Wild and Wiser
The Wild & Wiser Collective
Our community of women bringing grounding, creativity, energy and wisdom to your Wild & Wiser weekend.
More joining, so check back for updates.
Good Girl Deprogramming
Michelle Minnikin
Michelle Minnikin is a Chartered Organisational Psychologist, coach, author, speaker, and Co-Founder of The Deprogramming Company. With more than 25 years of experience in leadership and organisational development, she specialises in helping women and workplaces unlearn the deeply ingrained social conditioning that keeps people stuck in cycles of burnout, perfectionism, and self-silencing.​
Alongside this work, Michelle is developing The Pleasure Priestess – an emerging strand of her practice focused on reclaiming desire, embodiment, and aliveness after years of self-suppression.
​What Wild & Wiser means to me?
“For me, Wild & Wiser is what becomes possible when we deprogramme from all those Good Girl roles we never signed up for. It’s the calm, anchored confidence that comes from trusting yourself, honouring desire, and refusing to be knocked sideways by other people’s noise. No hardening. No performing. Just a woman who’s stopped abandoning herself and come back to who she is – with clarity, self-trust, and care.”​
Power to Speak
Jackie Goddard
Jackie is a public speaking coach, speaker, and founder of Power to Speak. With 30 years’ experience across the arts, as a former fashion designer, actor, and acting coach- she brings a grounded, human approach to helping people find confidence in their voice.
She works with entrepreneurs, leaders, and teams, regularly coaching TEDx speakers and teaching acting skills to Stunt Trainees at Pinewood Studios. Jackie is currently writing a public speaking handbook, 30 Things to Think About… Public Speaking.
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What Wild & Wiser means to me?
“Wild & Wiser is about reclaiming our voice - not to perform, but to speak with honesty and self-trust. It’s when women can let go of perfection, reconnect with their body and breath, and feel confident being seen and heard exactly as they are.”​
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Katie N Brand Photography
Katie Needle
Katie has been photographing women for over 17 years - helping them to feel more confident and re-energised about their online marketing with vibrant, colourful and YOU-oozing brand images.
Getting you to #SayNoToBoringHeadshots and to LOVE, not just like, photos of yourself is at the heart of all of the work she does.
Starting as a family studio photographer in her 20’s to self-employment since 2013 and focussing solely on brand photography for the last 5 years.
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What Wild & Wiser means to me?
“Being wild & wiser means embracing all aspects of myself and not hiding away elements of my personality that I might fear others could judge. Wiser in my 40's to know that being wild, weird and wonderful and YOURSELF is where the best bits lie - letting go and being in the moment.”​
Author & Coach
Eleanor Tweedell
Eleanor Tweddell is a change specialist who helps people and teams turn uncertainty into a creative opportunity. Founder of Another Door, she works at the intersection of leadership, transformation, and reinvention, creating space to think through the messiness when things shift.
After 20 years in senior corporate roles, Eleanor experienced redundancy first-hand and used it as a catalyst to build a business dedicated to navigating transition. She’s the author of Another Door Opens and Why Losing Your Job Could Be the Best Thing That Ever Happened to You and a trusted voice on change for organisations including Channel 4, BAFTA, and Soho House.
​What Wild & Wiser means to me?
"We need more Wild in our life, wild ideas, wild thoughts, wild conversations, guided by wisdom, you know, so we don't completely blow the house down!"
The Triple Shift
Emma Thomas
Emma is a coach and works mainly with people navigating change: whether that is stepping into new leadership roles, returning to work after parental leave, leading organisational change, career pivots, or grappling with peri/menopause at work.
She is also the host of the successful Middling Along Podcast for women in midlife.
She loves supporting people through times of change, transition and transformation. Creating space for people to have breakthrough lightbulb moments is a huge joy. Her podcast is a combination of clarity, inspiration and education sprinkled with a dash of humour and humanity in a world of overwhelm and misinformation.
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What Wild & Wiser means to me?
“ Being Wild & Wiser means really trusting myself, being playful and taking risks. It means saying No to enough that I can say Yes to the things that light me up."​
MindFuelBody & Rooted Calm Hypnotherapy
Tamara Miller
Through 1:1 coaching, workshops, and retreats, Tamara helps women build resilience, confidence, and trust in themselves - not to fix what’s broken, but to come home to who they already are through mindful movement, hypnotherapy, nutrition, and nature-led practices. Her work is shaped by her own journey and a deep belief in creating safe, spacious environments where women can slow down, listen inward, and reconnect with their innate strength and intuition.
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What Wild & Wiser means to me?
“Wild & Wiser represents the meeting point between intuition and insight - allowing ourselves to be guided by the body, by nature, and by lived experience, while honouring the wisdom we’ve gathered along the way.
