Essence Peer Mentoring

10/12/2025

Last Friday I updated my first aid qualifications with First Aid Pro at Morphett Vale. It was a great course and the trainer was just awesome. So happy to have this training ticked off, giving me space for the next one on the to do list in 2026!

09/12/2025

Our last visit to the Central markets for 2025 with a dash of Christmas 🎅😍🎄 A beautiful morning to achieve a little more than before with a walk into Victoria square. It is so different to the last time we both visited. A discussion on reflection and hope for what we can achieve in 2026. A magical way to end the year 😃

04/12/2025

We are our own piece of art. Creating ourselves one moment at a time 💙

02/12/2025

I had an amazing conversation the other day where I realised I am not alone in 'geeking' out over nature 😍 It is the moments we take for ourselves outside when we realise we are a small part in the bigger nature universe. It is enough to stop and breathe and soak in the sun. It feels even more amazing if sleep escaped me last night and I needed a moment to feel alive. Thank you weather for giving me a warming moment. I'm super grateful!

28/11/2025

Your voice matters. You matter. Your unique view on the world matters.

Sometimes the noise of the world can make us feel like our voice does not matter. That our unique vision for our own lives or how we want to show up for people in life is wrong. It is easy for us to then hide and stop believing in ourselves. There are 8 billion people on the planet. Wouldn't it be amazing if we all got an opportunity to be heard and to be ourselves or to have the opportunity to better ourselves for our life's journey?

I lean more into being open to hear your unique view. We learn more from being vulnerable and curious and leaning into the opportunity to learn from others than we do by seeing one person's opinion.

You. Your lived experience. And who you are and want to be in the world matters.

27/11/2025

Nature photography is a gigantic love of mine. It is a moment to stop, admire something beautiful and to sit with it in its current form. Trying to capture its beauty no matter the conditions life has given to us in that moment. It has become the easiest form of mindfulness and mindful activity in my recovery toolkit. I first have to notice it then stand there trying to capture the perfect photo. A lot of times the wind or maybe the size of the flower may make it that I can't get the perfect shot but I then sit with myself and allow a moment of clarity in that it doesn't matter if it is not a crystal clear or sharp image. What matters is that I have stopped to be mindful with it. Allowing my mind to rest from all of the other things it was thinking just moments before. Nature photography without judging myself.

Taking pictures of teeny tiny flowers is a pretty cool way of connection to nature though 😍

23/11/2025

Hi everyone

I hope you're all having a wonderful day. I wanted to update you on what I do and my first availability since beginning the EPM journey.

I'm Kristy, I live in the south of Adelaide. I absolutely love where I live and feel very grateful to not be far from natures wonders of the coast, the hills and the Fluerieu Peninsula.

I am a qualified Mental health Peer Worker/Mentor and recognised Therapeutic Horticulture Practitioner. I am passionate about working with people with different abilities. I grew up with both of my parents having different abilities so it has always been more normal to me that we are all unique. At this stage of life I am passionate about supporting person centred approaches and trauma informed care in recovery and our day to day lives. Walking alongside side someone in their life journey and supporting them to achieve their goals brings me so much joy. There is nothing quite like seeing someone's face light up as they realise they have achieved something important to their life.

Peer work is wrapped in unique values around mutuality and reciprocity meaning your lived experience is just as valuable as mine and we learn and grow together. Peer workers are able to connect with people while safely accessing their own unique lived experience of mental and emotional distress, recovery, and life's journey to support you on yours. I carry my own toolkit of vulnerability, courage, mindful practice, gratitude, ups and downs and connection to one another and to the natural world around us. It is my chosen field above all other disciplines in mental health. I have experience with Depression, Anxiety, BPD, Bipolar 2, PTSD, CPTSD, AOD, and grew up with physical disability around me of Polio, Stroke, then mental health, AOD and suicidality.

In therapeutic horticulture I work with you to identify how connecting with nature, your own garden or the amazing garden/nature spaces we have in Adelaide to achieve your own personal goals. This could be connecting with nature in a variety of ways, nature walks, nature mindfulness, nature photography, nature art, creating your own garden at home from seed to full size plants and helping you achieve your garden therapy vision, learning to grow to eat, creating your own therapeutic garden space with smells to textures to colours of beauty. Every connection we build to nature and to plants or wildlife is uniquely designed to suit your needs, hopes and dreams.

Nature based and garden therapy absolutely saved my life when I found myself dealing with life's events and ill health. Garden therapy is something I have shared with hundreds of people before you through my work in bushfire disaster recovery. It is my passion and also the most reliable source of therapeutic support because it is always available to me. I love to share how nature can support you on your journey of life and recovery. It is not a one size fits all approach though. It is something we work on together to identify the opportunities for connection and creation that suit you best.

