Rising at 5am every day for five years to climb Bennachie was a life-changing path to self-discovery for Nicola Cook.
Come rain, shine, hail and knee-deep snow, stepping outside her comfort zone on a daily basis to scale her favourite hill proved to be transformational for Nicola as she found hope, solace and an unstoppable inner warrior.
So empowering was the experience that the 49-year-old who lives in Aberdeenshire has now devoted her life to helping others who perhaps feel lost and stressed in life.
“When my second marriage ended, I decided to try and find myself, as cliched as that sounds,” says Nicola.
“I’m a bit of a people pleaser myself so I wanted to find out who I really was so I started going up Bennachie every day at 5am and I continued doing that for five years.
“There were times when I was knee deep in snow, walking in the rain and in the dark on my own.
“But it transformed my life.
“Bennachie has a big place in my heart.”
The power of life coaching
Determined to share the power of wellbeing, Nicola, who was working as a barber at the time, initially started a Wild Wellness Facebook page, taking people on guided wellbeing walks up Bennachie.
But it was lockdown and a move out to the countryside that inspired Nicola to take a leap of faith, pouring all her love, passion and energy into becoming a life coach.
“I was a barber for 30 years, I opened my first shop at 21 in Peterhead and then I opened a second shop in Inverurie,” says Nicola.
“In 2020 obviously we had to stop working due to lockdown and I’d always said that if I had the opportunity to step away from barbering then I would because it had served its purpose and my body didn’t like it, I found it quite sore.
“After lockdown when we were told we could go back I decided I didn’t want to.
“I had already signed up to do life-coaching certification and I thought, right I’m going to jump and the net is going to appear.”
Road to self-discovery
As life coaching was something that has benefitted Nicola she knew that was her calling.
“I had a life coach in my own life so that’s why I knew it was transformative,” says Nicola.
“My life coach absolutely changed my life and it made me realise that I wanted to show people that there is another way, they don’t need to be stuck.
“This is my purpose, to help other people find themselves.”
From lifestyle coaching and breathwork to ice baths, wellbeing retreats and group walks, Nicola’s wellbeing wisdom knows no bounds.
“Every time I know that I’ve helped someone it fills my heart with such joy,” says Nicola.
“I can’t even put it into words, it just lights up my whole soul.”
Immersive experiences
Breathwork is a huge part of Nicola’s practice.
“I think for me, the breathwork was the missing piece,” says Nicola.
“My background was anxiety as well and I would struggle to switch the mind off but when I really got into breathwork I found that was the modality that helped me to find that peace and freedom.”
Nicola is also soon going to open up her home to show people how they can live a more natural lifestyle.
“I’m chemical-free in my home,” says Nicola.
“I’m actually just about to release some immersive experiences so people can come and stay at my home and live my lifestyle for a few days and then they will leave a different person from when they arrived.
“It’s kind of like a wellness prescription for people.”
Finding calm in a chaotic world
With so much chaos in the world right now, Nicola feels strongly that it’s more important than ever for people to put their wellbeing first.
“Stress is the real pandemic in the world right now and I think people from all walks of life have stress and everything comes back to stress,” says Nicola.
“Fertility issues, gut issues, long-term chronic illness – if you break it down and go back to stress and look at stress levels, so many things can be helped if you look at anxiety and stress.”
Through her work, especially her group walks, Nicola hopes it will also make people feel more connected.
“We’re the most disconnected socially than we have ever been, even although technically we are the most connected but we’re not,” says Nicola.
“We’re connected to tech and screens but we’re not actually connected as a community anymore.
“That’s something I’m quite passionate about.
“In my garden, I’ve got a circle with rounds of wood and a firepit in the middle and I’ve opened it up for small businesses and creators to come out and have a few hours away from their businesses.
“We’re very disconnected as humans right now so the more we can get people together in person doing things is good.”
One way that is sure to help people connect with their bodies and minds is through Nicola’s ice bath experiences.
“I’m very caring and loving but I’m also encouraging and I like to push people a little toward their comfort zone.
“It’s about saying let’s just face our fears and step a little bit over the edge of our comfort zone sometimes because that’s where the growth is as well.
“I try and be somewhere over the middle pushing but also encouraging gently.”
Wellbeing advice
Asked what advice she would give someone who is keen to improve their wellbeing but isn’t too sure where to start, Nicola says to find something that resonates with you.
“Make the start even if it’s slow like find a breathwork class or a meditation class that resonates with you,” says Nicola.
“Get out of your comfort zone a little bit, find an edge and tip toe over it if you can, that’s always helpful.
“Also get off your phone and go out and actually meet people and connect with nature.
“It’s all about connecting with nature and people.”
Wellbeing diary
What are your top three tips for health and wellbeing?
Consumption – Be mindful of what you consume, from toxins you put on and in your body (choose local and natural wherever possible), even what you listen to and watch. Silence and stillness are your friend.
Connection – We are the most disconnected we have ever been as humans so connect in person with those that light you up. Connect back with nature, most importantly, connect back with yourself.
Completion – Do the work, find out who you really are and release all that stuck, old patterns and beliefs. And prioritise sleep.
Do you incorporate health and wellbeing into your diet?
I eat as seasonally and locally as possible, limit sugar and take slow, deep breaths before eating. This help the stomach go into rest and digest before eating.
Is exercise important to you?
I do natural movement, barefoot walking, running, yoga and hiking. I listen to what my body needs.
Are there any other ways you like to switch off and de-stress?
I do breathwork, barefeet on Mother Earth as often as possible, being still and mindful in nature.
Is there anyone who inspired you when it comes to health and wellbeing?
Tony Riddle aka The Natural Lifestylist, who I am training to be a NatLifeCoach with.
Can you recommend any wellbeing books/ podcasts?
Be More Human by Tony Riddle, Feel Better, Live More podcast with Rangan Chatterjee, Anything by Gabor Maté.
For more information on Wild Wellness check out the Instagram page @wildwellnesscoaching
