Our Kin: Tahlee Clarke Campbell | Melbourne, Victoria
“The most important relationship we will ever have is the one we have with ourselves.”
Tahlee Clarke Campbell shares her wisdom on nurturing connection with others but also, connection with ourselves.
The history
I have always been inspired by the strong women I have around me. Growing up with a single parent (my mother), I stayed a lot with my grandma. My mother and my grandmother worked so hard to live their lives without much support from others.
After watching the way they worked together to provide and care for people, it became clear to me that success was rooted in living according to firm values: hard work, fierce love and loyalty, and perseverance. I am so grateful to have been taught my values of independence and love from these two women.
“… it became clear to me that success was rooted in living according to firm values.”
The career
Once upon a time, I was a massage therapist and personal trainer. Often I was working with clients who were in pain: I helped with everything from pain management to postnatal recovery.
I was obsessed with the physical body and facilitating physical healing in others. This obsession led me towards teaching yoga, which was the beginning of a significant personal turning point for me. I realised that the first 30 years of my life had been dedicated to ‘thinking’ and analysing: the scientific mind in me loved the ‘tangible’, but it had me left wanting. Yoga was my pathway into an energetic and emotional body. I hope that the next 30 years of my life are dedicated to feeling and finding joy in being present.
Heart Space is my ode to self-love. So often, when we pause and centre and move into our heart ( the body’s space for love), we shift. Harder decisions find compromise or direction. Conflicts resolve elegantly. When we are in our heart, we can act from a place of love. Heart Space is a daily reminder for me to return to, and try and live from, my heart. It also provides the foundation for the type of love and energy I want to create for my business and my clients.
I have so much love and awe for my clients who have absolutely thrived in this [online] environment and helped show me what the future of my business looks like.
The work
I think one of the big reasons my business shifted into healing and personal coaching was my deep need to find joy in what I ‘did’ for a living. With that in mind, I have created a business where my energy directly impacts my success. When I was a trainer and yoga teacher my hours were all over the place. I was teaching 6am classes in a startup yoga studio, and 8pm classes the same day. I was very much living in a state of ‘fight or flight’, and not at all living my values.
The experience really did teach me that the more time I invest in my own well-being, the better I am able to support others in their success. My years in the wellness industry have really highlighted how important this is and how I hope to keep striving to be the best version of myself. I hope it’s a lesson that I’m lucky enough to keep learning in different ways forever.
I’m very energised by others. Empowering others has always empowered me also, even if I’m supporting others through some challenging times. I think that’s because I’ve spent a lot of time finding my limits and then supporting them with strong and manageable boundaries.
I understand the value of my time and have tried to create systems around my needs. I limit the number of clients I have in a day and create a daily schedule that supports my needs while giving myself time for the practices that help me stay grounded and spacious.
The connection
There is a huge connection between the body and the mind.
Our mind has the power to manifest, create and hold emotions. The practice of yoga taught me that our bodies also have an amazing memory for trauma and held emotions. I think that’s why physical practices are so important. They help us understand that connection, and to hear what we need to do to honour these parts of ourselves. If we can start to really work with our energy and our emotions in our minds AND our bodies then we really start to be able to work with these parts of ourselves, not against them.
I always recommend that people find things to help them shift, energetically. For example, shaking is such a great release that helps challenge emotions to move out of us! Dancing and earthing can be wonderful too. Personally I’m a big fan of simply being outside, a short walk outside can shift our energy in a moment. My other favourite is water, a hot shower or soak in the bath at the end of the day. The longer answer is to develop a toolbox of strategies that help us with our individual needs. The better we get to know and honour these needs, the better quality of life we are able to lead.
The future
“2020 has really forced me to think about ‘why I’m here’.”
‘Next up’ is moving myself and my business from Melbourne to Scotland! I met my Scottish husband in Australia three years ago and we’ve had a whirlwind intercontinental long-distance romance. Originally I was relocating after our wedding in January but Covid has put a damper on our timeline. I know that 2020 has been many things to all of us but I can’t help but feel blessed by this year. It’s seen me shift my business completely online, which means that I’ll be able to expand my offerings across the world. It seems wild to think about. You’ll see plenty more of Heart Space Online (with a comprehensive digital platform!) just as soon as I can reunite with my love in the UK.
