About Me
My love for yoga began in childhood, attending classes alongside my beloved grandmother; cherished memories that left an imprint of connection, stillness and love in my heart. But like many women, life moved quickly.
Building a career, raising children and relocating from the UK to Australia meant that somewhere along the way, yoga was gently set aside in the busyness of becoming everything for everyone else.
In 2020, I had my breakdown and darkest night of the soul when it hit me with precise clarity that I had to leave my marriage, which had become a very toxic and unhealthy place for me. After 34 years together, I realised that I wasn’t staying because of love, but out of a spiral of fear; fear of staying, fear of leaving, fear of tearing the family apart, fear of ruining my children’s lives, a deep fear of the unknown, a fear of not knowing if I could survive financially on my own, a fear of losing my identity, my home and everything that I had worked so hard to build my whole life. I felt trapped, stuck and suffocated by crippling anxiety.
At the age of 50, I had to quite literally start my whole life all over again from scratch. I knew how to be a wife, a mother, a daughter and a friend but I had completely and utterly lost myself. I had no idea who I was anymore, I didn’t know what I wanted or what I needed, I couldn’t even tell you what I loved doing because all that I was doing was surviving! My nervous system was locked in fight-flight-freeze mode and I was completely disassociated from my body. I couldn’t truly feel anything in my body; I was completely numb.
I had developed a mistrust of men and felt very insecure and unsafe around masculine energy. I was also so disconnected from my mind and body that it took a synchronistic reading with a psychic medium for her to gently reflect back to me that I was suffering from PTSD and needed to get some help and support. Whilst difficult to hear and to accept, this became the profound catalyst to my healing journey. I had always put everyone else’s needs before my own and had never invested in myself, because at that time, I believed it was selfish… little did I know, this was just the start of me unlocking all of my unconscious patterns of wounding and limiting thoughts / beliefs.
Thank goodness I leant into the fear and took the first of many courageous steps onto my path of healing. I have sought support in many forms; psychologists, holistic counselling, energy healing, mentors, bowen therapy, acupuncture, reiki, breathwork, ice baths, sound healing, medication, supplements, multiple books and hours of podcasts.
During this time, all the inner child parts of me came screaming loudly back online. My Little Liesl was terrified, she felt scared, afraid, alone, lonely, exposed, completely vulnerable and utterly unsafe in the noisy world that was surrounding her.
One of the first promises I made to myself was to return to yoga and when I stepped back on to the mat, it was like coming home. I have done so much healing and cried many tears within the four corners of my mat, where I have rediscovered my sanctuary of safety, calm, peace and stillness. Within that safe inner world, I learned how to find my breath, to connect my breath to movement and for the very first time, started to feel raw energy and untamed emotions in my body.
From there, mindfulness and meditation quite naturally and organically unfolded, which effortlessly took me to a much deeper level of inner peace, service, devotion and connection to my spiritual practice.
With very small but consistent baby steps, I started to gently ease into facing all of my fears, limitations and self-doubt. I discovered when I put that level of trust in myself, I was actually stronger and more resilient than I had ever believed. I could actually do really hard things and when I did, I found growth and expansion on the other side.
My breakdown turned into my biggest and greatest breakthrough. It was never ever easy and without doubt, leaving my marriage was the hardest and single most difficult decision that I have ever made but it led me to my healing journey, which became my calling.
I completed my 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training and deepened my studies into Yoga Nidra and Yin Yoga. I also trained as a Mindfulness Meditation Teacher and have a teacher profile on Insight Timer - a globally renowned platform - where I have published my own personal library of guided meditations.
I have committed to doing all of the hard work, so that I can be of service to help you. I am passionate about my work, which is grounded in kindness, compassion, safety and presence. I wholeheartedly believe that yoga and meditation can gently and safely guide us back home to ourselves; reconnecting us to the parts we’ve lost, forgotten or never felt safe enough to meet and to find the depth of our own well of inner peace.
Your breakdown doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve experienced any kind of domestic abuse or relationship breakup, it can be anything at all that profoundly impacts your life; excessive workload and demands, burn out, stress and anxiety, caring for dependants, dealing with estranged family members, chronic pain or insomnia. The list is endless but the effects are chronic and crippling. This is why using nourishing practices that are simple, effective, easy to access anytime / anywhere creates freedom and over time, will become an essential and non-negotiable part of your everyday life. Having tools and strategies to navigate our way through our busy lives, so that we don’t just survive…we thrive!
Yoga and meditation have saved me and these beautiful practices are inclusive, non-judgemental, available to everyone and I promise you that anyone can learn how to meditate and to practice it at any time.
Lighthouse Living was born from my own healing and from my deep desire to support women who feel lost, invisible, overwhelmed or disconnected from themselves. It is my life’s mission to alchemise what I have learned to help others, who through no fault of their own, find themselves in the same position that I did.
The women who appear “fine” on the outside but feel exhausted and are unsure of what they want and especially what they need because their needs were never given permission to be seen or valued and were never important enough to matter…. but you do matter. I see you, I value you and I am fully and deeply committed to you. It takes a woman to have walked that path, to know and to understand how you feel.
There is nothing more powerful than a woman who has healed, who knows her worth, who honours her needs, who knows what she wants and what she doesn’t want. A woman who stands strongly in her power whilst softly and intuitively flowing through life. A woman who feels everything deeply and loves you with her whole heart. A woman who is wild and passionate but also caring and nurturing…she owns it all and is not ashamed to admit any of it.
If I can find my way back to myself, then I know that you can too. I want to empower ALL women to find this trust and freedom within themselves, to fall in love with themselves, to put themselves and their needs first because self-love is not selfish, it is essential and you are worthy and deserving of all of this. The most important relationship that you will ever have…is the one with yourself.
In my space, you are more than enough, you are seen, you are heard, you are valued, you are safe, you are connected, you are lovingly held and deeply supported. You belong here and I am here for you; my sisterhood is sacred to me.
It lights me up and warms my heart to hold space for other women, especially if like me, you didn’t know how much you needed it…until you arrived. If this resonates with you, I hold out my hand and invite you to begin your journey with me.
My soul’s purpose is to be a safe beacon of light to gently guide you back home to yourself.
