Podcast Summary: From Shutdown to Strength

Stacey Innes, SEND educator and Mum to neurodivergent child discusses healing through sensory rich environments in nature and empowering relationships rooted in trust.

In this heartfelt and inspiring episode, we meet Stacey Innes, Founder of Children Lead The Way CIC, an Outdoor Recovery Centre and Forest School based in Gloucestershire, UK. Stacey shares her moving personal story — a mother’s journey from heartbreak to hope — as she recounts how her son’s acute separation anxiety and emotional shutdown ultimately became the catalyst for creating a nurturing, nature-based recovery space for children.

When Stacey’s son began to withdraw from the world, communication became nearly impossible. She describes those early days with raw honesty — the silence, the fear, and the feeling of not knowing how to reach him. Traditional interventions offered limited support, and it was through gentle patience and a return to nature that Stacey began to witness her son’s reconnection with life.

This powerful experience inspired her to found Children Lead The Way, a unique outdoor recovery centre and forest school where children are invited to heal, explore, and grow through natural play, sensory experiences, and compassionate connection. Stacey explains how being in nature provides a safe, grounding space for children to rediscover trust — both in themselves and in others.

Through her work, Stacey has seen first-hand how stepping outside conventional approaches can open extraordinary possibilities. She speaks passionately about creating environments where children feel truly seen and accepted, not judged or rushed.

As Stacey beautifully puts it,

“When we truly see children and trust them with connection, understanding and patience, they show the most extraordinary gifts. That’s when resilience, confidence and connection grow.”

Throughout the episode, Stacey reflects on what it means to build a community interest company rooted in empathy and empowerment. She discusses the importance of trauma-informed care, the role of nature in emotional regulation, and how her team supports families navigating anxiety, shutdown, and recovery.

Listeners will be inspired by Stacey’s courage to transform personal struggle into a mission that now touches countless families. Her story reminds us that healing doesn’t always happen in classrooms or clinics — sometimes, it begins under the open sky, beside a fire, or through the quiet rustle of leaves.

This episode is a celebration of resilience — of a child’s ability to lead their own recovery when given space, connection, and trust. It’s also a call to reimagine how we see and support children’s mental health, not through control, but through compassion.

Whether you’re a parent, educator, or simply someone who believes in the healing power of nature, Stacey’s story offers deep insight and hope for what’s possible when we let children lead the way.

During the episode, Stacey’s memory took a brief pause while recalling the author of an important quote: “Children do well if they can” (often paraphrased as “Children do the best they can with the skills they have”). Just to confirm — this beautiful insight comes from Dr. Ross W. Greene, clinical psychologist and author. Her memory may have hit pause, but her passion never does!