In this honest episode, I take you inside our family's summer experiment and share the practical wisdom I've learned about staying connected to yourself and your children when everything feels unstructured and intense.

We explore why self-care isn't selfish but essential for summer survival, how to create anchoring practices that ground you when routines disappear, and finding the sweet spot between structure and spontaneity that allows real connection to flourish. I share personal stories about navigating summer transitions, managing expectations, and what happens when you're spending more time together in less structured ways. You'll discover practical strategies for conscious parenting, connected self-leadership, and creating space for both yourself and your children to thrive during the long summer days. We also dive into the gift of boredom, releasing the myth of perfect summers, and how the way we parent creates ripples that extend far beyond our immediate family.

Ready to create your own summer survival plan?

Sign up for the 15 Minute Life Compass Assessment Here

Head to my website to read the full blog post and explore my free resources at https://www.leonajohnson.life/resources where you can take the Life Compass Assessment—a beautiful pause to recalibrate and get clear on where you are and where you want to go in all areas of your life.

Thank You for Listening!

I am so grateful to you for tuning into this episode of Connection Matters Podcast. This is my passion and where I share my hope for a better world. If you enjoyed what you heard, please consider subscribing, rating, and reviewing the podcast on your preferred platform. Your support helps us reach more listeners and spread the message of connection, healing and growth!

Stay Connected:

• Join the Community: Be part of our growing community by signing up for my newsletter here. You'll receive updates on new episodes, resources, and exclusive offers!
• Join the Connection Matters Membership: Join at anytime. Monthly Live Calls. Connection, Coaching and Community. Click here for more info.
• Follow Me: Stay inspired and connected on social media: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn , Pintrest
• Connect with Me: Have thoughts or questions about the episode? I'd love to hear from you! Reach out at connection@leonajohnson.life. I always respond.

Upcoming Events:

• Don't miss out on upcoming workshops, courses, or events! Stay informed by visiting the website here for more details for details.

In this deeply moving episode, I share a story about my recent video call with Noorhan, a 25-year-old mother in Gaza, and explore how personal healing work and collective action are inseparably connected. We'll journey through the cost of speaking truth in today's world, the magic that happens when we gather in solidarity circles, and why your sensitivity isn't weakness—it's exactly what the world needs. Learn practical ways to stay present with collective trauma, find your authentic response to injustice, and join a community committed to connected action.

Please donate to Noor and her family using this link here.

This isn't about prescribed activism—it's about discovering your own path to integrity and resistance through deep self-leadership and heart-centered connection.

Follow Me on Facebook Or Instagram to find out about the Solidarity Session where we will come together to

Join the mailing list to find out first about the Solidarity Sessions to join a co-working session to take small actions together like writing letters to our representatives, sharing petitions, contacting the weapons manufacturers, design a personal cermeony or any other such action that you feel would be more meaningful done together.

Thank You for Listening!

I am so grateful to you for tuning into this episode of Connection Matters Podcast. This is my passion and where I share my hope for a better world. If you enjoyed what you heard, please consider subscribing, rating, and reviewing the podcast on your preferred platform. Your support helps us reach more listeners and spread the message of connection, healing and growth!

Stay Connected:

• Join the Community: Be part of our growing community by signing up for my newsletter here. You'll receive updates on new episodes, resources, and exclusive offers!
• Join the Connection Matters Membership: Join at anytime. Monthly Live Calls. Connection, Coaching and Community. Click here for more info.
• Follow Me: Stay inspired and connected on social media: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn , Pintrest
• Connect with Me: Have thoughts or questions about the episode? I'd love to hear from you! Reach out at connection@leonajohnson.life. I always respond.

Upcoming Events:

• Don't miss out on upcoming workshops, courses, or events! Stay informed by visiting the website here for more details for details.

https://www.leonajohnson.life/blogpodcast/staying-awake-without-shutting-down

This isn't your typical Connection Matters episode, but it might be one of the most important conversations we'll have. I'm sharing how to navigate the collective trauma of witnessing genocide in real-time while staying connected to your own healing and capacity for meaningful action.

Key Themes and Topics:
We explore why witnessing collective trauma affects sensitive beings so deeply, practical ways to stay informed without drowning in despair, and sacred rituals for processing grief while maintaining hope. I share my personal experience working in Gaza, the historical context that helps us understand how we got here, and most importantly - how our individual healing work contributes to collective healing. We'll cover trauma-informed activism, the power of conscious connection over spiritual bypassing, and specific practices for staying grounded while bearing witness to injustice. This episode offers both the hard truths about what's happening in Palestine and concrete tools for transforming overwhelm into conscious action.

