Healing in Nature Stories: Why I Created This Space
- Klara Tselenchuk
- 4 hours ago
- 6 min read
In this post, I share the story behind Healing in Nature Stories—a new interview series rooted in resilience, nature, and the sacred process of becoming whole again. You’ll learn why I created this space, how my own healing led me here, and what to expect in future interviews.
I’ve been holding this idea close to my heart for quite a while now. Healing in Nature Stories began as an inner nudge that wouldn’t go away. It was born from the quiet moments in the forest, the long walks where I let myself cry, breathe, reflect, and simply be after so much of my life had unraveled.
It’s funny how something as ancient and steady as a tree can feel like a friend. How birdsong can feel like a lullaby when your soul is tired. How soil under your feet can ground you when everything else feels uncertain.
I didn’t always know this, but nature has a way of holding us without asking for anything in return. That’s the magic of it. That’s the medicine. And that’s the heartbeat behind this interview series.
Why This Series Exists
Healing in Nature Stories is more than just a collection of interviews. It’s a gathering place. A soft landing. A space to hold real, honest stories of what it looks like to fall apart—and slowly, courageously, begin again.
These are stories of people who’ve walked through pain, burnout, grief, trauma, or life-altering change… and who found something sacred in the process of healing. Not in perfection. Not in pretending. But in presence.
Nature often played a role in these journeys. Sometimes as a backdrop. Sometimes as a guide. Sometimes as the only thing that made sense when nothing else did.
Each story you’ll read or listen to in this series is unique, but they’re all rooted in something deeply universal: the longing to feel whole again. To feel like we matter. To be seen in our humanness, not just for what we produce or fix or give to others—but simply for being.
My Story: From Breakdown to Beginning Again
Let me take you back to 2019.
At the time, I was doing all the “right” things. I was working as a nurse, showing up for my patients, juggling motherhood, holding a marriage together, trying to keep the house clean, the lunches packed, the appointments scheduled.
On paper, I was holding it down. But on the inside? Something was brewing...
There were so many signs I ignored. The chronic exhaustion. The irritability. The aching in my body that wouldn’t go away. The anxiety that sat in my chest like a boulder. The quiet voice inside that whispered “this isn’t it… something needs to change.”
But I didn’t feel like I had permission to slow down. I was the helper. The giver. The achiever. And deep down, I was terrified that if I stopped trying to hold it all together, it would mean I had failed.
Then came the breakdown.
I won’t go into all the details here—but let’s just say it cracked me wide open. My mental health declined. I felt like I had lost myself completely. I remember one day looking in the mirror and not recognizing the person staring back.
It felt like everything I had worked so hard to build—my identity, my career, my marriage—was slipping through my fingers.
But that breakdown became a doorway.
Nature as My Lifeline
I didn’t find nature all at once. It wasn’t some magical walk in the woods that fixed everything. It was slower than that. Gentler. It started with short walks around my neighborhood. Sitting under a tree when I couldn’t stop crying. Letting the wind hit my face when I needed to feel something real. Watching the way the seasons changed and realizing… maybe I could, too.
There was a moment I’ll never forget. I had taken a solo walk through a quiet wooded path near my home. I was in the thick of grief—still recovering from my divorce, still unsure of who I was without the titles I’d always held on to.
I remember standing under this massive tree, its branches bare in winter, its roots exposed and interconnected… and feeling this wave of knowing washed over me.
“The tree wasn’t trying to bloom in winter. It wasn’t rushing. It was simply being. And that was enough.”
Something shifted in me that day.
I started to trust the process. I started to believe that I didn’t have to rush my healing. That there was wisdom in the pause. That maybe I didn’t need to be fixed—I just needed space to feel, to rest, to reconnect.
That’s when I knew I wanted to do this work.
From Healing to Holding Space
Over time, I became trained as a Forest Therapy Guide and a Holistic Nurse Coach. But more than that—I became a student of my own healing. I listened deeply. I learned to notice the smallest signs: a bird overhead, the smell of the soil, the way sunlight filters through the trees. I began to lead others through this practice of slowing down and letting nature mirror what’s already inside of them.
Now, I get to guide others who are walking their own healing path.
And I realized—there are so many stories out there. Stories that don’t make headlines. Stories we carry quietly, wondering if anyone else would understand.
This interview series is for those stories.
What You’ll Find in the Series
Healing in Nature Stories will feature interviews from people who’ve walked through their own version of rock bottom… and found some kind of beauty on the other side.
Some have healed from trauma. Others from chronic stress or burnout. Some are still in the thick of it.
And I want you to know: every single story matters.
Here’s what you can expect:
🌱 Honest, vulnerable conversations with people from all walks of life
🌲 Reflections on how nature became a companion in their healing
🌼 Invitations for you to reflect on your own journey
☕ A space where your truth is safe, your story is welcome, and nothing needs to be fixed.
Whether you're in a season of growth, grief, or just trying to make sense of things—there’s space for you here.
👉 You can begin by reading the very first story in the series—Carla’s powerful journey of surviving deep trauma and finding healing through sunflowers, resilience, and hope.
Your Story Matters
I truly believe that stories are medicine. That when we share honestly, we help others feel seen. That when we open up about our healing, even in small ways, we help create a more compassionate, connected world.
So if you’re reading this and thinking “but my story isn’t that special…”—please know: it is. It’s more than enough. You’re more than enough.
Whether you’re at the beginning, the middle, or a chapter you don’t quite understand yet—your journey belongs here, too.
An Invitation To Reflect
I want to invite you into a moment of reflection.
Take a breath.
Close your eyes, if that feels good.
Let your shoulders drop.
Now ask yourself...
✨ What moments in your life have shaped you the most?
✨ When did you feel lost—and what helped you begin again?
✨ Has nature ever held you during a hard season?
✨ Is there a part of your story that’s been waiting to be heard?
You don’t need to have all the answers. You don’t need a perfect, polished story.
But there’s something deeply healing about giving yourself space to be seen—even if it’s just by you, right now, in this quiet moment.
Because your story matters. Your pain, your joy, your becoming… it all belongs.
And if your heart is whispering to share it one day, I hope you’ll remember—there’s a place for it here. Feel free to reach out, and we can set a time to connect.
Let’s Stay Connected
If this series speaks to something in you—if it nudges a part of your soul that’s been waiting to exhale—I hope you’ll stick around.
📺 Subscribe on YouTube to hear full interviews with each guest.
📝 Leave a comment below—I’d love to hear from you
💌 Reach out (email to: klara@natureliwhole.com if you have a story to share or someone to recommend.
This isn’t just a blog series—it’s a gentle movement. A return to nature. A return to truth. A return to self.
I hope you’ll come along, not just as a reader, but as a fellow traveler. Because your story matters here. And so do you.