What are the opening hours?

Tuesday 4pm - 9pm Wednesday 6pm - 9pm Thursday 4pm - 9pm

http://www.betalksbooks.com/, http://www.elianaregina.com/

Living Talks International, Llantwit Major (Llanilltud Fawr) (2026)

04/09/2026

[Content note: This post discusses su***de awareness. Please take care of yourself as you read. It is okay to skip.]

World Su***de Prevention Day is next Thursday.

Every year it comes around. And every year I wonder how many counsellors or mental health therapists that week will sit with someone in crisis and not have a framework that goes deep enough.

I wrote this chapter for those professionals.

Counsellors. Counselling students. Mental Health & Social workers. Anyone working with someone who is standing at the edge and looking for something more than risk assessment.

To claim your free copy, please click the link in the comments section.

Eliana Regina

13/08/2026

What If Peace Begins With Us?

My Timeline | 2011–2013

By 2011, something had changed.

I wasn't simply rebuilding my own life anymore. I was beginning to understand why I had lived through everything I had lived through — and how those experiences could become something useful for others.

I was working as a school-based counsellor, and I fell deeply in love with the work.

Every day, young people came through my door carrying things many adults struggle to articulate: sadness, confusion, anxiety, self-harm, hopelessness and, sometimes, suicidal thoughts.

This was where something became very clear to me.

I wanted young people to understand that their pain was not their identity — and that ending their life was not the only way to end the suffering.

There are ways through.

And learning to understand, acknowledge and work with our emotions is part of finding those ways.

🌸 This was when the Living Flower was born.

I created a simple four-petal model representing the four dimensions of our human experience:

Physical | Mental | Emotional | Spiritual

At the centre sits our sense of self — the part of us that connects and draws from all four.

I began using this metaphor in my work with young people to help them understand that they are so much more than a body, a diagnosis, a difficult experience, a behaviour or a painful thought.

And something very special happened.

One of the young people I worked with created her own Living Flower on a card and gave it to me.

I will share a photograph of that card alongside this post.

For me, that little flower says more than any certificate ever could.

She understood.

She had taken something I had created and made it her own.

That is what education and empowerment mean to me.

Not telling people what to think.

Giving them tools to discover themselves.

During this period, I also launched Living Talks Wales as my private practice.

And, for those who may be wondering about my professional foundations, yes — I was a full member of BACP, working within its professional guidelines and maintaining appropriate supervision.

I took my professional responsibilities seriously then, just as I do now.

But something else was happening beneath the professional work.

I was becoming increasingly aware that conventional counselling alone did not contain all the answers I was searching for.

My training had given me a foundation.

My life had given me experience.

And my continued exploration was teaching me how to bring the two together.

I began developing my own tools, metaphors, questions and approaches around self-awareness and emotional literacy.

And in 2012, I became a published author.

📖 A Book About Us – Celebrating Diversity

I created the book specifically with children and young people in mind, particularly those navigating the transition from primary to secondary school.

It contains stories, questions and blank pages inviting young readers to write their own story.

Because I believe emotional literacy begins early.

What we learn to recognise, express and process as children doesn't have to become emotional baggage we carry into adulthood.

And then came another beautiful moment.

In 2013, my son was 19.

He sat me down and thanked me for making the difficult decision to return to Wales in 2003 so that he could have a relationship with his father.

That moment brought me full circle.

I had followed my heart.

I had made sacrifices.

I had questioned myself.

But I had never stopped believing that there was something greater unfolding through it all.

And looking back now, I can see the foundations of the work I offer today.

🌱 The Living Flower.
📖 The books.
💬 The conversations.
🧠 The self-awareness.
❤️ The emotional literacy.
🌿 The lived experience.

All of it eventually became part of my R.E.S.I.L.I.E.N.C.E. Framework and Emotions Formula.

Today, I have moved beyond counselling as a profession.

My work is now centred on Self-Awareness and Emotional Literacy training, supporting people who are ready to take personal responsibility for their wellbeing and consciously participate in creating the life they want to live.

Because I believe we cannot create lasting peace in the world while remaining at war with ourselves.

