The People Behind
THE HEALING LINK
Bringing together professional experience, lived understanding and a shared commitment to wellbeing, we help make holistic support easier to navigate.
Shelley James
Co-Founder
Shelley is a former NHS medical secretary, Reiki Practitioner and co-founder of The Healing Link. With both professional and lived experience of navigating wellbeing support services, she understands how overwhelming it can sometimes feel to find the right guidance. Through The Healing Link Shelley hopes to make holistic wellbeing easier to explore, while helping create meaningful connections between individuals and trusted practitioners.
I’m Shelley, co-founder of The Healing Link. My background includes working for the NHS as a medical secretary, where I saw first-hand how difficult it can sometimes be for people to access timely, appropriate support – particularly when their experiences or needs don’t fit neatly into conventional pathways. It also gave me a real appreciation for the professionals working within those systems, many of whom genuinely want to help but are often limited by time, resources and increasing demand.
Alongside my professional experience, I’ve also had lived experience of supporting others through difficult daily challenges and helping them navigate the often overwhelming process of finding the right guidance, support and wellbeing approaches to enrich their lives.
From a young age, I have always had a natural desire to help people feel better within themselves, and over time this developed into a growing interest in wellbeing from a more holistic perspective. This eventually led me to train as a Reiki Practitioner and explore complementary approaches that recognise the deep connection between emotional wellbeing, life experiences, the nervous system and physical health.
I believe healing is rarely one-size-fits-all and that holistic and conventional approaches can work alongside each other in supportive and meaningful ways. I also believe wellbeing should feel less overwhelming, and that people deserve access to compassionate guidance that helps them feel more informed, supported and empowered in finding the path that feels right for them.
The Healing Link was created from a desire to help bridge these gaps – making holistic support feel more accessible while also creating a supportive and ethical space where practitioners feel genuinely valued in the work they do.
At its heart the platform is about connection, compassion, collaboration and helping people feel a little less alone while navigating their wellbeing journey.
Kelly White
Co-Founder
Kelly is a community organiser, support group facilitator and Reiki Level 2 Practitioner, with over 30 years of administrative and organisational experience. She is passionate about helping people feel heard, supported and empowered to explore their wellbeing. Through the Healing Link Kelly hopes to make holistic support more accessible and easier to navigate.
My journey into wellbeing and community support has been shaped by both professional experience and personal understanding.
For over 30 years I have worked in administrative and organisational roles, including supporting military housing on a Ministry of Defence contract in the South West. Community has always been important to me, I have spent the last 4 years volunteering in an organisational role for my child’s school PTFA.
Today I run a support group for people living with Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS, both online and in person. Creating spaces where people feel heard, supported and understood has become something I care deeply about. I am also part of a supportive network of parents raising neurodivergent children and have spent the last decade navigating the realities of that journey myself.
My interest in holistic wellbeing began many years ago when I co-owned a crystal shop and our family ran a healing centre where people could find support, access holistic therapies and learn new wellbeing skills.
I am a Reiki practitioner and I continue to explore ways people can support their wellbeing. I recently completed a Level 2 Certificate in Digital Marketing, helping me better understand the online landscape practitioners now need to navigate.
Over time I have noticed how difficult it can be for people to find the right support. Many feel unheard, unsure where to start, or overwhelmed by the process of navigating different services. At the same time many skilled practitioners would rather spend their time supporting people than managing websites and online visibility.
My perspective was also deeply shaped by watching my Mum’s health decline before she sadly passed away from an undiagnosed condition. That experience sparked a lasting curiosity about how the body works and how we can better understand and advocate for our own wellbeing.
I strongly believe in compassion, connection and empowering people to make informed choices about their health. The Healing Link was created to help bridge the gap between people seeking support and the practitioners who can help them – making wellbeing more accessible and easier to navigate.