It's about creating space to soften, to listen, and to trust what we already know deep down. A space where women can let their wise, wild woman come to life again - choosing connection over comparison, presence over pressure, and allowing ourselves to be fully human: rooted, curious, and alive.”​
Co Founder of Perfect Party Tents
Fiona Bardwell (on the left)
Fi spent most of her life as a Hospitality professional, so there's not a lot she doesn't understand about people pleasing! When becoming Mum to two amazing, but NHS dependent, children - everything changed for her. Staying flexible for appointments became an absolute essential and so it was that she ended up creating her own work life. Heidi then walked in to her life and together they started Perfect Party Tents. Along the way she created a local Women in Business Network (now being looked after by other fabulous women) and with Heidi they have gone on from strength to strength fuelled by our belief that there is nothing we can't do. In an industry heavily populated by men, we are the changing face of that.
​What Wild & Wiser means to me?
"I think for me it is about believing in your own power and knowing that perfection isn't real. It's wonderful to aspire to big things - never stop that, but to understand that those big things doesn't make the person you are now, today is wonderful. Remember that to someone - you are already living the dream they are aspiring to have. Enjoy who you are today and leave things you can't change alone. "
Co Founder of Perfect Party Tents and Farmer
Heidi Pounder (on the right)
Heidi is passionate about her farm and every life she comes into contact with. With a drive that can't be rivalled, nobody knows where she gets her energy from. With a background in various industries she is now a 3rd Generation farmer (her brothers didn't want to go into it) and so her life is her cows. And the campsite! Together with her husband and family they have made Wooders a calm, rustic retreat from everyday life - and with Fiona at Perfect Party Tents - they make dreams of weddings and events come true in this tranquil spot on the edge of the forest.
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What Wild & Wiser means to me?
“ For me I think it's about having the strength to say No and to believe in yourself more and not letting other people's negativity get in your head. It's about being independent and learning every day. When you're younger you don't always appreciate all of life's lessons but as you get older - and wiser - you appreciate that you're going to learn from every experience - so embrace that!."​
DJ Donna
Donna-Marie Smart
Get ready to dance! DJ Donna, Bournemouth born & bred and deeply rooted in music, culture, and community — will be spinning at Wild & Wiser. From raving in fields to working nightclubs, festivals, DJing and hosting events, and running her 3rd annual International Women’s Day celebration at The Wight Bear, Donna brings years of experience and passion to the decks.
Last year she played at The Pop-Up Hotel, Glastonbury, bringing her vinyl-only sets of soul, funk, disco, and feel-good tunes to their boutique festival space. Known for her high-energy, infectious presence, Donna is guaranteed to get the dancefloor moving.
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What Wild & Wiser means to me?
“Wild & Wiser is about letting joy lead, trusting the music, the moment, and the people around you. It’s dancing without self-consciousness, taking up space, and moving together.
Wild is the freedom and energy of the dancefloor. Wiser is knowing how much those moments of connection matter, especially for women — and creating spaces where everyone feels welcome. If the dancefloor’s alive, we’re doing something right.”​
Sarah B Yoga & Sound Healing
Sarah
Sarah brings nurturing movement and deep restoration to her community through yoga and sound healing. She leads classes, workshops and immersive sound journeys that blend dynamic Vinyasa, calming Yin and the healing frequencies of crystal bowls and gongs, creating space for reset, reconnection and inner stillness. Her sessions and retreats are designed for all levels and invite people to slow down, breathe deeply and be fully present in body and mind.
​What Wild & Wiser means to me?
"Being Wild & Wiser is about finding freedom in presence - moving with curiosity, listening to your body, and creating space for rest, connection and joy.
Wild is the courage to show up as you are.
Wiser is the calm that comes when you slow down, breathe and let sound and movement reconnect you to yourself."
Research & Coaching Psychologist
Isabelle Fielding
Isabelle helps purpose-led organisations to understand and strengthen their impact, using psychology, research and coaching to turn insight into action that lasts. She enjoys working with some brilliant charities that care deeply about people, purpose and doing things thoughtfully rather than chasing quick fixes. At the heart of her work is a strong belief in the potential we all have to make a difference, and that small actions can lead to big change!
​What Wild & Wiser means to me?
"For a long time I followed the rules – both the ones that are said, and those that are unsaid. Over the years I’ve grown in confidence to challenge, test and change the rules – even the ones I’ve set for myself! For me, being wild and wiser means questioning the way things are done, being OK with complexity, nuance and uncertainty and leaping into new challenges with enthusiasm. Now that I am wilder and wiser I know that I have all the inner resources I need to face whatever comes next, even if its hard. And I hope I can play a small part in helping others to recognise the same in themselves."
