Root & Rise Rambles #5: The Beauty of Slow Beginnings

Welcome back to another edition of Root & Rise Rambles. If you’re reading this with a cup of tea in your hands, I hope you’ll allow yourself these next few minutes without feeling guilty for taking them because if you’re anything like many of the women I meet, you’re probably carrying a lot.

The family diary, The shopping list, Work, Children, Aging Parents, Appointments, Meal planning, preparing and executing, Laundry, and trying to remember everybody else’s needs before your own. Sometimes we become so used to living at full speed that slowing down almost feels…uncomfortable.

This week has reminded me that some of life’s greatest gifts arrive in the quiet moments.

Before the World Wakes Up

On Saturday morning I found myself awake at 5.40am. The house was still. Well…apart from two sleeping Labradors and one Irish Terrier puppy! I glanced around the Living room and noticed packing boxes patiently waiting for moving day. Sunlight beginning to dance through the window. The lilac tree gently swaying outside. An empty glass left on the windowsill from the night before.

It struck me how peaceful everything felt before the rest of the house stirred into life. Of course, I was secretly hoping everyone else might wake up early and help get the house ready before our guests arrived that afternoon…I should know better by now! None of them are particularly enthusiastic about early mornings.

Perhaps that was the gift. The learning from that moment because those quiet moments became mine. Not to tick jobs off a list, just to simply notice and be present.

Coming Home Through Your Senses

One of the simplest ways I know to calm an overwhelmed nervous system is to gently anchor myself through my five senses. It’s such a beautifully simple practice, yet incredibly powerful. When we intentionally notice what’s around us, we’re quietly telling our reptilian brain: “You’re safe.” “Nothing needs fixing right now.” “You can soften.”

That morning I noticed… The warmth of Asha leaning against my leg. The softness of the blanket across my lap. The steady ticking of the clock. The hens scratching happily outside. The scent of freshly laundered fabric on my dressing gown. The citrus notes of my morning wellness drink. The taste of mango, orange and lemon lingering after each sip.

Nothing extraordinary. Merely, ordinary moments that became extraordinary because I truly noticed them. Healing doesn’t always begin with grand gestures. Sometimes it begins by simply being exactly where your feet are.

Filling My Own Cup

The weekend became a lovely reminder of connection too. Friends came to stay for twenty-four hours, bringing laughter, good conversation and the sort of easy company that fills your cup rather than empties it.

We wandered around the farm together before heading to our local pub, The Red Lion. As designated driver, my celebratory drink of choice was an Old Mout Cherries & Berries while everyone else enjoyed something a little stronger.

Back home, Robin, Matilda and I cooked roast beef with all the trimmings, followed by plenty of laughter, stories, a glass of Pimm’s in the sunshine and Frangelico as a little nightcap. Sometimes nourishment has very little to do with food. It’s about the people we’re sharing the table with.

Looking Back to See How Far You’ve Come

This week I reached a business milestone that filled me with gratitude. Thanks to every single order placed last month, I achieved my goal. If you’ve ever supported my small business, whether by booking a treatment, buying a wellbeing product, sharing a post or simply recommending me to a friend, I’d like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart.

It made me reflect on how far this journey has taken me.

Back in 2016, after leaving my role as a Community Nursery Nurse with Coventry Health Visiting Service, I began teaching baby massage in a village hall while offering Aromatherapy, Indian Head Massage, manicures and pedicures from the local salon. Life looked very different then.

Since then, there have been broken bones, lockdowns, rebuilding businesses, unexpected endings, unimaginable grief and discovering strengths I never knew I had.

When The Body Shop at Home closed in January 2024, I grieved far more than the income. I grieved the friendships, the community and the women I’d laughed with every single day. Then, almost by accident, Farmasi entered my life. I bought a starter kit in August 2024, simply to support a friend.

Becoming a Beauty Influencer wasn’t part of the plan and neither was losing my husband just a few weeks later. Yet somehow, during one of the darkest chapters of my life, Farmasi gave me something I desperately needed. Purpose, connection and reason to smile again.

