🌊✨ I’d love your thoughts on this! ✨🌊

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As many of you know, I started my swimming journey again about 5 months ago. From swimming just 10 lengths to now nailing (for the most part) my tumble turns and completing 120 lengths non-stop - it’s been such an empowering adventure.

But to be honest, once that challenge was over (and with school holidays in the mix), I slowed down a bit. Now I’m feeling ready for my next goal, maybe even two:
Swimming 50m in under 1 minute (the police fitness check - I might already be close! I haven't actually timed my swims, mainly the distance)
Building speed for 3km, not just distance.

These beautiful moments in the water, the meditative rhythm, the obstacles I’ve overcome, the way each swim becomes a reflection even led me to apply for a swim teaching position! I’m eagerly waiting to hear back!

I’ve been writing about my swims in blogs, and those reflections often flow into my Creative Soul Stories (on YouTube + my podcast). Writing is something I deeply love especially when I can blend the mindset challenges I’ve faced, the small victories in the pool, and the creative stories that rise up from those experiences (like the Wise Weeping Willow).

So here’s my question to you:
What would you like to see in this dedicated space?


It could include:

My progress + milestones (from novice swimmer to wherever this takes me!)
Mindset hacks I use to overcome challenges
Stories + reflections that are born from the water
Creative Soul-inspired tales connected to my swims
Practical swimming tips from one novice swimmer to another

If I create this space, what would you MOST love to see?
A. Swim updates + goals
B. Mindset reflections
C. Creative Soul stories
D. Practical swim tips
E. A mix of all the above

Your thoughts will help me shape what comes next

An update about this blog

I'm Aley Young, the heart behind this blog.

It was a soft, grounded space where healing, personal growth, real food, and gentle truth meet.

A living journal - a place where I shared the moments, lessons, and inner shifts that have shaped my own journey, from nervous system healing and regulation to motherhood, identity, and becoming alongside the slower, earthier parts of life: the garden, the sourdough starter, the kitchen.

But now it is retired ...

Thank you for being here - some of you for years now.

After a lot of reflection, I've decided to step back from this chapter and follow a new calling: natural gardening. It's where my heart is right now, and I want to give it everything.

But nothing here is disappearing.

- The courses are still here - log in anytime with your existing account.

- The blog is still up to read, and the podcast is still here to listen to, whenever you like.

- Nothing is being taken away. I'm just not adding to it anymore.

If you've walked through this content with me, thank you. Truly. It mattered.

And if you're curious where I'm headed next - into the soil, into growing things, into a slower and simpler kind of healing - I'd love for you to come along.

[Visit Natural Companion → https://www.naturalcompanion.co.nz]

With gratitude,

Aley