I'm Harriet (she/her), the founder of Kindred Soil. I am an Integrative Forest Therapy Practitioner, a Circle Facilitator, Space Holder, a Mindfulness & EcoNidra™ Teacher and more...
Kindred Soil is a labour of love, weaving my many practices, trainings, skills and interests together to share them all with you.
My background is in Disability employment, Community Health, Anthropology, Community Development, Teaching and Facilitating Community spaces and trainings.
I have experience creating and delivering campaigns and workshops, advocating for Disability Employment Rights, training employers in the Social Model of Disability, their legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010, and consulting on creating more accessible and just process and systems within their organisations.
I absolutely love facilitating and holding spaces for groups and individuals. Some examples of spaces I have held include groups for young people with learning disabilities, community health workshops for refugees, women’s groups and social spaces for isolated community members.
In 2020 when the pandemic began, I continued running a community project, trying to connect and support members of the community online and via the phone. Sadly in late March of 2020 I caught covid myself - I became very unwell and I never fully recovered. I returned to work temporarily, but eventually I had to leave my community role due to my health. I slowly started to reimagine my life, learning to advocate for myself in the ways that I had been advocating for others for years previously.
I was invited to join a team running an exciting research project exploring the potential benefits of online Forest Bathing for those with Long Covid. From there I created more accessible online spaces for people to connect with nature, themselves, and others – and that is where Kindred Soil came to be created. Accessibility is a fundamental right and a huge passion of mine, so I am proud to be creating and holding these spaces. I am also delighted to have joined the team at EcoWisdom, to support in running training for guides to run Accessible Nature Wellbeing Programmes.
Although this has not been a path that I chose, I am so grateful to have found this. It has been beautiful, surprising and satisfying to combine my previous professional experience, lived experience, facilitation skills and my passion and new training in Nature Connection and Mindfulness practices. I am incredibly moved by the community and practices that have emerged from this venture and I am delighted that you are interested in getting involved. Please do get in touch if you have any questions or want to learn more.
Kindred Soil is based on some fundamental values that shape and inform my practice and the spaces we create.
Accessibility
We operate from a Social Model of Disability perspective, and apply this to any form of societal oppression or prejudice. We are committed to removing potential barriers to our offerings.
Social Justice
I am committed to ongoing learning and unlearning in order to avoid replicating harmful societal structures within our spaces. I will not tolerate racism, transphobia, homophobia, sexism, ableism or other forms of oppression being brought into our spaces. I also take care to consider carefully the lineage and history of the practices I am sharing to make sure that I am being respectful and not culturally appropriative.
Self-Care
At the root of this work is the honouring of natural needs - we are learning to slow down and tune in to what we really need. Taking care of ourselves is a fundamental building block of taking care of our communities. I commit to embedding this in my approach to myself as a practitioner, as I try to embody these values and lead by example.
Creativity and Curiosity
Kindred Soil is born from a creative and incredibly curious mind, that has woven many different threads, practices and tools together. We are constantly learning new things and gaining new perspectives. We invite you to bring your creativity and curiosity, to be playful and explore.
If you have any questions about any of this, or suggestions of how I can further embed these values, please do get in touch -harriet@kindredsoil.co.uk
Qualifications, Training & Experience
Teachers
I am hugely grateful to all my amazing teachers and mentors who have supported and continue to support me on my personal and professional journeys. For the field of Integrative Forest Therapy, my teachers were Shirley Gleeson and Suzanne Radford. For the work of Circle Facilitation, my teacher and guide was Gemma Brady. I learned to teach the practice of EcoNidra™ from Kat Novotna. I am grateful to Dr Kirsten McEwan, for inviting me to be part of an incredibly exciting research project with Derby University. My mentors who continues to guide me in both professional and personal mindfulness practice are Stanter Kandola and Sophie Matthew.
I will also be sharing some of the people, resources and places that inspire me in my Reflections along the way
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You can check out our 'Current Offerings' to see what is on at the moment.
Alternatively check out our pages about our different offerings of Forest Therapy, EcoNidra and Circles, or find out some of our news and insights on the Reflections page.
If you still have questions please don't hesitate to get in touch - harriet@kindredsoil.co.uk
Based on research from Derby Univeristy, this self-paced workbook offers invitations for some accessible ways to connect with nature. Supporting you to weave your own nature connection practices into your life.
Get your own copy of the workbook when you sign up to the Kindred Soil Mailing List.