The Reflection Zone

19/09/2026

True wellbeing happens when we feel completely seen, cared for, and understood!

This weekend I am on the body work team at the annual retreat. Its such a special, safe space for women living with HIV here in Aotearoa. Dealing with everyday life can be exhausting, so this retreat is all about breaking down isolation. It’s a chance for women to come together, share their stories, learn about the latest health updates, and build beautiful peer connections in a completely supportive, stigma-free environment. 💖

But because true wellness is about looking after both the mind and the body, the women are offered clinical reflexology treatments too 🌿

Why is having reflexology at the retreat such a game-changer for these women?

👣 Deep, full-body relaxation: Reflexology is a fantastic way to reduce both physical and mental stress of this condition by supporting every major system in the body.

👣 Saying goodbye to tension & fatigue: It boosts circulation, reduces inflammation, and lifts energy levels. This gives much-needed physical relief to anyone dealing - in particular - with side effects of medication, fatigue, aches, or trouble sleeping.

👣 Calming the nervous system: By helping to lower stress hormones, it lets the body fully reset so that mood can improve and anxiety be alleviated.

Let me say it again: when you combine a loving, supportive community with deeply restorative physical care, magic happens. 🥰👇

13/09/2026

😭😭😭

I'm feeling enormously moved by a poem that arrived in my inbox.

Devon (the author) came for respite to the August parents retreat.

The line "Special time for our souls to unwind..." says it all to me.

This "unwinding" is the whole purpose of why I provide these events.

Enjoy Devon's heartfelt words.

❤️❤️❤️

11/09/2026

Stress!

It can affect more than just how we feel.

It influences our body as well as our overall sense of wellbeing 💭

When the body experiences stress, the sympathetic nervous system becomes more active, preparing it to respond to perceived challenges. This can influence heart rate, breathing, muscle tension, digestion and overall feelings of wellbeing.

Relaxation provides an important opportunity for the body and mind to slow down and rebalance after the demands of everyday life.

Through focused touch and a calming environment, reflexology can provide time and space to relax, switch off and recuperate from everyday pressures. 🥰

Making time for rest and relaxation is an important part of looking after our wellbeing.

11/09/2026

Ask someone how Reflexology feels and they mostly say
"Wow"
"That was amazing..."
"Sooo relaxing..."
"I feel like I'm walking on clouds..."
"I don't want to move..."

The relaxation IS the point! It let's the body's control centres that all is well and that they can devote energy to healing and rebalancing functions that are out of kilter.

It could be the best -tasting medicine ever 😁

10/09/2026

You're usually hearing my perspective on my activities, so today I'm going to share someone else's words about it.

The important message here is that there are many people you know with parts of their life that may be invisible to you. And those parts may be having an enormous daily impact for them.

Gratitude to CVs by Sarah (whose public life is running a busy CV writing service, but who is also a parent to a disabled child) for permission to share a post she wrote after the retreat 🙏

I’m back! 💛 After a few days away from my desk, I’m now home from a very special weekend in Rotorua and diving back into CVs, Cover Letters and LinkedIn profiles this week.

This was my first time attending a retreat specifically for parents of disabled children, hosted by the amazing Liz from The Reflection Zone. ❤️

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect going into it, but it turned out to be such a lovely few days of rest, reflection, connection and, importantly, time to simply be.

For those who don’t know this side of my life, my son is autistic and has developmental delays, so being surrounded by other parents who understand some of the realities, pressures and emotions that come with parenting a child who needs extra support was incredibly special.

There were sharing circles, plenty of laughter (and a few tears!), beautiful food, walks through the Titokorangi/Redwoods, Whakarewarewa Forest, hot pools, quiet moments and, most importantly, the chance to genuinely switch off for a while.

Running a business while juggling everything else life brings can make it very easy to keep pushing through and moving on to the next thing. This weekend was a good reminder that sometimes stepping away for a little while is exactly what we need.

I came home feeling so grateful that I went, and especially grateful to Liz for creating such a safe, welcoming and understanding space for us all. ❤️

And now…back to CVs by Sarah! I’m looking forward to catching up with my clients and getting stuck into the week ahead. 😊💻

08/09/2026

This is what respite for exhausted carers looks like...

