Aligned & Inspired - My Reclamation After A Dark Night Of The Soul

Photo Credit - Nicola Blood

Ask and the universe will provide - But you better believe that it will also provide the lessons, obstacles & healing required to forge you into the person who is capable of holding your dreams when they do arrive…

I’ve spent the past few months submerged in one of the deepest soul searches I’ve ever experienced. It wasn’t triggered by loss, an extreme event or tragedy. It crept upon me like a shadow in the night, small consist stressors slowly began to stack and suddenly the old adage of “the straw that broke the camels back” tapped me on the shoulder and flipped me and my life upside down.

There had been signs, but like a lot of ambitous people with big lofty goals, I ignored them, clearly at my own peril. I reverted back to old habits of overworking and with the old habits came the old stories that I had to do it all, that I mustn’t stop. I had been living in auto pilot trying to juggle what felt like the world, whilst holding space for my family, my restaurant ( shout out to the wonderfully cosy and colourful creation that is The Chubby Frog ) and for the many transitions that have evolved over the past few years, but particularly in 2025.

In my relentlessness of work, of trying to keep all of the plates spinning whilst making sure everyone else is taken care of “Is everyone ok? Do you all have what you need? What can I do for YOU??” I abandoned my own needs along with all the things that made me feel like me, all the rituals that made my magic flow and connected me to the source of inspiration that has served me for so many years. Meditation? No time? Journalling? No time. Creation? No time. No inspiration. No anything.

It felt like there was room for only frustration and anxiety.

The whole damn thing made me feel like a failure. I had spent years, almost half of my life at this point, being cocooned in a sea of knowledge, wisdom and inspiration. I’ve read hundreds of books, listened to hundreds of podcasts. I’ve attended events across the globe to be in the presence of and learn from some of the most incredible thought leaders, entrepreneurs and industry experts of our time. I am an advocate for radical responsibility, aligned action and self compassion and I coach fellow entrepreneurs on these exact principles. And yet I couldn’t seem to shift out of this season of struggle.

My health took a pretty serious hit and I felt stuck beyond words.

I began to question my path, my purpose and my ability to bring into reality all that I have been working for over the past 5+ years.

The girl who spent years talking to other women about the power of self belief after overcoming crippling self doubt, was now once again struggling with self doubt.

Oh the irony.

I eventually gave myself the grace to just step back. I took an unexpected hiatus from social media for three months and about half way through I began to draw some boundaries around situations that were causing me stress. I said no to the relentless working. I said no to the 5:30am alarms after crawling into bed at midnight, and I said no to quitting.

In the pause, I reprioritised my sleep, my nutrition and my energy. I began meditating again, journaling my thoughts and documenting my journey. I saw my health and mindset improve. I felt my spark return and I emerged from what I now see was a dark night of the soul, with more clarity, passion and purpose than ever before.

I wasn’t stuck, after all. I was out of alignment. I had become disconnected to my true self along with all of the things that made my magic flow

One of my favourite ever quotes comes from Steve Jobs, when he said “You can’t connect the dots looking forwards, you can only connect them looking backwards” How true this was for me during this time. Whilst it sucked to be in the midst of that journey I’m so grateful for the opportunity to shed the many layers of stories and patterns that were still holding me back. I have gained powerful tools to not only assist me in the pursuit of my goals and dreams going forward, but also ones that I can share with others on their own journey.

This new season, this reconnection within myself and my work is deeply grounded in my core pillars of teaching - radical responsibility, self compassion and aligned actions. But not merely from theoretical concepts, but ones rooted in a full fuck yes embodiment after delving into the depths of my why and how.

Like I said at the start, the universe is ready to give you all you desire, but first it’s going to make sure you can handle what you want to create. And if there’s something missing in your tool kit - emotionally, physically, spiritually, energetically… buckle up! Because you’re in for a ride.

Maybe this is a comeback piece. Maybe it’s a reclamation. I thought long and hard about whether or not I would give any explanation as to my absence. But I have always said that real magic can be born through mess if you’re willing to show up for yourself and do the work.

And so here I am, doing the work and showing you the reality of how that can look. Growth is not linear and I’m not here to only share the wins, not when there is so much gold within the journey itself.

I honestly have no idea what the rest of 2025 will bring but I’m not the same woman who started this year and I cant wait to see what evolves in this next chapter. When Craig saw this picture of me (above) taken by the wonderful Nicola Blood he said it looks like I’m about to cast a spell 💫

I think perhaps he’s right…

Love & Magic

Hayley x