The Can Do Coffee Chat with Sonya Dibbin, a forest therapy trainer and guide

[00:00:01] Hi, I'm Gail Gibson, accredited Master Performance Coach, International Speaker, Podcast Host and Author.

[00:00:09] Known as The Can Do Coach, I thrive on enabling leaders to step up, shake it off and shine.

[00:00:17] Welcome to my podcast, The Can Do Way.

[00:00:20] My guests from across the globe have Can Do stories of growth, resilience and success to share.

[00:00:27] Tune in and be inspired by these individuals who have developed a strong Can Do approach.

[00:00:34] Each one of their stories is unique.

[00:00:37] Each one of their stories has a key message.

[00:00:42] In this episode of The Can Do Way, I'm delighted to be talking to Sonya Dibbin, a forest therapy trainer and guide.

[00:00:50] Following the birth of her son, Sonya regularly went for slow countryside walks and realised she felt better than she had in years.

[00:00:59] Despite the new mum struggles.

[00:01:02] Fueled by her curiosity, a couple of years later, she pulled on her big girl pants and swapped the corporate hustle for an 18-month journey of transformation.

[00:01:12] Retraining as a guide in forest therapy, eco-nidra and mindfulness.

[00:01:18] She has since introduced hundreds of like-hearted folk to the magic and science of deep nature connection and fondly refers to herself and the community she's built as nature nerds.

[00:01:30] So welcome to the show today, Sonya.

[00:01:34] Hi, Gail. Thank you.

[00:01:37] Wonderful.

[00:01:38] If we can just find out a little bit about you first, Sonya, if you can take us on a brief journey through your life, just to give the listeners a glimpse into your background and the passion that fuels the work that you are now delivering.

[00:01:52] Yeah, sure. So, well, I started off actually with a very clean childhood.

[00:01:57] We didn't really go outdoors unless it was warm and sunny.

[00:02:02] And, you know, it wasn't really warm and sunny very often when I was young, 50 odd years ago.

[00:02:08] And so there was a whole lot of misery in my family home.

[00:02:14] And I grew up thinking that that was normal.

[00:02:17] You were depressed if it wasn't sunny and warm and you moaned a lot about the weather.

[00:02:21] And these things are outside of our control.

[00:02:23] And I did not want to be doing that.

[00:02:25] So the minute that I found out that I was going to be a mum, that's when I knew.

[00:02:30] Seriously, the first thought was, oh, goodness me.

[00:02:32] And the second thought was, oh, right.

[00:02:35] So now everything's got to change.

[00:02:36] So I, yeah, I mean, I realized I couldn't do the role that I'd been doing, which was corporate IT with a lot of travel and hard working hours, long hours.

[00:02:48] You know, couldn't do that with a baby.

[00:02:51] But more so, I wanted to teach him, as it turned out, to adore the outdoors in all weathers because I knew the impact it would have on his mental health.

[00:03:02] And I wasn't going to pass that same kind of seasonal affective disorder down to him as it had been previously passed down to me.

[00:03:12] And so the work that you're now delivering, what is it that really fuels that passion?

[00:03:16] Apart from wanting to lead a future that you could walk into that you'd already experienced and one for your son,

[00:03:23] what else brings out that magic in you when you're working with the people in nature, your nature nerds, as you call them?

[00:03:31] Yeah.

[00:03:32] There's a big thing around preventative health.

[00:03:37] So, I mean, I genuinely believe that we humans are struggling because of our lack of connection to nature.

[00:03:45] And I don't mean time in nature.

[00:03:48] That is sort of an aspect of it.

[00:03:50] But actually, connection to nature goes deeper.

[00:03:53] It's where you have almost a spiritual relationship with nature.

[00:03:58] You believe that nature is your kin.

[00:04:02] And all of the nature beings that are around us everywhere we go, you know, they are your friends.

[00:04:09] And when that, it's like a switch being flicked.

[00:04:14] Suddenly, lots of people feel very lonely and isolated.

