Tuffnell Mind and Body

Dont forget about the lovely ally and all she offers in the heart of henderson..stepping inside her studio is truly magic ✨️ 💛 xx

A LITTLE ANNOUNCEMENT FROM ME

Kia Ora whānau,

Due to the amazing response and the steady flow of bookings, I’m so happy to announce that Ive decided to act on my highest excitement, taking it as far as i can with no insistence on the outcome & having trust in the universe, by Semi Retiring from Dentistry & opening Maitreyah’s Healing Studio FULL-TIME from Monday 5th October 2026!

Times are financially tough for many people these days, which is exactly why I created space where treatments are community-focused, affordable and accessible — because every BODY deserves the opportunity to take some time for themselves & their wellbeing naturally.

To help me continue offering what I love & keeping my studio going, all I ask is that you share my studio with your friends and whānau & book in when you’re ready.

I look forward to seeing you soon.
From our genuine loving open heart
Alamein & Maitreyah 💚💚

🌿 Menopause: we need to talk about it differently.

There is still so much shame, silence and bu****it surrounding menopause.

Women are labelled moody, difficult, emotional, anxious, irrational, hormonal — as though something has gone wrong with us.
But what if we stopped treating menopause as something that happens to women, and started talking about it as a significant transition through which women move?

I recently watched Robyn Malcolm: Menopause and Us, and so much of the kōrero resonated.

Menopause can feel a little like the opposite of puberty.
During puberty, hormones surge as we move into adulthood.
During perimenopause and menopause, hormones fluctuate and decline as our bodies move into another stage of life.
And holy sh*t… you can feel it.
The rage.
The anxiety that suddenly seems to have no ceiling.
The sleep disruption.
The brain fog.
The changes in our bodies.
The emotional intensity.
The feeling that we don't quite recognise ourselves anymore.

For some wahine, it can be incredibly difficult.
And yet, for many, there can also be something incredibly powerful on the other side.
A shedding of expectations.
A clearer sense of self.
Less tolerance for bu****it.
Stronger boundaries.

A willingness to say actually, this doesn't work for me anymore.
And perhaps, for the first time, permission to become a more authentic version of ourselves.
I see pieces of this in my work with kiritaki, and I recognise it personally too.

So maybe we need to stop asking, “What's wrong with her?”
And start asking:
“What is she moving through?”
Menopause isn't a dirty word.
Getting older isn't a failure.
And becoming more fully ourselves isn't something we should apologise for.
🌿
Tuffnell Mind & Body

Supporting someone you care about through challenges with alcohol or other drugs can be tough. You don’t have to manage it alone.

SMART Family & Friends is a free weekly group where whānau and friends can connect, share experiences and learn practical strategies.

📍 4/3029 Great North Road, New Lynn
📅 Every Tuesday
🕟 4.30pm–6pm
💙 Free—no registration needed

Nau mai, haere mai.

Happy Social Workers Day 💚

I became a social worker because people matter.

Because sometimes life gets messy, complicated and overwhelming — and having someone walk alongside you can make all the difference.

After more than a decade in this mahi, I’m still grateful for the privilege of sitting alongside people, hearing their stories, recognising their strengths and supporting them to find their own way forward.

Social work is relationships.
It’s advocacy.
It’s culture, connection, whānau and community.
And above all, it’s people.

He tangata, he tangata, he tangata. 💚

🌿 CULTURAL SUPERVISION

Cultural supervision is more than wearing your pounamu.

It’s about taking the time to reflect on how we think, how we act, how we relate to others, and what we bring into our mahi.
For me, it creates space to reconnect with my whakapapa, whānau, values and lineage, and to consider how these shape the social worker I am and the way I walk alongside others.

Cultural identity isn’t something we simply talk about — it should be reflected in the way we practice.

My approach is grounded in He Awa Whiria, weaving together different strands of knowledge and experience, alongside Te Whare Tapa Whā, recognising the interconnectedness of our wellbeing.

Cultural supervision gives us permission to pause, question, learn and grow — and to make sure our practice remains culturally safe, authentic and true to who we are.
Because for me, wearing my pounamu is a reminder of where I come from.

Cultural supervision reminds me to honour it in how I live and how I mahi. 💚
Ko wai au?
Ko wai tātou?

Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori | Social Workers Day ❤️

This week brings together two things that are deeply connected to my mahi — celebrating te reo Māori and recognising the important role of social workers in Aotearoa.

For me, being a social worker means more than supporting people through difficult times. It means understanding our history, respecting whakapapa and identity, and upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi through the way we practise.

Te Tiriti isn't something we acknowledge once a year. It should influence how we listen, build relationships, work alongside whānau, and challenge systems that create inequity.

We don't need to know everything. But we do need to be willing to listen, learn, reflect and do better.

He waka eke noa. ❤️

Ngā mihi to all social workers and those keeping te reo Māori alive and thriving.