About Debbie Thurlow
Hi, I'm Debbie
Like many of us, I’ve always wanted to make a difference to people’s lives. I used to be a Social Worker. It was hard, important and rewarding work, but increasingly I found my days spent with a computer rather than my clients. I dropped to part-time hours and studied Holistic Massage so I could help people directly.
After having children I took time away from paid work to focus on them – and this is where I truly discovered the power of massage. Much as I love my boys deeply, motherhood at times was (and is) bewildering and overwhelming.
It’s no exaggeration that my monthly massage kept my show on the road in those early years. I honestly believe that hour of surrender and peace held the exhausted, stressed fragments of me together. And gave me the space to start tackling the aspects of my life that just weren’t working.
I believed in it so much I went back to college to train as a complementary therapist. I offered massage and reflexology for many years however started to feel there was something missing from my work. That's when I was drawn to circle work. Having witnessed the power of holding space for my 1:1 clients I now saw how transformational sitting in circle with other women can be.
I completed my Creating Circles training in 2023 and have been running midLife circle ever since. My social work roots and complementary therapy training all feed into my circle work: taking a holistic and empathic approach, having a listening ear, holding space without judgment and recognizing how a capitalist and patriarchal society can impact on our physical, mental and emotional health are still at the forefront of how I work.
And I'm currently immersed in the final part of my Forest Bathing guide training. Learning how to be mindful in nature in order to boost our wellbeing has been life changing for me. More of that coming soon!
When everyone wants a piece of you, it leaves you in pieces
Connection is at the heart of everything I do. First and foremost, connection with ourselves. When we spend our days running around taking care of everyone else we go into autopilot mode. We service everyone else’s needs and forget we have any, beyond the basics of sleep and food.
That alive, connected feeling is also the foundation of midLife: a women’s circle. It’s so rare to have a place to gather without expectation or judgement. To properly let go and know you’ll be held and heard by other women, who get it. At a time when the world is getting faster and increasingly disconnected, it’s necessary medicine.
Sitting in circle: bringing us back to ourselves so we can resist patriarchal bullshit. That’s what I’m here for, in a nutshell!
