Hi! I’m Louise,
Herbalist · Art Therapist · Reiki Practitioner · Yoga Teacher
And, perhaps more simply, someone who became deeply curious about healing because, for a long time, I was searching for it myself.
My path into this work began with my own experience.
I was anxious, unhappy and felt disconnected from myself.
I struggled with my skin, lived with mysterious chronic pain, and spent a lot of time feeling like something was wrong with me… with my body, with how I was feeling, and with the way I was moving through the world.
More than anything, I was searching. For answers, for meaning, and for a way to feel like myself again.
That search took me in a lot of different directions.
I began learning about the relationship between our emotional and physical worlds. I discovered different ways of working with the body: creativity, plant medicine, movement, mindfulness and energy. Some things helped. Some didn't. Some became practices I would return to again and again.
And somewhere along the way, my search for my own wellbeing became a genuine fascination with what it means to care for ourselves as whole people.
It led me to study art therapy, herbalism, yoga and Reiki, not because I believe any one modality holds all the answers, but because each gave me another way of understanding and supporting the person as a whole.
Over time, I also started to realise that healing wasn't about finally reaching some perfect version of myself where nothing hurt, nothing felt difficult and I had everything figured out.
It was much more about learning how to meet myself where I was.
What Lives Within grew from that.
A space for the things I've learnt, the practices I've come to love, and the belief that wellbeing doesn't always need to be about fixing ourselves.
Sometimes it's about becoming curious about what's happening within us and learning how to support ourselves from there.
Why what lives within?
I don't believe wellbeing can be reduced to the perfect routine, supplement, morning ritual or set of habits. And I don't believe there is one way to feel well. We are constantly changing. Life changes. Our bodies change. What we need changes. Sometimes we need to understand what's happening beneath the surface. Sometimes we need practical support. Sometimes we need movement or expression. Sometimes we need ritual, herbs or a new rhythm to our days.
And sometimes, we simply need somewhere to put everything down and rest.
What Lives Within creates space for all of it.
My approach brings together the different modalities I've studied with conversation, compassion and an understanding of the person sitting in front of me. Rather than asking,
“What should you be doing?”
I'm much more interested in:
"What do you need right now?"
From there, we can begin.
my approach to healing
I like wellbeing that feels human.
The kind that can exist alongside busy mornings, changing routines, difficult emotions, relationships, work, travel and all the other beautifully messy parts of being a person.
I believe in evidence and education, but I also believe there is value in intuition, ritual, creativity, connection and learning to listen to yourself.
I don't want wellness to become another place where we feel we aren't doing enough.
Instead, my work is about helping you build a relationship with your wellbeing that feels supportive rather than consuming by finding practices that add something meaningful to your life rather than becoming another list to perfect.
Less fixing. More listening.
Less optimisation. More connection.
Less becoming. More returning.
My work is informed by training across a number of complementary modalities:
Herbalism:
Exploring the traditional and contemporary use of plants to support everyday wellbeing.
Art Therapy:
Using creativity, expression and reflection as tools for exploring our inner world.
Reiki:
An energetic healing practice for the tangible and intangible.
Yoga & Movement:
Using breath, movement and body awareness as ways to reconnect with ourselves.
Mindfulness & Emotional Wellbeing:
Simple practices for becoming more present, reflective and connected to how we're actually feeling.
I don't expect every person who walks through my door to need all of these things.
They're simply my toolkit.
You bring yourself. We'll discover what feels useful from there.
a little more about me...
Outside of this work, I'm someone who loves travel, creativity, writing, slow mornings, being outside, learning about plants and finding small ways to make ordinary life feel a little more intentional.
I've lived and travelled in different corners of the world, and those experiences have shaped the way I think about wellbeing too, there are so many different ways to live, heal, connect and create meaning.
I'm continually learning, questioning and evolving my own relationship with wellness alongside the work I share here.
I don't have a perfectly optimised life.
And I don't think that's the goal.
I want What Lives Within to feel like a space where you don't need to arrive as a project to be worked on. You can simply arrive as you are.