Today it sits beautifully alongside Root & Rise, allowing me to support my family while continuing to help women prioritise their own wellbeing.

Sometimes the path we never planned becomes exactly the one we were meant to walk.

Tiny Moments That Matter

The week itself was filled with those wonderfully ordinary moments that often become the most memorable.

A cooked breakfast made with beautiful local produce from Malt Kiln Farm. Walking all three dogs through the woods and watching Ruth confidently explore another new adventure. A successful trip to the vets where both Ruth and Asha behaved impeccably, while Melvin made his feelings known by howling dramatically as we left him behind…thankfully Bayley soon arrived for his “stay and play” adventure with his doggy friends.

Wednesday morning brought one of those little pockets of peace I treasure. After much-needed rain, the garden looked greener, fresher and wonderfully alive. With Ruth asleep beside me, sunshine on my face and breakfast in hand, I found myself thinking that self-care doesn’t always have to be elaborate. Sometimes it’s simply ten uninterrupted minutes outdoors, a nourishing breakfast, birdsong, fresh air and a deep breath.

Choosing Growth

Thursday evening reminded me how important it is to keep learning. I spent the evening on two inspiring Zoom calls, one with Amanda Alcock’s Bloom Through Summer programme and the other with Hali Jafari’s Vibe Through Summer AI project.

If you’d told me a year ago that I’d be building AI tools, I’d have laughed, as I’ve often described myself as a “Tech Dinosaur.” Yet here I am, learning, growing, stretching outside my comfort zone, as I know it’s never too late to become a beginner again.

Thursday Thoughts

One theme kept returning to me this week was control.

July felt unpredictable. There were many things outside my control, and my nervous system certainly noticed.

August feels different.

Not because everything is perfect. Simply because I’m choosing to focus on what is within my control.

I can’t control other people’s choices. I can’t control unexpected events. I can’t rewrite the past. However, I can choose how I speak to myself. I can nourish my body. I can go for a walk. I can ask for help. I can book my massage. I can breathe deeply. I can choose rest instead of pushing through.

Sometimes nervous system regulation isn’t about adding another wellness practice. It’s about gently releasing everything that was never yours to carry in the first place.

This Week’s Root & Rise Toolkit

Perhaps this week you could:

Spend five minutes noticing your surroundings using your five senses.

Ask yourself, “What is actually within my control today?”

Share a meal with someone who fills your cup.

Choose one small act of kindness towards yourself before you care for everyone else.

Remember that your wellbeing isn’t selfish. It’s the foundation that allows you to care for the people you love.

A Gentle Reflection.

As you finish reading this week’s Rambles, I’d love to leave you with one question.

When was the last time you truly noticed the life that’s happening around you, instead of rushing through it?

Perhaps this week could be different. Perhaps this week begins with one slow morning…

One deep breath… One small choice to put yourself first because you deserve that too.

Until next week, Be gentle with yourself.

A Little Celebration

Before I completely sign off from this week’s Rambles, I’d love to share one final piece of happy news.

On Friday, I discovered I’d been nominated for a Beyond the Optics Award at the Weird AF Awards, which are being held in November.

If you’d told me a few years ago that I’d be nominated for an award celebrating people who dare to be different, I’d probably wouldn’t have believed you.

These past few years have taught me that life isn’t about trying to fit neatly into someone else’s expectations. It’s about becoming more of who you truly are.

Root & Rise was born from that journey. From grief, from healing, from rebuilding and from learning to trust my intuition and follow a path that doesn’t always look conventional.

Whether anything comes of the nomination or not, I’m incredibly grateful that someone thought enough of my work to put my name forward. Sometimes we spend so much time focusing on the next thing on the to-do list that we forget to pause and celebrate how far we’ve already travelled.

So this week, I’m choosing to do exactly that.

And perhaps that’s your gentle reminder too, so I invite you to…

Celebrate the small wins. Celebrate the progress nobody else sees. Celebrate becoming more you because that’s something truly worth celebrating.