Gatherings FOR DOCTORs

Give yourself the gift of Space and time.

Let your nervous system unwind,
your mind settle,
and your heart come home.

No striving. No fixing.
Just space to reconnect,
to feel held,
and simply be

Earth and Bloom logo featuring a stylized tree with leaves, alongside the words "Earth and Bloom" and a slogan "ground, connect and flourish."

Enjoy a moment to pause, escape the noise, to slow down and observe. Embrace a sense of connection, together as a group as we ground ourselves and share an easeful space.

For doctors longing for connection, for beauty, for a return to their truest self, these gatherings are a place to come home.

Sometimes what doctors need most is simply this: to be seen and heard by others who truly understand.

In a professionally held, compassionate space, you're invited to slow down, think freely, and reconnect with who you are beyond the clinical role. Whether we gather in nature or indoors, the heart of this space remains the same - reflection, belonging, and restoration.

I will hold this space with care, so that together we can notice and appreciate what matters.

A person adjusting purple flowers outdoors, wearing a floral blouse and jeans.
Minimalist line drawing of a tree with leaves inside an oval

“I found I could say things with colours and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way- things I had no words for”

- Georgia O’Keeffe

Close-up of a person holding a red maple leaf with yellow and green hues, standing on a ground covered with fallen autumn leaves in various shades of brown, yellow, and green.
“The human soul is hungry for beauty; we seek it everywhere - in landscape, music,
art, clothes, furniture, gardening, companionship, love, religion, and in ourselves.
When we experience the beautiful, there is a sense of homecoming.”
— John O'Donohue
Cozy indoor room decorated with candles and cushions, with large glass doors showing an outdoor view of trees at dusk.
An autumn-themed wreath made of leaves, berries, and twigs, arranged in a circle on a tiled floor, with a pine cone in the center and some candles and a black candle holder inside the wreath.
Person holding a lit candle in a glass container, with other candles in the background near a window.
A logo featuring a stylized tree with leaves inside an oval frame, above the text 'Earth and Bloom'.
Animated dinosaur walking and waving on a white background.
Child lying on bed reading a book titled 'Flowers' with an illustration of a flower on the cover, wearing a brown jacket and red and white striped pajamas.

Rest in Medicine: The Summer Solstice Retreat


A restorative two-night midsummer sanctuary for doctors.

19th- 21st June 2026

Langcliffe Hall

Settle
North Yorkshire

Hosted by Dr Alison Smith of Earth & Bloom
and Charlotte Bell of NourishHQ

Find out more
Black dog running through snow, snowy landscape
Four girls standing in a green field, with their backs to the camera, forming heart shapes with their arms while holding hands under a blue sky.

FLORESCENCE: A Sister Circle For women doctors

Dates:

Thursday 16th April 2026 & Thursday 10th September 2026

6.30 - 9pm

Riverbank Burnsall, Village Green, Burnsall, BD23 6BS

For women working in Medicine.

Who hold space for so many, who lead with strength and carry quiet tenderness. Who move through life with wisdom, and still long for something more..

Not another meeting, not another role to play.
But a circle, a sanctuary. A return to self, and to sisterhood.

If you’ve been yearning for rest, for connection beyond the clinical, for a place to breathe and simply be...

FIND OUT MORE
Woman wearing blue headphones and white sweater lounging on a couch, listening to music.
Woman with red hair wearing rings and red nail polish, with hands placed on her chest.

AN ONLINE WORKSHOP FOR Women DOCTORS

Anxiety & Shame in Medicine

Two GPs. Two stories. One honest conversation and a space for yours.

Dr Alison Smith Of Earth and Bloom

and

Dr Connie Kerali of Speak Shame

Anxiety and shame are two of the most universal experiences in medicine 

and two of the most isolating, precisely because they go unspoken.

If you have ever felt like you were not quite enough, worried that others might find you out, or carried a quiet sense of dread into a clinical shift - you are far from alone. Most doctors have felt this.

Very few have ever had a space to say so.

This workshop was born from a conversation between two GPs who found each other through shared experience. In their podcast episode together, Alison and Connie spoke openly about how anxiety and shame had shaped their lives in medicine - the perfectionism, the isolation, the weight of expectations from others and from themselves. The response told them this conversation needed to go further.

This is that next step.

Find out more
Woman wearing blue headphones and white sweater lounging on a couch, listening to music.
Two people shape clay into small balls and a rod in a pottery workshop.

AN ONLINE WORKSHOP FOR DOCTORS

shaping self compassion

A hands on creative clay workshop

Dr Alison Smith Of Earth and Bloom

and

Dr Paula Redmond Clinical psychologist &

host of When work hurts podcast

When we make something, we reconnect with a quieter, more creative part of ourselves. It is often in that space that self-compassion becomes possible.

Medicine asks a great deal of us. We are trained to hold the suffering of others with skill and presence, yet rarely given space to tend to ourselves.

Caring for others is part of who we are. Yet directing that same warmth towards ourselves is something many of us find genuinely hard.

This workshop offers something different. Held online in a small, confidential thinking circle, for doctors only, it is an invitation to slow down, create, and reflect.