Call to Action:
If this episode resonated with you, please share it with others who need this message. Join me for our upcoming online circle for peace on July 13th, and visit my blog page at https://www.leonajohnson.life/staying-awake-without-shutting-down for all of the infomation I shared plus free tools to support your healing journey.
https://pages.leonajohnson.life/palestine-peace
Sign up for my mailing list to be the first to know about future gatherings and receive ongoing support for staying connected during difficult times.

Thank You for Listening!

I am so grateful to you for tuning into this episode of Connection Matters Podcast. This is my passion and where I share my hope for a better world. If you enjoyed what you heard, please consider subscribing, rating, and reviewing the podcast on your preferred platform. Your support helps us reach more listeners and spread the message of connection, healing and growth!

Stay Connected:

• Join the Community: Be part of our growing community by signing up for my newsletter here. You'll receive updates on new episodes, resources, and exclusive offers!
• Join the Connection Matters Membership: Join at anytime. Monthly Live Calls. Connection, Coaching and Community. Click here for more info.
• Follow Me: Stay inspired and connected on social media: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn , Pintrest
• Connect with Me: Have thoughts or questions about the episode? I'd love to hear from you! Reach out at connection@leonajohnson.life. I always respond.

Upcoming Events:

• Don't miss out on upcoming workshops, courses, or events! Stay informed by visiting the website here for more details for details.

https://pages.leonajohnson.life/beyond-self-helpWhat does it look like to live in deep alignment, with nature, with purpose, and with your own inner compass? In this rich and nourishing conversation, Leona sits down with long-time friend, teacher, and collaborator Vicky Mateu, whose life’s work bridges spiritual ecology, parenting, nature connection, and embodied living.

Vicky brings a unique tapestry of training in emotional intelligence, oriental dietetics, grief tending, theatre, alternative education, and spiritual traditions. Her grounded yet luminous presence shines through in this conversation where she and Leona explore:

Living simply and sustainably while raising a family off-gridTrusting intuition and listening to life’s quiet invitationsFinding beauty in everyday moments as a spiritual practiceThe healing power of nature, stillness, and cyclical livingForest School, rites of passage, and soul-rooted facilitationFacing illness, challenge, and uncertainty with grace and trustReclaiming the forgotten wisdom of indigenous and ancestral ways

✨ Vicky is co-facilitator of both:

The Nature Quest, part of Leona’s year-long in-person Connection Matters Leadership ProgrammeThe Children, Nature and Spirituality weekend course, returning September 2025 in northern England.

This conversation is a gentle and powerful reminder that your body knows, the land speaks, and simplicity often holds the medicine we need most.

✨ Want to dive deeper?
Visit: www.leonajohnson.life/resources to explore more about the courses, podcast, and access free offerings.

And if you're ready to design a life aligned with your values, don’t miss Leona’s free masterclass:
"Beyond Self-Help: My Signature Life Compass Method to Transform Reactive or Scattered Living into Connected Self-Leadership."
👉 Watch it here

Thank You for Listening!

I am so grateful to you for tuning into this episode of Connection Matters Podcast. This is my passion and where I share my hope for a better world. If you enjoyed what you heard, please consider subscribing, rating, and reviewing the podcast on your preferred platform. Your support helps us reach more listeners and spread the message of connection, healing and growth!

Stay Connected:

• Join the Community: Be part of our growing community by signing up for my newsletter here. You'll receive updates on new episodes, resources, and exclusive offers!
• Join the Connection Matters Membership: Join at anytime. Monthly Live Calls. Connection, Coaching and Community. Click here for more info.
• Follow Me: Stay inspired and connected on social media: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn , Pintrest
• Connect with Me: Have thoughts or questions about the episode? I'd love to hear from you! Reach out at connection@leonajohnson.life. I always respond.

Upcoming Events:

• Don't miss out on upcoming workshops, courses, or events! Stay informed by visiting the website here for more details for details.

Join me for an intimate exploration of how personal transformation creates ripples that touch every relationship, community, and space you enter. You'll discover practical tools for emotional awareness, authentic connection, and joyful learning that transform reactive patterns into connected self-leadership.

In this heart-centered episode, we dive deep into the interconnected web of personal growth, exploring how emotional resilience, meaningful relationships, and continuous learning support each other in beautiful, unexpected ways. I share the powerful RAIN practice for navigating difficult emotions, the art of deep listening that transforms relationships, and why approaching life with beginner's mind keeps us alive to possibility.

Through personal stories and practical wisdom, we explore how emotions serve as messengers rather than problems to solve, how authentic vulnerability creates the foundation for nourishing relationships, and why lifelong learning isn't about collecting credentials but about staying curious and open-hearted. You'll discover how your inner work becomes your greatest contribution to cultural healing and regenerative living.

Perfect for heart-led entrepreneurs, nature connection practitioners, conscious parents, and anyone seeking to move from scattered reactivity to purposeful, connected self-leadership.

Ready to transform reactive living into connected self-leadership? Join my FREE masterclass "Beyond Self-Help: The Life Compass Method for Transforming Reactive or Scattered Living into Connected Self-Leadership and discover the framework that's helping hundreds create lives of deeper meaning and authentic connection.

https://pages.leonajohnson.life/beyond-self-help

Thank You for Listening!

I am so grateful to you for tuning into this episode of Connection Matters Podcast. This is my passion and where I share my hope for a better world. If you enjoyed what you heard, please consider subscribing, rating, and reviewing the podcast on your preferred platform. Your support helps us reach more listeners and spread the message of connection, healing and growth!

Stay Connected:

• Join the Community: Be part of our growing community by signing up for my newsletter here. You'll receive updates on new episodes, resources, and exclusive offers!
• Join the Connection Matters Membership: Join at anytime. Monthly Live Calls. Connection, Coaching and Community. Click here for more info.
• Follow Me: Stay inspired and connected on social media: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn , Pintrest
• Connect with Me: Have thoughts or questions about the episode? I'd love to hear from you! Reach out at connection@leonajohnson.life. I always respond.

Upcoming Events:

• Don't miss out on upcoming workshops, courses, or events! Stay informed by visiting the website here for more details for details.

In this inspiring episode, you'll learn how to design your own nature quest ceremony - whether you have four hours or four days - and discover how this ancient practice becomes a gateway to connected self-leadership and integrated living.

Join me as I share intimate stories from my own questing journey, including my transformative 40th birthday solo ceremony and facilitating wild women in the Spanish wilderness. We explore the art of asking powerful questions that invite real insight, how to prepare for and hold sacred space in nature, and the crucial integration practices that bring the gifts of the land into your daily life.

You'll discover why nature connection practices like questing become even more powerful when they're part of a complete framework for designing an authentic, aligned life. We dive deep into the difference between managing life reactively and creating it consciously, and how developing your personal compass through ecotherapy and everyday spirituality supports connected self-leadership in all areas of life.
Perfect for heart-centered entrepreneurs, conscious professionals, and anyone seeking to move beyond scattered living into integrated wholeness while staying connected to the web of life.

Ready to create your own nature quest ceremony?

Discover how this practice fits into a larger framework for conscious living by downloading my FREE masterclass "Beyond Self-Help: The Life Compass Method for transforming reactive or scattered living into Connected Self-Leadership.

https://pages.leonajohnson.life/beyond-self-help

[https://pages.leonajohnson.life/beyond-self-help]

Thank You for Listening!

I am so grateful to you for tuning into this episode of Connection Matters Podcast. This is my passion and where I share my hope for a better world. If you enjoyed what you heard, please consider subscribing, rating, and reviewing the podcast on your preferred platform. Your support helps us reach more listeners and spread the message of connection, healing and growth!

Stay Connected:

• Join the Community: Be part of our growing community by signing up for my newsletter here. You'll receive updates on new episodes, resources, and exclusive offers!
• Join the Connection Matters Membership: Join at anytime. Monthly Live Calls. Connection, Coaching and Community. Click here for more info.
• Follow Me: Stay inspired and connected on social media: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn , Pintrest
• Connect with Me: Have thoughts or questions about the episode? I'd love to hear from you! Reach out at connection@leonajohnson.life. I always respond.

Upcoming Events:

• Don't miss out on upcoming workshops, courses, or events! Stay informed by visiting the website here for more details for details.

So many of us feel caught between two extremes—trying to enjoy the present moment while also feeling pressure to figure out the future. In this heartfelt and practical episode, I dive into the deeper reasons traditional goal-setting often leaves us feeling stuck or unfulfilled, and why cultivating a “Life Compass” rooted in your values and purpose can be far more empowering than rigid life plans.

We explore how vision and purpose are not the same—and how understanding both can help you feel more alive, focused, and connected to what truly matters. I share personal stories, spiritual insight, and practical tools you can use to begin designing a life that feels spacious, purposeful, and joyfully aligned.

