These days we all seem to take on too much. Life is hectic, and switching off feels impossible.

I felt like there was no space for me between work, family pressures, and managing a long and exhausting ‘fertility journey’ that wasn’t working out. It all caught up with me. My body pushed back, and I developed a rare allergy to UV light.

For someone whose life and career revolved around being outside (as a Festival Producer, owning a bell tent hire company), it was devastating.

But it was also a message: I needed to stop.

Stepping back was lonely. I felt embarrassed, unhelpful, and ashamed of what I had (and hadn’t) become. But slowly, I began to face my fears. I needed to find a way to move on. I bought sun hats and ventured out again. I stopped hiding from nature and spent time reconnecting with it.

Female-led walking trips helped me laugh again. Surf weeks with kind, understanding facilitators got me up for ‘Dawny’ surfs so I could sit in the shade during the midday sun. I learned to say out loud what I was dealing with—and not to shrink when someone mocked me for wearing a hat in the rain.

We all carry challenges. Now I want to help others move through theirs—whether it’s walking, swimming, singing, camping, there are ways to find joy again. And once you start relaxing again, the problems can ease. I’m aware of my allergy still but it no longer dictates my life.

I believe it’s through these shared challenges where we find connections and support that we can find ourselves again.

Because you are me, and I am you.
UMAMI.

Photo of me in my surf hat—taken by the women who helped me back into the water at Gather & Glide.