From Deptford to the Amazon - For the final episode in our Joy January mini-series we’re joined by a very inspiring guest. Kwesia, also known as City Girl in Nature, grew up on an estate in South East London and struggled with violence and trauma from an early age but after a life-changing expedition to the Amazon she connected with nature in a way that sparked joy and transformed her perspective on life.  Kwesia is now the award-winning host of the birdwatching podcast ‘Get Birding’. Through this and her initiative ‘City Girl in Nature’ she encourages inner-city kids to connect with nature through local adventures. In this episode, Kwesia explains how her trip to the Amazon helped her realise her capabilities, how nature can be a source of strength and happiness, especially in times of darkness and why she's now on a mission to inspire others to find joy in unexpected places. This is a gorgeous episode to end Joy January. You will immediately want to embrace some element of nature near you! You can subscribe to Kweisa's You Tube channel City Girl In Nature and find more about her story here: https://youtu.be/4P0UQ50yKHc?si=rJsI-dcTTTBfN4ql Her original Rainforest Adventure video is here: https://youtu.be/-bpw5yinOMU?si=E82zy41RGfJxTNUp Kwesia is now an ambassador for the British Exploring Society https://www.britishexploring.org/welcoming-our-new-explorer-ambassador/  Content warning: references knife crime, murder and shootings. GET IN TOUCH Contact us at [email protected] with your emails and voice notes. Changes is a deaf friendly podcast, transcripts can be accessed here: https://www.anniemacmanus.com/changes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.