01/11/2025
One year at the helm of Island Healing 🐋
Today marks a full year since I took over this beautiful space that was founded 𝟮𝟬 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗼 with a simple but profound intention: to support people to heal. Over these two decades, Island Healing has changed hands through four different owners, each carrying the baton forward through their own challenges and transitions. What's remained constant through all these changes is the essence of what Island Healing truly is - 𝙖 𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨, 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙜𝙚𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚.
During this first year of owning a brick & mortar business, I've certainly felt the ups and downs of being a business owner. Alongside navigating grief - losing both my nan and sister - this first year hasn't looked like what I thought it would.
I could write a celebratory post that doesn't acknowledge the year that has been, but that wouldn't be authentic to who I am or what Island Healing represents. What I didn't expect was how grief would literally rewire my brain. The fog, the forgetfulness, the way trauma changes how we process everything. It's been humbling and eye-opening, but it's also deepened my understanding of what our clients might be experiencing when they walk through our doors. You never know what someone is carrying, and I've learned firsthand how a small act of kindness and gentleness can have profound impact when someone needs it most.
𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴: The journey to wellness, be that physical or emotional, is not a straight path. Healing is a deeply personal experience, often filled with twists and turns that reflect the uniqueness of each individual. Like the rhythm of the ocean, there's an ebb and flow to it all. Some days we need to do the deep therapeutic work. Other days we need gentle bodywork. Sometimes healing looks like crying in a safe space, sometimes it's laughing with someone who gets it, sometimes it's sharing our real stories and truths in a perfectly curated digital world, and often it's just being seen and heard & simply showing up when everything feels impossible.
𝗡𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 - the therapists who show up with genuine authenticity, meeting each client exactly where they are. They've been the ones holding everything together, creating magic moments in the mundane or chaos for our clients, and building the beautiful sense of community that IS Island Healing. When I couldn't be fully present during my final trimester of uni or through the heaviest waves of grief, they held this space with such care and have held grace for me through the transition.
This journey has brought me right back to that original 𝙬𝙝𝙮 from 20 years ago, but with a deeper appreciation for what it truly means. Island Healing isn't just a business - it's a 20-year legacy of understanding that we're all just doing our best with the tools we have, and sometimes we need a little extra support and community to find our way back to ourselves.
Here's to honouring where we came from, celebrating the amazing humans who make this place what it is, and embracing whatever year two brings. 💚
