Kincraig Cares

Today’s guest is Tony Brown, an army veteran who runs the not for profit self catering facility in Kincraig Forces Manor - called as such because it’s primarily aimed at those who have been in the Forces, though anyone is welcome to stay there.

This majestic building in the centre of the village was formerly the celebrity and royalty attracting Hotel and Restaurant of its day, The Ossian.

His backstory, of how Kincraig Village changed/saved his life from the moment he came to visit as a 13 year old kid in care on holiday from Croyden, is heartwarming and heartbreaking in equal measure.

Though, despite being abandoned by his mother as a 7 month old baby in hospital, he went on to excel in the army and then set up Forces Manor. It’s here he welcomes other vets to Kincraig to reconnect, reminisce and find peace over food, a few beers and plenty of laughter. 

What I loved about this conversation is how it really gave me a window into someone else’s adverse experiences but how he didn’t let them define, or drag him down.

We cover many topics:

- 6 mins 30: living with a sense of abandonment

Hope you enjoy meeting Tony. Do say hello to him, or even better stay at Forces Manor, or encourage your friends to! For more information and to book see: https://forcesmanor.com/ or find them on Facebook.

Look out for Tony’s book and accompanying song, too - Brown Eyes - due to publish this year.

And if you have any other suggestions of characters in Kincraig to interview on this podcast, please email me on ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠

Kincraig Cares podcast is being made on a shoe string out of love, so is very grateful for free resources which make this possible, like the intro and out music which is called 'Holiday Ukulele' by MaxKoMusic, promoted by www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ and part of the Creative Commons Attributions-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)

*Please note this episode contains adult themes so it’s not for little ears (or big ears that get offended easily!)*

I only have one house next to mine in my wee Scottish Highland village of Kincraig and today’s guest, Heather Hadden, has the mixed blessing of living in it.

As an empath who loves people and caring for them, but also gets exhausted by them, Heather has taught me a lot about how difficult this can be in our always-on, noisy, extrovert world. 

She’s helped me understand how extroverts (like me) can sometimes misinterpret ways of being in the world that don’t match our own. She’s also taught me about the importance - even for extroverts - of protecting our energy and being intentional with our time.

Because Heather is wise beyond her years, I affectionately call her ‘MacYoda’.

This podcast is a perfect pick-me-up and I found it incredibly hard to edit as loads of it made me chuckle, and because we are constantly going off on random, often hilarious (well, I think so!) tangents. Some of which are a wee bit racy, from her raunchy reading to wild hot tub parties… 

But please don’t let the length of this podcast put you off - I’ve time-stamped this one, so you can identify if there are any topics in particular you want to tune into…. Which also gives you an idea of the eclectic mix of this conversation!

Timings in minutes:

06:30: the profound impact of her grannies on her perspectives

08.00: maternal instinct

10.00: love of learning, but not at school

12.00 love of living in a village

13.00 being an empath

18:00 when I turned up on her doorstep having a panic attack/anxiety

21.00 where she gets her acerbic sense of humour (reading her whatsapps)

28.15 why we were less anxious in lockdown

29.30 true crime

31.00 the judgmental world of parenting 

36.00 how most people mask how they really feel

43.00 I apologise for taking Heather’s behaviour the wrong way once

49.00 why she wants to live in an Amazonian tribe

51.00 how we can bring the tribe vibe to Kincraig

53.30 the 5 love languages and community

1 hour: stepping away from the supermarkets 

1.05.30 sparking joy - jammies or g-strings?

1.10.00 hot tub parties

1.16.00 Heather makes her trademark cow sound 

1.20.00 odd socks & tupperware lids

01:21:30 romantic raunchy fiction

01.24.30 our plans to go the Maldives in our 80s 

Do say hello to Heather if you see her out and about (afterall, there is surely some common ground you can find from the list above?!).

And if you have any other suggestions of characters in Kincraig to interview on this podcast, please email me on ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠

Kincraig Cares podcast is being made on a shoe string out of love, so is very grateful for free resources which make this possible, like the intro and out music which is called 'Holiday Ukulele' by MaxKoMusic, promoted by www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ and part of the Creative Commons Attributions-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Today’s guest is Merryn Glover, who is an award-winning writer, a poet, a creative teacher, the cocreator of Kincraig's open mic 'Storylands Sessions' and - most importantly, of course - my lovely neighbour!

