Rozalind Joy Neil is an an integrative holistic therapist, a nurturing holistic coach, and an empowering holistic educator based in Fife, Scotland. She helps women to discover their unique path to serenity with a range of techniques to nurture their body, focus their mind, calm their emotions and rejuvenate their energy. She is also a nurturing holistic pregnancy therapist, an integrative wellbeing coach, and an empowering birth educator, sharing her passion and knowledge to support and educate women, helping them to find the Serenity to Flourish. Here Rozalind talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about what inspired her to start her business, the challenges she has overcome, and her hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
I’ve been interested in women’s wellbeing since I was a student midwife in 2000, and I was fascinated with the science and magic of aromatherapy for labour and birth. The hospital I trained at and worked in was a pioneer for using aromatherapy to support women’s choices for pain relief, relaxation, uplifting and to stimulate contractions. I was really inspired by the amazing benefits of holistic approaches to wellbeing and I have dedicated the last 23 years to exploring holistic therapies and gaining professional qualifications.
I was inspired to set up my current business, Serenity to Flourish, for a variety of reasons. The timing was right, I am in a beautiful location and I’d invested time and energy into business coaching and website design. I have a strong desire to help women to tune into themselves, explore what uniquely helps them to find serenity, and to empower women with education to inspire them to flourish. I wished to share my personal and professional knowledge and experiences and create in-person and online spaces for women to find serenity to flourish.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
My journey to becoming a holistic therapist began when I trained in Reiki level 1 & Level 2 and Angelic Reiki Level 1 & 2 and gained a Diploma in Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) in 2007. The knowledge and experience I gained gave me some wonderful tools to support my own wellbeing as well as starting my professional development. In 2008, I took a career break from my main work as a midwife and dedicated myself to full-time training and I successfully achieved my VTCT Level 3 qualifications in Aromatherapy, Swedish massage, Reflexology and Crystal therapy. I started working for a small holistic therapies business and I am so grateful for the experience, confidence and skills I developed. I had plans to start my own business in 2009, but I also returned to midwifery and was working in research and education, and have since achieved a Cert Ed (teaching qualification) and a Masters degree in Education.
I re-located to Scotland in 2010, and continued my professional journey with midwifery and teaching at the forefront, whilst exploring and developing my personal interests in holistic therapies. I was the lead midwife for teaching Aromatherapy to midwives between 2013 and 2022 at a hospital in Scotland. I was invited to teach at other health boards in Scotland and I spoke at the Royal College of Midwives conference in 2019 about perinatal mental health and aromatherapy. When my son started school in 2020, I had some head space and time to invest more in my ideas for my holistic therapies business. I had an inner desire and motivation to create my own brand and be innovative in developing my bespoke services to share my synergy of knowledge and skills. Due to the pandemic, my main focus was on doing business coaching courses, designing and developing my websites and creating content for my pre-recorded online courses. I have 2 websites: my main one is for all women and my pregnancy website focuses on pregnancy, birth and motherhood.
A 9-month Leadership Radiance women’s business mastermind group coaching programme empowered, educated and inspired me to create both of my websites. I also developed knowledge and confidence to create content for social media platforms. I’ve learned practical skills for my business and really tuned into my “why?”. The reasons for creating and developing my business are the passion and for my heart-led services for women. An Alchemical Embodied Business group coaching programme gave me even deeper insights into the meaning of my work with women, and helped me to explore areas of my life that I can alchemise to be more productive and effective with my soul-led offerings for women.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
I would say that the innovation and creativity that I have for teaching really excites and drives me! A big breakthrough that I am really proud of is writing, recording and publishing my pre-recorded online courses. There are 9 courses on my pregnancy-specific website and 7 courses on my main website. The courses are a combination of bite-sized Discovery Journeys about holistic therapies for self-care, holistic self-coaching to flourish and 4 Keys to compassionate resilience. And Deepening Wonder courses, which more deeply explore aromatherapy, crystals, mindfulness, meditation and visualisation. I’m most proud of my Birthing Goddess: Holistic Birth Empowerment course, which comprise 10 pre-recorded videos, a 20-page A-Z of empowered birth, 3 pages of positive affirmations, a 13-minute guided meditation and a 32-page course manual and 9 pages of aromatherapy fact sheets.
I wanted to share my passion, knowledge and experience with a wider, global audience. I had been teaching midwives about aromatherapy in the NHS for 9 years and about mindfulness and resilience for 4 years within the role and remit of my NHS job. But I wanted to share more, teach more and reach more women internationally. The pandemic gave me the opportunity to increase my capacity for the online part of my business. I created my signature “Discovery Journeys” and “Deepening Wonder” pre-recorded courses, alongside my NHS work and being a single mummy. It was challenging and a major breakthrough but I’m delighted with the courses I have produced. My online courses developed my creativity and I had to teach myself some technical skills to be able to record and host my courses on my website as a platform and to make PayPal buttons!
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
Space, time, self-awareness, planning, organisation, self-compassion! I really value my NHS work and I’m very proud to be a mummy, but I also need my own space and time to reflect. I am very self-aware and organised, and I like to plan ahead to ensure I have quality time with my son and cherished time with myself. I am also very self-compassionate and kind when life, work and business don’t go to plan. I am a true believer in balance, harmony and flow, but I thrive with a strategy, goals and plans. I feel passionately that a fulfilling family life, professional career and heart-led business can be achievable with a focus on being balanced in each area. I have specific days that I work in my professional career as a midwife and lecturer, and days that I have appointments for my therapy room for clients. I also allocate time and energy for the creativity that I adore for creating social media engagement. I value personal development too, and enjoy the balance of studying with working, and having quiet time to relax.
