The Brave Space

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 🎄


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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

03/11/2025

Getting our dragon on today as we explore the power of our mind and how we can shape our self talk to cultivate our reality 💥

Apologies that this video doesn’t show the full Dragon pose! 🙈 It’s an adaptation of either a high lunge or a low lunge - with the twist for an extra challenge.

02/11/2025

👏👏👏

We spend years teaching children how to solve equations, memorize facts, and chase success — yet we rarely teach them how to sit with their pain. We tell them to be strong, but we never explain that true strength sometimes looks like tears, like asking for help, like admitting you’re not okay. We prepare them for exams but not for heartbreak, for careers but not for loss. And so they grow up learning to silence their emotions, to wear resilience like armor, all while carrying the weight of unspoken feelings they were never taught to understand.

Emotional intelligence is the lesson life keeps repeating until we finally listen — not with our minds, but with our hearts. It teaches us through broken relationships, through moments when logic can’t fix what empathy can heal. It reminds us that understanding ourselves and others is not a soft skill; it’s a survival skill. The world doesn’t need more people who know the right answers — it needs more people who know how to sit in discomfort, to hold space for pain, and to choose compassion over control. That is the education that truly changes us.

— Balt

02/11/2025

Hi everyone!

A shameless plug today for my parents' macadamia nut business - because I'm super proud of what they have created! :)

As a nutritious, slow-release energy snack for families, you can't beat macadamias - especially home-grown, spray-free ones such as these! They are packed with goodies such as healthy fats and fibre, making them so good for young brains and tummies (always cut them up for little ones to avoid choking).

I mostly eat the Natural and Lightly Roasted macadamia nuts....but these chocky ones are a mouth-watering treat and make a sweet gift (no pun intended!). Only the best quality, Belgian chocolate is used from Scilla Chocolates in Ohope....

Also, for those who have their own macadamia nut tree but struggle to crack 'em open, you'll want to check out the legendary WonderCracker (designed and built by Ohiwa Macadamias too).

The best way to explore the product range & order is online (www.ohiwamacadamias.co.nz - with free local delivery!) or check them out at the Wharfside Harbour Market in Port Ohope from 8.30am-12.30pm this Saturday 8 November. :-)

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29/10/2025

I’ve set myself a new challenge to complete at least three decent nature walks every week (bush, beach or farm) - regardless of the fickle spring weather. 🌦️ Today’s hikoi around the Fairbrother Loop track almost didn’t happen - my ego came up with quite a few reasons why I should skip it (“I’m too tired”, “It’s too cold and windy”, “I haven’t got time” etc)…

Thankfully I chose to listen to my inner voice and go anyway! And of course I was rewarded with so many amazing discoveries and wildlife encounters. Being in nature is one of the best ways to ground and recalibrate before facilitating a session at The Brave Space!

P.s. This is possibly an unpopular opinion, but if we all spent more time in the real world connecting with trees, and less time “connecting” to devices, the world would be an infinitely better place (and our youth wouldn’t experience the degree of mental health challenges we see today).

27/10/2025

A Good Yarn for the Grandkids 🤣

I had the opportunity to practice what I preach and be reeeeeeeeaaaaalllly brave over the weekend whanau!

I was plucked out of my comfortable seat in a packed Baycourt Arena by Mario, Queen of the Circus - and wound up here, doing laps around the stage. What are the odds? 🤣 😳

Three days on I’m still integrating this bizarre experience and all of the intense emotions - from the initial shock, fear and embarrassment (I also had to endure a mortifying strip tease! 😂) to pure elation. Once I was up safely, I decided to completely surrender and savour this moment as a once-in-a-lifetime chance to do something really fun and wild! It was liberating, empowering and unforgettable - especially with my daughter in the crowd.

Sometimes we just need a little nudge outside the comfort zone to realise what we’re truly capable of. 😉

And - at the risk of sounding cheesy - with unconditional trust and self belief, the world really is our oyster, and every single one of us has the wings to FLY HIGH 🦋 …. (on the shoulders of an international unicycling Queen impersonator, if that’s where the mood takes you 😆).

Thanks Mario! Thanks . You made a dream (I didn’t know I had) come true. 🎪 💫 🔥

21/10/2025

Parents and caregivers with younger ones - this is genius! 🐛

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPUTc3DDubK/?igsh=cDVycXQyc283ZnRs

20/10/2025

There are times to be serious and times to be silly and playful. Movement is medicine & at The Brave Space the children remember how to move freely - no prescribed steps, only authentic, improvised movements that promote creativity, self expression and a deeper connection to our body. When we skip the dancing, the kids notice and complain 😂

This is how I chose to prepare for our class today.

20/10/2025

Week 3! Love Ripples! 🩷

The focus of our classes this week is Kindness and Connecting with Others. We’ll explore why it’s so important to show kindness to others, and how to navigate the uncomfortable space of being on the receiving end of unkind behaviour from peers.

Of course the best ways to instil this in our littles is to demonstrate it ourselves.

Children need to experience the feeling of kindness and compassion before they can express it in the world. 🌍

Food for thought 💭

16/10/2025

Two cherubs fell fast asleep during our session yesterday. This is a first for me! Either they were VERY tired, or the meditation was VERY relaxing. Probably a bit of both. Kids need space in their day for deep rest. 🦥 🥰 😴