This podcast is for anyone who loves to think deeply about life and what hurtling through space on a rock all means. Also brilliant for any creatives for her thoughts on how we create works of art that really resonate with others.

What I love about Merryn most is her magnetic intensity and capacity for connection - and how she embraces these things in me.

She has truly helped me become more comfortable with this side of my personality; it helps she has such a beautiful way with words and there is so much WISDOM in this podcast. She could even start a t-shirt line of quotes.

We cover so many topics - and that's AFTER I've edited it down significantly, such as:

- how in her writing she is seeking to be truthful and connect

- the importance of honesty and being able to listen to views that don't necessarily align with our own

- other people's perceptions of us, and how we're not in control of them

- the importance of face to face connection as the world gets more virtual and lonely

- the ego and the dangers of self absorption

- how we are both hidden hedonists as well as serious types sometimes!!

Hope you enjoy meeting Merryn. Do say hello to her, or even better go meet her face to face at Storylands!

For more about her, and to buy her books, see: https://merrynglover.com

And if you have any other suggestions of characters in Kincraig to interview on this podcast, please email me on ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠

Kincraig Cares podcast is being made on a shoe string out of love, so is very grateful for free resources which make this possible, like the intro and out music which is called 'Holiday Ukulele' by MaxKoMusic, promoted by www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ and part of the Creative Commons Attributions-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Today’s guest is Ali Crompton, who I really wanted on the podcast to ask her how she has so much energy, as well as patience (especially with kids), and to get inspiration on how NOT to grow older grumpily.

She’s my next door neighbour and I refer to her affectionately as ‘Supergran’ as I can see how loved she is by the many kids she has in her life - her own grandchildren as well as others she entertains, such as at Kincraig Friday Fun and various other voluntary roles.

In this wide ranging chat we talk about:

*her experience of going to a rough school (when she lived on ‘Snob Hill’!)

*her 40 years in teaching and what she learnt about life, and kids, from working in a rough school (the same one she went to!)

*her love story of meeting Jim (ahem - she was actually after a millionaire when she met him!) who she has been married to for nearly 50 years

*her views on modern parenting and modern life styles

*the importance of making time for people, especially face to face, and in community

Hope you enjoy meeting Ali. Do say hello to her, or even better go meet her face to face at:

And if you have any other suggestions of characters in Kincraig to interview on this podcast, please email me on ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠

Kincraig Cares podcast is being made on a shoe string out of love, so is very grateful for free resources which make this possible, like the intro and out music which is called 'Holiday Ukulele' by MaxKoMusic, promoted by www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ and part of the Creative Commons Attributions-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Shula Bayton will hate the title of this podcast and being described as a 'hero' because she's deeply uncomfortable with people making a fuss of her (you will be able to feel her discomfort after the intro!!).

However, as discussed in this podcast, I am like exposure therapy to emotions for her, and she is like the best grounding sheet in the world for me. And I am determined - regardless of how uncomfortable she feels - to sing her praises because she makes life better for so many people around her.

They say, after all, that surrounding yourself by good people is the best way to improve your life. And, in my opinion, people don't come more good or well-meaning than this human (again, Shula will be currently cringing... but we will press on!).

I loved this wide ranging chat in which we cover: her upbringing in Zambia, boarding school in Edinburgh, purpose-led work, moving to the Scottish Highlands, the power of community when dealing with challenges like her son's illness, parenting, spirituality and nature.

By the end, I think she's enjoying herself and says she likes my challenging questions, what do you think?!

Hope you enjoy meeting Shula. Do say hello to her if you ever bump into her in Kincraig.

And if you have any other suggestions of characters in Kincraig to interview on this podcast, please email me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠

Kincraig Cares podcast is being made on a shoe string out of love, so is very grateful for free resources which make this possible, like the intro and out music which is called 'Holiday Ukulele' by MaxKoMusic, promoted by www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ and part of the Creative Commons Attributions-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Today's guests are the dynamo duo Phil and Fiona Hawkins who are the people behind local legendary initiatives such as the iconic Kincraig 'Post Box Topper' and 'Flapjack Fridays' at Loch Insh.

This episode is recorded in their 'posh room' while we are all knitting post dinner. We cover all manner of topics, like where they get their desire to not only get involved in community get togethers, but actually lead them.

Phil shares his wisdom on life which has helped me, such as how not to care what others think and be more comfortable in your own skin. And they both share their thoughts on cultivating a happy marriage, and what they're most proud of in life.

