Circles of Willow

gather connect honour glow

About me circles

2024 Being in circle has helped me grow too. I’ve surprised myself by moving into a new frontier. I stand on a firm foundation of 41 years of clinical experience as a physiotherapist, working in areas that provide the perfect skill set for a new direction and expansion of the ‘Circles of Willow’ concept. Close involvement with my grandchildren and ongoing observation of children in Wellbeing Martial arts afterschool karate class has piqued my interest in ADHD and ASD children. I am upskilling and researching and will release a new range of services for these children and their families soon.

I’m blessed to have had the opportunity to facilitate circles for over 2 years. The calling was irresistible but I doubted myself when I first embarked on my new role as a circle facilitator. As I facilitate more circles, I am in awe of the healing power of connection. Women get women. in circle we come to the fundamental understanding that the challenges faced in everyday life are universal. This in itself brings us a higher perspective.

I continue to be surprised by the gentle unfolding within me and those who have joined us at Circles of Willow. I’m a seeker. The magic that occurs in circle has to be experienced. It begins with a feeling of acceptance and safety and deepens into trust for those sharing the space with us. We begin to shed some of our protective armor and rediscover the gentle, loving people we are. It is empowering to discover that we are indeed the divine presence here!

Life remains a mystery. Ageing, I’m still curious. I think I’ll die that way.

My interest in circles began in 2021. Circle facilitation training revealed to me the power of authentic connection to heal. In the safety of the circle: we speak, are heard, and can show up as we are without judgement. Circle participation helps us when coming to terms with life’s challenges.

As a first generation Australian, I grew up swathed in cultural observances, multi-lingual folk, and delicious food. Australia became a vessel, one that could hold all this diversity. A good girl, my naivete donned social and familial expectations. She would die many times, that girl.

‘Perfectionism is acid. Creations by their very nature are quirky.’

At 20, I had my degree, a Bachelor of Physiotherapy and I ventured far from home to begin a career spanning 41 years. Within my first year, life showed me that neuroplasticity existed. In 1980 brain damage was still believed to be permanent. But a client of mine improved; balance, strength, gait… He was 42, eleven years post head injury.

Everything changed. The doorway of mystery opened and nourished my clinical practice. My clients would be my greatest teachers. I began to wonder about recovery. Some people recovered fully, some didn’t even when the injury appeared the same. Why? I began to study musculoskeletal acupuncture. The wholistic approach, the poetry, the history…

But my understanding was still centred on the body.

Motherhood blessed me with three children. I grew. I witnessed the power of non-verbal communication, of connection, of intuition. Ma died. Grief worked its magic: shutting me down and cracking me open simultaneously. I re-entered my profession, at the deep end, ICU.

This fast-paced world held me for 18 years. The gravity of critical illness, the fragility of life and the will to live seeped into my bones. There was more to it; emotional life had to be honoured. Empathy paved the way to successful rehabilitation.

I lost my dad becoming an adult orphan as well as a mother of three adolescents. My partner travelled in his corporate role. My tender young shoots hardened to survive. Meditation and healing came into my life, and I began to explore my spiritual aspect.

The sunset of career, in community health thrust me into gerontology and chronic pain. Some people flourished, some fought. Most accepted help and together we co-created better outcomes. But many couldn’t sustain this improvement unsupported. The parasites of loneliness and depression leached their will. Mental health awareness sprouted in our society. Fertilized by COVID it continues to grow.

Chronic pain clients came. Someone had turned a tap on. Pain, neuroscience, the polyvagal theory, trauma: all in 2020, on the background of COVID-19. Trauma summits grew online like mushrooms out of moist soil. Generous specialists shared their lifetime of wisdom often on free online events. Chronic medial conditions have friends: PTSD, anxiety, and depression.

My career ended well. Somewhat crisp at the edges, I was blessed to work with three colleagues to birth a unique pain program that considered the effect of the emotional and mental wellbeing on the physical health of a person. We sat in circle, held space, shared, laughed, and cried. Our results were amazing. Participants made and sustained positive lifestyle changes. We had held and empowered them.

I kept my physiotherapy simple. It worked extremely well. My role as a physio ended in 2021, and my exploration and self-education into the practice of circle began. I believe that by sharing circle practice: I can continue to help people.

Circle led my right back to physiotherapy. My physiotherapy career was not over after all. I reclaimed my registration, became educated in neurodiversity, observed, did mentorship and finally opened the final professional chapter in my life: Circles of Willow: Neurodiverse. The concept of a parent child physio group combined all the skills in my skill set: evidence-based physiotherapy, mindfulness and connection. And through the children and their families I continue to learn and grow.

I’m still traversing the world of spirit and that of science. Things are changing quickly. Science continues to provide insights into the wonderous workings of the brain. It is a never ending journey.

The children are our future. Let’s try to understand them and help them grow.