The way out is often the way through.

And if I could find my way through some of the darkest chapters of my life, so can you.

🌻 This is why I created the R.E.S.I.L.I.E.N.C.E. Workshop.

A practical, colourful and experiential space where I share the tools I've developed through decades of lived experience, professional training, personal exploration and working with people.

If you're ready to understand yourself more deeply, navigate your emotions differently and build your resilience muscle, this is your invitation.

📍 CF61 Community Centre, Llantwit Major
📅 Wednesday 16th September 2026
🕖 7pm–9pm
👥 Limited to 10–15 people
💷 Investment: £36

🔗 Booking link in the comments.

To be continued…

🌻 Eliana Regina

10/08/2026

🌱 Sometimes Starting Again Is the Beginning of Becoming
2003–2010 | I Came Back With a Suitcase — And Rebuilt My Life From Scratch

In 2003, I made another difficult decision.

I returned to Wales so my son could have an in-person relationship with his father.

It was the right decision.

It was also one of the hardest decisions I had ever made.

I had spent the previous couple of years rebuilding a life in Brazil. I had a home, work, family, friends, my little language school and, most importantly, my son was thriving.

And now I was leaving it all behind.

Again.

I said goodbye to my family.
I said goodbye to my beautiful cat, Max, who I had taken to Brazil believing we would stay there forever.
I sold what I could.
And I returned to Wales with a suitcase and very little else.

I didn't have a home.

For a while, my son and I stayed with a dear friend. Then we moved into a tiny one-bedroom studio converted from an old stable.

We shared a bed.

And somehow, from that little space, I began rebuilding my life.

But this time, something different was happening.

I knew I needed to understand myself.

I wanted to understand depression.
I wanted to understand trauma.
I wanted to understand human suffering.
And I wanted to understand how people find their way through life's darkest chapters.

While doing my Access course at Bridgend College, I engaged in counselling for the first time as part of the support available through the college.

I continued counselling while completing my counselling qualifications, and when I eventually went to university, the course itself involved a significant amount of personal development.

For the first time, I began consciously processing what I had carried for years:

the loss of Roger,
the trauma of his su***de,
the upheaval of leaving Brazil,
the losses and upheavals of moving between countries,
the trauma of a difficult relationship,
the emotional abuse,
the years of trying simply to keep going.

I wasn't just studying counselling.

I was learning how to meet myself.

And slowly, something began to shift.

I started asking different questions.

Not “Why has this happened to me?”

But:

“What can I learn from this?”
“What do I need to heal?”
“Who am I becoming?”

So I kept going.

I secured a grant, completed my studies, worked as a learning support assistant in schools and as a support worker, raised my son and eventually went on to study counselling at the University of Glamorgan.

In 2010, I completed my degree with a high 2:1 — just 2% short of a First.

And I was immensely proud.

Not simply because of the qualifications.

But because I knew what it had taken to get there.

English wasn't my first language.
Life hadn't exactly given me a smooth runway.

But I kept showing up.

Looking back now, I can see that those years were not simply about rebuilding my circumstances.

They were about rebuilding ME.

And perhaps this is one of the greatest lessons my journey has taught me:

Sometimes starting again isn't going backwards.
Sometimes starting again is the beginning of becoming.

Every chapter was teaching me something.

Every challenge was strengthening a muscle.

And eventually, those lessons became part of the foundations of the work I do today — helping people develop self-awareness, emotional literacy and resilience, so they can stop living on autopilot and begin consciously participating in the life they are creating.

This is why my Resilience Workshop isn't something I created simply from theory.

It has grown from lived experience, deep personal work, professional learning and years of consciously putting the pieces together.

My signature R.E.S.I.L.I.E.N.C.E. FRAMEWORK and Emotions Formula are practical tools born from that journey — designed to help you understand yourself, navigate your emotions and strengthen your resilience muscle.

🌱 If you're ready to stop simply surviving and start consciously shaping your life, this may be your next step.