Hope you enjoy meeting Phil and Fiona. Do say hello to them if you ever bump into them in Kincraig. Or if you're local, come along to Loch Insh Dippers group - don't be put off by Fiona manically waving her pad at you asking for your name; she is doing it because she loves keeping track of everyone for safety, and for her swimming diary!

And if you have any other suggestions of characters in Kincraig to interview on this podcast, please email me on ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠

Kincraig Cares podcast is being made on a shoe string out of love, so is very grateful for free resources which make this possible, like the intro and out music which is called 'Holiday Ukulele' by MaxKoMusic, promoted by www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ and part of the Creative Commons Attributions-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Today's guest is Lenka Nagle. Lenka is Faculty Head of the Mathematics, Numeracy and Computing department at Kingussie High School, as well as being a good friend and my son's maths teacher.

Some people hate the idea of a small community where everyone knows everyone - and I wasn't sure how I'd feel. But I've found a real comfort in this.

Especially in knowing that there are teachers seeing my kids day in day out who know them, and know me, and our situation, so pick up on any changes or concerns.

This has been invaluable over the past year when there's been some really tricky moments that I've worried have impacted the kids. Having Lenka has been a huge comfort.

From knowing her personally, I know how much she genuinely cares about the kids she teaches and wants the best for them. I've seen this in action.

In this chat I loved hearing about where this community altruism comes from and we cover:

how she ended up in Kincraig after her dad moved from Czechslovakia

her childhood growing up locally and going to Kincraig's local school Alvie

How she's lived all over the world but always missed home

How and why she's raising aspirations of our local kids

Her success creating two teams that won a national competition for girls about investment banking

Her dedication to being a mum

How she deals with stress

Hope you enjoy meeting Lenka. Do say hello to her if you ever bump into her in Kincraig.

And if you have any other suggestions of characters in Kincraig to interview on this podcast, please email me on ⁠[email protected]⁠

Kincraig Cares podcast is being made on a shoe string out of love, so is very grateful for free resources which make this possible, like the intro and out music which is called 'Holiday Ukulele' by MaxKoMusic, promoted by www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ and part of the Creative Commons Attributions-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)

My guest today is Sarah Wylie. One of the many things I love about Sarah is that her ethos in life is to treat every interaction as an opportunity to brighten and bring joy to someone else’s day.

And she has certainly done that for me, making me smile on even my darkest days. She has that rare mix of light and dark, which makes her so good at connecting with her fellow humans however they are feeling. In this chat, she shares her thinking behind this approach to life.

As well as sprinkling her sparkles on someone else’s day, she is also an enthusiastic champion and cheerleader of others, whether it’s in a CrossFit class or a creative inspiration group. She is one of the people who encouraged me to get back into podcasting so it seemed only fitting that she should be one of my first interviewees.

In this episode we talk about:

How she sprinkles joy in Kincraig (and how it gives her joy)

Her creative career (and - spoiler alert! - you’ll hear her sing)

The importance of intergenerational connections

Having dreams, and having to give up on them too

The initial culture shock of Kincraig after Manchester

Wonder-full walking & living in a beautiful, natural place

Fear & faith

Hope enjoy meeting Sarah. Do say hello to her if you ever bump into her in Kincraig. Your day will be improved, I promise!

And if you have any other suggestions of characters in Kincraig to interview on this podcast, please email me on [email protected]

Kincraig Cares podcast is being made on a shoe string out of love, so is very grateful for free resources which make this possible, like the intro and out music which is called 'Holiday Ukulele' by MaxKoMusic, promoted by www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ and part of the Creative Commons Attributions-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)

This episode explains why I set up this podcast about my wee village in the Scottish Highlands, Kincraig, and why I'm going to be interviewing various community characters in forthcoming episodes.

It tells the story of how my neighbours helped, and continue to help, me through a really, really tricky time. It does this with honesty and a desire to break down stigmas around taboo topics like mental health, relationship breakdowns and loneliness.

It covers why community is so important and health-enhancing in this digital age we live in, where more people die in selfie-related deaths than shark attacks...

Yet, I don't think we celebrate the kind of love and care you find in a community nearly as much as we should, with such a focus on finding romantic love; this podcast aims to address that lack.

Kincraig Cares podcast is being made on a shoe string out of love, so is very grateful for free resources which make this possible, like the intro and out music which is called 'Holiday Ukulele' by MaxKoMusic, promoted by www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ and part of the Creative Commons Attributions-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)