Nicole could only have dreamed of setting the boundaries that 47-year-old Nicole now protects. Not because life has become easier. But because I’ve learnt to trust myself. And perhaps that’s one of the greatest gifts healing gives us.
The Floaty Feeling
One of my lovely clients said something this week that made my heart smile. As her treatment came to an end, she quietly said:
“I was on the verge of nodding off… I feel all floaty.”
I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful compliment. Because that’s exactly what I hope every woman experiences when she walks through the door at Root & Rise. She arrives carrying the invisible backpack that so many women know all too well. The mental load. The to-do lists. The caring. The worrying. The endless responsibility. Then, for just a little while… She gets to put it down.
The carefully chosen essential oils. The gentle rhythm of therapeutic touch. The candlelight. The soothing piano of Ludovico Einaudi playing quietly in the background. Permission to switch off. Permission to receive. Permission to simply exist without needing to solve everyone else’s problems. That’s where the real magic happens.
Massage encourages the release of oxytocin, often called our “feel good” hormone. Our breathing slows. Muscles soften. The nervous system begins shifting away from fight or flight and towards rest, repair and restoration. It’s never just about easing tight shoulders. It’s about creating the conditions where healing can quietly begin.
Aromatherapy Corner
This week’s treatment room has been filled with some beautiful bespoke blends. For one client, Melissa, Geranium and Lavender created a wonderfully calming combination to help soothe both body and mind.
Another blend included Frankincense, Blue Yarrow and Helichrysum, carefully combined with Arnica-infused Sunflower Oil, MCT Oil and a sprinkling of lavender flowers from my own garden.
Now, before my fellow aromatherapists start writing to me… I know the dried lavender flowers don’t work in quite the same way as distilled Lavender essential oil. However, they do bring something rather lovely to the treatment. Their familiar scent still reaches the olfactory system, the part of our brain closely connected to memory and emotion.
If you’ve always associated Lavender with calm, comfort and bedtime… Your brain remembers. Sometimes it’s those familiar aromas that gently tell the nervous system, “You’re safe now.”
Life on the Farm
The hens have finally decided that the heatwave and moulting season are behind them, which means… Egg production is back! I’m delighted to report that I no longer need to buy eggs from the supermarket. I only had to buy one box of six from Morrisons, which felt quite strange when you’re normally collecting them fresh each morning.
Fandango, our rather proud cockerel, has also been busy. He’s now fathered eight chicks. Three are happily exploring life in their own little coop close to the main flock, while the remaining five are growing fast in the brooder at my friend’s house.
Watching them develop has been another beautiful reminder that growth can’t be rushed. Nature always works in its own time.
Celebrating the Women Who Lift Others
This week has also reminded me how important community really is. I’d love to say a heartfelt thank you to some wonderful female business owners who’ve helped make life just that little bit easier.
To Bayley, our fabulous dog walker, for keeping Melvin and Asha happy, exercised and for always being on hand with dog and chicken advice.
To Alex, our brilliant mechanic, who’s been helping Robin breathe new life into his beautiful 1950s Daimler.
And to Tracy, our gardener, who has tackled hedges, nettles, weeds, pathways and an increasingly wild lawn while we hold off buying a mower until we’ve moved to the farm.
Sometimes accepting help is every bit as important as offering it.
This Week’s Reflection
If I had to choose one word to describe this week… It would be resilience. Not the resilience that says,
“Keep going no matter what.”
But the quieter kind. The resilience that says,
“Today I need to rest.”
“Today I’m choosing my wellbeing.”
“Today my body comes first.”
That’s a lesson I’m still learning. And one I hope I never stop practising.
This Week’s Root & Rise Toolkit
This week, perhaps you could:
Notice one whisper your body has been trying to share with you.
Give yourself permission to rest before you reach exhaustion.
Spend ten minutes outside and allow nature to slow your breathing.
Ask for help if you need it.
Remember that putting yourself first isn’t selfish. It’s how you ensure you still have something to give.
If you’ve been noticing those whispers from your own body or soul and you’re not quite sure what they’re trying to tell you, I’d be honoured to walk alongside you.
Whether that’s through a Clarity Call, Aromatherapy Massage, Reflexology or simply a conversation about where to begin, you don’t have to figure it all out on your own.
Sometimes healing starts with someone gently reminding you that you’re allowed to listen to yourself.
Until next week… Be kind to yourself.
Trust the whispers. They often know the way home.
