The Brave Space

03/12/2025

We’ve come to the end of our Girls’ Yoga and Well-being program for 2025. Come with me on a wee tour of our Wednesday space to get a glimpse of what’s on the menu today 💃 🧘‍♀️ 🍓 🤸‍♀️ 💓

Ps. Apologies for the terrible camera work - going for raw authenticity 🤣

02/12/2025

I highly recommend these resources to help your children develop a healthy relationship with their emotions .

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19yfMpxmQo/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Hi, I’m Bex—co-founder of Wildling Books. I’m not a psychologist with a wall of degrees. I’m the kid who used to explode because no one taught me about emotions, let alone how to hold space for them or feel safe in my body when I was experiencing them. Not blaming my parents (they are the best) but it just wasn't the thing back then.

I grew up in a world that told children things like:
📍“Boys don’t cry.”
📍“Stop crying or I’ll give you something to cry about!”
📍“Drink a cup of concrete and harden up!”

So I stuffed everything down—until anxiety, depression, and self-harm became part of my life. It took years of intense therapy to unlearn all the unhealthy patterns that I was using to manage my emotions. I don't want this to be the path for other children/teens.

So many of us adults can now see the harm in not allowing emotions to be expressed and to release them in healthy ways. It looks like substance abuse, violence, self-harm .... and it hurts everyone!

We can teach our children that:

📍They can feel safe in their body with a big emotion
📍Emotions will pass
📍Emotions are messages.
📍There are healthy ways to release them to avoid hurting ourselves and others.

That’s emotional intelligence 💡

Why does it matter so much to me? Because I’ve experienced the effects of not being able to express myself, not having the words so I can understand what is happening and explain that to others.

I’ve felt the weight of pain that others hold. Unable to share what is inside for fear of judgement. When I started sharing my journey, it opened up space for others to do so too. We can teach our children that it is safe to share how they feel and they won't be mocked or ridiculed.

I started Wildling Books so no child has to go through a painful path to learn what I fought to discover. And when we teach kids to label their emotions, we give them a lifetime being able to express and release them, and through that have deeper connections with those around them, resulting in a happier life. I know that is what I want for my boys.

Have you got any of our books yet?

Bex x

wildlingbooks.com

02/12/2025

To the precious child who surprised me with this cheerful bouquet yesterday. Thank you for the beautiful burst of sunshine! It’s gifts from the heart such as this, that mean sooooo much - and make all the mahi worthwhile 🥹 🌻 💓

Ps. It’s not really mahi when you love what you do…!

01/12/2025

It must be the end of the year! That time to cut loose 🤣 so…. Take a leaf out of my book and embrace the crazy … it’ll help you get through 🤪😉

26/11/2025

Please be fully informed before going down the path of anti depressant/anxiety meds for your child.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/17naH28ERh/?mibextid=wwXI

24/11/2025

Hey guys, what do you reckon? Can we magic up a dedicated space in nature for The Brave Space in 2026? Plus, here’s YOUR inspirational message for the day. You got this💪

23/11/2025

Once a week our non-toxic yoga mats get an extra special clean. I make my own yoga mat spray these days using distilled water, witch hazel and a blend of very high quality essential oils. My daughter helped to concoct the last batch - it’s extra pepperminty! Turns out this is very attractive to cats… 😆

(Skip is possibly the oldest living cat. A rescue from Melbourne who wound up in rural NZ many years ago. Completely deaf but still enjoying a very good quality of life…)

19/11/2025

There’s no such thing as a “bad” emotion!
Even the most uncomfortable ones carry valuable information to help us thrive.

Potentially the most transformative session of the program yesterday in Whakatane.
P.s. No offence intended to any Boomers! I can only imagine how hard it was for many of our parents’ generation (and previous generations) growing up (in terms of receiving the emotional support that was required).

🟢Check out Wildling Books for more info on the Aroha emotional wellbeing book series.
🟢Check out The Tapping Solution online!

12/11/2025

Holy emotional rollercoaster! 🎢

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had some hella uncomfortable emotions coming up this week.
My ol’ mate anxiety was back - with overwhelm lurking close by. Sadness popped in. Loneliness even came to visit. This is so normal, by the way!!

Coincidentally (or not 😉) this week we are delving into my favourite topic of all - “The Gift of Emotions” at The Brave Space. Oh the divine perfection of it all - this is certainly not lost on me…. 💫

It’s times like these I really have to walk my talk. Put my money where my mouth is. Practice what I preach & all that… so I can show up for the kids - not as a fragile wreck, but as a guide who has
welcomed these visitors with compassion and curiosity, done what I require to do to help them move through, harnessed the gold from the experience…. and come out the other end feeling more connected - to myself & all of my cherubs.

All emotions are welcome in my classes, and I remain ever so grateful for all of mine too… without which I could never work in this space with true authenticity or integrity.

Here’s to learning to ride those beautiful waves guys, and not getting drowned by them!! 🤪🌊 🌊 🌊

10/11/2025

Eastern Bay whanau - here is an awesome decluttering opportunity from Jade at Heart Space Thrift Store. Get the kids on board with the spirit of giving this Christmas 🎄


https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19ReGBceqa/?mibextid=wwXIfrdlme

09/11/2025

🩷 🙏 An Attitude of Gratitude 🙏 🩷

At The Brave Space we learn to direct our focus toward all of the good things in our lives, through a dedicated Gratitude Practice. We express gratitude by sharing in circle with our peers, and through recording specific things we feel thankful for in our Gratitude Journals. This can be through words, pictures or both, depending on the child.

Every week I am deeply moved by what the tamariki record in their journals. It's personal and unique to each child, and helps me gain a deeper understanding of their interests/passions and what is important to them. This is such a useful thing to know as a teacher and helps to inform our sessions together.

We also acknowledge and celebrate what we're proud of, which is a valuable practice I hope they will carry into adulthood. This can be a "small" thing or a big thing, and gives the kids a real confidence boost to share within our supportive small-group setting.

In the spirit of gratitude today, I'd love to thank everybody who supports this soul-led initiative to help kids thrive on all levels - physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. 400+ Facebook followers and growing steadily! Parents and caregivers - thank you for trusting me with your precious taonga. Together we are making some serious ripples that are quite literally changing the world. 🩷

Amy x