[00:04:18] That weird feeling that you can't quite explain because you're like, well, I'm not lonely and I'm not isolated,

[00:04:23] but I still feel there's something hollow.

[00:04:25] That goes away.

[00:04:27] And it has a huge impact on your own ability to maintain your mood, your resilience, your emotional well-being, et cetera.

[00:04:38] So, there's that.

[00:04:40] I genuinely believe that if we were all and, you know, you can adapt this practice.

[00:04:46] You don't have to be in a forest.

[00:04:48] There are different ways that you can adapt it to still get the same benefits.

[00:04:52] We would all be better versions of ourselves and happier versions of ourselves if we could all do this.

[00:04:57] Plus, the impact of it is that your behaviors change and you, in turn, start taking action to protect the natural world,

[00:05:09] to be kinder to the natural world.

[00:05:11] So, it's this reciprocal relationship where the natural world is helping you and you're helping them.

[00:05:18] And it's there for everybody and it's free.

[00:05:21] You just need someone to help you flick that switch in the first place because we've come so far away from it.

[00:05:27] It now seems weird to go out and just spend time in nature marveling at a tree.

[00:05:33] You know, we laugh at tree huggers, that kind of thing.

[00:05:35] But actually, it is that.

[00:05:39] Amazing.

[00:05:40] Amazing.

[00:05:40] And I love the fact that you brought up that connection to self because I think that's so vital.

[00:05:45] And it comes through a lot in the work that I deliver as a coach as well.

[00:05:50] And so, when you talk about that connection, I've read a lot and heard a lot in podcasts as well recently around that idea of solitude.

[00:06:01] And particularly because I work with women and I don't know whether women is the higher percentage within the groups that you take out into the forest, Sonia.

[00:06:12] But talk me through this connection into the forest work that you do when it comes to helping people be okay with solitude.

[00:06:25] Oh, this is a big, big thing.

[00:06:28] So, I call it connected solitude.

[00:06:30] It is mostly women that I guide that come on sessions with me and actually choose to go on and train.

[00:06:35] That was not a deliberate thing, but that is how it's worked out.

[00:06:41] You know, many women won't go out into nature alone because of perceived or real health, safety issues.

[00:06:51] So, being able to go out with a small group but still in a quiet, slow, connected, gentle, calm, da-da-da, kind of feels like you're alone.

[00:07:04] So, you're getting that restorative time but without being unsafe, without feeling unsafe.

[00:07:11] So, there's a big thing there.

[00:07:13] There's a massive thing also around silence and the gift of silence.

[00:07:18] You know, so I've started, I've noticed it has always been since I've been doing this, which is over five years,

[00:07:26] that people, some people struggle with silence.

[00:07:29] Now, this goes back to my counselling training from 20 years ago and I did four years because I became fascinated.

[00:07:36] And this was one of the things that intrigued me, how uncomfortable we are with silence because we have to sit with our own thoughts and feelings.

[00:07:45] And, you know, how crazy is that, that we have found ways to block listening to ourselves.

[00:07:55] So, we do a lot of comfortable silence in the sessions and that's when mostly people come on their own.

[00:08:04] So, they actually, after, you know, in fact, I can see the relief when I say to them at the start,

[00:08:10] okay, you don't need to make any idle chit-chat.

[00:08:12] There's no networking here.

[00:08:13] And you can see shoulders relax and a few giggles where people think, oh, goodness me, thank God,

[00:08:18] I can't get any time on my own.

[00:08:19] And this is the only time I've...

[00:08:21] And also in my training, actually, you know, a number of the guides, trainee guides,

[00:08:30] have shown and, you know, recognised that they are struggling with holding that silence,

[00:08:39] with the long pauses, with the time that you have to give your guests and your participants

[00:08:43] so that they can percolate, they can integrate, they can work it out themselves.

[00:08:48] It's so powerful when they do.

[00:08:50] So, I've started including practising silence in my training.

[00:08:55] And I'm looking at the moment at offering silent retreats to...

[00:09:03] as part of the training, you know.

