About

Hello there, I’m Kat. I grew up in the flat lands of Norfolk and over the past ten years have gradually been migrating further north, up the country of much-less-flat Scotland. There isn’t much further I can go now (without involving a boat!), and I am happily settling down in Assynt, in the beautiful North-West Highlands.

My main passion in life is connecting with nature, it having a strong influence on my childhood, which has informed my grown-up shenanigans including my career-path, hobbies (photography and song-writing), and weaves deeply into my Mindfulness practice.

I believe nature connection and mindful practice complement and enhance each other beautifully; being more mindful enables an appreciation of the beauty and aliveness around us, while being surrounded by the dynamic rhythm and flow of nature deepens the experience of mindfulness practice. I personally think this is a fundamental puzzle piece in a holistic approach to the health and well being of both us as individuals and the world in which we live. I have also come to believe that unless we are effectively connecting with our own internal environments, it’s very hard to intrinsically connect with and value our external environment, which I consider to be contributing to the destruction of the natural resources that we so dependently rely on. This has created a curiosity within me, fuelled by my own journey of mental health, to delve further into our individual relationship with the self.

My initial introduction to Mindfulness came in 2014 when a severe bout of depression led me to discover Eckhart Tolle’s books, soon followed by the inspiring voices of many other authors, which shifted my whole perspective and outlook on life. I was living in Edinburgh at the time and began attending Meetup Groups with Mindfulness and Meditation practitioners. Not long after, a newfound friend recommended me Charlie Morley’s book: Dreams of Awakening: Lucid Dreaming and Mindfulness of Dream and Sleep, which opened up the fascinating territory of lucid dreaming and started me on an incredible journey exploring the realms within that third of our lives we spend unconscious (catching zzzzs!). I find myself now a converted sleep geek, excitedly devouring anything sleep-related that I come across. I am also excited and immensely grateful to be learning directly from Charlie Morley, whose guidance and expertise is second to none.

Having trained to facilitate groups and share mindfulness practice both of wakefulness and sleep, and with a background in outdoor learning and nature connection, I am continually exploring and developing workshops that weave these themes together to nurture deeper connections with ourselves and the world around us.

Mindfulness of wakefulness and sleep, interwoven with nature connection, has become such an important part of my life and has been transformational for my mental wellbeing. I am passionate about sharing this and holding space to support others on their own journeys. I have been on many retreats and trainings and continue to deepen my own practice to offer quality guidance for others.

I am available to deliver presentations or workshop sessions around various themes covering mindfulness, lucid dreaming, nature connection and photography. If your group or organisation is interested, please contact me.

Please note: I am not a trained counsellor or therapist . Seeking help from a trained professional for support with mental health challenges is always advised.

Qualifications and Experience

Mindfulness (waking):

• Youth Mindfulness Kids Programme trained
• Youth Mindfulness Teen (SOMA) Programme trained
• Youth Mindfulness “Mindfulness for Life” One Year Teacher Training Programme
• Natural Mindfulness Guide Trained
• Embrace the Shadow Four Day Retreat with Charlie Morley
• Future Learn Mindfulness for Wellbeing and Peak Performance online training
• Non-Violent Communication Foundation Course
• COSCA Counselling Skills Certificate Course graduate, University of the Highlands & Islands
• Since 2019 I have been delivering Mindfulness sessions, workshops and programmes to a variety of age groups.

Mindfulness (sleep):

• Lucid Dreaming Retreat Assistant to Charlie Morley, Holy Isle, July 2022
• Super Lucid Advanced Lucid Dreaming Course with Charlie Morley and guest speakers
• Yoga Nidra Teacher Training with Yoga Leela
• Continuing Professional Development Lucid Dreaming Training (100 + hours of Lucid Dreaming Training) with Charlie Morley
• Level 1 Certification in Lucid Dreaming (55 hours of Lucid Dreaming Training)
• Mindfulness of Dream and Sleep (for stress and trauma) 6 week course with Charlie Morley and James Scurry
• Lucid Dreaming Immersive Four Day Retreat with Charlie Morley
• Lucid Dreaming Charlie Morley Online Course
• Two Day Lucid Dream Workshop with Charlie Morley
• Founder and organiser of The Lucid Dreaming Pyjama Party Group.
• Since January 2020 I have been delivering Mindfulness of Dream & Sleep (including “learn to lucid dream” workshops and courses)

Nature:

• Natural History and Ecology and Conservation, Bachelor of Science with Honours, First Class
• Kamana Level 1
• Forest School Leader trained
• Coastal Activity Leader trained
• John Muir Conserver Award
• Outdoor First Aid certificate
• Job roles with conservation organisations including the John Muir Trust and Scottish Wildlife Trust.
• Between 2016-21 I was employed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust as an Education Manager for the Outdoor and Woodland Learning project, which was part of the 5-year Coigach & Assynt Living Landscape Partnership. I worked with local young people (from nursery to high school) to support their access to, and experiences within, the natural world. A summary video of our work can be viewed here.
• Nature photographer, with experience delivering photography workshops to various school and adult groups
• Young Champion of 2020VISION (a visual media initiative to communicate the important links between healthy ecosystems and the wellbeing of human beings)
• Founder and former organiser of the Edinburgh Nature Meetup Group
• Experience delivering nature-related workshops and sessions since 2011

Other

• The Bothy Project’s Neighbourhood Residency participant, April 2021
• Bridge House Art Portfolio Course student, October 2019-March 2020, focusing on illustrating lucid dreams, shadow work, and song lyrics for the second term project: