Ever caught yourself scrolling Greek property listings, wondering what it would be like to trade your commute for cobblestones, donkeys and Aegean light? In this episode of A Grown Up’s Gap Year – The Podcast, I sit down with award-winning artist Desiree Prinsloo, who divides her time between Sydney and the Greek island of Hydra. After her husband died and an 'untangling' unspooled in the aftermath, she reached a point where nothing was really holding her back. One night, browsing houses in Greece and Italy, she thought, why not? – and left Australia soon after. A few years on Desiree has restored a small hillside house (no cars, everything by mule), keeping it simple – raw wood, whitewashed walls, island light – and built a life that looks suspiciously like the fantasy most of us reserve for 'someday'. Her term for this season? Middle-youth. We talk about what really sits behind a “Greek island reset”: the grief, the paperwork, the budgets and the bravery; daily swims, mountain herbs and the hillside steps that “if they don’t kill me, keep me alive”; plus her best practical advice if you’re dreaming of “a house somewhere else” but don’t know where to start. Perfect if you’re mid-life, mildly exhausted, and secretly googling “Greek island house for sale” between Zoom calls.

Episode Resources & Links:

• Your SPACE Prescription
• Free Weekly Newsletter
• Dear Blokes Downloadable
• Setting Boundaries That Stick - checklist

📚 Get your copy of A Grown Up’s Gap Year the book, from Amazon, moniquevantulder.com, bookshops and libraries, subscribe to the podcast, and take the first step toward your own A Grown Up’s Gap Year.

• Monique's LinkedIn
• Monique's Instagram

If you’re a mid-life woman who’s somehow ended up at the top of everyone else’s “people we need” pyramid and the bottom of your own, this one’s for you. In this episode, Monique talks about what happens when you finally admit you’re exhausted – from the unpaid, invisible work that quietly attached itself to your life while everyone else’s stayed more or less the same. By the time she left for her grown up’s gap year, she felt she’d been on call for decades and someone had forgotten to roster her off. You’ll hear the story of the infamous spreadsheet she handed to her Dear Bloke (AKA “this is what my free labour would cost if we’d outsourced it”), and why she calls it a receipt for services rendered, not a ransom note. We’ll dig into the research on the mental load and guilt, talk Winter season energy, and walk through two simple tools – your daily hot coffee moment and the Not Now / Not Me list – to start building higher, kinder boundaries in real life, not theory.

There are three boundary experiments to try this week, a quick Values checkpoint, and a short Dear Blokes fridge note for the men who genuinely want to help but don’t know where to start. We wrap with Monique’s new Your SPACE Prescription – Anti-Guilt Calculator: a two-minute, data-backed way to tally your invisible load and turn it into an actual time-out receipt you can stick on the fridge.

Episode Resources & Links:

• Your SPACE Prescription
• Free Weekly Newsletter
• Dear Blokes Downloadable
• Boundaries Checklist
• Book: Atomic Habits - James Clear

📚 Get your copy of A Grown Up’s Gap Year the book, from Amazon, moniquevantulder.com, bookshops and libraries, subscribe to the podcast, and take the first step toward your own A Grown Up’s Gap Year.

• Monique's LinkedIn
• Monique's Instagram

Feeling better starts with space — physical first, mental next. In this candid, useful episode, Monique reads from her book, A Grown Up's Gap Year, on the beauty of simplicity, then gets real about the sandwich-generation juggle: a kitchen-table chat about Mum’s future, and a surprise moment of the bloke stepping in with calm, practical wisdom. You’ll leave with THIS WEEK’S GIVE (a 20-minute clear-out you can do today), a cut-and-paste Dear Blokes script, and a reminder that streamlining isn’t about perfect cupboards — it’s about buying back time and energy for the life you actually want.

