Guiding with empathy: The Fine Line Between Growth and Overwhelm

A lesson from guiding Dreamers beyond their fears. When to push and when to step back.

There’s a unique kind of magic that happens on these tours. It’s not just about waterfalls or hidden paths. It’s about people! It’s about the quiet moments when a Dreamer conquers a fear they never thought they could. These are the moments that fuel me.

But not every experience goes the way I imagine it will (fortunately, since for me beauty lies in difference).

On my most recent tour, I welcomed a Dreamer with a contagious joy. She was full of energy, light-hearted and expressive. But something in me sensed a certain layer behind that joy. I’ve grown used to seeing how emotions shift once we reach the wild.

The deep water, the heights, the unknown. That’s when the real journey begins.

As we approached the waterfall, I noticed her demeanor shift. She looked at the cascading water with awe, but also with something else. Fear, maybe. I encouraged her, as I often do, to take the next step. To lean into the moment. To let nature hold her.

But this time, the push didn’t land the way it usually does.

She stopped.

She wanted to go back. Later she told me she was about to have a panic attack and felt like she might faint.

In that moment, my heart sank.

I replayed everything in my mind, trying to understand where I crossed a line I didn’t see. Was her initial joy a mask? Did I misread her cues? Did I project my usual intuition onto someone who simply needed something different?

The truth is, I may never fully know.

But what I do know is this; Experience isn’t everything. No matter how many tours I’ve led, how many smiles I’ve seen, how many people I’ve helped/accompanied to conquer their fears, there will always be room to grow.

Guiding with empathy is all about listening more deeply, about honoring a person’s pace, not just the pace of the path. Every tour is different, and every person who joins is different too. That’s the real beauty of my job. But it also demands a deep flexibility and a constant capacity to adapt, while still staying true to my essence and natural way of guiding.

I carry this with me now as part of my journey. Not with guilt, but with awareness. As a guide, I’m still learning when to encourage and when to simply stand beside someone as they say, “No, not today.”

To that Dreamer, if you ever read this, thank you.You reminded me that the strength of a guide isn’t measured by how far someone goes. But by how deeply we respect their limits.