Stephanie Defregger
on Inner Healing through Soul Photography
“I need to be patient for the Soul to reveal itself. Waiting calmly, creating a safe space with gentle and unusual questions that invite the Soul to come forward and show its true authentic self.”
With an imagination bigger than the ocean, Stephanie Defregger has always been able to see the Soul of the world through her eyes of wonder. She would feel and sense things others would not, connecting genuinely with anyone, anywhere, anytime. That heightened sensitivity of “feeling” led her towards the most magical encounters. The first time she felt the taste of inner freedom was near the glorious Dolomites: “This love for the forest, the balance of a healthy ecosystem and the force of the mountains was like a tattoo crafted on my skin.”
Answering nature’s calling and walking in her great-great grandfather’s footsteps, Franz von Defregger, a famous painter, Stephanie decided to go where her heart told her to. After experimenting with contemporary painting in Australia, a heartbreak followed. Her creativity and honesty helped her glue the broken pieces back together exactly how Japanese glue broken vases with golden lacquer in the Kintsugi art form of repair: “The simple act of being in nature can heal you organically: with space, love, and time. There is no difference between feeding your heart with what it needs and desires than letting a field rest for one year to give it the time to regenerate back to health.”
In New Zealand, Stephanie exchanged the brushes for a camera. She became a Soul Photographer, speaker, author and “camera whisperer” for people of impact who love the planet as much as she does: “Regeneration is a sacred process. If we want to enable to see more of it, we first need to start within, in our hearts. It is an enabling of old wisdom, listening and following the heart. From there it will have a ripple effect to the outside world.”
We can talk about our carbon footprint, but Stephanie invites us to reflect upon the emotional and mental footprint that we put on this planet: “Tread lightly! We need to look deep into our misuse within, our exploitation within, our toxicity within, our imbalance of the feminine and masculine within. We need to fix that first - with gentleness, compassion, and time.”
Her upcoming book, “Steph’s World”, is an open door that welcomes us into the hidden chambers of her heart to savour the wisdom of nature and regenerative remedies she discovered: “You cannot rush winter to have the warmth of spring. You cannot rush regeneration. You need to trust that the right impulses from your intuition will come at the right time. Make space to slow down and listen. Too often we want to rush things, but nature has its own rhythm.”
Read Stephanie Defregger’s answers for Inspirators, wear your soul proudly and connect to the sacredness of life itself!
Thank you, Stephanie, for being a Soul Photographer!
#INSPIRATORS QUESTIONNAIRE
Name: Stephanie Elisabeth Defregger
Company / Institution: Stephanie Defregger Photography
Title: Soul Photographer; Coach & Author
Website: www.stephaniedefregger.com
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-defregger-53310579/
Country of origin: Germany
Country you currently live in: Aotearoa (New Zealand)
Your definition of Regeneration: For me, regeneration is the natural process of healing when it is given space and time. If we want to enable more regeneration on this planet, we first need to start within – in our hearts. It is an enabling of old wisdom, listening and following the heart. A sacred process. From there it will have a ripple effect to the outside world.
If we are rushing and depleting ourselves, we will be rushing and depleting this earth as we are interconnected. We need to look deep into our own misuse within, our exploitation within, our toxicity within, our imbalance of the feminine and masculine within. So we need to fix that first - with gentleness, compassion, and time. With this renewed connection we will know better what to do with our environment because we can feel that we as humans are nature, that we are our environment, and we will only make decisions that enhance it.
There is no difference between feeding your heart with what it needs and desires than feeding a soil with nutrients or even letting a field rest for one year to give it the time to regenerate back to health.
Too often we want to rush things, but nature has its own rhythm. You cannot rush winter to have the warmth of spring. You cannot rush regeneration. You need to trust that the right impulses from your intuition will come at the right time. All you need to do is make space to slow down and listen.
Main business challenge you face: Patience. When I meet a client in a portrait/coaching session, I can already feel their soul, but I need to be patient for the soul to reveal itself. I feel like a wildlife photographer; waiting calmly, creating a safe space with gentle and unusual questions that invite the soul to come forward and show its true authentic self.
Main driver that keeps you going: Knowing that the client is experiencing a form of self-love and healing in this gentle process of reconnecting with their heart and soul. Witnessing their presence when they connect with themselves and their excitement when they finally see the photos is pure joy to me.
The trait you are most proud of in yourself: My authenticity, creativity, playfulness, lightheartedness, positivity, kindness, and intuition. I feel like a connector of the soul and heart.
The trait you most value in others: I love people who show kindness, gentleness, compassion, honesty, vulnerability and integrity towards themselves and others. A frequency that has these traits combined is like a beautiful harmonious tone.
Passions & little things that bring you joy: Chocolate, sunrises and sunsets, connecting with my children & friends & family, a new book, sun on my skin, the sounds of nature, receiving a handwritten letter or postcard, care parcels, a good hug, playing hide and seek, board games, skiing, riding, writing, being in a hut in the mountains and doing absolutely nothing, good food, journaling (for 42 years), singing while meandering in a forest.
The Inspirators who determined you to take the regenerative path:
My intuition, heart, and soul. Nature’s Intelligence. Sages, saints, Buddhist monks and Mystics.
A starting point for companies or professionals that are beginning the regeneration journey: Slow down. Pause. Have fewer things. Write a joy list and do at least one of those things each day.
Take time to get curious about yourself and the direct environment around you. Connect with your playful inner child. Invest time and love into yourself to understand your purpose and then serve and create a regenerative world through your words and actions.
We talk about our carbon and digital footprint but what about our emotional and mental footprint that we put on this planet? Tread lightly. ;)
Most used and abused clichés in sustainability that bother you:
“You can be anyone.”