Using air-dried clay and natural foraged materials, you will make two small pieces across the evening. The process of making becomes a way in: into your own inner narrative, your relationship with self-compassion, and the quieter questions that clinical life rarely leaves room for.

Find out more
Map with outline of South America and highlighted Ecuador
Purple salvias

Gather in the garden

DATES: By Appointment

Join me in my Yorkshire garden as we take time to ground ourselves, observe and gather. Allow yourself to reconnect with and appreciate the beauty of nature and the world around you.

Nature invites us to be present in the moment. Learn to notice and trust your intuition with her by your side. The garden and all we find within it are a gateway for meditative moments, heart warming joy, and exploration of creativity.

A bespoke offering, for individuals, or a small group, please do get in touch to discuss your requirements.

Find out more
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Close-up of moss-covered rock with small white flowers and blurred forest background.

Nature based workshops for doctors

a collaboration with ‘make it wild’

Dates: by arrangement

The tranquil surroundings of Make it Wild’s Bank Woods provide the ideal location for workshops and gatherings where they provide opportunities for group coaching, thinking circles, mindfulness walks in nature, talks about the health benefits of nature and shared wisdom about their career paths and lessons learnt along the way. 

Find out more
animated scene with three people discussing in an office setting
Misty tree in field

Rooted

Dates: By Appointment

Explore your relationship with place. Feel grounded where your feet are landed on the earth and take time to think about who you really are and truly want to be.

Understand more about what makes you, you. Uncover your story, the one about the unique special person you are.

We will walk in nature, taking time to connect with and appreciate the strength and wisdom of ancient trees, the embodiment of beauty and power.

Feel grounded, nurtured and at ease.

A one to one experience with me in beautiful Yorkshire, close to the Dales

Find out more

What Others Say

  • “Wow. I could not have predicted the quite profound effect Alison's Purusha retreat was going to have upon me. After a difficult year due to some painful experiences, I had been getting through life a day at a time for some months, until I finally committed to this day of personal wellbeing in September.

    Everything about the day was wonderful. The location; the themes and core messages of the day; the pace; the selected activities; the delicious food; the power of the surrounding nature and most of all an environment that facilitated connection and authentic communication with compassionate humans. 

    Afterwards, I felt lighter. Something happened during that day and some of the heaviness I had been carrying lifted. It was a true reminder of the power of nature; time; space; breathing and of human connection. 

    Huge thanks to Alison for creating such a positive and life affirming day.”

    HW, General Practitioner

  • “This nourishing retreat was held in a truly magical place in the Lincolnshire countryside - tranquil, peaceful and beautiful. Alison held the space for us, beautifully. As a group we connected with nature, each other and ourselves. I loved being creative with the flowers in the afternoon session, many of them grown by Alison. Connecting to the texture and beauty of the flowers…. The whole day felt like a moment to step back, connect to our senses and think about what truly matters to us. Thank you for a wonderful day Alison.”

    MP

  • “To say I had a meaningful experience recently is an understatement. 

    I’ve come to know Alison as a calming presence; someone who actively listens, in a way which makes you feel ‘held’. 

    I was her guest at the beautiful venue of @purusha_retreats for a day connecting with nature, linking with myself and others. The light sparkled all day, amongst the reeds of the lake and on wild flowers in such a peaceful space, ideal for the connection and rejuvenation which became a theme of the day.

    The view over the lily-pad decorated lake makes the tea hut one of the many  beautiful spaces to spend time in, and I also loved creating nature mandalas in amongst trees, and being gently guided to create a very free hand tie with Alison’s very own home grown beautiful flowers. I brought home a bunch of botanicals carefully selected from the grounds and local woodland including, wind dancing grasses and skeleton leaves which I’m always so drawn to forage for. 

    Alison’s aim is to create a space that is free from rush or urgency where we can all do our best thinking and the day did just that. I spent time with welcoming women who knew the day was a confidential place to explore what was most meaningful to us. 

    I saw a green woodpecker as I left the venue, after my day with Alison, which was an incredible end to a special day.”

    SF

  • “Alison creates a calm and serene space for her joyful and restorative workshops – I felt at peace immediately and embraced the rare opportunity to listen and connect with everyone present, and of course, the stunning seasonal home-grown flowers, herbs and foliage. Everyday life was left at the door and these few hours were a real treat for my well-being.

    Alison is naturally skilled at bringing together the connection between nature, creativity and exploring our own selves. She does this with great sensitivity and empathy. So much care is taken to choose a space that works in harmony with the workshop. Each stem felt like it had been individually selected with love.

    The joy of being able to take time out to create my own floral display, reflect and connect among these stunning blooms is something very special. I came away feeling calm and rejuvenated.”

    VK

  • Alison’s Quiet Beauty of Winter Workshop was a little bit of real life magic. She recreated the wild, untamed beauty of a winter woodland in a lovely old mill and brought together a group of women, many of whom had never met before, through a shared love of nature. Alison’s warmth and openness made everybody feel safe to share their thoughts and feelings, and to create freely; guided and inspired by nature. It was a true privilege to hear from each person and to see what everybody created. I found connection with likeminded women and left the day feeling soothed, restored and inspired.

    NM, Doctor