I decided to call my social enterprise Tortuga Wellbeing because, to put it simply, I love turtles. Tortuga is the Spanish name and it was in Mexico where I forged my connection with sea turtles, so that’s why I have chosen it, despite the word being unfamiliar to many non-latin speakers. I considered using the Mayan word for turtles - ahk - out of my deep reverence for the indigenous peoples of Latin America, but eventually decided on keeping it somewhat recognisable.

Turtles remind us to slow down, and trust our own pace in life - in contrast to the busy Western world that always wants us to be on the go. Turtles symbolise a grounded wisdom, and stability. I feel very strongly about stability being about our inner reality, and not about staying in one place. You can read more about that in my Substack post here. Turtles carry their home on their back, they have everything they need. In a metaphorical sense, so do human beings, we’ve just lost sight of it. Turtles are protection and boundaries, they represent retreat and just being. All the things that my type of ‘wellbeing’ promotes. Being true to you. Turtles travel, and they return home to give birth, which is what I did myself. They also represent longevity and emotional strength.

My tale about a special turtle is what began this spiritual symbiosis: I was living for a time on the magical coastline of Oaxaca in Southern Mexico. It was in the days when there was a reggae bar on the beach in Zipolite, La Isla Bar, and we were sleeping in hammocks on the beach nearby. One night in the early hours when the sea was particularly rough and keeping us awake, I came across a majestic sea turtle frantically digging a hole close to the shore. Myself, a friend and the owner of the bar sat in awe for over an hour, watching this turtle lay its eggs. The bad weather had washed her up on the wrong beach, the turtle sanctuary she was aiming for was 4 kilometres away. She struggled because the sea kept filling the nest she was digging. The bar owner was, with an excited twinkle in his eye, collecting each egg as it was laid. I didn’t have enough knowledge at the time, to know that he didn’t have good intentions. Turtle eggs are an (illegal) delicacy in Mexico. He said he would take them to the sanctuary the next morning and, sensing an untruth, I stated that I wanted to go with him. He agreed, but the next morning when I woke up he had already gone. I never knew what really happened, but I have a sorrowful idea. Since that night, the tortuga has been my guide and my talisman, and I have one tattooed on my back. I swam with them when I was pregnant. There are many causes in this world, and being vegan I wish for protection of all animals, but since that experience on the beach, I support the sanctuaries that are fighting for the protection of these wonderful creatures.

The turtle appears in ancient mythology and for Native Indians the shell of the turtle holds astronomical meaning, with the 13 scutes on its shell representing the 13 moons that we have in one year, and in ancient China turtle shells were used to communicate with ancestors and to predict the future. You can read more about this in my Substack post here.