Amber Doughty Breathwork Coach
Amber Doughty
Amber is a twice Amazon bestselling author who creates nurturing spaces where women can slow down, reconnect and learn practical tools to support their wellbeing. She also offers deep, transformational 1:1 work for women ready to create lasting change.
One of a small number of Master BreathHealing Release™ practitioners, Amber works with the breath, body and nervous system to support powerful physical, emotional and energetic release. As a breathwork trainer and leader, she is passionate about helping others live Wildly Regulated, honouring their true nature through a nervous-system-first approach to life and self-leadership.
​What Wild & Wiser means to me?
"Being wild and wise is about embodied freedom - releasing conditioning, shedding limitations, and giving yourself permission to show up as your fully authentic self.
Wild is reclaiming your truth and voice.
Wise is reconnecting with the deep inner wisdom beneath survival and expectation.
When women peel back those layers, something powerful happens — they don’t just survive, they thrive."
Lecturer in Horticulture & Planting Design
Bex Bourdon
Rebecca rediscovered her love of horticulture in 2020, returning to a subject she had always been drawn to after following a different career path in London. Over the past five years, she has immersed herself in learning - studying Latin plant names, seeking out expert mentors, and taking every opportunity to deepen her knowledge and practice.
She now writes and delivers adult gardening courses at Kingston Maurward College, where she shares both her expertise and a deep passion for the natural world. Her teaching brings together people aged 18 to 80 - career starters, changers and enders - united by a shared love of plants and a renewed excitement for learning.
Alongside her teaching, Rebecca has been awarded RHS Chelsea design medals, all in pursuit of creating better spaces and places where people and nature can thrive together.
​What Wild & Wiser means to me?
"Not being afraid to say 'yes' ".
Founder of Meraki People
Kate Davis
Kate supports founders and senior leadership teams to build healthier cultures, stronger leadership and better performance through growth, change and high-pressure seasons. She is a NED, an ICF-accredited executive coach, a Master Practitioner of the Five Voices framework, and Vice Chair of the IOD Surrey and Berkshire branch.
Named National Coach of the Year (2024), Kate is known for her clear, commercially grounded insight. Her squiggly career from a Magic Circle law firm to event management and corporate change, gives her the perspective to guide leaders through complexity with confidence and purpose.
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​What Wild & Wiser means to me?
"It means coming home to myself. Wild is the part of me that refuses to shrink, smooth myself down, or live on autopilot. Wiser is the part that knows real joy has standards: it needs truth, space, and choices that match who you are, rather than who you’ve been trained to be. Midlife is the wake-up point. You start to see what life has slowly asked you to become, and you get to decide whether you actually want to live there. Brené Brown describes it as a real developmental milestone: the moment you realise your armour isn’t protecting you anymore, it’s blocking you. Wild & Wiser feels like a room full of women dropping what doesn’t serve, and choosing something truer.".
Founder of Talk People
Davina Houlton
Davina Houlton is a local coach and trainer with a passion for supporting people to reconnect with the joy and wisdom held in their body. She believes that when we slow down, connect and truly listen, our bodies have so much to tell us.
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​What Wild & Wiser means to me?
"I love this question. The ‘wild’ speaks to me of releasing restrictions, playing and simply enjoying all that there is, whilst the ‘wiser’ honours all of the experiences we’ve had and the wisdom we now hold as a result. Together, they can give us both the permission and the courage to be who we are in each moment.".
DJ Soph
Sophie Deveson
TV producer by day, DJ of women-only discos by night and mother of two all the time, Soph loves nothing more than creating the soundtrack to women connecting, having a good time and letting go of all the many loads we carry, through the medium of tearing up the dancefloor. Keenly aware of the way music can unlock something in our bodies and take us to places beyond the daily grind, Soph crafts her sets for maximum joy, communal connection and euphoric singalong moments. With a disco ball helmet and tunes you can't resist, Soph will be bringing the fun to the fest.
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​What Wild & Wiser means to me?
"Wild & Wiser makes me think of the Mary Oliver line, "what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" Wild is rejecting the boxes we're put in by the expectations of others and even ourselves, and writing our own story on our own terms, while to be wise is to better understand ourselves and to move through the world guided by perspective and nuance. ".
Founder of Two Fat Melons
Becky Hougham
Becky is a Creative facilitator, storyteller and community builder who creates playful, joy-filled experiences that bring people together.
