🎧 Navigating Life with Ease #4

Following our festive chat last December, all about hunkering down over the winter season,

Tanya Lynch

and I are back with another recorded conversation, this time looking outwards to discuss leaving home, and finding a home away from home.

As you might anticipate by now, we bond further over our connection to Wales, but explore the nuances of Tanya having stayed in the homeland, albeit moving around different parts, while I left at 18 to explore pastures new. We consider what makes us leave, and what makes us stay (also themes in one of my favourite books), and why we might always feel a pull back.

With Ease Retreats having had a recent mention in Condé Nast Traveller, we chat about what draws people to travel to find a homely space in which to read and relax, plus how Tanya’s new venture is bringing journalling to the people - on wheels!

As ever, there’s book recommendations too, so cosy up - or take yourself on a nice spring walk - to listen in, and then check out the related links below.

Enjoy! X

🎧 Find our earlier mid-lifer-meets-millennial conversations here

🗺️ Explore Tanya’s ‘Visit Wales’ series, whether you’re heading north, into the middle, south or over to the west coast

💭 Read (or listen!) about my recent ponderings on ambition, and how it can take us in different directions

☕ Do reach out if you are in or passing through London - I loved meeting

Angharad James

recently! - and follow Angharad and Tanya for updates on Substack meet-ups in Cardiff

🌊 Condé Nast Traveller says reading retreats are the must-try wellness break, and

Lucy Pearson

’s Ease Retreat in Wales this summer is up there with the best of them

🎨 Get a little insight into

Emma Gannon

’s Creative Unblocking Ease Retreat last year

🏡 Curious about a home-from-home retreat this year? Check out the full line up for 2025, including with

Claire Venus ✨

Laura Pashby

Stacey Heale

and more

📚 And now for the book recommendations …

• Anything by Elena Ferrante, but especially Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay

• Home Matters, by

  Penny Wincer

• The Giant on the Skyline, by

  Clover Stroud

• Lucy Barton and Olive Kitteridge titles from Elizabeth Strout

• Deborah Levy’s living autobiography collection, and particularly Real Estate

• Drift, by Caryl Lewis

• Hermit, by Jade Angeles Fritton

• Undercurrent, by Natasha Carthew

• Retirement Rebel, by Siobhan Daniels

🎧 Keen for more book chat? Check out The Bibliotherapists Podcast with

Tanya Lynch

and

Toni Jones

!

If you enjoyed this conversation and are keen to show some support without a paid subscription, a Ko-fi coffee is always appreciated. ☕