[00:09:05] So, we're going to go on this six-month programme and there's going to be...

[00:09:07] it's going to culminate in this silent experience that we're going to share together.

[00:09:13] And, you know, because I've got to get my trainee guides to be comfortable enough with it themselves

[00:09:20] so that they can hold that safe space for their participants.

[00:09:24] It's so valuable, silence.

[00:09:27] But, yeah, we really struggle with it.

[00:09:29] But I can indeed agree with you there because it's something that I have been embracing,

[00:09:36] I think, through the recent months and going through a particular personal challenge of my own.

[00:09:44] And so, that time in nature and just using your senses to look around you, I think,

[00:09:49] and not having anybody with me to walk with.

[00:09:52] So, I can really relate to all of what you're saying and being able to embrace the silence

[00:09:59] rather than be scared of it.

[00:10:01] So, I want to come back to the start when you were explaining that in your childhood,

[00:10:09] your family were kind of fair weather about the outdoors.

[00:10:15] And yet, you started to take those slow countryside walks when you had your first child.

[00:10:21] So, you were stepping into this realm of solitude and being able to embrace it.

[00:10:27] So, what do you think was that key defining moment when you fully embrace this,

[00:10:33] I'm going to be okay with the whole year and every part of the changes that happen with all four of the seasons?

[00:10:41] I think there's a few different things, actually, that go on there.

[00:10:46] One was the sheer determination that I was not going to do this to my son.

[00:10:53] Absolutely, categorically, that habit had to be broken.

[00:10:55] So, you know, I mean, the way that I know how to do that,

[00:10:59] I read Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway when I was younger.

[00:11:04] And I also, at that point in my life,

[00:11:10] overcame a number of different fears around doing things alone, going it alone.

[00:11:15] And I was living quite a lot of my life on pause, waiting for, you know, the perfect partner to come along.

[00:11:23] And, you know, I'm not alone in that.

[00:11:25] And I realised one day that it was more sad to not do the things that I wanted to do

[00:11:33] rather than do them on my own.

[00:11:36] Because I'd still done the thing I wanted to do, which was, you know, like,

[00:11:39] I'm living my life rather than being too frightened to do it because I thought it was embarrassing to do it on your own.

[00:11:46] So by this point, I was very, very okay with just going out and doing things on a limb.

[00:11:54] And, yeah, there was sort of never any doubt.

[00:11:57] And then once I, because Leo was a February baby, so it was freezing.

[00:12:03] And, but, you know, oh, God, they've got those excellent snow suits and all of that stuff.

[00:12:08] So I was enjoying wrapping him up and going out and doing, getting our daily dose of nature

[00:12:14] and realised how much the winter has to offer.

[00:12:21] Embracing those changing seasons, as you say, you know, so taking the opportunity to rest more.

[00:12:27] It doesn't work when you've got a tiny baby, but about that year.

[00:12:32] As the years have gone on, embracing change.

[00:12:35] Now I'm self-employed as well, so I'm able to call my shots and I absolutely take more time off in the winter to rest and recover.

[00:12:44] And, but falling in love with winter was life changing.

[00:12:48] And now, you know, I say, I say about all the seasons, but it's my favourite season.

[00:12:53] There's so much out there that we miss.

[00:12:56] It's so easy to miss in the winter months.

[00:12:59] So I'm actually very passionate about, I still work right up until early part of December and I start again in Feb.

[00:13:07] I take January off just because, you know, I'm self-employed.

[00:13:10] Why not?

[00:13:10] It is a bit depressing and grey.

[00:13:12] I'm going to like, you know, do what I need to do in that month and not force myself out at six o'clock in the morning in the freezing ice or whatever.

[00:13:23] But yeah, so never look back really.

[00:13:27] Fantastic.

[00:13:27] And I love it.

[00:13:28] I could, I was just enjoying listening to your revelation of how you then fell in love with the winter.

[00:13:35] And yet that had been withheld from you as a child.

[00:13:38] So you didn't even know until you were older and yet you were willing to step out to go alone and to do the things that bring you absolute joy.

