"We're in this really fast paced environment now where we're multitasking x100. When I look back to what my mum and my grandmother had on their shoulders and I look at the role that we have today I think it's because we know no different.

We've got these go faster stripes going, more, more, more. More input from the moment we wake up to the moment we're going to bed and I just worry about the state of our mental health moving forward.”

Tanya Lynch

Tanya and I met at the very start of both of our journeys on Substack in Spring 2022. I remember her original publication so well and the warmth of her connection.

I leant into her storytelling and we’ve stayed connected.

I was fascinated to learn more about Tanya’s Rage on a Page journalling work and retreats. We also talked about her process with Substack and I know you are all going to connect deeply with this episode.

While I’m here please do consider leaving me a 5⭐️ review on Apple Podcasts - it means the world to me and will mean that more folks can find the podcast off Substack. As you know this podcast is a passion project and I’m sharing everything I learn with you along the way.

There are limited spaces for Tanya’s popular Ease Retreats in 2024. Work with authors such as Emma Gannon, Stacey Heale and Clover Stroud in intimate rural settings capturing life affirming pockets of stolen time and tranforming your connection to creativity.

Writers retreats with brilliant authors in the tranquility of the UK Countryside:

"I do try and get as many people to Wales, to Cardiff or Pembrokeshire, because it is so beautiful."— Tanya Lynch

Places to connect with Tanya online;

* https://www.easeretreats.com/about

* https://www.instagram.com/easeretreats/

* Contact Tanya for retreat details - [email protected]

If you’d like to watch our conversation from my coat cupboard (!) with captions feel free to do that here and subscribe to my YouTube channel while you’re there?

"I think the difference between Instagram and Substack is … we're all in cars on the motorway. With Instagram, traffic is always flowing.

If there's a queue, you may see, oh, there's a familiar face, or you'll go through a town and you'll see someone familiar.

But with Substack, it's almost like you've gone to a drive through movie and everybody's there to watch and participate in the same event. And you can see each other and there's a big warm glow and you maybe get out and have a chat and have a drink. There’s time."

Timestamped overview

00:00 Organising writing retreats with well-known authors.

03:48 Discussing goal setting, writing, and inspiration through Substack.

08:14 Empower women through 30-day word journaling.

11:54 Women find warmth and joy in play.

13:07 Space for self-expression, connection, and community.

18:34 Struggling with puppy challenges, seeking advice and understanding.

20:03 Memoir about raising dogs, finding companionship, business.

25:48 Retreats and big achievements can feel anticlimactic.

26:46 Embracing change and self-care brings peace.

30:44 Retreats focus on intimacy, rest, and fine-tuning.

35:26 Gorgeous content, challenging for writers on Substack.

38:54 Networking challenges in rural living, seeking support.

41:31 Creating mental images to explain malapropisms. Instagram vs Substack traffic metaphor.

43:22 Promoting travel to Wales and Oxfordshire countryside.

✨

I’ll leave you with a quote from Tanya; "I've got 100,000 tales to tell, and it's all beautiful things to talk about."

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sparkleon.substack.com/subscribe