Hello!
I am Laura and the founder of Connection Heals. I admit that the name came from a bit of a play on words (my surname is Heales) but, in reality, it also gets across the heart of what I am about – that making connections, whatever that looks like, can, and does, lead to positive, dynamic and healing change for us all!
The idea for Connection Heals emerged through a redundancy process that forced me to think about what I wanted to do and what was important to me. Initially it is set up as a sole trader business with social enterprise tendencies, with the plan to formalise it into a community interest company over time.
In a nutshell, the aim of Connection Heals is to create opportunities and to facilitate connections within and between people, groups, organisations, ideas and interests, in order to improve and enrich all of our lived experiences.
The other core principle that lies at the heart of this work, is that learning and development is a continuous process for us all. Rarely do things remain static, and if they do, rarely is that truly healthy. So creative approaches to both managing and instigating proactive change is instrumental in building healthy organisations, communities and systems. The common and crucial factor is the recognition that people are the heart of it all!
Connection comes through all types of lived experience. The picture above is of me with my ‘God-sheep’, Uni. He is an aging commercial ram who elected to remain on the small farm run by my friend, alongside a young lamb called Steve, rather than be rounded up with the rest of the herd when their farmer collected them. Over time, we have developed a sense of connection, which, for me, at least, has been joyful and therapeutic. I like to think he is smiling in agreement here!
I use this example as an illustration that connections can be formed in the most unexpected places and can create a sense of unity, even when circumstances suggest this might be challenging. I will be exploring these themes through my blog, as well as learning and building on them through my work and other life experiences.
I hope that this is a journey that some of you may wish to join me on, in your own time and way. If you would like to have a chat, please contact me here.