[00:13:49] And so you do them more and more and more.

[00:13:53] What would you say is one of the things that you have been absolutely astonished by in a winter landscape when you're out walking?

[00:14:02] What's one thing that really stands out for you?

[00:14:06] Oh my gosh, you keep asking me for one thing.

[00:14:09] There's so many.

[00:14:10] Oh, I can't have everything.

[00:14:17] So, well, autumn going into winter, it's when the cobwebs appear and you get the icicles, whatever you want to call it, on the cobwebs, right?

[00:14:26] So that's autumn leading into winter.

[00:14:28] That's always mesmerizing.

[00:14:30] And then I think once I get into winter, it's the ice, icy patterns.

[00:14:36] So, you know, sometimes we have something called a hoar frost, H-O-A-R.

[00:14:41] And that is a phenomenon that you have got to see to believe with these beautiful ice sculptures that come out of nowhere.

[00:14:48] And also the red berry and the yellow lichen on the branches that I've also got this white frost on.

[00:14:59] The popping colours.

[00:15:01] The simplicity of it, I think.

[00:15:03] I think that's what I like.

[00:15:04] And also love, sorry, I told you there was more.

[00:15:06] See, you can have three, I'll let you.

[00:15:08] Thank you.

[00:15:09] It's trees.

[00:15:11] When they lose their leaves, the deciduous trees, and you can see their trunk, the branches, then the smaller branches getting all the way up to the twigs, right?

[00:15:21] That makes a pattern.

[00:15:23] It's called a fractal pattern that you see quite often in nature.

[00:15:26] A really good, easy example of one is a bracken leaf.

[00:15:29] So it's the same shape, but changing in size, repeating, but changing in size.

[00:15:35] And so you can see how the tree is the same.

[00:15:38] Actually, scientifically, when we look at fractal patterns, we don't really understand why, but we get a little hit of serotonin and it makes us feel good.

[00:15:45] But I also feel that when the trees have lost their leaves, they're showing us their true selves.

[00:15:51] And so you can have a deep connection with them because it's like chatting with someone first thing in the morning before they've put their makeup on.

[00:15:57] You know, they're able to be a bit more vulnerable and true and real.

[00:16:02] And so there's this depth of connection, I think.

[00:16:06] If you are listening to this podcast today, I hope that if you have struggled with being in winter and seeing autumn and winter for the joyous seasons that they are,

[00:16:18] then perhaps Sonia has painted a beautiful picture for you of things that you can look out for and things that you can start to admire

[00:16:26] and be curious about when you go on an autumn or a winter walk.

[00:16:30] So thank you for sharing those.

[00:16:33] You painted such a beautiful picture for me.

[00:16:36] And I do hope the listeners can also go out and experience that joy too.

[00:16:41] So as you've traveled through your new journey, that is continuing at a wonderful rate, Sonia,

[00:16:49] who would you say has been your greatest supporter?

[00:16:53] That is that person that keeps encouraging you and keeps believing in you as you grow your business?

[00:17:05] I would probably say it was my mum, although she's no longer with me now.

[00:17:10] But, you know, her influence.

[00:17:13] Because she very much encouraged me to be my own me.

[00:17:21] She encouraged me to achieve and to push boundaries.

[00:17:30] And, you know, while I recognize now that some of that achievement was driven by feelings of inadequacy,

[00:17:39] as there's that thing, isn't there, about chasing more and more and more to feel good about yourself.

[00:17:43] So while I understand that piece, I also, she was an incredible woman at making the most out of life.

[00:17:51] She got on a boat from South Africa, not speaking a word of English, on her own at 18 to escape, you know,

[00:17:59] a life that wasn't exciting and wasn't going to challenge her.

[00:18:02] She was an incredibly clever lady and came over here and made a new life,

[00:18:07] traveled all around Europe, did all these incredible things.

[00:18:09] And she always said to me, whatever you do, I know what she meant here,

[00:18:15] but it does come out the wrong way.