🌀 Key Themes & Topics Discussed:
Why traditional life planning often leads to burnout or dissatisfaction

The difference between vision and purpose—and why you need both

The Life Compass model: a flexible, values-led way to navigate life

Balancing your sacred masculine and feminine energies in action

The importance of everyday spirituality and embodied practice

How to move forward when you’re stuck—even if you’ve done “all the right things”

Building resilience through connection with self, others, and the more-than-human world

Call to Action:
Feeling the pull to explore this more deeply? Read the related blog post on my website, and if you're ready to start creating your own Life Compass, sign up for my free:
https://www.leonajohnson.life/blogpodcast/finding-your-true-north-why-life-design-matters-more-than-life-planningLife Compass Snapshot Assessment

And if this episode speaks to you, consider joining the Life Compass Curriculum, my 6-month journey into embodied, values-led life design. We begin again in July and I’d love to welcome you into the community.

Thank You for Listening!

I am so grateful to you for tuning into this episode of Connection Matters Podcast. This is my passion and where I share my hope for a better world. If you enjoyed what you heard, please consider subscribing, rating, and reviewing the podcast on your preferred platform. Your support helps us reach more listeners and spread the message of connection, healing and growth!

Stay Connected:

• Join the Community: Be part of our growing community by signing up for my newsletter here. You'll receive updates on new episodes, resources, and exclusive offers!
• Join the Connection Matters Membership: Join at anytime. Monthly Live Calls. Connection, Coaching and Community. Click here for more info.
• Follow Me: Stay inspired and connected on social media: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn , Pintrest
• Connect with Me: Have thoughts or questions about the episode? I'd love to hear from you! Reach out at connection@leonajohnson.life. I always respond.

Upcoming Events:

• Don't miss out on upcoming workshops, courses, or events! Stay informed by visiting the website here for more details for details.

What You’ll Discover
Join Leona and herbalist Jane as they explore the inspiring journey from speech therapy to a soul-led life of plant medicine, self-trust, and deep nature connection. Discover how everyday herbs, intuitive practices, and simple living can support personal growth and healing.
Key Themes and Topics
Jane’s transition from speech therapist to herbalist and entrepreneur

Early inspirations and her grandmother’s rose garden

The medicinal and spiritual dimensions of herbalism

Creating and working with flower essences like “Rebirth” (dandelion)

Practical and intuitive approaches to herbal tea tasting

The healing power of common herbs like nettle

Navigating life transitions with authenticity and intuition

The beauty of simple living and trusting your unique path

This episode offers a soulful blend of storytelling, embodied wisdom, and inspiration for anyone navigating change or seeking deeper connection—with themselves, their work, or the natural world.
🌿 Call to Action
Feeling inspired to reconnect with your purpose or explore your own relationship with the plant world? Dive deeper by reading the full blog post that accompanies this episode and explore Leona’s free resources to support your journey of soul-led leadership and nature connection
Blog Post
https://www.leonajohnson.life/blogpodcast/rooted-in-healing-how-one-womans-herbal-journey-inspires-authentic-living.
Jane Christie
Jane is a qualified Herbalist with over 40 years of herbal experience. Her passion is in connecting deeply with nature, the wisdom of herbs, flowers and of the earth. She has 2 online herbal courses, offers herbal and flower essence talks and workshops. She handmakes herbal teas, tinctures, creams and flower essences that you can purchase on her website, spiralsoul.co.uk. She also offers 1:1 herbal consultations in person and online. She has created the first Irish complete flower essence kit for therapists and kinesiologists. Her aim is to offer rooted inspiration and true natural healing in a world that really needs it.

Connect WIth Jane on:
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/spiralsoulapothecary/
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/jane.christie.10
Website
https://www.spiralsoul.co.uk/when-flower-essences-healed-my-broken-heart/

Thank You for Listening!

I am so grateful to you for tuning into this episode of Connection Matters Podcast. This is my passion and where I share my hope for a better world. If you enjoyed what you heard, please consider subscribing, rating, and reviewing the podcast on your preferred platform. Your support helps us reach more listeners and spread the message of connection, healing and growth!

Stay Connected:

• Join the Community: Be part of our growing community by signing up for my newsletter here. You'll receive updates on new episodes, resources, and exclusive offers!
• Join the Connection Matters Membership: Join at anytime. Monthly Live Calls. Connection, Coaching and Community. Click here for more info.
• Follow Me: Stay inspired and connected on social media: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn , Pintrest
• Connect with Me: Have thoughts or questions about the episode? I'd love to hear from you! Reach out at connection@leonajohnson.life. I always respond.

Upcoming Events:

• Don't miss out on upcoming workshops, courses, or events! Stay informed by visiting the website here for more details for details.