Meet Clare
I'm Clare, founder of Healing Breath and a trauma-informed Breathwork and Bodywork Facilitator.
My route into this work wasn't only professional. It has personal meaning too.
Some patterns begin long before we recognise them
I grew up within a dysfunctional family, with difficult relationships and experiences that shaped me in ways I didn't fully understand at the time.
My parents divorced when I was young and, like many children growing up around difficult family dynamics, I adapted.
Those adaptations followed me into adulthood.
They showed up in my relationships, my attachment patterns, people-pleasing, difficulty with boundaries and the ways I could adapt myself around other people and what they needed.
For a long time, I didn't necessarily connect the woman I had become with the experiences of the girl I had been. Of course, I was aware of my upbringing, but I never knew how deeply my patterns impacted my way of life and how I responded to it.
As I began exploring my own experiences more deeply, things started to make more sense. I began a Diploma in Psychology and began to read lots of self-development and enrol on courses.
But it wasn't until I became a mum that I became truly invested in learning and practising because I didn't want to be a repeat history with my own children.
Knowing Wasn't The Whole Answer
Understanding my patterns was an important part of my own journey.
But there was something else I began to recognise.
I could know I was people-pleasing and still find myself doing it.
I could understand why boundaries were important and still feel uncomfortable setting them.
I could know intellectually that I didn't need to take responsibility for somebody else's feelings and still notice my body responding as though I did.
That distinction became incredibly important to me.
Because our experiences don't only influence the stories we tell ourselves.
They can also influence the ways we respond.
- The breath we hold.
- The tension we carry.
- The urge to say yes.
- The discomfort we feel when someone is unhappy with us.
- The difficulty slowing down or putting ourselves first.
And sometimes we can understand a pattern incredibly well without noticing it happening until we're already in it.
This is where working with the breath and body became such an important part of my own journey.
Greater awareness creates more choice
This is now one of the principles at the heart of Healing Breath.
My work isn't about telling you that your childhood is responsible for everything you experience today.
It isn't about blaming parents.
And it isn't about digging into your past when you don't want to.
It's about recognising that our experiences can shape us, becoming curious about the patterns we carry and noticing how they show up in our thoughts, relationships, breath and body.
Because when we begin to notice a response, we create an opportunity to relate to it differently.
- Sometimes the change can be very small.
- Noticing you're about to say yes when you want to say no.
- Recognising the guilt that appears when you put yourself first.
- Feeling your body tense when you think you've disappointed someone.
- Catching yourself trying to keep the peace.
And instead of immediately responding in the way you always have, perhaps there's a moment where you can pause and ask:
What do I need here?
Learning to notice yourself creates awareness. And that awareness gives you more choice in how you respond.
My Approach
Today, I work particularly with women who recognise some of these patterns within their own lives.
You may have grown up around difficult family relationships, separation, emotional distance, unpredictability or experiences where your own needs didn't always have much space.
Or perhaps you wouldn't describe your childhood as difficult at all, but recognise the adult patterns.
- People-pleasing.
- Difficulty saying no.
- Overthinking relationships.
- Feeling responsible for other people's feelings.
- Putting yourself last.
- Finding boundaries uncomfortable.
- Or simply knowing what everybody else needs while finding it much harder to know what you need.
You don't need to arrive knowing where these patterns came from.
And you certainly don't need to have everything figured out.
Through breathwork, bodywork, embodiment practices and nervous system awareness, I offer another way of exploring what you're experiencing, one that includes the body as well as the mind.
Everything I offer is grounded in trauma-informed practice.
- Your experiences are respected.
- Your choices matter.
- Your pace is honoured.
There is no expectation that you need to share something before you're ready, experience a particular emotion or reach a particular outcome.
How I Can Support You
Whether you're looking for one-to-one support, Conscious Connected Breathwork or a monthly wellbeing evening, every experience is designed around the same philosophy.
Helping you understand yourself more deeply so you can navigate life with greater awareness, flexibility and choice.
Professional Background
My work is also informed by professional training across a range of therapeutic and body-based approaches, including:
- Advanced Breathwork and Bodywork
- Conscious Connected Breathwork
- Clinical Hypnotherapy
- Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)
- Somatic and body-based practices
- Nervous system education
- Trauma-informed practice
I don't rely on one technique or believe that one approach is right for everybody.
These are tools I can draw upon depending on the person in front of me.
The focus is always you.
I receive regular supervision and mentoring from Evolve Breath and Body, where I completed my training.
Beyond Healing Breath
Outside of Healing Breath, I'm a mum of three and someone who values the simple things that help me reconnect with myself too.
Being outside. Walking our dog Lily. Time in nature. Meaningful conversations. Slowing down enough to actually notice what's around me.
I'm still human.
I don't move through life permanently calm, perfectly regulated or free from old patterns.
For me, this work has never been about reaching a point where old patterns no longer show up. It’s about noticing them a little sooner, listening to what our mind and body may be communicating and having more choice in how we respond.
Perhaps Some of My Story Feels Familiar...
Your experiences won't be the same as mine.
But if you've spent a long time adapting around other people, putting their feelings before your own or wondering why certain patterns keep appearing in your life, you don't need to work all of that out before reaching out.
We can begin with what you're noticing now.