I'm so grateful to those who helped another retreat come to fruition

Southstar Farm Cottage and Equine for the amazing accommodation

Affirmations Publishing House for beautiful gift bags

for the nourishing bodywork

And to for their calm, restorative magic

27/08/2026

On the eve of this year's Respite Retreat for parents of children with disabilities it is so calm in Whakarewarewa Forest.

Meanwhile families all over the country have been preparing themselves, their children and replacement caregivers for the absence of the primary carer...

The coming snow and high winds are so symbolic of the challenges these families face to enable a short period of rest for their most key resource.

Please send out all your love and strength to these parents as they begin their travel today.

31/07/2026

Have you ever thought about why the self-care you actually do counts more than the self-care you plan to do?

Most of us carry a quiet guilt about self-care. We mean to meditate every morning... We bought the journal... We know, intellectually, that a walk would help... And then weeks pass where none of it happens — so we conclude the whole effort was wasted, and stop trying at all.

That conclusion is the actual problem, not the missed days!

Self-care isn't a subscription you either maintain or lose. Self care is closer to a series of small, independent deposits in your bank account ie a ten-minute walk on a Tuesday doesn't require Monday's walk to have happened. Tuesday's walk goes into the account regardless.

Your nervous system doesn't check whether you meditated yesterday before it lets a moment of quiet today register as relief.

And actually, this matters! Clinically. Your body's stress response resets in the moment it's given the chance to — one slow breath, one boundary held, one hour of rest — regardless of how sporadically those moments arrive.

YES, OF COURSE, consistency helps build habit and skill, but it isn't the mechanism that makes any single act of care work. The act works on its own terms, every time you do it.

There's also a compassion argument that says demanding perfect consistency from people who are already depleted is its own small cruelty — it turns rest into one more thing to fail at.

If you are a client of mine and you take a relaxing bath twice a month instead of the daily ritual you wanted to have, you aren't failing with self-care. You're practicing it, at the pace your life currently allows.

The more useful question isn't "why can't I keep this up?"

And "did this help, the time I did it?" If the answer is yes, then you have discovered some important information.

An occasional act of care that actually happens will benefit you more than a perfect routine that only exists in theory!

Sporadic self-care isn't the failure of self-care — it's very often what self-care looks like in a real, full life.

27/07/2026

This is hard.

It's one letter (of several) that I have received asking for something I just cannot offer: attendance at no cost at the respite retreat for parents of children with disabilities.

Why can't I offer this? Because it would result in me paying for it out of my own pocket, which sadly I cannot do.

Then, I thought of my wonderful Facebook followers and realised that maybe there was another way...

This is the most recent letter:

"Dear Liz,
I am the parent of a beautiful 9-year-old daughter who is autistic, non-verbal, and has a global developmental delay.
She requires constant 24/7 care, supervision, and support for all aspects of her daily life.

Caring for her is a privilege that I cherish, but it is also physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding.
My family and I have no extended family living in New Zealand, so we do not have the support network that many families rely on.

Unfortunately, we have also exhausted all of our Carer Support funding, leaving us without any respite options. As a result, we have been providing round-the-clock care without a meaningful break for quite some time.

The ongoing demands of caregiving have left us feeling completely exhausted and burnt out.
While we remain dedicated to giving our daughter the best possible care, we recognise that we also need to care for ourselves in order to continue supporting her effectively.

A weekend of respite would provide us with the opportunity to rest, recharge, and return home with renewed energy and resilience.

Receiving the gift of a respite retreat would mean more than just a short holiday—it would provide us with the chance to breathe, reconnect as parents, and regain the strength needed to continue our caregiving journey. It would be an incredible blessing during a time when we have very few supports available.

Thank you for taking the time to read my application and for the wonderful support you provide to families like ours. We would be truly grateful if you would consider us for this opportunity."

So, dear followers, if you have read this and find your heart saying that you would like to help make this happen for this or another family, please contact me to discuss.

[email protected]
021 988 468