Pre-sea swimming with Nicola August 2021

It was wonderful to be in college at the North West College of Homeopathy, in Manchester this weekend. I had taught recently in Wales, and thought that was possibly my favourite teaching weekend ever in 7 years of teaching in colleges. And this weekend realised, and recognised that perhaps my favourite weekend of teaching is the one I've just finished. A great way to stay in the moment I suppose.

Wales was kinda special for so many reasons, the Fisherman's Bothy where I stayed backing straight onto the beach. The sound of the sea from the kitchen, the walk along the seafront to the Winter School location. The beach walk with students and lecturers. Hanging out with Linda Gwillim, Petra Wood and other fabulous folk. The attention to detail in supplying my breakfast, snacks for the cottage and beverages of choice, a hot water bottle and even having a fire warming the house as I went in.

And the students were fabulous. That is a consistent vein. As are the wonderful colleagues. I am grateful to have sat with some wonderful students each time I have rocked up to teach. And reflected often that I've said yes to these opportunities thinking perhaps I can give something back, and found each time I've learnt things from them. I know that now, I no longer go thinking I'm doing anything except bringing a few things and sharing the space of great folk. Hopefully we all get to learn something new in the space. I am grateful to call many of my colleagues friends, and it makes me smile that I'd read about some of them in journals in my student days and they'd be on these pedestals, I'd be in awe of many of them.

This weekend it was all quite special again, for the reasons above, but also something quite personal to me. It was in January 2007, on the 21st of the month, that I sat in college, in my fourth year of study. With my newborn baby. I talked about it this college weekend and thought she was 17 days old. But no, my maths was wrong. I've just counted it now before writing this. 12 days into this world, my girl and I sat in lectures.

Now I wonder if taking a little more time may have been a good idea, but online wasn't an option back in those days, and I had no thought that I wouldn't be back in class. I was determined I could do it, and do it I did. Support from her dad, my parents and sister made it possible for me to complete my homeopathy qualification and graduate when my daughter was 6 months old.

What I couldn't do was breastfeed discretely and my biggest memory of that weekend wasn't the lectures I did, it was trying to fumble about under a muslin cloth and figure out wtf I was doing. Needless to say (or perhaps not needless but anyway), the cloth was gone within minutes, I recognised bodies were just bodies and for goodness sake, we were in a college concerned with natural health. Looking back, perhaps that was a turning point altogether for me.

Little did I imagine, sat there 17 years ago, I'd be separated in a year, divorced 2 years after that, do businesses I'd never ever heard of, work in home help and network marketing (at separate times) alongside being a nearly full time mum and setting up my work in homeopathy. In case that wasn't enough, skeptic attacks were fairly relentless in 2007, along with a significant recession.

I told my story in brief this weekend to students, and regularly do so. Not normally the breastfeeding bit - that was a special bit thinking this weekend was a special one, particularly in my miscalculations, that 17 years ago on Saturday my daughter and I sat in college, her 17 days old. Damn it, turns out my 12 years in was the special one for the numbers, since we were sat there and she was 12 days old! I missed that one. But for me, and why I share it, I hope my story helps others.

It can be daunting sitting there wondering how it will all work out. If it will all work out. I have no answers for anyone else, but I know that I had no question that I would be doing this. Even 'how' didn't really seem to be that present, just keep at it and it'll get there. And it did. But did it take time? Absolutely. Did I fall in love with it all more and more along the way? Hell yes. Did I learn more, about me, about the world alongside the homeopathy learning? Yup to that one too. Was it all worth it? It certainly was.

I could never have dreamed up the challenges that would be faced over the years between then and now, within our family, health, schooling, relationships, work. And I suppose I'm glad I had no idea, I got to face each one, some more mine and others with a supporting role. Frequently we had incredible people around us who were just amazing, and grew each time. Learnt more about the world and ourselves.

I knew I was never going to teach, which always makes me smile, especially having done a recent session with the amazing Liz Norman who read my natal chart and assured me I was doing what I was supposed to do, working in higher learning, and teaching and sharing ideas. Lordy. that was not in my awareness for so many years. Teaching as I do, to small classes of adults who want to learn and engage brilliantly, is not like I ever imagined teaching could be. With parents who taught in primary schools (and a dad who became a headteacher) I know what many of the harder aspects of teaching can be like.

Social media wasn't on my radar back then, and I would go on to encourage, support and help a whole load of other folk to use it for their businesses and to promote this amazing world of homeopathy. I would work with organisations for quite a few years, and then step back, letting go of all but one platform (nearly anyway, Insta remains but is currently private whilst I still play out with the old folk left on Facebook).

I had no plans either to offer supervision to students or pracitioners, and I love that aspect of my work now. I was so shy it took me years (honestly) to set up and run an Introduction to Homeopathy course. I kept working towards it, pushing my boundaries, and with an awareness of not liking to talk to groups of more than 2-3 or so, I expanded those boundaries right out. I think 150 was my biggest in person crowd to date, though several podcasts I've been on apparently have audiences in the 1000s.

In many ways I have nothing more than a bit of determination and a lot of enthusiasm for the topic. I see how incredible it can be, I'm grateful to have witnessed some remarkable changes, some slower burning changes, and see how seeds planted can transform all sorts. Most definitely the seed of homeopathy planted years ago transformed my life, my understanding of the world and so much more.

With love,

Em