Why I Created Grief and Tonic
I know what it’s like to live in a world that turns its back on sorrow.
I longed for spaces that felt gentle, honest and willing to meet the raw edges of my heartbreak. Grief and Tonic was born from that ache – a place to honour what hurts, tend to what’s fragile, and remind us that healing is something we can do together.
A Season of Grief that Changed Everything
There was a moment when everything changed in my life. A deeply personal loss turned my world upside down and split it into Before and After.
It came with a shame that made it hard to talk about. I wasn’t sure I was even allowed to, so I didn’t.
I cried alone in my bedroom every day for months. I wrote in a journal like my life depended on it, to try to make sense of my despair. I questioned how the rest of the world could continue to function normally around me. And, I created daily rituals and made my grief sacred.
That experience gave me more than sorrow. I learned how grief is treated in this world and that it’s not really acceptable. Even openly expressing grief for someone we love comes with external pressure and timeframes to stop talking about them and get over it.
Grief has delivered the loneliest times in my life. I’ve also learned that grief contains an innate intelligence, wisdom and medicine – for ourselves and the world. I want that for us.
I stand for our pain, silence, rage, shame and disconnection, and our vulnerability, authentic voices and nature’s beauty as the path home to ourselves and the gifts grief carries for us all.
What Guides Me
My mission is to shape a world where grief, loss and sorrow are honoured as sacred parts of being human, and people experience belonging and safety so they can heal.
I value:
Authenticity – Showing up exactly as we are, without masks or expectations
Connection – With ourselves, one another and nature
Safety – Creating confidential, non-judgmental spaces where expressing emotions is welcome and respected
Community – Finding strength and healing together
These values are the foundation for every retreat, ritual and conversation.
Holding Space for Your Losses
I come to this work with 15+ years of holding space for people’s transformation, working with embodiment, voice, power, nature, ceremony and circle wisdom. More than that, I bring my whole heart.
What I offer are spaces where your losses can be held, not hidden, and where you’ll be heard and loved just as you are.
I hold space for all kinds of loss:
Losing a loved one or friend
The end of a long-term relationship
Estrangement or disconnection from your family
Losing your job
Saying goodbye to a pet
Receiving a life-altering diagnosis
Feeling like a failure
The child you lost or never had
A version of yourself that no longer fits
Unrealised dreams and longings
Major life transitions
Climate, ancestral or collective grief
Losses that no-one else seems to see – but you still carry
All of it matters here.
You Don’t Have to Do This Alone
Whether your loss is still raw, years down the path, or somewhere in between.
Whether your grief seems “petty” or devastating – it’s welcome.
You belong here. Your grief belongs.