Known as a quiz and puzzle queen, her work goes far beyond trivia, blending creativity, humour and connection in unexpected ways. She also leads writing experiences that help people uncover and share the stories within them. At the heart of her work is a belief in the power of stories and shared moments, creating spaces where people can connect, express themselves and find joy in the everyday.
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​What Wild & Wiser means to me?
"A recent favourite quote of mine that I see regularly on neurodivergent pages is: "Maybe growing up is just becoming who you were as a child again, but learning how to love her this time". That is what Wild & Wiser means to me. I was a wild, unapologetic, passionate, creative and curious child with a strong sense of play and even stronger boundaries. However, I started unconsciously masking my undiagnosed dyslexia, ADHD and autism as I entered my later teens and twenties - and a lot of her got lost in the process. But now I'm in my 40s and diagnosed, I'm ageing backwards; more of that little girl is remerging every day - and I'm loving her. ".
Founder of Eternally Fit
Lucy Partridge
Lucy helps women feel stronger, healthier and more confident at every stage of life.
After a decade in the corporate world, she retrained in fitness, opened a private studio in Bournemouth and now coaches clients one-to-one and in groups. After discovering how much movement transformed her own confidence and wellbeing, she's passionate about guiding other women to feel strong in their bodies and capable in everything they do.
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What Wild & Wiser means to me?
“Being Wild & Wiser means giving ourselves permission to stop chasing perfection and start listening to our bodies. It’s about choosing strength over burnout, consistency over extremes, and long-term health over quick fixes. To me, it’s the wisdom of knowing that caring for our bodies isn’t selfish, it’s essential. And the wild part? Having the courage, especially as women, to prioritise ourselves, move with intention, and invest in our wellbeing so we can live fuller, stronger lives at every stage.”​
Listening Spaces
Katy van Haeften
Katy has a background in facilitating Attitudinal Training, Personal Development and most recently Ethical Sales. She is currently developing Listening Spaces - a Place to be Heard. She says “I am convinced that the Life we are living is our greatest teacher” and she invites people to listen-in, and listen-well to others.
Katy has twin sons, a daughter & two granddaughters and divides her time between London, Suffolk and the rest of the world.
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​What Wild & Wiser means to me?
"Here’s a wild thought! (I have lots of them to share!) - There never has been, nor will, be another you. Every one of us is totally unique. What if Life was inviting us, not merely to exist, but to cultivate and enact our own authenticity and simply show up? (That last bit is the wise bit!!)".
Coach & Founder
Una Murphy
Una supports people to navigate transition with courage, clarity and confidence. After beginning her career in the creative industries, she went on to lead the BBC’s career change service, guiding thousands through significant life and career shifts before launching her own coaching practice.Her approach is person-centred, challenging and deeply compassionate, equipping people with practical tools to sustain their energy and wellbeing through the highs and lows of working life.
Following the loss of her sister Bronagh, Una created “Words and Music” - intimate gatherings that bring people together through storytelling, creativity and connection. At the heart of her work is a belief in the power of resilience, connection and creative expression, creating spaces where people can show up fully, be heard and find their way forward.
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​What Wild & Wiser means to me?
"Wild is in my bones. Just today, I jumped on a low walk and walked along its narrow ledge with arms outstretched for balance. I laughed and felt the joy of playful movement.
Wild places are where I am happiest. I am drawn back each year to the West of Ireland to explore this stunning land and the windswept remote Islands sitting bravely in the Atlantic Ocean.We are nature! We are connected to the truth of this when we surrender to it. I feel it when I walk
beside the brook near my suburban London home and spy on the birds. They are wild and to observe them and admire their beauty and movement is one way I connect to my own wild nature.
I am wiser when I allow myself to stay wide open in heart and mind to all in humanity and the gift of a life on this precious earth".
Founder The Happy Reset
Jo Lothian
Jo works with groups, individuals and organisations by creating grounded, experiential spaces where people can explore how stress, ancestry and biology shape their reactions. Blending tension and trauma release, group emotional processing, and nutrition with genetics, she helps people understand how their patterns and environment can effect the way their body holds onto stress, and how to build steadier, more peaceful ways of living, especially through midlife transitions.
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​What Wild & Wiser means to me?
"Wild & Wiser to me, is about remembering the deeper knowledge women have always carried. Through my indigenous lineage, I was taught that what we experience in our lives doesn’t sit only in our thoughts. It lives in the body, in our biology, and across generations. Modern science is beginning to recognise this through genetics, stress biology and nutrition, showing how our environments, emotions and nourishment shape the patterns we pass forward. When women gather in supportive spaces, something important happens. We begin to understand ourselves not as isolated individuals, but as part of a wider story. Through shared experience, movement and conversation, women can reconnect with their own wisdom and restore balance within themselves and for the generations that follow."