[00:18:17] Don't settle down, have kids and get married because they ruin your life.

[00:18:23] Now, I know it sounds a bit weird, but what she meant by that was, you know,

[00:18:26] chase your dreams and talk to that stuff first.

[00:18:30] And, you know, and that is what I did.

[00:18:33] And so I can still hear her and recognize the fact that she's saying,

[00:18:39] and she was taken far too soon, which is even worse, you know,

[00:18:42] but she was saying, you've got one life, push, push, push.

[00:18:46] Yourself to live it, do the things you want to do.

[00:18:50] And, you know, yeah, she gave me a love of Kate Bush and Meatloaf in the process.

[00:18:56] Beautiful.

[00:19:00] An interesting pairing, but, you know, that's diversity and the curiosity that she has handed over to you

[00:19:07] and you're living your life that way.

[00:19:09] So, yeah.

[00:19:10] Yeah.

[00:19:11] What a beautiful, beautiful supporter that even though she's not here anymore,

[00:19:15] she can still, she's still coming through in you.

[00:19:17] And I'm sure you're passing that on to your son as well so that they,

[00:19:21] that they can also have a very full life and can experience in the moments that they want to enjoy

[00:19:28] and as and when in their future.

[00:19:32] So, as you grow your business, you know, before we came onto the call,

[00:19:36] you were talking about just what's going on in your world right now

[00:19:40] and what you're noticing in the general market of the forest and nature work that you're doing.

[00:19:46] So, what would you say is that go-to mindset habit that you rely on most to keep at your business,

[00:19:55] to build yourself, to not give up and to maintain resilience?

[00:19:59] You know, when there might be competitors in the market or anything or things that go wrong

[00:20:04] that just don't work out for you.

[00:20:06] What do you go to time after time to just keep going?

[00:20:09] Hmm. For me, it is about chasing awe, A-W-E, chasing awe,

[00:20:24] and finding those moments of awe in the everyday.

[00:20:31] So, yes, I feel awe when I see the northern lights, when it snows,

[00:20:38] when, you know, I look at field views, all of those, the seashore,

[00:20:43] you know, all of those things, of course, you have a sense of awe and wonder.

[00:20:47] But it's actually about finding it in the everyday.

[00:20:50] So, just earlier, the sun was shining through,

[00:20:53] and I've got a vase of flowers there.

[00:20:56] And the way that the sun was shining, it was making the shadow of the,

[00:21:00] it was showing the shadow on the back wall.

[00:21:04] And, like, you know, I was just mesmerised by that for about 10 minutes

[00:21:08] because it was so beautiful.

[00:21:10] And I went and I did this and I took some really random photos and arty this,

[00:21:14] you know.

[00:21:15] And so it's, for me, about seize the day, seize the moment when you notice

[00:21:23] these little things that bring you a bit of joy

[00:21:25] and then kind of nurture that sensation of joy.

[00:21:31] And remembering that it can be on the school run.

[00:21:34] Because, for me, I'm mad about moss.

[00:21:37] So, for example, on the school run, back from this morning,

[00:21:41] I noticed some gorgeous moss on one of the sort of the stony wall things,

[00:21:47] you know, and of course it's all icy and it's just absolutely fantastic.

[00:21:50] And staying with that for five or 10 minutes, if you can,

[00:21:53] and this is one of the joys of being self-employed, isn't it?

[00:21:56] But, you know, you can – I do not talk to people before 9.30

[00:22:00] because I want to do my school run and I want to take my time over it

[00:22:03] because that's something that's important to me starting my day.

[00:22:07] But, you know, I have it all the time.

[00:22:08] But with that sense of chasing awe.

[00:22:13] Beautiful.

[00:22:14] So when's your book coming out?

[00:22:16] That's a fantastic title.

[00:22:20] Oh, well, I mean, you know, I have thought about that now.

[00:22:24] With a wonderful chapter in there called Mad About Moss.

[00:22:29] There's a book in the making here, Sonia.

