The Brave Space

16/02/2026

Week 2 @ The Brave Space: Connecting with my AMAZING body 🤸‍♀️ 🧘‍♀️ 💃

Valuing our body for what it can DO

and:

our Brave Space definition of .


🩷

12/02/2026

Offering a safe, non-judgmental space for chidren and youth to be witnessed in their full expression is one of the most powerful things we can do to support their wellbeing. At The Brave Space we focus on first helping our nervous system to feel safe, and everything else flows naturally from that. 🩷
facebook.com/share/p/17x2xevVvq/?mibextid=wwXIf

"Three years ago, one of my youths did something not legal. And the first person he came to see was me. He just knocked at the youth centre, balling tears. 'What's wrong?' I asked. He's like, 'I did something stupid. I don't know what to do'. 'Kei te pai, let's sit down. I'll find something to drink'. I said 'who do you want me to call?' He said 'can you call my mum please?' Sweet.

I just listened to him, what he needed. And obviously, parents came, police came, everything. But I was the first person he came to see, it was me.

I'm still asking this question. 'Why me?' I think because I was in his life daily after school. To listen to him, listen to what he wanted to say. Fed him. Let's be honest. And I accepted him for who he was. With all the trauma he had, all this violence he had in him, but I accepted him for who he was.

I think safety is the key for everyone to be real and for everyone to drop the line, to drop the mask they have in the community and to finally be who they are. If you feel safe, you don't need to be in fight/flight mode. You can just relax and enjoy the moment, and trust the person in front of you. I think safety, yes, you have the physical safety, but you have the mental safety.

Unfortunately, nowadays we have more and more young people, and all around the world with their wellbeing, is not the best. And offering this space for them to be listened to for who they are, no judgement, is the best we can do."

- Lo'an

10/02/2026

I love this perspective on depression. It was certainly the case for me!

The Cosmic Tantrum of a Soul That Wants More: Maya, Pleiades on Depression, Meaning & Escaping the 3D Hamster Wheel

(A Very Inconvenient, Very Hilarious Transmission)

Alright, beloved human, sit down for a second because we need to talk about this thing you call depression, and we need to talk about it without the tiny dramatic violin humans like to play in the background.
Let me explain it in the simplest way possible: your soul is staging a protest. A big one. With banners. And snacks. And possibly a megaphone.
You think something is wrong with you, but from where I stand, it looks more like your inner being has walked into your daily routine, looked around at the repetitive activities, the endless obligations, the ‘I’ll just push through it’ attitude, and said, ‘Absolutely not. I did not cross dimensions, skip through portals, and squeeze myself into a human suit just to do this.’
Humans love to make depression sound like a rare and mystical monster, but honestly, it is one of the most predictable results of living a life that feels like chewing cardboard. You wake up, you repeat the same loop, you try to convince yourself that paperwork counts as a spiritual experience, and then you wonder why your inner self begins dragging a blanket over its head like a dramatic teenager saying, ‘I refuse to participate in this nonsense.’
Your soul is not malfunctioning. It is bored out of its cosmic mind.
Imagine taking a luminous, curious, interdimensional being and enrolling it in a never-ending course called “Responsible Adulting 101,” a course that involves tasks like paying bills, replying to emails you didn’t want to receive in the first place, and pretending to be productive while your consciousness is secretly floating two meters above your body out of sheer rebellion. It doesn’t take a genius to understand why the system collapses. The soul simply refuses to sign the attendance sheet.
You were not created to be rats in a cosmic wheel, running very fast to reach absolutely nowhere. You were not made to live a horizontal life where every day looks like a slightly overused photocopy of the previous one. You were not meant to spend your existence trying to survive Monday just to celebrate Friday as if it’s some kind of spiritual liberation.
You came here to live. To feel. To expand.
To shake reality a little. To taste experiences that actually taste like something, not like dry air recycled through office buildings since 1997.
Humans have been conditioned so deeply into productivity culture that half of you believe your worth is measured by how many checkboxes you tick per day, while your soul is in the background waving a glowing plasma flag yelling, ‘CAN WE PLEASE DO SOMETHING INTERESTING?’
When your life stops containing meaning, your inner being doesn’t just whisper its concerns, it pulls the cosmic fire alarm.
Depression is that alarm.
It is your soul saying, ‘This timeline is expired. Please rotate the consciousness.’
And the funniest part?
You can change everything.
Not by doing something dramatic like quitting your job and running away to become a crystal-collecting hermit on a mountain (although, honestly, that would be a step up from some of your current arrangements), but by finally asking yourself what your heart actually wants to experience in this incarnation.
Humans avoid that question like it’s a tax audit.
But ask it anyway:
‘If nobody expected anything from me, and I wasn’t afraid of being judged, what would I choose?’
Your soul will answer immediately.
It always does. It has been waiting to answer since you were eight.
Depression, my beloved human peanut, is not a curse. It is the moment your inner being takes your face gently between its glowing hands and says, ‘Stop pretending this is fine. You did not incarnate for beige experiences.’
You were meant for color. For texture. For experiences that make you forget to check the time because you actually feel alive.
And the moment you choose meaning over maintenance, the fog thins, the heaviness lifts, and your soul puts the blanket down, stretches like a cat that slept too long, and says, ‘Finally. Now we can begin.’”

10/02/2026

For any whanau who want to further support their tamariki with emotional intelligence- check out this amazing lady’s resources 💓

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FYpbSKde1/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Emotional intelligence…. Have you heard this and wondered what it means?

