Reflecting on 2025 and making plans for 2026

As 2025 draws to a close, I am letting it all land, reflecting deeply, integrating all the learnings and realising that it really was quite a year! The Hive has been open for five, full years and a half. That's long enough to know that it stands a good chance of survival. Which is quite a milestone to celebrate and one heck of a relief! I sold my house, my car and all my possessions in 2019 to go off on a big learning journey with my daughter, Matilda - then 7 years old. I wanted to make my way around the world and see if I could find better ways to 'do' education. For her, for myself and for other families like mine who felt deep down that something wasn't right with the way things were in mainstream schools. I didn't know where that path would lead, but I took the first step anyway. And today I am here, sitting in my dream house with two rescue dogs, two rescue cats, my amazing daughter who is now 13, a partner and a business I feel proud of.

"Trust yourself enough to listen to that whisper inside—the one that doesn’t scream, but softly reminds you of who you are." Rumi

I am deeply grateful for all the beautiful families that put their trust in us, for all the children that shared their joy with us and for the challenges that forced me to fight for what I cherish and believe in.

Here are a few highlights from 2025!

January

A visit from the Kogis. In 2024 we travelled to Colombia and met the Kogi tribe. We bonded over the importance of sitting in rivers and learning to love nature. We became unlikely and solid friends. The Mamu (spiritual leader), his family and friends came to visit us in Cabrera as part of their mission to reconnect sacred sites around the world.

Their trip did not disappoint. We reactivated a sacred site in the cenotes at Laguna Dudu and were rewarded with a comet going overhead that night at a beach ceremony. A moment that I am still not sure I have fully processed. A moment I will remember forever. Melvin visited Colombia and stayed with them for a week in May. There's a whole book that needs to be written about this. Maybe one day!

February

We had an amazing cohort in January and February. 36 children and at least as many parents! We learned about SDG 11 and the kids got really creative. They chose to design inclusive spaces for future kids just like them. We ended up with a new library space, a hangout for teens, a Pokemon club under the stairs, a juice bar, vertical pallet herb garden, outdoor water feature and a shop in the mini-hive that has remained standing all year and become many things since. We made bowls from higueros at survival club, learned how to do spiritual cleansings from our Kogi friends and made friends and memories that will last a lifetime!

March & April

We learned about SDG 8 - decent work and economic growth. The children all built regenerative businesses that knocked it out of the park at the local market.

• GenerosiTEA: Herbal blends from the Hive garden.

• Kiskeya Cacao: Hot chocolate drink made 100% by hand

• RegenBITES: Chocolatey, coconut bites of deliciousness. 100% organic.

• Taino Chips: Hand-made corn chips served with garden-grown salsa.

• Bold Bros: A web-site for purchasing the above products and informing consumers of their organic, regenerative nature.

  
  

May & June

June is our Ocean Heroes Adventure. 3 weeks of hands-on, marine-biology around the coast of Cabrera with local school children. Every family that joins the Hive contributes to the scholarship fund, so we educate future generations of local changemakers too. We had two amazing marine-biologists with us this year. Ella, who had been studying mangroves for 3 years and was beyond delighted to finally see mangroves in real life, and Brittini - an experienced and exceptional marine biologist who took the Hive practitioner training the year before. Together they made it the most magical Ocean Heroes adventure yet! We visited the underwater statue of Atabey - Taino goddess in Sosua, reforested mangroves, replanted rivers, cleaned beaches and rivers and learned how to better care for ourselves, the oceans and one another.

July

This year we didn't pop-up in Colombia or Spain, we went off on a learning adventure of our own. Matilda wanted to experience a big secondary school, so we headed back to the UK and, as part of an exchange program that we run with an English secondary school, she spent some time in year 7! Shoes, uniform and lessons that last an hour. It couldn't be further from the barefoot, free-flowing education model she is used to. She loved many things about the experience (minus the shoe-wearing and bells), so we will be weaving in some more travel and formal learning opportunities over the coming years too! It was a real growth moment for us both!

August

We touched down in Dominican Republic and headed straight off on a Survival Camp! We had so much fun! We learned fire-making and foraging skills and then put our new skills to the test. We also reforested a section of river, went night fishing for shrimp and fish and camped out under the stars. The next day we returned to The Hive, learned a few more skills, then packed up again and headed to the beach, where we strung hammocks between the palm trees, built a huge campfire and set about foraging for wild pineapples, plantain, mangoes and herbs and catching fish for our supper. A second night under the stars, a very welcome evening meal of lobster, salad and fried plantain. We slept satiated and satisfied that the younger generation will be able to thrive in the wild when they're older.

September & October

September marks Peace Day. This year we made a peace sign on the Malecon in Cabrera. I was also invited to take part in a series of interviews with the founder himself, Jeremy Gilley. To say I am a fangirl is understating it somewhat. He is one of the big inspirations in my educational journey. You can find the interview on Youtube if you want to see what flustered Kate looks like!

Miss Beth also returned to the Hive to lead The Hive Hangout. She came with her daughter, Grace who was a Hive student four years ago! Older sister, Blossom also visited and it was wonderful to have the gang back together again! Beth led the learning for the younger children at the Hive Hangout. They had an absolutely amazing experience. No one does early years education quite like Miss Beth! It was an educational smash-hit, and I'm really pleased that we tried it. However it was catastrophic from a business perspective so we won't be continuing! Instead I am inviting families to use the Hive campus in our quiet months to form their own community / hub. It's a low-cost, inclusive way to form community, live regeneratively and soak up some of the magic that Cabrera has to offer. I'm excited to see how it evolves.

November & December

In November and December the Hangout continued, I went on podcasts aplenty, we celebrated Matilda's birthday, my son came to visit and we spent a lot of time fixing up the Hive campus ready for 2026. We have Starlink, newly painted walls, lots of new plants in the garden, an allotment where we grow our own yucca, corn & yaurtia and a shade for the meditation chairs that the Kogi Mamu made for us a year ago. I feel like this recap barely scratches the surface of all that we achieved and all that we learned this year. Writing it has made me feel deep gratitude for all those who have made this possible. I cannot thank you all enough for your support, guidance and adventurous spirits. As 2026 opens up in front of me I find myself feeling more grounded and confident, stronger and wiser than ever. I am looking forward to making more friends, having more adventures, learning more about how learning works and coming up with new ideas to help more Changemakers realise their dreams too.

Thank you for reading.

Wishing you all an adventurous, healthy and abundant 2026.