Book reading: why less can feel like more

The sandwich generation (context that keeps it real)

Story: “The dance around Mum”

Story: “The bloke and the kidult”

🎁 THIS WEEK’S GIVE: one 20-minute clear-out + the Dear Blokes script

Episode Resources & Links:

• Your SPACE Prescription
• Free Weekly Newsletter
• Dear Blokes Downloadable
• Chic Locals

📚 Get your copy of A Grown Up’s Gap Year the book, from Amazon, moniquevantulder.com, bookshops and libraries, subscribe to the podcast, and take the first step toward your own A Grown Up’s Gap Year.

• Monique's LinkedIn
• Monique's Instagram

Feeling stretched thin and a little invisible? This episode gives you a simple, two-minute Travel Prescription Certificate to start reclaiming space—without dismantling your life. We talk the hot coffee moment (after decades of lukewarm), why streamlining comes first, and how to close a few of those 52 tabs in your head so you can actually hear yourself think. Solo when you want it, company when you choose it.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• What the Travel Prescription Certificate is—and how to fill it in over one hot coffee.
• A quick framework to streamline your week so time-out becomes time that’s truly yours.
• Why “choose space over default” becomes easier when you print it and stick it on the fridge.
• A one-minute An Insider’s Guide to Long-Term Love note for the Blokes who want to show up better.

Episode Resources & Links:

• Fair Play by Eve Rodsky
• Femonomics by Corinne Low
• Travel Prescription Quiz. Name what you need this week, choose one micro-escape, and book it...
• Free Weekly Newsletter
• Expression of Interest - Whitsundays Retreat

If this helped: Please share the episode or leave a quick rating/review. It genuinely helps this grassroots community grow.

Line to remember: Escape the expected. Choose space over default. It’s your turn.

📚 Get your copy of A Grown Up’s Gap Year the book, from Amazon, moniquevantulder.com, bookshops and libraries, subscribe to the podcast, and take the first step toward your own A Grown Up’s Gap Year.

• Monique's LinkedIn
• Monique's Instagram

This episode is part of a ‘series’ on the podcast One Question with host Michelle Cox - where she is talking to all guests about the same topic, and that topic is REINVENTION!

It is a topic she is often asked about; how she reinvented herself, why, the process she went through, and she was keen to talk to others about their transitions and what they went through to create a new life for themselves.

Today, it is with Monique van Tulder who has been inspiring mid-life women to shake things up a bit and encouraging them to step into their ‘second-act’ where, after decades of looking after others, they now get to spend time and resources on themselves.

Episode Resources & Links:

• linkedin.com/in/michellejcox
• instagram.com/michelle.j.cox

📚 Get your copy of A Grown Up’s Gap Year the book, from Amazon, moniquevantulder.com, bookshops and libraries, subscribe to the podcast, and take the first step toward your own A Grown Up’s Gap Year.

• Monique's LinkedIn
• Monique's Instagram

A replay of an Episode where the mic is turned and I am a guest, chatting with Gillian Whitney of Easy Peasy Books podcast.

"Monique, author of "A Grown Up's Gap Year: Put YOU in the picture", shares the inspiring story behind her midlife memoir and self-help book. Discover what prompted Monique's "Shirley Valentine moment" of running away from home at 57 to embark on an 8-month solo journey of self-discovery and reinvigoration.

We discuss the challenges of vulnerable personal storytelling, working with experts to enrich her book's message, and the importance of self-care during the writing and publishing process. She also shared a peek into her upcoming book project aimed at helping men navigate their own midlife transitions.

Whether you're contemplating a midlife reset, struggling to balance writing with self-care, or simply seeking inspiration to put yourself back in the picture, you'll find wisdom, wit and relatability in Monique's transformative tale."

Episode Resources & Links:

• EasyPeasyBooks
• EasyPeasyBooks Podcast
• linkedin.com/in/gillianwhitney

📚 Get your copy of A Grown Up’s Gap Year the book, from Amazon, moniquevantulder.com, bookshops and libraries, subscribe to the podcast, and take the first step toward your own A Grown Up’s Gap Year.