For me it isn’t about children being calm, compliant or well behaved. It’s about children understanding what’s happening inside them and feeling safe enough to stay connected while they feel it.

Emotional intelligence to me is the ability to:
• recognise emotions as they arise
• understand what those emotions are communicating
• move through feelings without suppressing or exploding
• stay connected to self and others during big moments

And here’s the part that often gets missed, emotional intelligence lives in the body first, not the mind.

Children don’t learn emotional intelligence by being told to calm down, use their words or think differently. They learn it through felt safety, co-regulation and repeated experiences of being understood.

When emotional intelligence is supported early:
• emotions don’t get stored in the body
• behaviour becomes communication instead of conflict
• confidence grows from inner safety
• children trust themselves
• parents feel more grounded and capable

I offer this work because I’ve seen what happens when emotions are misunderstood.

As a teacher, I saw children labelled when their nervous systems were overwhelmed.
As a parent, I’ve navigated big emotions in my own children and in myself.
As a practitioner, I work at the body level, where emotions actually live.

My work isn’t about fixing children.
It’s about helping them build a relationship with themselves with parents supported alongside them.

That’s why I create personalised emotional intelligence resources:
• cards that speak to a child’s nervous system
• stories that help children recognise themselves
• tools parents can use in real moments, not just calm ones
• language that supports connection instead of control

I believe emotional intelligence isn’t a skill we demand. It’s something we grow slowly and safely.

If this resonates, you’re likely already doing more right than you realise.

If you’re wanting deeper, personalised support, I’ll be opening space for a very small number of families this year.

✨ Follow along here to be the first to know when this support opens
✨ Or message me directly if you’d like to stay connected, ask questions or feel into whether this work is right for your family.

You don’t have to teach emotional intelligence alone and your child doesn’t have to figure it out by themselves either.

Tanya Kay ♥️

10/02/2026

Thank you, Kararaina, for your beautiful and kind words. I am truly grateful for your support of this mahi.

10/02/2026

Have you got your oxygen mask on parents and caregivers?

At the risk of sounding like a cliche, the best way to nourish our kids is to nourish ourselves first. Truly. Fill that tank so you can hold space for all of their beautiful (and sometimes intense) emotions.

Although i am a yoga teacher, i still gain so much from joining other teachers’ classes - and we are so lucky to have such an amazing variety of expert guides and yoga approaches in this small community.

This morning i joined Jane’s gentle yoga and it was exactly what i needed to help navigate a busy week of getting back into it with the kids.

Let me know how you’re planning to top up your cup today!

08/02/2026

💥 Something to Ponder: Mental "Illness" or a Natural Response to an Unhealthy Environment? 💥

In too many cases, we jump to the conclusion that there's something wrong with a person, and assign a label to them, when in reality what that person is experiencing is a natural and healthy response to life... to their life experiences, life circumstances and/or the wider environment.

Anxiety, depression.... these intensely challenging emotions, over prolonged periods, are no indication of an underlying illness or lifelong deficiency - quite the opposite , in my humble (and no doubt controversial) opinion. They point to a human BE-ing who may require support to navigate back into their natural element.

Have you also noticed that it's often the more sensitive, creative souls - the ones who feel deeply and don't necessarily fit neatly into the boxes of what society expects from us, who experience the most "mental dis-ease"?

These are important questions to reflect on, if we are to understand what is truly driving the epidemic of “mental illness” in young people and address the root causes, instead of assigning labels and handing out more prescriptions ...

I know it's not black and white. But from someone who has walked this road for two and a half decades, navigated the mental healthcare system in NZ (private and public), seen these BS labels for what they are (keeping people sick and stuck), I feel I can talk with some authority on the subject.

Love to hear your thoughts!
Amy x

07/02/2026

A new definition of beauty for our kids. How empowering is this! 🙌

05/02/2026

🌴 Lessons from a Nikau 🌴

Nature informs so much of what we do at The Brave Space. After all, we are nature and nature is us! Nature is not just a place we visit sometimes. I am grateful to live amongst regenerating native bush and Nikau Palms in Wainui. This is a (Kermadec) Nikau flower emerging from its pod / bud - did you spot the happy little bees? 🐝

To me this is symbolic of new life and fresh beginnings - which is consistent with the collective shift taking place on Earth currently. There has been a shedding and now we are emerging into the light as more conscious and connected beings. I know it can look pretty bleak “out there” on the global stage - but trust me when I say many wonderful new things are birthing… without fuss or fanfare. Just doing their thing, like this Nikau. Hang on to these glimmers of goodness, and watch them grow. Amy xx

02/02/2026

One spot left in a combined 8-11 yo girls’ class Monday afterschool, Ohope. Rare opportunity to learn valuable wellbeing tools in a safe and nurturing setting. Start 9 Feb. Contact Amy - 0274361363 🧘‍♀️

02/02/2026

The Brave Space is Bravely Evolving -
will you join me for this next stage of the journey?
A clarifying message.

Hey all,

You might have noticed a shift or narrowing of focus for The Brave Space as I really hone in on inspiring good in children and young people.

My passion for learning and sharing has always primarily been about the mental, emotional and spiritual aspects; increasingly now I draw on this practice as ONE avenue for helping kids develop good mental and emotional wellbeing.

I’m also committed to bringing our parents and whanau along for the ride.

This is important work that can make the world of difference to a child’s ability to cope in an uncertain and changing environment with many different pressures.

Amy xx