Drawn to the natural cycles of nature, Angelique has created an online community of Nature Play Mothers She encourages a conscious connection to nature and facilitates the sharing of these experiences online. Angelique merges family with her business to enjoy the outdoors and feeling the rhythms of nature.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
Nature Play Mothers is inspired by my relationship with nature. I have always been drawn to natural cycles, animals, plants and Earth both physically and symbolically. As a child, I spent my time outside, climbing trees, observing the birds and playing; this developed into a sense of belonging and alignment with nature-based spirituality. Later as a young adult when I experienced a time where I felt overwhelmed and disconnected, I spent my time closer to nature. It was like a sanctuary, and I knew I had to make nature a part of my wellbeing and a part of my children’s lives.
It surprised me that for many people: rushing, wanting convenience, more technology use meant immersing in nature had to be a conscious decision. Even more so if they are in the city. I learnt about the link I always felt between Nature and Wellbeing. I saw the deterioration of the relationship between everyday life and our natural world in society. I felt was holding a message to share and maybe help others reconnect with nature.
What inspired me to set up Nature Play Mothers was to keep myself accountable for my Values and the drive to share what fills up my soul.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
When I started my initial business in holistic and intuitive lead Counselling, I knew that nature-based therapy and play would be a big part of it. Nature Play Mothers started from this space when I was exploring social media as a business platform. I created an Instagram and Facebook group to socialise and share our journies to make a conscious effort to support Nature Connection. Also, the aim was to have some fun sharing our adventures and creative activities. I found very quickly that I was contributing to a community and found a lot of other families who embodied what I felt. I discovered the principles of Waldorf education and am grateful to feel aligned with many others who have similar drives. I still get excited when I feel heard about ‘geeking out’ on the Moon cycles or a particular species of native Bee! It is this sense of community that was the beginning of the big picture I wanted to create with Nature Play Mothers.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
I don’t know if there has been any one point that I can recognise as a significant breakthrough. It’s more the continuous feeling of being on the right path for ME. Some things that stand out is having a professional describe Nature Play Mothers as an emerging Social Enterprise! I do remember going to a local networking event, and most people recognising ‘Nature Play Mothers‘ as my business. I enjoy all the fantastic feedback I have received from people all over the world. A highlight is the consistent Instagram following, connections occuring in our Facebook group and the launching of the website plus the excitement of my vision for the logo materialise too.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
Oh Yes, The balancing act. If nothing else my business (which is a side-line) has forced me to step into my true values more than I think anything else would have. The great thing about it is that I can involve my daughters with it. Because of the nature of my business, family time and business seem to weave together well. Aside from this, I am fortunate to have a great support system and my husband, and I have a working routine down pat as we navigate work and family. The word ‘balance’ packs a bit of a punch sometimes, and I remind myself that I possess everything I need to be at balance, to be at peace. It’s more about tapping into that inner knowing rather than ‘finding’ or ‘doing’ more to ‘achieve’ balance. I also permit myself to rest when I need to. I have been taught this lesson when associating with nature’s cycles, learning to flow within my unique system that is not the mainstream, linear model of performance.