💛 RESILIENCE WORKSHOP

📅 Wednesday 16th September 2026
⏰ 7:00pm – 9:00pm
📍 CF61 Community Centre, Llantwit Major
👥 Small, intimate group — maximum 10–15 people
💷 Investment: £36

✨ For anyone ready to reclaim their power and learn how to work with their emotions more effectively.

🌱 Especially valuable for young people navigating stress, pressure and confusion in an increasingly fast-paced world.

The booking link will be in the comments.

And remember:

Resilience isn't something you're simply born with.
It is a muscle.
And you can strengthen it.

To be continued… 🌻

08/08/2026

🌎 2001–2003 | WHEN YOUR INNER KNOWING SAYS GO… DO YOU LISTEN?

There are moments in life when the logical mind says one thing…

…but something deeper says, "You know what you have to do."

In October 2001, I listened.

After everything I had been through, I knew I needed to take my son home to Brazil.

Not for a holiday.

Not for an adventure.

To heal. To be supported. To survive.

On 21 October 2001, my son and I left Wales with our belongings, my cat Max, and a one-way ticket to Brazil.

Before leaving, I posted letters to the local authority, my solicitor and my son's father's solicitors, telling them exactly what I had done. I knew there could be consequences. I accepted responsibility for my decision.

I had no permission to take my son.

But I also knew, deep within me, that I had to go.

We flew from Cardiff to Amsterdam and then onwards to São Paulo.

And the following day was my mother's 70th birthday.

I walked into the church with my son and surprised her with flowers during the special Mass celebrated by my cousin, Devair, who was a priest.

That moment remains etched in my heart.

I had come home.

And something began to shift.

Within six months, I was living in a beautiful three-bedroom house in Cambuquira, Minas Gerais, surrounded by family, friends and nature.

And in the garden was an outhouse.

So I turned it into something I had dreamed about for years:

my own language school.

I called it Baby Talks.

I created my own approach to teaching English based on something I had been fascinated by for years—the natural way human beings acquire language.

I taught children, young people and adults.

I also began teaching at CCAA, the Brazilian language-school network whose name officially stands for Centro de Cultura Anglo-Americana, and later at a Waldorf school inspired by the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner.

But I wasn't only rebuilding my career.

I was rebuilding myself.

Reiki entered my life. I trained as a practitioner. I explored energy work, spirituality, alternative approaches to wellbeing and, most importantly, I began consciously exploring the relationship between my mind, emotions and life experiences.

And my son?

He was thriving.

He went fishing.

He swam.

He explored lakes and farms.

He climbed trees.

He experienced freedom.

He was having the kind of childhood I desperately wanted for him.

And I was healing.

Then came another moment that changed everything.

At Christmas 2002, I invited my son's father to Brazil so he could spend time with his son.

He came.

He saw how well our son was doing.

And there was harmony.

The following year, my son and I returned to Wales for the summer.

I remember standing at Bridgend railway station and seeing my son running towards his father…

…and his father running towards him.

They embraced.

And something inside me became absolutely still.

There was no argument in my head.

No pros and cons.

No spreadsheet.

No logical calculation.

Just a very clear inner knowing:

"It's time to come home, Eliana."

I knew my son deserved the opportunity to grow up knowing and loving his father.

And I was now strong enough to make that possible.

So, despite having built a beautiful life in Brazil…

I chose to return to Wales.

My family thought I was completely crazy.

And honestly?

Part of me wondered if they were right.

But I had learned something during those difficult years:

Sometimes resilience isn't about holding on.

Sometimes resilience is knowing when to let go, trust yourself and take the next step.

And that is one of the foundations of the work I teach today.

I'm not sharing these chapters to revisit my pain.

I'm sharing them because every chapter became part of the framework that now helps others find their way back to themselves.

My R.E.S.I.L.I.E.N.C.E. Framework and Emotions Formula were not created from theory alone.

They were forged through lived experience, reflection, healing, learning and decades of discovering what it means to navigate life consciously.

And that's why I've created my Resilience Workshop.

🌱 A safe and nurturing space
🧠 To understand yourself and your emotions
💛 To step out of autopilot
💪 To strengthen your resilience muscle
✨ To reconnect with your own power

RESILIENCE WORKSHOP

📅 Wednesday 16th September 2026
⏰ 7pm–9pm
📍 CF61 Community Centre, Llantwit Major
👥 Small group: 10–15 people maximum
💷 Investment: £36

Who is it for?

For anyone ready to reclaim their power, understand their emotions and develop the resilience to navigate life's challenges more consciously.

And especially for young people navigating the stress, uncertainty and confusion of today's fast-paced world.

🔗 The booking link is in the comments.

If something inside you is saying, "It's time"… perhaps this is your invitation to listen.

To be continued… 🌻
Eliana Regina

04/08/2026

Timeline 1999–2001

‼️When surviving on autopilot became dangerous ‼️

⚠️ A gentle note: This is one of the most personal chapters of my story. If you've experienced depression, trauma or emotional abuse, please read with kindness towards yourself.

By 1999, I had reached a place I never imagined possible.

The years before had been filled with loss, grief, emotional abuse, single motherhood, a traumatic childbirth and the painful end of my relationship with my son's father.

Outwardly, I kept going.

Inside, I was falling apart.

Without realising it, I began numbing the pain with alcohol. What had once been an occasional glass of w**e gradually became a bottle after my little boy had gone to sleep.

I wasn't celebrating.

I was surviving.

Eventually, the weight of everything I had carried became too much.

One day, I reached the point where I simply couldn't see a future. I remember crying out to God—to Life—to whatever loving intelligence exists beyond us—and asking for it all to end.

Then I heard my son's voice.

In that instant something shifted.

I realised that although I had lost hope for myself, I could not abandon this little human who depended on me.

That became the first spark of my return.

I gathered the courage to ask for professional help. I poured my heart out to a GP, hoping someone would help me understand what was happening inside me.

Instead, I left with a prescription and the feeling that my deeper pain had not been heard.

That experience became another turning point.

I decided that alongside any support available, I wanted to understand the roots of my suffering rather than simply silence it.

So began the journey that continues to this day.

I discovered kinesiology.

I found Reiki.

I immersed myself in personal development, psychology, spirituality, emotional awareness and holistic wellbeing.

Not because I wanted another qualification...
..but because I was trying to save my own life.

During this period another painful chapter unfolded.

After moving to a rented house in Llandow so my son could attend a better school, I rented out my own home. My tenant stopped paying rent, and despite every effort, I couldn't regain possession for a long time.

Eventually I lost the house I had worked so hard to buy.

It felt as though life was stripping away everything I had built.

Then came September 11th, 2001.

Watching the world change overnight while carrying my own emotional collapse finally convinced me that I needed to return to Brazil.

I wasn't running away.

I was running towards healing.

I asked my solicitor to help me return home with my son, who asked for the impossible...

I contacted the Brazilian Consulate, who said: Go!

I packed our lives into suitcases and flew back to my family.

Looking back now, I truly believe that decision saved my life.

Today I understand something I couldn't see then:

Resilience isn't about never falling apart.

It's about finding one reason—just one—to keep taking the next step until you find yourself again.

Have you ever reached a point where life felt too heavy to carry?

What helped you take the very first step back towards yourself?

💛 If this chapter resonates with you, perhaps you're ready to stop living on autopilot and begin understanding your emotions instead of simply surviving them.

My Resilience Workshop is a safe, nurturing space where I'll share the tools that helped me rebuild my life—including my R.E.S.I.L.I.E.N.C.E. Framework and Emotions Formula.

✨ If you're ready to strengthen your resilience muscle and reclaim your inner power, I'd love to welcome you. The booking link is in the comments.

Eliana Regina

01/08/2026

🌻 Welcome, August! ☀️

August has arrived... my birthday month.

This month, I celebrate 64 trips around the Sun.

Not 64 years of perfection.
Not 64 years of constant happiness.
Not even 64 "wonderful" years.

They've been 64 years filled with adventures and challenges... moments of deep love and heartbreaking loss... dreams fulfilled and dreams rewritten... times when I felt strong, and times when I wondered how I would ever find my feet again.

Yet here I am.