There is no one you need to be any other than yourself. And that is the hardest task. Children are great with that. But as young adults and as adults we struggle. We tend to put on masks and armor. We forget who we truly are and what we are longing for. If everyone would do more of what they would really like to do, we would be in the right spot in this world and more outer wars would cease because our inner wars cease. If the heart is happy, it does not harm anyone or anything in its environment.
An honest piece of advice for young people who lose hope: It is okay to lose hope, it is quite natural to lose hope. There is nothing wrong with that. Having hope has its own rhythm and flow. You do not need to figure it all out. Nature has always found a way. As humans we are nature. We will find a way. So many new things are constantly getting discovered, connected, and proven. What’s possible today wasn’t possible 10 years ago. What’s possible in 2030 would have never been possible now. Trust.
Books that had a great impact on you / Must-Reads for any regenerative professional:
Fairy tales, fantasy & children’s books
Art books and photo albums
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy
Anam Cara by John O’Donohue
The Prophet by Khalil Gibran
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Movies / Documentaries you would watch all over again: I have not owned a TV in 18 years. I use mostly nature as my entertainment these days, so I would recommend: sunrises and sunsets, moving water, and cloud formations. I do love occasionally animated movies like Up or Brave, and French comedies.
Websites / Podcasts you visit frequently: Listening to the podcast of nature. There is so much wisdom when you become still, you only need to plug in.
Music that makes you (and your heart) sing: Wind in the in the treetops, 80s music, German pop, R&B, classical music.
Places you travelled to that left a mark on you: I have found the most magical places off the beaten track all over the world, just following curiosity and intuition. Absolute favourites are South Tyrol and the Dolomites (Italy), Craigieburn Range (New Zealand), Aoraki (New Zealand), Te Waikoropupū Springs (New Zealand), Wānaka (New Zealand), the mountain passes in Switzerland, Zurich, Paris, Tulum (Mexiko), Port Elliot (Australia), Norway.
Global Regenerative Voices you recommend us to follow:
The moon, The stars, The water!
Dalai Lama
Ahjan Brahm
Tara Brach
Trends in Regeneration we should keep an eye on:
To see our life like a garden. Long-term friends are like the trees that give you shelter and shade and where you can lean on. Blossoming wildflowers are like vibrant encounters in life. Our life energy is like a stream flowing gently through that waters everything. Even fallen-over trees are creating habitats for new growth and give space and light for younger trees to expand. Nothing is ever wasted. Even the friendships/experiences that have died off are composting into rich soil, to be the foundation for the next creation. Every encounter and experience will bring joy or insight.
Take good care of your garden and create it the way you love it. Focus on people/activities who add to your life, who inspire, challenge, support and love you - and bring you joy. Take out the ‘weeds’ early (people/things that are not good for you), otherwise they will overgrow and harm you. Decide simply with “this feels right” or “this feels wrong”.
Events we should attend / Best places for networking (online or offline): Reconnect. Put time slots in your calendar to connect with yourself. Book experiences that bring you joy, nurture your inner child that loved to play for hours and forgot that time exists. Have meals together with your family/ friends. Feel the presence of the moon and its phases and go with those rhythms (full moon for action and new moon for reflection). Find your happy places and spend there as much time as you can. Spend more time outdoors and adapt as much of your day-to-day life to it, like meditating, cooking, working on a laptop, phone calls, brainstorming sessions.
(right now, while answering the Inspirators questionnaire, I am laying on the moss in a forest in the mountains, a stream trickling beside me, a fantail swooshing past curiously, and leaves falling on my face).
Impactful and relevant Sustainable Development or Regeneration courses or certifications: Reward yourself when you have achieved something big or small in your growth. Tell your family and friends and celebrate. And yes, make that chocolate cake and eat it all by yourself ;). Create rituals. Connect with the meaningful cycles in your life and honour them.
Reasons to feel optimistic about our future in 2030: We as humans have always figured things out as we are nature. The younger generations have more connections, resources, knowledge, new styles of communication and conflict management to solve the new developments. They will invent things and come up with ideas that our generation hasn’t. Life has its own force, and it will find a way. Like a riverbed always finds a way to flow. Unpredictable. Unstoppable. In its own rhythm and wisdom.
There are 2210 days left to be on the same date in 2030 and you most likely will be alive! 2210 sunrises and sunsets. Make sure you watch as many as you can. Smell the roses and listen to the birds. Listen to your intuition. And tell the people you love that you love them as often as you can. Nurture those connections.
Reasons to feel pessimistic about our future in 2030: Generally, I truly trust this universe and its natural intelligence, so I am optimistic.
If I wanted to be pessimistic about 2030, it would be about how disconnected we humans are right now, spending too much time indoors instead of in nature. How do we fix a problem if we don’t go to its source and spend time with it and listen to it? We are too connected virtually but not internally or in person. Creativity starts by feeling your own or someone’s energy and getting excited about that vibration. There is a lot of power in this. But if we just live within the virtual world, we lose touch with the natural world and our inner world and then it will be harder to find creative solutions for the future.
Regenerative Leadership qualities much needed today: Your authenticity and voice, your connection to place and people, your sense of community and your sense for belonging. Leadership starts within. Great leadership skills involve active listening, getting curious about what is going on and acting on it. To do what feels right. Regenerative leadership is a balance of feminine and masculine energy in equal parts.
The Inspirator you are endorsing for a future edition is:
Dalai Lama
Jacinda Ardern
The quote that inspires you:
"You are alive." (The Universe)
Your quote that will inspire us:
