go, do, eat guide: Mallorca
Folklore tells us that in Mallorca the majority of the population lived in the country, from the country and mostly in poverty. Agricultural land was the most prized possession which was located mostly inland away from the more barren, rocky sea-side. As is common in patriarchal culture, the most productive and fertile land was handed down from father to eldest son(s) and the least desirable land was inherited by the lesser members of the family, the women. Until the 1950s came around Mallorca when became a luxury destination with stars such as Liza Minelli and Frank Sinatra who came and stayed at the Grand Hotel in Palma and went to Palma’s finest club, Tito’s. Across the next 10 years, the island experienced a transformation of epic proportions with 360,000 tourists visiting the “Isla de la Calma” — the island of tranquillity — and the once undesirable land underwent a building boom to house these visitors. The women suddenly became rich, while their older brothers continued their agricultural struggle inland. A great discord began between families. One that continues to rival siblings to this day. I was based in the southeast, San Augustine (or Sant Agusti in Catalan) a short 15-minute drive outside of Palma....
remember that you are hope…
On Tuesday we were sitting in the sand at my favourite Cala, a brisk 30-minute walk away from my home in Mallorca. I had to pull my sunglasses off the wipe away the tears. She had just shared a concept made tangible by the well-known psychotherapist Francis Weller that speaks to the collective grief we all share at coming here. To have a human experience and not receive the love we thought we would get from our parents, nor the community to receive us, nor the depth of emotional intimacy from one another, nor the opportunity to serve something larger than oneself. Our souls are left searching for some meaning, a reason for why we are here at all, if those parts of ourselves aren't met. My eyes immediately welled up. "I feel this so deeply" I replied to her. The great illusion is that life eventually arrives after enough effort and searching. Life never arrives. Instead, we continue to search and live our lives in pursuit of greater understanding, greater compassion, and greater levels of creativity that we add to the world. This is life. It’s fun, it's painful, it's happy, it's depressing. Consider the fact that you’re on a planet spinning...
so much can change in 20 seconds
It takes 17 seconds for a thought to take on an entity of its own. My meditation teacher said this morning. Every morning since the start of the year I have been meeting her and a group of others at 8 am to meditate together to change the frequencies in our bodies so that we get out of our damn way. When you focus on a thought for 17 seconds, you activate the vibration of the thought. And when you focus on a thought for 68 seconds, the vibration becomes powerful enough to manifest itself in real life. She says. We do 20 minutes of focused awareness each morning, just to be sure. Time. Focus. Awareness. These are the tools of our human supernatural sorcery. How we choose to spend our time becomes central to our life. Where we put our focus grows, expands and evolves as if focus itself is the water to a seed. What we bring into our awareness commands the perspective we have in each experience. I have not been shy in sharing that life, as I was experiencing it, has challenged me for the past 18 months or so. The tipping point occurred when, one day in mid-October 2021 as I was preparing for my journey to relocate to Mallorca, I suddenly felt a sharp spasmodic pain run across the left side of my lower...
goodbye 2022
Some years are like being caught in a plunging wave that at first, beckons you with a playful curl and then, drops you into the frenzy of its internal tumble, before spitting you out against the sandy ocean floor with violent speed, leaving you floundering, fighting against the ocean's mighty force to reach the surface and urgently fill your lungs with air. Over and over again. That was this year for me. 2022 has taught me to navigate the waves of life as a surfer does. With equal parts hope, determination, resilience and surrender. I learned that I have more strength and capacity than I ever thought. It taught me a level of emotional maturity that was new to me that helped me handle the knockdowns. It gave me opportunities I didn't know I wanted. It asked me to reclaim my life as my own. As a woman and a human in this very strange cosmic experiment that we call life. My most recent piece of writing was about how when the question ‘what would make me feel good?’ isn’t big enough anymore, the question ‘how does life want to be expressed through me?’ replaces it. Read the article here. In 2023, I am: Splitting the forward-facing parts of myself as A Person On The Internet into 3. Holding the...
how I manage my time ⏳
This is originally from my newsletter, so if it inspires you, please subscribe to receive future articles of the same ilk. You have to realise there are two types of people in the world. Half of us thrive from consistent routines and structures, and half don't. Neither one is better. You have to know what you are running with and map your life out accordingly. I have an entire free self-study course dedicated to figuring that out called 'Pause & Pivot' that you can take right now. And if you belong to the half that thrives from less structure and more from frenetic free flow... Then you are like me. In human design, they use the term 'consistently inconsistent' for people like me. If the upper left arrow in your chart points to the right then you are a person who thrives when you have the freedom to do things in a different order every day. You will likely struggle to adhere to consistent routines. And that's ok! When I share my day-to-day on social media, I often am asked how I manage my time. I promised to share my system. I live my life adhering to my values, which, if you have watched 'Pause & Pivot' you would know are truth, freedom, beauty and love. And the way I manage my time is that...
