Claire Casely transformed her life after suffering from stress-induced burnout.

A former PA who grew tired of the corporate world has revealed how she ditched the rat race to become a self-styled “faery whisperer” – using mythical folklore to help other stressed out high flyers.

Climbing the corporate ladder for years, as time passed, Claire Casely, 46, who lives in Devon where she grew up, became acutely aware of just how unhappy the daily grind was making her.

So, after much soul-searching, she quit – opting for a completely different career after retraining in meditation in 2013, followed by life coaching in 2018 and combining her newfound skills with her childhood passion for nature and belief in “faery folklore,” to become a life coach with a difference.

She explained: “My love of and deep connection to the natural world and the faery realm has been with me since early childhood.

“Working in the corporate world, I simply wasn’t happy. I left with no real plan of what to do next, but then I began thinking back to the feeling of freedom I had when playing outside as a child – I wanted that back.

“To me, the faery realm represents joyfulness and escapism from a troubled world. So, I will teach people all about mythical faery lore as a way of engaging them with their imaginations and nature, to hopefully give them some clarity around what they want from life.”

Claire – who opts for the archaic spelling ‘faery,’ as opposed to the more modern ‘fairy,’ in line with the language used by Brian Froud, the Devon-based illustrator and world-renowned faery authority –  said she often wandered through Dartmoor National Park as a child, where her love of the outdoors first began.

Steeped in folklore and local legends about pixies, faeries, ghosts and witches, Dartmoor also awakened her fascination with all things other-worldly.

But, a far cry from the tiny, pixie-like creatures seen in books and films, to Claire, faeries are more abstract and often come in the form of faces seen in nature.

“I post a lot of photos of the outdoors, and things I come across on my morning walks, to Instagram – for example, if I spot a face-like pattern in some bark or leaves,” she said. “I then leave it up to other people to see how they interpret it, and whether or not they see the face too.

“I’ve found faery folklore is a really great, creative way to get people interested in nature.”

Despite all her mythical beliefs, as an adult, Claire entered the decidedly-less-magical corporate world, working as a PA in a busy, high-stress office.

But the rat race made her unhappy and, eventually, in January 2013, she quit the 9-5 for good – initially focusing on getting herself well after suffering stress-induced burnout, then later devoting her time to helping other people cope with similar problems.

Since qualifying as a life coach in 2018, she has particularly focused on offering her services to people feeling under pressure in corporate environments, like she once did.

Believing that connecting with nature is an invaluable way to destress and give the mind a little clarity, she leads special nature walks, during which she teaches meditation techniques, as well as telling participants all about faery folklore and encouraging them to spot something magical along the way.

“Nature offers so much inspiration and it’s a free resource. I also do one on one sessions, where I’ll go out with someone else, sit amongst the trees and flowers and talk through what their goals are and what they would like from life,” she said.

“Having that space and peace is an amazing way of giving people the clarity to make their dreams a reality. I’ve had a really good success rate.

“I love teaching people faery folklore too. I’ll talk to them about different trees and what they symbolise. For example, oak trees are where faeries live, and sometimes gateways open up within branches, which is how they pass to and from their realm.”

As well as mindfulness and meditation, her sessions also include visualisation techniques, songs, rhymes and chants.

And the unique way in which Claire  – who claims to have been “happier than ever” since quitting her PA role – is helping people has led to friends calling her ‘the faery whisperer.’

Speaking as the World Health Organisation officially recognised burnout, adding it to their International Classification of Diseases, she said: “I was so lucky to have Dartmoor on my doorstep as a child. You read so much now about kids staying indoors too much, but I was always out, exploring.”

She concluded: “That love of nature has stayed with me my whole life, and I’m so glad now I can use it to help others. And when you do what you love, life flows.

“I’m so much happier now, and at the end of the day, that’s what we’re here for isn’t it? To be happy.”