Colleen Bryant

"What's often is missing is the conversation. The proactive appointment where you sit down with someone and say:
I want to know what's happening in my body before something goes wrong." Dr Linda Friedland

Your Blood Knows Before You Do The case for blood tests before something goes wrong

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day got me thinking...
We rightly talk about scams, neglect, physical and financial abuse.
But what about the subtle messages that tell people over 60 they should slow down, retire, downsize, or prepare for care?

At 68, I still run a business maybe a couple, write, learn, and make independent plans for the future.

I just met two people today in a laundromat, one 86 and the other 78. The 86 year old offered to help me with folding the sheets. I accepted and I listened recognised a wisdom, resilience that comes with a strong will to live with purpose.

Perhaps one of the greatest forms of elder abuse isn't always obvious. Sometimes it's the assumptions we make about ageing and what older people are supposedly capable of.

What do you think?
Does society underestimate older adults?

I've shared some thoughts today on my blog.

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

Over the years I've met many people supporting a loved one through illness, surgery, treatment, recovery, or a serious diagnosis.
One theme comes up again and again:
"What can I actually do?"
I've written a blog for caregivers who may be feeling frightened, overwhelmed, exhausted, or simply unsure how best to help.
Because while we can't control every outcome, there are still meaningful ways to support someone we love—and ourselves.
You can read it here:

What Can I Actually Do? A Caregiver's Guide to Support | Colleen Bryant Supporting someone through illness can feel overwhelming. Discover practical ways caregivers can support wellbeing, resilience, and hope.

Coming back home to after a long weekend away always welcomes us with a different beauty. Coming down the drive my first word is always - WOW! 🤩

With Two Raw Sisters – I just got recognised as one of their top fans! 🎉

Press Release 📫

A person's postcode should not determine the quality of their mental health support, which is why Rural Women New Zealand submitted on the Draft Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2026-2036 earlier this week.

Read our press release here: https://www.ruralwomennz.nz/news/its-time-to-close-the-gap-on-rural-mental-health-and-wellbeing-outcomes

Hubby just alerted me to a new village that has sprung up
In the last week at our place.

Old ghosts come to visit.
Lee Harris said this in a podcast, and I thought of it again today while reflecting on grief.
We often say we miss someone who has died.
Stephen Jenkinson, in Die Wise, describes grief as loving someone you can no longer see or physically touch.

What a powerful thought.
Perhaps grief is love for the unseen.
That idea also made me think about identity — the versions of ourselves we once were, and the roles we loved.
Young bride.
Traveller.
Mother.
Daughter.
Business owner.
Now grandmother.
Sometimes we grieve people.
Sometimes we grieve seasons.
Sometimes we grieve who we used to be.

We can stand beside another person and assume we know what they are feeling, but we rarely do. The inner world needs kindness, questions, and honest conversation.

I’ve learned not to fight grief.
I give it space, because beneath it there is usually love, connection, and something that mattered deeply.
And when grief visits, I try to ask:
What am I grieving?
Who am I honouring?
What still lives in me because of them?

Can I breathe and make room for another feeling too?
Sometimes the old ghosts come not to haunt us — but to remind us of love.

If grief, change, or life transitions are asking something of you right now, I offer gentle one-to-one conversations