[00:22:31] It's just waiting to be written so that can perhaps be built

[00:22:36] into your 2025 or 2026 plans.

[00:22:40] So when you're not working in the forest or it's not working, is it?

[00:22:46] When you are embracing nature and all that it offers,

[00:22:52] what do you do when you're not working?

[00:22:55] What else do you get up to in your life?

[00:22:59] So I am, you know, a massive home bird actually.

[00:23:03] I'm a Libran.

[00:23:04] That's what we like.

[00:23:05] We like to be at home.

[00:23:06] And even though that wasn't how I lived the first part of my life,

[00:23:09] I absolutely love it now.

[00:23:11] I've recently moved house so that I could create a life that was,

[00:23:19] well, I wanted a simple life.

[00:23:23] I'm recognising that clutter and the unnecessary isn't particularly helpful for me.

[00:23:31] So I was trying to streamline, simplify my life.

[00:23:33] Why do I want to have a huge mortgage and a large property, you know,

[00:23:39] which no longer suited me at all?

[00:23:42] And I wasn't using it.

[00:23:45] So, yeah, downsize.

[00:23:47] And then the joy of that was that it's a little doer-upper and it's a project.

[00:23:53] And for the first time in my life, and I'm in my 50s,

[00:23:55] I get to actually, you know, design my garden and choose what I want to put where.

[00:24:01] And so my home and my garden, it's all about bringing the natural world into the home

[00:24:07] and creating, like, I garden for wildlife.

[00:24:13] Ecological gardening is the phrase I've heard recently where, you know,

[00:24:17] you're not using anything, any pesticides.

[00:24:19] You're thinking about nature beings when you create.

[00:24:23] I'm putting in a wildlife pond at the moment.

[00:24:25] But, you know, so the surroundings are all going to be, you know, logs.

[00:24:30] Yes, there's some stones, but it's about wood that's rotting down so that that creates habitat

[00:24:36] for little creatures that the frogs can then eat and the hedgehogs.

[00:24:40] And, you know, so I'm loving and, you know, have always loved that version of the outdoors as well.

[00:24:48] And I have particularly enjoyed going on fungi hunts this year.

[00:24:55] So I've tried and failed to find a wrinkled peach, which grows on elm.

[00:25:03] But I have found some first time finds, which I can't remember off the top of my head now,

[00:25:07] but that was very exciting.

[00:25:09] And, you know, learning about new things that I can forage, new medicine I can get from plants,

[00:25:15] things like that.

[00:25:16] But my dream, and this is something I still need to work on,

[00:25:22] is to have a camper van and to go out with other solos and travel around the UK exploring.

[00:25:31] Because actually when I was young, we went abroad quite a bit.

[00:25:35] And it's only since I've had Leo and that, you know, he's nine,

[00:25:39] but I've been exploring the UK and what a place of beauty it is.

[00:25:44] I don't need to go anywhere else.

[00:25:46] Yeah, indeed, indeed.

[00:25:48] There's no need to queue up in those passport control

[00:25:52] and wait those hours before you have to fly and spend all that money

[00:25:55] is so much on this doorstep, yes.

[00:25:58] So home, garden, fungi and the camper van, that's all to come

[00:26:05] and all to be featured in that book of yours as well, Sonia.

[00:26:11] So we'd love to hear from you about those three can-do tips

[00:26:15] that guide your daily life.

[00:26:17] What would they be?

[00:26:19] Okay, the very, very important one.

[00:26:21] If you're too busy to spend 20 minutes in nature every day,

[00:26:27] then you need to go out and spend an hour.

[00:26:30] So that's an old Zen proverb, actually, but it's so very true.

[00:26:34] And there's even been some evidence now that shows that by going out into nature,

[00:26:40] it gives you time back because you're able to filter out the noise,

[00:26:45] focus on what's important, and you'll leave refreshed

[00:26:50] and able to go and do the things that are important,

[00:26:52] but relieve a lot of that overwhelm.

[00:26:58] The other thing with overwhelm is to do something.

[00:27:02] It doesn't matter what, just do something.

[00:27:05] And you will find that it then creates a bit of a domino effect.

[00:27:09] So when you're really stuck, just do something.

[00:27:12] Don't worry about what it is.

[00:27:13] Just do one of the many things that you could be doing

[00:27:16] so that you're removing yourself from a place of stuckness.

[00:27:21] And my final one is that every perceived failure,

[00:27:26] if you want to call it that, or rejection or a no,

[00:27:31] is a step closer to the yes of your dreams.

[00:27:35] Oh, I like that one.

[00:27:36] I like that one.

[00:27:37] I like all three of them, but I like that one particularly.

[00:27:41] So thank you for sharing those.

[00:27:43] And for the listeners, think about if you can't spend that 20 minutes,

[00:27:47] perhaps you need to spend an hour and don't get stuck on the one thing,

[00:27:51] but just do one thing to get started and get closer to your dreams.

[00:27:55] So think about the things that are happening in your life.

[00:27:59] So to close the show today, and I've so enjoyed our conversation,

[00:28:04] my final question to you, Sonia,

[00:28:05] is what possibilities emerge when you embrace a can-do mindset?

[00:28:11] This one took me right back to the counselling training 20 years ago,

[00:28:15] and it's a phrase that stays with me forever.

[00:28:18] And it's the bottomless pit of endless possibilities, Gail.

[00:28:24] And that was what my tutor said to me.

[00:28:26] And we were talking about that kind of, you know,

[00:28:30] something's coming to an end or, you know, yeah, you can't do it.

[00:28:34] You're stuck.

[00:28:35] And he said, oh, you're at that exciting point

[00:28:40] where you're just stepping into that bottomless pit

[00:28:42] of endless possibilities.

[00:28:43] And I looked at him and I thought, good Lord, yes,

[00:28:48] now I'm suddenly excited about this.

[00:28:50] So that has stayed with me forever,

[00:28:53] and I hope that your listeners can take that with them as well.

[00:28:57] When it feels like something's coming to an end and you're not ready,

[00:29:00] you are at the precipice of the bottomless pit of endless possibilities.

[00:29:05] I love that.

[00:29:08] The endless pit of bottomless possibilities.

[00:29:11] That's quite a mouthful.

[00:29:13] But what a way to end today's show, which, you know,

[00:29:17] it's been a wonderful time with you to be inspired by your natural curiosity

[00:29:25] and explorations.

[00:29:27] And the story that you have shared,

[00:29:30] I hope has inspired the listeners as well

[00:29:33] to think a little bit more about embracing the whole year

[00:29:37] and not just those seasons that many people often cling to

[00:29:42] when the sky is blue and the sun is shining

[00:29:45] and the leaves are green on the trees.

[00:29:48] There's so much more to the wonderful world that nature is

[00:29:52] and Mother Nature shows us so much every single day.

[00:29:56] So thank you so much, Sonia,

[00:29:58] for being my guest on The Can Do Way today.

[00:30:01] Well, thank you, Gail.

[00:30:02] You're very welcome.

[00:30:03] Thank you for listening to my podcast, The Can Do Way.

[00:30:06] Do you live and breathe a can-do attitude?

[00:30:10] Since 2019, my podcast has gifted listeners across the globe

[00:30:16] access to an incredible selection of guests

[00:30:19] with stories to refresh your perspective,

[00:30:22] bring you joy and inspire can-do positivity.

[00:30:26] Always curious and with an insatiable appetite for a good yarn,

[00:30:31] I invite you to be a guest on my weekly show.

[00:30:34] If you have an inspiring perspective,

[00:30:37] a life-changing experience or an intriguing story to share,

[00:30:41] then drop me an email at gailmgibson.com.

[00:30:46] Until next week's show, do share the inspiration

[00:30:49] of The Can Do Way podcast with your friends,

[00:30:52] colleagues and clients,

[00:30:53] and wherever you are listening from in the world.

[00:30:57] Remember to make every day an amazing can-do day.