I work as an Independent provider and have had my own business Essence Peer Mentoring for the last two years. I've worked in the Peer Mentoring space for 4 years and in the garden/nature therapy space for 10 years. I have also extensive experience in working with people of all works of life through my career in recruitment, employee development, customer service and management.

I have availability to meet some new people for the first time since I started working for myself. I love what I do and love working with new people and watching them achieve their goals. In addition to loving what i do I also enjoy all kinds of music, photography (I used to be a photographer as a hobby), live bands or a good music festival, camping, motor racing, continued learning and growing for my own well-being and being in nature whether that is home with my kids or anywhere else.

My qualifications are
Certificate 4 in Mental health Peer Work
Therapeutic Horticulture training
Certificate 2 in Horticulture
Certificate 4 in business management
First aid & CPR
Recruitment training
Mental health first aid
NDIS clearance including all relevant police, WWCC, business check and working with aged and vulnerable people.
I am insured as well of course.

I value connection, integrity, laughter, conversation, dignity of risk, vulnerability, courage and gratitude. Creating trauma informed and person centred space and advocacy ensuring our own unique voices are part of the broader conversation in life for now and into the future.

If I sound like someone you would like to connect with please contact me either by messaging the page or by emailing kristy@essencepeermentoring.com.au. I have availability at the moment on Monday and Friday mornings and Wednesday afternoons. I recognise the challenges of accessing appropriate support in country or rural Adelaide as well so I'm able to travel anywhere between Hallett Cove, Normanville, Clayton Bay, Strathalbyn, Aldgate to Lobethal. If you are unsure if I work in your area please don't hesitate to ask.

I hope you have a wonderful day and look forward to meeting you soon.

Take care.
Kristy

22/11/2025

In a few days the 10th anniversary of the Pinery bushfire will be upon us. If you have lived in Adelaide for a long time you will remember that in 2015 we started the year with catastrophic fire danger warnings and the Sampson Flat fire in the Adelaide Hills. We seemed to just be coming to terms with the devastation and the trauma while getting ready for the next bushfire season and then the Pinery bushfire happened. It was unimaginable that we would have two catastrophic events in the same year.

I wanted to share Rachel's post from Phoenix Mountain Australia because it is beautifully written and sends us a heart filled message around recovery.

I first met Rachel just weeks after the Pinery bushfire. Rachel being a member of the community and me in my role as the Founder of SA Bushfire Garden Revival. We kept in contact over the years of recovery through our work to help families affected by bushfire to help rebuild their home gardens for free. Working with communities to access garden therapy to support their mental and emotional recovery. We talked about trauma and my trauma being different to hers but being able to understand the path trauma takes us on. Without a doubt the path is similar even though the traumatic events being on completely different planets.

Rachel is a what i would consider a Courageous warrior. Since her, her families and friends experience of great loss in the bushfire she has gone on to share her story on TV, written a book and spoken about trauma and recovery like a champion.

I was on the ground after the fire on day 4. There were still smouldering piles around the place and it looked like a war zone. What was most noticeable amongst the absolute devastation was how this farming community rallied around each other. Even though there was help coming in from the outside the strength and unwavering sense of community was incredible. These are moments I have etched in my memory and will never ever forget.

Rachel shares a beautifully written post on her page about recovery coming up to the 10 year anniversary. I wanted to share it because it is so similar to what I would say today working in mental health. Recovery is not a straight road nor a destination. It is every step along the way to allow ourselves to feel in our own unique way. It is to be kind and compassionate. It is to show empathy. It is to be with others no matter their path. It is allowing ourselves grace even if we stumble and need to realign with our next level recovery experience.

We all will experience traumatic events in life. We could all experience the same or similar events and have completely different reactions and that is OK. We could both have a PTSD diagnosis from an event but that may play out differently to the person beside you. Recovery is being kind to yourself first and not judging your experience harshly because it is different to someone else.

I also love that Rachel calls out the need to reimagine what long term recovery looks like. As a society we call for resilience or we expect people to go through the worst times of their lives and just move on. That is very difficult for those of us with PTSD. Recovery is possible but it is more about learning to be with ourselves and recreating a path for this thing called life. The new path that we didn't ask for. So please be gentle with us all as we find and create our new recovery road.

I also want to add to Rachel's amazing reminder......

