Women Who Embody: Andrea Hadden
On midlife, nature, water and the quiet power of kindness
At Embodyme, we believe in the power of women learning from women, sharing the rituals, practices and everyday moments that help us live more connected, embodied lives.
Women Who Embody is a monthly series dedicated to women we admire who live with presence, connection and intention.
For this month’s conversation, it was a joy to speak with Andrea Hadden, founder of Guided Growth.
Andrea Hadden is the founder of Guided Growth, a coaching practice born from her belief that together we can find solutions, shift perspective and grow.
With a background in physiotherapy, a health coaching qualification and the lived experience of raising five young adults, Andrea brings science, compassion and deep curiosity to her work. Splitting her time between Christchurch and Auckland, she is embracing her most exciting chapter yet, supporting women at midlife and young adults to navigate change, uncertainty and growth.
Q: What does living an embodied life mean to you?
An embodied life is one where kindness leads the way, kindness to others, but just as importantly, kindness to yourself. It means moving through each day with intention rather than on autopilot, and choosing gratitude as a daily practice rather than waiting for the big moments to feel grateful. For me, an embodied life is a felt experience, noticing what your body needs and honouring it. It is pausing long enough to actually notice the world around you. Sometimes that looks like stopping mid-walk because the light is hitting the trees in a way that takes your breath away and reaching for your camera. Those small moments of presence, really seeing what is right in front of you, are some of the most grounding things I know.
Q: What is one daily ritual that helps you come back to your body?
My go-to is getting outside into green space, even if that is just my garden, with my yoga mat. If time allows, a full yoga flow is wonderful, but on busy days even five minutes of stretching and intentional breathing is enough to bring me back to myself. Movement outdoors is my reset button. The speed of the movement, be it a stroll or a fast-paced downhill run, is not important. It is about listening to your body and what it needs on any given day. Something about fresh air and open sky reminds me that I am a body, not just a mind.
Q: When life feels full, what helps you feel grounded?
When life feels full, I try to catch a sunrise or a sunset. Watching one grounds me like nothing else. There is something about witnessing that daily miracle that stops me in my tracks and reminds me what a privilege it is to have another day. All that colour and light breaking through is a quiet but powerful reminder of our own impermanence. Life is always moving forward, and no matter what challenges are being thrown at you right now, a new day will come. The sun has always risen, and it always will. Nature has a way of putting things back in perspective without saying a single word.
Q: What do you do when you want to feel more energised or uplifted?
I reach out to one of the strong, beautiful women in my life. I am so incredibly lucky to have the most amazing, inspiring women around me. I have been told I am a people collector, and honestly, I wear that as a badge of honour. There is something truly nourishing about combining a walk in nature with a close friend and a good coffee, ideally by the sea. Movement, connection, fresh air, the sound of the water and laughter. There is no supplement, no ritual, no wellness practice that comes close to that combination. It is one of life’s greatest pleasures, and my absolute go-to whenever I need to feel replenished and fully alive again.
Q: What helps you feel deeply rested or restored?
Getting into water.
A swimming pool, the sea, a lake. It almost does not matter. Water has always been my place of joy. The weightlessness, the quiet, the way the outside world simply falls away the moment you are submerged. The sea especially has its own magic. All those minerals, that salt, the gentle resistance of the water against your body. It is transportive. Deeply, quietly restorative in a way that is hard to put into words. Probably why I love summer so much.
And when a swim is not possible? A long steamy shower with rainforest sounds playing, followed by a slow self-massage with Peace oil from Embodyme. That ritual of scent and touch signals to my nervous system that the day is done. Simple, but it never fails.
Q: Which Embodyme ScentState™ are you most drawn to at the moment?
In the morning, after my shower, I reach for Kindness. I breathe it in slowly and use that moment to set an intention, to bring forward a day full of kindness. To the people I will meet, to the work I will do, and to myself. It has become one of my favourite moments of the day. Small, quiet and entirely mine.
Andrea’s Choice: Kindness
Kindness is our nurturing ScentState™, created to support feelings of warmth, compassion and care through the ritual of scent, touch and presence. Kindness is available in Nurturing Body Oil.