a story from 19 years ago…
Nineteen years ago, I was sitting in the middle row of my enormous lecture hall as our professor peered at us over his glasses "eight out of every ten of you will have in the past, or will in the future experience some form of depression and anxiety" he said. We looked at each other quietly wondering who in this room might admit to it. It was 2001 and mental health still had a stigma attached to it even though we were all here to become mental health professionals. Three years later I stood at the front of that lecture hall and gave a talk about the hazard of labels, including anxiety, depression, ADHD and so on. I proposed that, while it is important to acknowledge the emotionally, hormonally, and physical-health driven rollercoaster of life would it not be more reasonable if we embraced those as the human experience and focused on creating a society that made the world will live in a safe place for the full spectrum of human affairs. Afterwards, my lecturer congratulated me for my well-delivered unorthodox ideas and amusedly reminded me that if we didn't give people names and labels for the highs and lows of life, we would be out of jobs. I decided I didn't want that kind of job, then,...
The 5 phases of RENEWAL
Today, October 11th marks exactly 1 year since my arrival in Mallorca. Unlike a year ago, when I landed to sunny skies, vibrant flowers and an ache of deep grief in my heart that gave this island a chromatic dullness... today it is pouring down with the first proper rains of the season, vibrant flowers and a renewed sense of joy and possibility in my heart that provide this island life with an animated delight. What a difference a year makes. What a journey this has been. How much I've had to move through. And you, probably too. I want to write about the hypnotherapy sessions I've been doing, but I'm still in the midst of them, so I will save them for when I feel more complete and all the pieces have settled. But alongside that, with the craniosacral sessions, and all the practices I teach in RENEW, I've been able to cultivate and curate a whole new perspective and experience of the world. One that is more honest than ever before, while also being more playful and light. I don’t want to be one of those people who keeps going on about how challenging life has been the past couple of years. But there are two reasons why I do want to keep speaking about it. 1. I know I’m not the...
your 100 favourite (of 700) articles
Over the past 8 years, I have written over 700 articles on this blog. Every single one was a labour of love poured from the crevices of my heart, soul and mind. The world, and life, are changing, and so is the way I share my work and words with you. I now reserve most of my writing here: all work-related and professional updates are in my newsletters, and all my personal cadence and musings on the mystery of life are found in my secret substack letter 'kismet'. Plus: I also have a podcast called re.define that you can listen to on Spotify. Here are 100 of your favourite articles, essays, and stories from the last few years. They are organised by topic and then sequentially from newest to oldest. Enjoy! YOUR #1 FAVOURITE the love list IF YOU NEED INSPIRATION not ready inside my closet it’s time to live in integrity & the time is now so much of life is optional, not mandatory what was the hardest thing? & 10 other questions a world is ending… breathe out. let it go. 5 ways to bring your love to the world run, baby, run 3 questions to ask yourself to start a new life 10 tips on how to (actually) be feminine devoted to self. (aka: my 3 spiritual practices) the less we hold on to 19 ways to get...
HER WAY — The Women’s Business Training
Designed for the woman who wants to share her message and change the world. Since the beginning of time, women have come together and redefined the landscape of life through their inner feminine wisdom like a force of nature. They did it through storytelling, collaboration, and community, with grace and ease. Today, we return to this purpose, again. We create businesses as a vehicle for our message… in a new way. I have spent years — 9 years to be precise — unlearning the rigid ways I’d been told would be the only way I could be successful. Being a woman, with a fluid, soft and cyclical way, bringing forth a way of business that is feminine, graceful, and true to my nature, means that I am often faced with a battle of old paradigms. I had to risk the unknown and experiment with new ways of holding and running a business. I had to define my own meaning of success. I had to walk between fear of desolation and faith in my beliefs that business could be done differently. I am still learning, and I have come so far, designing this business as an extension of myself in a new way. Her way. I know this is an enormous challenge for so many women. We are in a time of great...
why I don’t work on Mondays
We don’t flailingly and aimlessly live and feel the way we do without reason. There are a whole host of influencers impacting how you feel, and what you do, every day. Your emotions, if you have slept, your last conversation, the sun, moon and stars, and the energy of the days of the week all play an essential role too. One thing that we often overlook is that each day of the week brings with it a unique vibe, atmosphere and energy. Have you ever wondered why Monday feels like such a drag? It’s because Monday is influenced by the Moon and the vibe is all about quiet introspection and being alone. But in our world Monday is the first day of the working week and we are expected to feel like we are full of beans (even when we are not). You know how people get really excited about Friday? It’s not because everyone hates their job and wants to run around shouting “FRIYAY!” at the top of their lungs. It’s because Friday is influenced by the planet Venus and the vibe is all about excitement, socializing, beauty and romance. It’s upbeat energy compared to a low-key Monday. Every single day of the week has a different vibe. And when you know how to harness the energy of the days of the week,...