In this episode, Katie speaks with Sarah Hakewill, a Coastal Coach, Culture & Change Strategist, and Londoner turned seaside dweller, about the power of cold water, community, and the sea as a space for reimagining our lives.
After 40+ years in London, Sarah moved to Margate during a time of personal upheaval and discovered the life-changing magic of daily tidal pool swims. Her journey from burnout to blue health led her to train as a certified Blue Health Coach in 2024 and combine 20+ years of culture change work with nature-based facilitation. Through her work, Sarah helps people and purpose-led businesses reconnect with what matters — through strategic retreats, coaching, and community-building by the sea.
We cover:
How the stillness of the sea created space for healing and self-connection
Why midlife can be the perfect time to rewild yourself and ask what truly matters
The concept of “Naturehood” and building thriving ecosystems of people, purpose, and place
Blue health and “blue mind” as an antidote to burnout and digital overload
The power of tidal pools, cold water, and coastal community
Creative clarity, beginner’s mind, and noticing everyday magic
Making purpose-led work feel joyful, hopeful, and grounded in nature
“Being in the water is one of the only times my neurodivergent brain powers down. It’s like being transported to another universe.” - Sarah Hakewill
Sarah’s work reminds us that slowing down and reconnecting with nature isn’t just self-care, it’s world care. When we create space for breath, for noticing, for deep connection, we begin to imagine new ways of working, living, and caring for each other and the planet. Whether you’re dipping your toes in the sea or tending to a houseplant, every small act of attention counts.
More from Sarah:
Website: https://seaofpurpose.com/
More from Katie:
Instagram: @katietreggiden.1
Website: https://katietreggiden.com/
Blue Health Coaching: https://makingdesigncircular.org/coaching
Nature-inspired poetry: https://brackishbykatietreggiden.substack.com/t/poetry
Resources mentioned:
Exeter University Research about coastal space being more accessible for people in lower socio-economic groups: https://news-archive.exeter.ac.uk/featurednews/title_754908_en.html#:~:text=Coastal%20living%20benefits%20mental%20health,those%20more%20than%2050km%20away.
Blue Mind by Wallace J Nichols (affiliate link)
Going Coastal Blue (Blue Health Coach Training)
Check out my full Bookshop.org podcast reading list to find links to all the books mentioned throughout Season 6 of Brackish.
What next?
If all this talk of defiant hope has got you wondering where you can find some, I have something for you. Cultivating Hope is my three-part mini-course and it’s the three steps I move through whenever I start to feel despair tugging at my edges.
You will move out of ‘fight, flight or freeze’ mode and into a calm and connected state, reconnect with nature, and find aligned actions that you can take now to keep you to remind you that you can make a difference.
In the current climate, hope is an act of defiance, and it’s one I hope you’ll take with me.
