How trusting my intuition and listening to animals changed my life
The truth is, it wasn’t something I consciously decided one day. It wasn’t a career I planned or even knew existed when I was growing up. Instead, it feels as though it was something I slowly remembered. When I look back over my life, I can see that the signs were always there. My connection with animals has been woven through every stage of my journey, long before I had the words to explain what I was experiencing.
My First Experience of Animal Communication
My earliest memory of what I now recognise as animal communication happened when I was just three years old. I was playing outside in the garden when a burnt orange snake with black markings approached me. It gently wrapped itself around my body and, although many people would imagine that to be frightening, I didn’t feel afraid for even a moment. I felt completely calm, peaceful and somehow safe.
When it eventually moved away, I ran indoors to tell my parents. My dad found a book of snakes, and I immediately pointed out the one I had seen. Years later, I discovered that the previous owner of our house had kept many snakes, and I came to believe that what I had encountered wasn’t a living snake at all, but the spirit of one that had passed.
Looking back now, I can also see another layer to that experience. Around the same time, my sister was about to be born and life as I knew it was changing. The symbolism of the snake—transformation, change and rebirth—feels incredibly fitting. Even at three years old, something inside me was beginning to awaken.
Growing Up Surrounded by Animals
I grew up in a small village in Derbyshire, in a three-bedroom semi-detached house at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, with fields stretching out behind the garden. Nature was simply part of everyday life and animals were always around us. My first pets were a black-and-white Netherland Dwarf rabbit called Flopsy and a guinea pig whose name, sadly, I’ve forgotten over the years. We also had cats, chickens and even a duck called Daffy, who regularly wandered into the house and happily sat by the fire as though he completely belonged there.
Looking back, I realise those simple childhood experiences shaped far more of who I became than I ever appreciated at the time. Like many children, I had big dreams. Mine was to become a Chinese-speaking vet… with purple hair! It still makes me smile now, but I can see there was something much deeper hidden within that dream. The vet represented my desire to help animals. The purple hair feels symbolic of intuition and spirituality, while the Chinese language somehow seems connected to the energy work I would later discover through Reiki and Eastern philosophies. In many ways, I never abandoned that childhood dream—it simply evolved into something I couldn’t yet imagine.
Always Knowing What Animals Needed
People often ask me when I realised I could communicate with animals. The honest answer is… I didn’t. I simply assumed everyone experienced animals the way I did. I always seemed to know what they were thinking, how they were feeling or what they needed. It felt completely natural.
When I was growing up, my dad preferred the cats to stay outside. I remember building little shelters for them because I worried about them being cold or lonely. They probably didn’t need my help at all, but something deep inside me felt responsible for their wellbeing. That instinct to protect, to listen and to understand animals wasn’t something I learned. It was simply part of who I was.
The Path I Thought I Was Supposed to Take
As I grew older, life naturally pulled me away from that connection. I convinced myself I wasn’t clever enough to become a vet, despite that childhood dream. Looking back now, I couldn’t have been more wrong. I went on to complete both a degree and a master’s degree, although I struggled quietly for many years with dyslexia. At the time, I viewed it as a weakness because memorising information didn’t come easily to me.
It wasn’t until much later that I realised something important. The work I was meant to do was never about memorising facts—it was about feeling, sensing and listening. What I once believed was holding me back had actually been preparing me for the work I do today. The way I naturally process information has become one of my greatest strengths, allowing me to tune into what can’t always be explained with words alone.
When Life Cracked Everything Open
Like so many people, I don’t think I truly stepped onto my path until life forced me to stop and reassess everything. For me, that turning point came with the breakdown of my first marriage. Up until then, my life looked exactly how I thought it was supposed to. University. Career as a public health nutritionist. Marriage. House. From the outside, everything appeared successful, but inside, something didn’t quite fit.
During that period, two remarkable dogs entered my life—Maddy and Scarlett. They weren’t simply pets; they became my greatest teachers. Before Maddy even came into my life, I kept seeing visions of a black dog. When she eventually arrived, she wasn’t quite what I’d imagined and, to put it politely, she was incredibly hard work. Yet she changed everything. She challenged me, taught me patience and resilience, and gently led me back towards myself.
Rebuilding My Life
Within two weeks of my husband leaving, I discovered I was pregnant with my daughter, something I had long dreamed of. It was one of the most emotionally challenging years of my life, but it was also the year everything began to fall into place. Sometimes the moments that seem to break us are actually creating the space for something new to emerge.
A few years before, I had already started exploring Reiki, completing both my Level 1 and Level 2 training. I’d also been attending psychic development circles since my early twenties, but suddenly everything began to deepen. My intuition became stronger, my connection with animals became clearer and, more than anything, it felt as though I was remembering who I truly was.
One thing became absolutely certain. I wanted to dedicate my life to helping animals and the people who loved them understand each other more deeply.
Taking the Leap
A few years later, after meeting my now husband and settling into family life, I began seriously thinking about changing careers. Then, on the eve of my thirty-second birthday, life gave me the push I needed—I was made redundant.
At the time it felt frightening. Looking back, I can honestly say it was one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever received. With my daughter just starting school, I took the biggest leap of my life and started my own business as a professional animal healer and communicator. There was no perfect plan, no certainty, just a deep knowing that this was where I was meant to be.
Since then, I’ve had the privilege of working with thousands of animals and their guardians, teaching courses, writing books and supporting people from all over the world. None of it was part of my original plan, but every step has felt like another piece of the puzzle falling into place.
What This Journey Has Taught Me
This path hasn’t always been easy. It has challenged me, stretched me and asked me to trust myself in ways I never thought possible. There have been moments of self-doubt, difficult cases, emotional goodbyes and times when I’ve questioned whether I was good enough.
But if there’s one thing animals have taught me, it’s that healing is never just about fixing something that’s broken. It’s about creating understanding, compassion and connection. Again and again, I’ve witnessed that when an animal begins to heal, something also shifts within the person who loves them. Healing becomes something shared.
The greatest lesson animals have given me is that they are incredibly wise. They live in the present, they don’t pretend to be anything they’re not, and they continually remind us to slow down and reconnect with what really matters.
Can Anyone Learn Animal Communication?
One of the biggest misconceptions I come across is that animal communication is a special gift that only a handful of people possess. I don’t believe that’s true. I believe every one of us has the ability to connect with animals on a deeper level. Like any skill, it develops with practice, patience and an open mind.
It’s not about becoming someone different. It’s about slowing down, being present, listening without expectation and learning to trust what you feel. The connection is already there. Most of us have simply forgotten how to notice it beneath the noise of everyday life.
A Final Thought
If you’ve found your way to this blog, perhaps it isn’t by accident. Maybe you’re looking for answers about your own animal. Maybe you’re hoping to deepen your bond with them. Or perhaps you’re beginning to feel the quiet pull towards this work yourself.
Wherever you are on your journey, trust that you’re exactly where you need to be. Animal healing and communication is never about replacing veterinary care. It works alongside it, helping us understand our animals on a deeper emotional, energetic and spiritual level while strengthening the relationship we share with them.
When we slow down enough to truly listen, we often discover that our animals have been guiding us all along. They have certainly guided me, and I will always be grateful that I chose to follow where they led.
