Kindness Is a Strength: Interview with Art Therapist Frédérique Mingam
My interview with Frédérique Mingam, also known as Exuto’Art—an art therapist and forest therapy guide in Notre-Dame-des-Landes, western France
Frédérique Mingam, photographed by Charlène Allard.
Funny, sparkling and full of surprises, Fred is an intuitive art therapist with a spiritual relationship to nature. Her programme offers many resources designed to help people turn kindness into a genuine strength: to recognise the impulse to do good, protect it, let it grow and allow it to shine. Yes—nothing less 😊
Frédérique came from Notre-Dame-des-Landes to train in forest therapy at the Ranch in Mouzeil, between Nantes and Angers. During our first conversation, she told me she had a very rational mind 😉 Yet she was deeply touched by the experience of the trees, which did not surprise me: I have rarely met someone with such fine intuition.
Today Frédérique shares pieces of herself with us—facets that shine like diamonds and that she is increasingly allowing to illuminate the world.
CR: Hello Frédérique. I’m so, so happy we’re doing this interview! So much has changed since your forest therapy training week. It is beautiful to watch your evolution. Could you explain what needs your programme is designed to meet?
FM: Hello Clotilde. I’m incredibly grateful and happy to reconnect after this year of transition. I followed my instinct when I chose the training; I didn’t know where it would lead, and I’m so glad I did it. Thank you for everything you shared and for your patience and humanity.
Today, nature has become a passion that has merged with art. Art and nature are now the two main resources I carry with me when I accompany people on their life paths.
Kindness is an essential value for me. It connects us and builds bridges between people. Our societies have developed a strong culture of individualism, but I feel we now need to gather again in the face of difficult times. Fear and withdrawal divide us; kindness opens, connects and unites.
I built my programme around the idea that “we know we are moving in the right direction when we choose kindness.” We need to recognise one another, strengthen our self-confidence and pass this strength on.
The three pillars of my programme are emotional awareness, self-knowledge and communication, together with the idea of building a community rooted in kindness so people can recognise and support one another.
CR: Forest therapy clearly remains part of your life—and your transmission. How do nature and trees fit into what you offer?
FM: I would answer with two things that matter greatly to me.
First, climate change is becoming increasingly tangible. That can be painful, and sometimes people prefer not to look. I believe that if we want to protect something, we need to know it and pay attention to the signs it gives us. Forest therapy encourages people to observe nature, listen, connect and understand it better—so we can care for it and for ourselves too.
Second, connecting with nature means connecting with the Living World, just as we connect with neighbours, friends, family and other people. We also know that time in natural environments can support wellbeing. Many people feel calmer outdoors; colours, scents, sounds and movement invite attention and can help reduce stress. Walking in nature can also create space for ideas, perspective and a sense of belonging to something larger than ourselves.
That is why nature became a natural part of my support programme, alongside the forest bathing and nature walks I lead regularly.
CR: We see you leading paint-and-drink workshops—such a great idea!—land art, clay introductions, drawing in the forest and nature walks, and you even took part in the 2024 Nuit des Forêts festival. Where do you find all that energy?
FM: It comes from encounters and opportunities. I have always wanted to offer more to people, which is also why my workshops are affordable and so diverse.
I need to feel useful and keep improving the quality of what I offer. People recognise that, so I receive more and more invitations and requests. I see it as a natural return.
But energy is not unlimited, so I take care of myself too. I recharge in nature, especially in my peaceful garden, and with my family. I also need a great deal of time alone.
CR: I remember that during the training you gave each trainee a short, striking portrait of who she was. You told me I was hard to define because every drawer you opened revealed another facet. I loved that image—and I don’t think you are short of drawers yourself 😊 So if we opened yours, dear Frédérique, what would we find?
FM: What an interesting question. Natural abilities I don’t always recognise as abilities; instinct; analysis; listening; a very open mind; and above all, constant evolution. I never want to rest on what I know. I love learning and questioning myself because we are moving beings who continually need to rebalance. Trees seem calmer and steadier than we are, but even they keep growing and adapting throughout their lives. I try to follow that example.
After forest therapy, I also became very interested in geobiology, which I experience as complementary to what I learned during the course. I use it to explore underground water and other environmental influences that I believe affect places and trees.
More recently, I began studying Human Design, a spiritual self-knowledge system that I personally find fascinating. Within that framework, people and even plants are described in terms of energy or aura. I use it as a symbolic tool for reflecting on strengths, vulnerabilities and relationships rather than as a scientific model.
CR: You have made kindness one of your strengths. I’ve also been told I’m ‘too kind’, as though kindness were a weakness. What would you say to kind people reading us who need encouragement?
FM: We often hear that kind people struggle to say no. I think part of the difficulty comes from being very aware of other people’s needs. It helps to remember that a request is an encounter between two individuals, and neither person matters more than the other.
For example, I now know I need a lot of time alone to recharge and that my energy does not replenish quickly. When someone asks me for something, I no longer automatically say yes. I think about what I can realistically offer, what it would cost me in energy and how it would affect my family, and then I answer honestly.
I like the metaphor of a bucket of kindness. Imagine it full in the morning: some of that kindness is for you and some is for others. Throughout the day, people may also refill your bucket through their own kindness. But if you slept badly, the bucket may already be lower. If you keep giving without ever receiving or caring for yourself, eventually there is nothing left for you.
It’s like a rescuer saying: “If I want to help everyone, I first have to keep myself safe—or I won’t be able to help anyone.“
So I encourage everyone to practise kindness towards themselves as well as others, and to show by example how strong this value can be. Some people who have suffered greatly may test kindness or mistrust it. Don’t force them. Keep healthy distance and remain consistent; trust may come in its own time.
CR: And the final question… drum roll 🥁 What would little Frédérique say to the adult Frédérique you have become?
FM: Probably nothing. She would observe, as she always did. She would absorb certain attitudes and phrases and stay quietly in the background analysing gestures and words. Perhaps she would grow a little faster by understanding more about herself and social relationships.
I spent a long time trying to understand myself and fit into boxes. Even the ‘rational’ box never fitted me completely (laughs).
Today I know what I want: to help people who choose it experience more serenity and self-kindness, and feel that they have value and something to contribute to the world.
You are all remarkable, and you carry treasures that are asking to be shared. What is the point of accumulating everything and keeping it only for ourselves? That can create fear of loss and deepen loneliness. So—let’s share.
A thousand thanks for this interview, Frédérique. I loved asking you these questions, and I’m so grateful to have contributed in some small way to your path. Keep inspiring people through kindness; our bruised hearts need it 💖
Discover Frédérique’s community of kindness among the trees
🌳 If you would like to meet Frédérique Mingam for a forest therapy walk in Notre-Dame-des-Landes, a land-art workshop or to learn more about her work around kindness:
Instagram: @fred_exuto_art
LinkedIn: Frédérique Mingam
Facebook: Exuto’art
Website:
exutoart44.com
🌱 Do you work with trees, forests or the Living World and have a professional perspective you would like to share? Whatever your profession or country, write to me at clotilde.naturo@gmail.com
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