• Monique's LinkedIn
• Monique's Instagram

Another replay of an Episode where the mic is turned and I am a guest. This week chatting with Liz Nable, host of Media Magnet podcast (and Chief all round Media and PR wizz Media Masters Academy). Liz asks me about practical tips for building confidence, pitching, and never taking no for an answer. the impact of a coachable mindset and relentless consistency in becoming the media’s go-to expert (Liz's words - not mine - although I rather like this sentiment). The real crux is the steps to creating industry impact and inspiring women to own their stories.

Episode Resources & Links:

• liznable.com/podcasts/media-magnet
• liznable.com/mediamastersacademy

📚 Get your copy of A Grown Up’s Gap Year the book, from Amazon, moniquevantulder.com, bookshops and libraries, subscribe to the podcast, and take the first step toward your own A Grown Up’s Gap Year.

• Monique's LinkedIn
• Monique's Instagram

A replay of an Episode where the mic is turned and I am a guest of Your 2nd Act host Michelle Parsonage: Imagine reaching midlife and deciding to take a gap year, on your own, without your family, and without all the usual responsibilities.

How many times have you thought, "I wish I could just do that," but for some reason, you don’t because you’re scared of change and the unknown? Well, today’s guest is anything but scared of having a go. Monique van Tulder took the leap. She stepped away from her busy life, not to escape, but to reconnect with herself, recharge, and rediscover who she truly is. Monique’s gap year wasn’t about running away from life, it was about creating the time and space she needed for self-reflection and personal growth. Her journey not only gave her the clarity she needed but also inspired her to write A Grown Up’s Gap Year. In her book, Monique shares how taking time for yourself, embracing change, and stepping into the unknown can lead to a deeper understanding of who you are and what you want from life.

Monique offers practical advice for women who feel stuck or overwhelmed, reminding us that it’s never too late to make a change. Sometimes, all it takes is asking, "Why not now?"

Episode Resources & Links:

• https://your2ndact.com/

📚 Get your copy of A Grown Up’s Gap Year the book, from Amazon, moniquevantulder.com, bookshops and libraries, subscribe to the podcast, and take the first step toward your own A Grown Up’s Gap Year.

• Monique's LinkedIn
• Monique's Instagram

This episode is the pivot. It’s not about dismantling your life. It’s about backing yourself for a minute. What if your so-called second act isn’t about waiting for perfect conditions, but about remembering who you are — and showing up for it? The moment we stop dreaming about change — and start living it. On purpose. In real life. Living as if… As if you were already the version of yourself you always imagined you’d be. As if you trusted that vision enough to move toward it. As if you didn’t need anyone’s permission to prioritise your joy, your energy, your next act. Let’s talk about what happens when we stop waiting — for the timing, the kids to be sorted, the finances to be perfect — and start living like we’ve already said yes.

Episode Resources & Links:

• Your Mid-Life Journey Quiz
• FIND SPACE - YOUR TURN guide

📚 Get your copy of A Grown Up’s Gap Year the book, from Amazon, moniquevantulder.com, bookshops and libraries, subscribe to the podcast, and take the first step toward your own A Grown Up’s Gap Year.

• Monique's LinkedIn
• Monique's Instagram

This week we head to Kyoto for a conversation about wellbeing that isn’t performative — it’s lived. We talk kerbside shrines and small daily reverence, seasonal eating, onsen bathing, and why Japanese approaches to rest, ritual, and nature feel like a balm in mid-life. Director of Wellness for Six Senses Kyoto, Ayako Fukuda, embodies a philosophy that is beautifully simple: wellbeing begins by restoring balance between humanity, the earth, and the heavens — and by being mindful of the moment you are in. It’s not about “fixing” yourself. It’s about rhythm, seasonality, space, and attention.

📚 Get your copy of A Grown Up’s Gap Year the book, from Amazon, moniquevantulder.com, bookshops and libraries, subscribe to the podcast, and take the first step toward your own A Grown Up’s Gap Year.

• Monique's LinkedIn
• Monique's Instagram