The word resilience. I can not think of a word in the English language I dislike as much as I hate the word resilience. I have been part of every major Bushfire event in SA since January 2015. My personal traumatic events started in 2010 (excluding childhood trauma). Not once before all of this did I realise how judgemental it is to question a persons resilience. My resilience was never questioned before my first PTSD diagnosis. So why do we question someone's resilience when they have experienced events that would break the strongest of humans? It is mind boggling to me. Sure we can build resilience but we should never question someone's resilience when they have faced the most traumatic and painful events in life. Recovery both short and long term can not happen in the eyes of judgement and shame. Recovery can only happen when a person's recovery toolkit is filled with compassion, kindness, connection and empathy. With having people to just sit with us. To hold space for us and to be there with a non judgemental kind ear.

To all of the amazing communities I have had the absolute pleasure of meeting with over the years I hope your recovery cup is full today and that each and every moment that reminds you of how you got here that you know you are stronger and braver than you ever thought possible and I see you for your courage and hope for a future that fills your hearts and emotional cup. Let your gardens and your therapeutic nature spaces give back to you in the coming days and weeks.

Thank you Rachel for always speaking your truth and reminding us all that recovery is a road we travel not a destination we get to. Much love to the Pinery community for this coming Tuesdays anniversary, you are forever in my heart 💙

Pinery TEN years on: A statement.

Ten years on, the memory of that day still carries a weight that words can barely hold. What began as an ordinary day for so many became the threshold to a life forever altered, as the fire carved its mark not only on the land but on the hearts of those who lived through it.
As we pause to acknowledge this decade, let us remember that recovery is not a straight path, nor is grief measured by time. Each person’s journey has been unique—some visible, others carried quietly within.
While memorials and gatherings offer collective strength, the deepest healing often comes from compassion: being gentle with ourselves, extending kindness to others, and recognising that milestones like this can reopen wounds.
May this anniversary remind us not only of what was lost, but of the urgent need to reimagine long-term recovery, so that future communities facing disaster are met with enduring support and hope.

21/11/2025

At the end of a challenging week and month.... I am choosing to practice gratitude.

Today I am grateful for blue nails and my favourite flowers finally opening 😍 I love November for this floral joy every year.

Blue is also a very important colour to me. It is my designated safe colour from my DBT days. Anyone who knows me knows or gives me some kind of dig about it. But it is guaranteed to help me realign and ground myself in the moment. So I don't really care if you see me with multiple different blue variations on me at any one time. Recovery oriented practice and mindful strategies keep me moving forward on this road called life. Whatever little things we do to help build our overall strength that no one else notices. That is where our power is.

I am hopeful you all find your favourite flower or mindful moment over this weekend. The sun is apparently going to be out. Yay! So the garden is where you'll find me.

Happy weekend everyone!

20/11/2025

💙 Impressive indeed 💙

19/11/2025

Nature has been an incredible teacher for me over the years. It teaches in such a gentle way, guiding me to environments that suit me and my overall wellbeing the best.

I have come to the realisation that it is also a wonderful DBT trainer. How so I hear you ask..... we can be ready for a new day's challenge and then be disappointed it is raining. So we can be excited and disappointed at the same time. Neither feeling is good or bad it just is. We learn to sit and manage them both. Similarly in the garden we can not like a certain plant or flower and then from a different viewpoint or in a different light we can love what it looks like. So we can not like it and love it in the same moment.

Finding our own way to connect with nature in a meaningful way for our individual needs can be a real game changer. One step and moment at a time. 🌻

18/11/2025

Accessing food support can be a really hard thing for us to do when times are tough and bills and other costs of living are sky-rocketing. I know in my lived experience I have had to deal with some really challenging and harsh emotions and ways of thinking when I needed support. I truly believe that it takes courage to ask for help. It is allowing ourselves to be vulnerable and not shame ourselves as to why we are in the position of needing help so we can eat. I have accessed several services in the south of Adelaide over time and came to realise if by asking for some help with access to food that I could then be able to pay that bill I had been holding back then things do balance out in the end. We can access a number of different providers but the ones that really stick out to me are the ones that don't ask a 100 questions or require identification. Heart & Soul are one of those providers. Free fruit, vegetables and bread products which are donated to them for those of us who may struggle from time to time. They are run by volunteers for the local community. I have always had positive experiences either for myself or with others. If you or someone you know is struggling to access food please reach out to myself or to these guys. We know how hard it can be to make the first step. I would always be happy to share my lived experience of these services with anyone who needs it. 💙

Did you know that Heart and Soul Group have a Community Pantry right here at Colonnades? 🍎

Heart and Soul Group is a volunteer-run food initiative providing free fruit, vegetables, bakery goods and pantry items through their community pantries.

This festive season, we’re proud to support the Heart and Soul Southern Pantry at Colonnades. We recently presented their amazing local team with a donation to help keep the pantry stocked for our community over Christmas. 💛

To learn more or find out how you can get involved, visit: https://colonnades.visitlink.me/Xy90q-