A new book from Jessica Hepburn is always a joy & I was honoured to attend the launch of Save Me from the Waves. If you don’t know Jessica, she’s the author of 2 previous books ‘The Pursuit of Motherhood ‘which described her journey through 11 failed IVF attempts, & ’21 Miles; swimming in search of the meaning of Motherhood’ cataloguing swimming the English Channel & answering the question ‘does motherhood make you happy?’ Since then, she has become the first woman in the world to achieve ‘The Sea, Street, Summit Challenge’ – swim the English Channel, run a road marathon (London) and summit Mount Everest (or Chomolungma as she calls it, which is the original Tibetan name) plus she’s listened to every episode of Desert Island Discs. Save Me from the Waves describes these last 3 challenges. If (or hopefully when) you read Save Me from the Waves you’ll realise that lists are important to Jessica & the magic number in a list according to Desert Island Discs is 8, so what better way to celebrate the book than listing the 8 gifts of inspiration I received from reading it. 1. Answering the question ‘what do I want’ will change your life. Jessica describes how hearing Jimmy Carr say, ‘What do you want?’ changed her life & it’s a question I’ve asked myself regularly over the years. It’s a big question & tempting to avoid as we distract ourselves by living day to day. It takes commitment to step … Read more
8 gifts of inspiration from Save Me from the Waves
A new book from Jessica Hepburn is always a joy & I was honoured to attend the launch of Save Me from the Waves. If you don’t know Jessica, she’s … Read more
What getting up at 4am taught me about enjoying Christmas
Several years ago, a good friend suggested I make a list of experiences I would like to have life & places to visit. Touching a whale in Baja was no … Read more
The one thing I’ve learned this year.
Is it just me, or is your mood mirroring the grey weather here in the UK? On balance, we’ve had a good summer, but I often find this time of … Read more
Finding Joy Beyond Childlessness, 5 things I’ve learned in 5 years.
It’s 5 years since my book, Finding Joy Beyond Childlessness was published. It was a huge milestone, when I announced to the world that, despite being childless & my life … Read more
What DOES your heart want?
London recently experienced its first 5pm sunset of the year, a visible sign that Spring is on the way. But it’s taking its time, one day I feel energy rising … Read more
How to start the year in a way that supports your deepest intentions
As we head into another year where there are so many unknowns, you may be tempted to try & control those things which are in your domain & set yourself … Read more
What’s of value to you?
It’s the time of year when nature leads the way in harvesting what it’s produced during the year, storing what it values to tide itself over the Winter & shedding … Read more
What a difference a dress makes
A couple of weeks ago I bought 2 dresses, had a lovely time with a dear friend trying them on & then a few hours later couldn’t stop the tears … Read more
How much is your life controlled by what will people think?
When I was 10, I was prescribed glasses because I couldn’t read the blackboard at school. Every morning my parents put them in my school bag & there they stayed, … Read more
Kintsugi – the art of repairing ourselves with gold
Several months ago, I spent a lovely day with friends on a warm glass making workshop. Only a couple of hours after I’d got my pieces home, the laptop slid … Read more
Welcome to Spring, the time to start moving
After several false starts, it seems that Spring is finally here & following the still & quiet of Winter, nature has begun to move. And maybe you also feel the … Read more
Time for me to make a new map
I’m writing this shortly after turning 60 which, I can tell you is not for the faint hearted. Before stepping forward into the new decade, I had a long, hard … Read more
Four things I learned from (almost) 8 years of journaling
A friend recently asked me how long I’d been journaling & when I replied that it was almost 8 years, she said ‘so you must find it helpful.’ I guess … Read more
What do you want to take forward to next year?
Autumn or Fall is the time when nature leads by example, by shedding what it doesn’t need, retaining only what’s necessary to sustain it through the winter & when seeds … Read more
What my back taught me about acceptance
Three years ago I wrote a blog about acceptance & I guess I thought (or hoped) I had it nailed. But looking back I realise there was one crucial piece … Read more