Still standing.
Still learning.
Still growing.
Still dancing.
Still believing that, no matter what life brings, we always have a choice in how we respond.

Over the years, I've come to realise that joy isn't something we wait for until life finally becomes perfect. Joy is something we create, nurture and share—even through life's storms.

So, as August begins, I choose to show up once again with an open heart, doing my best to spread a little more kindness, a little more hope, a little more music and a little more joy wherever I can.

For many of us across the UK, Europe and North America, August is a month of sunshine, school holidays and making memories.

🌞 Long, warm days
🏖️ Seaside adventures
✈️ Holidays and new discoveries
🏕️ Camping under the stars
🍦 Ice creams and lazy afternoons
🎶 Festivals and music
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Families spending precious time together
💛 Grandparents creating special memories while the children are off school
🌅 Beautiful sunsets that remind us to slow down and appreciate life's simple gifts

Meanwhile, friends in the Southern Hemisphere are embracing the quieter rhythms of winter, while those living closer to the Equator may experience August not through summer or winter, but through the changing patterns of rain and sunshine.

Wherever you are in the world, a new month is always an invitation to begin again.

My wish for you this August is simple:

May you find moments of peace in the busy days.

May you discover beauty in unexpected places.

May you laugh often.

May you love deeply.

May you have the courage to keep going, even when the road isn't easy.

And may you never underestimate the difference your presence can make in someone else's life.

Thank you for being part of my journey.

Here's to another month of living, learning, loving... and making the most of every precious day.

Happy August, everyone! 🌻💛

With awareness,
Eliana Regina 🌻

31/07/2026

1994–1998 | When I Found the Courage to Say "Enough."

My son should have entered a peaceful, loving home.

Instead, the years following his birth became some of the most difficult of my life.

Unfortunately, I had a very traumatic forceps delivery; and his birth left me physically scarred, exhausted, and emotionally vulnerable.

My beautiful mother travelled from Brazil to support me, but after a few weeks she had to return home, leaving me to navigate motherhood largely on my own.

Gradually, my son's father became increasingly controlling.

The warm, supportive man I thought I knew was replaced by someone who wanted to dictate how I lived, what I should do and, ultimately, who I should become: a submissive woman he could control.

Nothing I did seemed enough.

I was criticised.

Belittled.

Made to doubt myself and feel unsafe in my own home.

Looking back, I can see that I slowly began disappearing.

But something inside me refused to give up.

While caring for my young son, I enrolled in Psychology at college.

I discovered Neuro-Linguistic Programming.

I read every book I could find about the mind, emotions and human behaviour.

I wasn't simply studying.

I was searching.

Searching for answers.

Searching for understanding.

Searching for myself.

Ironically, the stronger I became, the more resistance I faced.

The emotional abuse escalated.

Then came intimidation and physical threats.

One day, I realised something that changed everything.

If I wanted my son to grow up knowing what love, respect and emotional safety looked like... I had to show him.

With the support of the police, I made the incredibly difficult decision to have his father removed from my home.

It wasn't the ending I had dreamed of.

But it was the beginning of reclaiming my voice.

Looking back today, I realise resilience isn't always about carrying on.

Sometimes...

Resilience is saying "Enough."

It is choosing peace over fear.

Respect over control.

Freedom over survival.

That decision became another stepping stone on the journey that eventually led me to create my Resilience Workshop.

In this space, I now help others understand their emotions, strengthen their resilience and reconnect with their inner power.

I'd love to hear from you...

Have you ever found yourself in a relationship where you felt controlled, constantly criticised, manipulated, or made to question your own safety and worth?

What helped you recognise it? And, if you did, find the courage to reclaim your life? You can reach me privately.

Resilience isn't about enduring unhealthy situations indefinitely; it's about developing the awareness and emotional tools to recognise them, set healthy boundaries and choose a different path.

Humanity needs us to stand in our power and say NO to anything that violates our right to live in peace and harmony.

Thank you for following my story. If it resonates with yours, I'd love to hear from you and how you managed to navigate it back to safety.

