The Wellbeing Practitioner

Meet Two Little Acorns

Cara's Life Story

Cara has a wealth of accredited & professional training under her belt which has loaded her tool kit, however it has been her personal life & voluntary work that has propelled her own growth forward.  From receiving recognition at The House of Lords for her charitable work to managing her own mental wellbeing through family breakdowns & PTSD that opened her eyes to a world of struggles that many people face.

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"There is something in the scent of the earth after the rain that grounds me & I immediately feel at ease once more.  Being able to attune my body with the surroundings has been a huge survival tool through the darkest times & now through practice I am able to take notice of the slight changes in myself & my environment, much like the hunter gatherer ancestors where attuned to their senses.  With my training as a practitioner & trainer I am able to guide others through these processes in a variety of settings & through our programmes".

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Childhood Influence

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As a child Cara (also known personally as Louise to her friends & family) was found drawn to nature and would disappear into the fields & play for hours in a magical world of make believe where she felt instantly connected to her environment & the animal kingdom. 

"It didn't seem to matter what was going on in life, I would sit & daydream looking out at the beautiful surroundings in North Wales where my mind would escape from the worries of school & peers.  I didn't always fit in but it didn't matter as here I felt at home & accepted".  This has carried on throughout her adult life, where Cara always resorts to finding nature around her to help her through the stresses & troubles that can face everyone.  "I still like to play, it changes as we age but adults still like to play as much as children & it is just as important to our wellbeing.  You might not see me cantering around a field now, but I use art work as a form of play wherever I go through dance, written word & other various media.  Playing is creative but adults sometimes loose this 'permission' as we become conditioned throughout adulthood that play is for children. & lives are increasingly busy.  I notice how the parents are often the ones enjoying playful children's activities! It's permission to do so as it is 'for the kids'.  I will often 'ride' the shopping trolley at full speed back to the bay as it's fun, hang upside down on the climbing frame or see how far I can climb up the tree & hopefully get back down again, I can't guide other peoples play without channeling it myself ".

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A number of years later after working in the field of Environmental Education Cara became a mother & her passions for understanding nature expanded to people.  Through work alongside various parenting charities where Cara trained as an award winning Breast Feeding Counsellor & organised various projects in collaboration with the local health board, Cara began to notice a vulnerabilty in communication between people & how this affected peoples mental health & wellbeing.  "Fundamentally we (people) all long for connection with our 'tribe'.  Sometimes it's hard to talk or open up with our family & friends or we feel isolated.  I've found that communities form through our workshops & courses, even those formed temporarily during the course has short & long term effects on our overall happiness".

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The Birth of the Acorns

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When Cara became a single mother she created the brand Two Little Acorns which focuses on supporting & educating people of all ages with their wellbeing, using natural environments as foundation.  "I wanted to 'save the planet' in Uni & would feel deflated when I saw the behaviours of people & how it was affecting the planet.  It wasn't until I was working with parents that it dawned on me that this was the starting point for future change, our children, our future adults.  I began holding environmental based art & play workshops where families would connect with each other in the environments we need to look after, building positive memories that's forms attachments to those experiences".

Cara went on to complete Forest School Teacher training & began working with families all around the country privately & through external organisations such as schools, festivals & charities.  Progressively Cara noticed the benefits that occurred from sessions being led outside & began to explore this further.  Discovering how to take this forward through extending her training & deepening her own practices, she has now been delivering therapeutic experiences with major health benefits for the last 5 years, with over 10 years experience working in Environmental Education.

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