Post-Traumatic Growth and Your Purpose: In-Person Events!

In March 2023 I was 7 months pregnant and putting the final details on my first book.

It was hot, there was loads to do and my days consisted of researching, writing and heading outside to the pool to soak my puffy ankles.

I was exhausted and to be honest, I was scared.

I felt uncertain about how I would give enough time and presence to my daughter and give the same energy to my life's purpose: helping people break free from nervous system dysregulation.

Throughout my pregnancy I’d been told all sorts of things about how my life would look when my baby arrived.

That I wouldn't be able to have the same vision for my business and be a mother.

That I would need to reduce my commitment to my mission and that compromise was inevitable. 

What I didn’t hear were stories about women who became more purposeful and focused.

Women who grew into motherhood and also more into their vision.

I didn't know exactly how things would look when I came back to work but I did know it would no longer be the same.

Two months later, Ivy was on her way into the world. I was excited to meet her, but things didn't go as we'd planned.

Ivy went into distress during labour and as soon as she arrived she was airlifted to another hospital. We couldn't travel with her and I had a whole body ache to hold her against my chest. It took a long time to get her medically stable and Indy and I were in shock as we braced for the worst.

I didn’t get to hold our beautiful girl until she was five days old. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit team taking care of Ivy were incredible, but each day we were told things that could be wrong.

I sat in uncertainty day after day and it took a lot to coax myself back to regulating presence. Again and again I came back to my body and all the parts of me that I'd sat with over the years: the fear, the shock, the helplessness. Each morning in hospital, I’d set the intention to enjoy the special moments with Ivy.

I knew that more than anything her nervous system needed co-regulation, skin-to-skin contact and parents who could stay regulated through the challenging months ahead.

During this quiet period, I honestly reflected about what was missing. 

When I gradually returned to spaces where I once shared my work and connected with people, they felt different. AI had grown, and there was more competition for attention and it felt so noisy.

I longed to share from the depths of my experience and blend it with the new research, but I had to acknowledge I no longer fit in as I once did.

While there were discussions about algorithms, scaling, blitzing and rapid growth, I yearned for connection, depth, and stillness.

As an international retreat facilitator, I'd missed creating spaces for group healing and growth - the collective resonance of community support that takes people further than I could alone.

I missed the pre-pandemic workshops I taught Australia-wide that led to expansion and health-changing knowledge. I'd loved the collective inspiration and watching people leave empowered and energised.

This intense storm that welcomed our new family, though initially devastating, had cleared space for new possibilities to emerge.

I found myself surrounded by an incredible team who were just as passionate about this work and genuinely cared about me. They brought the missing skills and stability that allowed my vision to come to life.

My book launched and off the back of it I ran the first Nervous System Certification Course. Coaches, clinicians and practitioners from all around the world jumped at the opportunity to be a part of this new training and embraced the depth of my teachings that blended science and transformation.

I was touched to see how many students, like me, had turned their personal struggles into purposeful work. Some were mothers who'd experienced what I had when Ivy was born and were now supporting new parents in the NICU.

Others were making an impact in community spaces. At the end of the Certification we all agreed that 12 weeks wasn't nearly enough time together.

Our year long Membership program was born and is today a thriving community of practitioners who are creating real change globally. We'll be meeting in-person this year in both the US and Australia (check your inbox for details on this intimate event!). This Membership Community is something I'm so truly grateful for.  

 People were right: things did change after Ivy was born. My work became deeper and more impactful.

While my mission remains unchanged - helping people free themselves from chronic and traumatic stress - the way I approach this work has expanded. And it needed to.

I believe trauma isn't just something we can heal from - the recovery process itself brings profound emotional and spiritual transformation. Trauma has a unique way of revealing what truly matters and illuminating our authentic purpose.

Today, I'm excited to share something brand new with you: it emerges from a place of deep meaning, intention, and purpose.

It's taken exactly two years for this to bloom from the seed planted when Ivy was born.

A space where science, spirituality, and the nervous system meet.

Enter: To Step Inside. To Sense Within.

Warmly,

Jessica