Tracey Marinelli
About Tracey & Hopyard Wood
Here to help you trade screen time for tree time, chaos for calm, and bring a little magic (and mud) back into your life.
Hey, I’m Tracey aka “The Happy Hippy®,” forest dreamer, creative soul, and grateful guardian of Hopyward Wood near Kirk Langley. I hold space for children at my forest school, women, and families to reconnect with nature, themselves, and each other. This reconnection happens through play, ritual, and gentle wellness practices.
How I Found My Way Here…
Life has always nudged me toward learning, healing, and remembering who I am. In 2022, after many years working at a corporate level, I followed a long-held pull into the trees. I qualified as a Level 3 Forest School Leader. That journey rooted something deeper – a truth I’d always known and relied upon: nature holds the medicine we all need.
The Heart of Hopyard Wood…
Hopyard is a small, beautiful patch of Derbyshire woodland where children can learn and play. Women can gather in circle, and anyone can find a moment to simply breathe. Although it started as a Forest School, I knew it would never stay like that. I wanted more for my community, and the land provided more – more connection, more ritual, more soul.
My Approach…
Alongside my Forest School work, I am a qualified health, wellness & grief coach and a mindfulness & meditation practitioner. This work weaves these threads together with one belief at the centre. Everyone – from tiny explorers to women navigating loss, stress, or chronic pain deserves a grounded, nurturing space. They need to feel held and supported. Nature is my co-guide. She does the quiet, steady work. I simply facilitate the journey.
What I’m Creating…
2026 will welcome two deeply heart-led offerings:
Roots & Wings – a family-centred, nature-based programme aligned with the wheel of the year, bringing ritual, rhythm, and connection from Hopward Wood into your home.
JARIC Rising – A soul project born from the love and the loss of both my parents in early 2025. This work honours grief in all its forms – death, divorce, identity shifts, and job loss. It also includes all the quiet endings we don’t always have the words for. A gentler, more mindful way to heal. Held by wisdom, compassion, and by Mother Nature herself.
It Takes a Village…
I’m lucky to collaborate with wonderful friends and experienced practitioners who bring their own magic into the wood. From women’s wellness circles and ceremonies to cacao, meditation, and holistic offerings that support life’s many transitions.
Welcome to the Wood…
Whether you’re here to play, to pause or to find a way back home to yourself, you are so welcome. Come join me – with hands on the trees, heart in the moment.
