The autumn equinox is here 🍂 and Lewis & Gemma are feeling the shift in both daylight and energy. This week they explore why the September-to-October stretch can be physically and mentally draining for Forest School leaders—and how to stay resilient. First, they unpack the “extra hustle” of welcoming new groups after summer: rebuilding routines, re-establishing play dynamics, and absorbing children’s heightened need for support.

Conversation then pivots to practical self-care. Lewis swears by hot-bath “core re-charging,” 5 a.m. power-lifting sessions and a month-long experiment with “ground living” (ditching the sofa for floor-squatting, inspired by Tony Riddle). Gemma craves child-free flow-time and admits she’s pushing too hard on autumn runs, triggering hip pain—highlighting the risk of treating outdoor fitness like a sprint rather than a slow build.

The duo link personal wellbeing to session quality: leaders who move, squat, lift and play alongside children model healthy physicality and gain empathy for youngsters’ comfort levels in cold, wet weather. They debate when to demonstrate tasks versus stepping back, how vigorous leader participation can spark richer hide-and-seek or hunters-and-rabbits games, and why active engagement deepens ownership of woodland projects.

Whether you’re planning muddy October sessions or just re-tuning your own body for winter, this episode serves up candid tips (bath salts, anyone?), philosophical questions about modelling movement, and a reminder that nothing beats warming up together around a Forest School fire.

Key Topics & Timestamps

00:35 – 03:33 Equinox vibes: equal day/night, new cohorts & mental overload

03:33 – 08:45 Hot baths, kombucha dreams & why autumn prep triggers “nesting” instincts

08:45 – 13:15 Ground-living experiment: ditching furniture for squats (Tony Riddle link)

13:15 – 18:25 Gym at dawn 💪—using power-lifting to make woodland tasks easier

18:25 – 22:58 When leaders show rather than tell: modelling play, carrying logs, drilling holes

22:58 – 28:00 Self-care pitfalls: over-running, hip pain & the myth of instant fitness

28:00 – 32:25 Empathy through movement: matching children’s cold-weather needs

32:25 – 35:24 Why hide-and-seek feels different when leaders truly join in

35:24 – 38:50 Floor time, clean floors & the “ground-level” perspective

38:50 – 39:25 Wrap-up: future episode teasers on children’s physicality

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