To be continued...
Eliana Regina

28/07/2026

1990–1994 | When Life Leads The Way.

Nothing prepares you for a knock on the door from the police in the middle of the night. A dreary, dark, dreadful November night.

Nothing prepares you for a request to identify the person you love in a hospital morgue, or for the questions of an inquest that follows such a loss.

My sister, Rita, flew from Brazil to be with me. A dear friend came to support me, too. Their presence carried me through those first impossible weeks.

When the funeral was over, I did what felt like the only thing I could do.

I packed my life into suitcases, bought a one-way ticket back to Brazil and prepared to leave Wales forever.

After all... What remained for me here, now that my prince was
gone?

Then, two days before my flight, a letter arrived.

Months earlier, Roger had sent my CV to several organisations, including the WDA (Welsh Development Agency).

Roger was a polyglot, and he believed in me more than I did.

The WDA had passed my details to the former Polytechnic of Wales, who were looking for someone to teach Portuguese to law students preparing for an exchange in Portugal.

The timing felt almost impossible to comprehend.

I went home to Brazil for Christmas, embraced my family, began to grieve... and then returned to Wales to teach for what I thought would be just three months, on a full-time basis from January to March 1991.

Those three months changed the course of my life.

Teaching awakened something in me.

For the first time, I began developing my own ideas about how people learn naturally. Looking back, I can see the first seeds of the educational philosophy I continue to develop today.

When the course ended, more opportunities appeared.

One became two.

Two became four.

Before I knew it, I was working seven days a week for months.
I was clearly on autopilot mode - not only to rebuild my life, but also because keeping busy working was easier than sitting with grief.

Eventually, I joined a small technology company where I worked as an interpreter, translator, and administrator. The role grew far beyond languages. I helped build systems, supported the company's growth, travelled to Portugal, became involved in its management and eventually joined its board of directors.

Slowly, something remarkable happened.

Without realising it, I wasn't simply building a career.
I was rebuilding myself.

In 1992, I bought my first home in Wales. A brand new mid-terrace house in Brynchethin, near Bridgend.

For someone who had once packed a suitcase intending never to return, owning a home here felt unimaginable.

Life, however, wasn't finished surprising me.

I met Doug, whose quiet persistence eventually won me over. We shared a dream of having a family. We started courting, he moved in, we consciously planned to have a baby and, on 28th August 1994, my beautiful son was born.

The woman who had once believed she had lost everything was now holding the greatest gift life could offer.

Looking back, I can see something I couldn't see then.

Resilience isn't a single act of courage.

It's the quiet decision to keep saying "yes" to life, one unexpected opportunity at a time.

And sometimes...

The letter that changes your life arrives just when you're about to leave.

Are you living life... or simply surviving it on autopilot?

So many of us carry the weight of loss, disappointment, or trauma without ever being given the tools to understand our emotions or reclaim our inner power.

That's exactly why I created my Resilience Workshop.
In an intimate group of just 10–15 people, I'll introduce you to my R.E.S.I.L.I.E.N.C.E. Framework and Emotions Formula—the practical approach I've developed through 38 years of lived experience, study and personal growth.

If you're ready to stop letting life happen to you and start responding to it with greater awareness, confidence and resilience, click the link below and book your place today.

📅 When: Wednesday 16th September 2026
🕖 Time: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
📍 Venue: CF61 Community Centre, Llantwit Major
👥 Group Size: Limited to just 10–15 participants
🧠 You'll Discover: My signature R.E.S.I.L.I.E.N.C.E. Framework and Emotions Formula for understanding emotions and building lasting resilience.
💛 Who It's For: Anyone ready to reclaim their personal power, strengthen their emotional resilience and learn practical tools for navigating life's challenges. Especially valuable for young people facing the pressures, uncertainty and emotional demands of today's fast-paced world.
💷 Investment: £36 per person
🔗 Book Your Place: Click the link below to reserve your space.

✨ Don't wait for life to force you to become resilient. Learn the skills that help you respond to life's challenges with greater awareness, confidence and emotional strength.

Eliana Regina

Teen Talks Club
CF61

Living Talks International

04/09/2026

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