In this episode of the Know Thyself Podcast, I sit down with my friend Tom Harper from Dragonstone Bakes to talk honestly about midlife, self-worth, mental health and the cycles of change that life seems determined to walk us through.

We explore what happens when life as you know it falls apart, the initiations that come with turning 40, and the conflict between your big dreams and your deepest beliefs about what you deserve. We talk about people-pleasing, money patterns, nervous system chaos, emotional highs and lows, and the difference between accepting what is and tolerating the unacceptable.

From a blend of spiritual and psychological perspectives, we chat about:

• Self-worth, identity and “who are you when everything falls away?”

• Midlife cycles, initiations and the spirals of personal growth

• Emotional states as frequencies & bouncing between despair and passion

• People-pleasing, burnout and the fear of being “too different”

• Money stories, chaos comfort zones & subconscious self-sabotage

• The importance of real support, safe spaces & men’s mental health

• Why “doing the work” doesn’t have to feel like punishment

If you’re navigating a big life transition, questioning your purpose, or feeling like you “should be further along by now”, this conversation is for you. You’re not broken, you’re in a cycle – and you don’t have to do it alone. 💛

🧁 Find Tom / Dragonstone Bakes

Instagram / Facebook / YouTube: @dragonstonebakes

🌙 Connect with me & Know Thyself

Website: freedomrisibg.co.uk

Instagram/Facebook/Tiktok: @freedom_is_rising

Podcast: Know Thyself Podcast

⚠️ Content note: We talk about mental health, breakdowns, money stress and big life changes, always with care, compassion and a focus on support.

If anything in this episode resonated, activated or landed for you, I’d love to hear in the comments. And if you know someone going through their own midlife initiation, feel free to share this with them.

✨ Remember: if all you can manage today is one tiny moment of joy or one honest conversation, you’re doing brilliantly.

#choosingyourself #creativespirituality #empathhealing #KnowThyselfPodcast

#MidlifeAwakening

#SelfWorthJourney

#MentalHealthMatters

#MensMentalHealth

#SpiritualGrowth

#BreakingCycles

#InnerWork

#KnowThyself

#DragonstoneBakes

Hello loves 💛

Thank you for being here.

This episode is a riff — a moving, breathing, unfolding moment in real time. I’ve been on a three-month pause from social media… not a disappearance, not a breakdown, not a failure — a choice. A calling inward. A re-rooting.

And yet, what I’m now meeting is the fear beneath the quiet:

What if I never want to return?

What if choosing myself so deeply means I don’t fit back into the world I stepped out of?

What if the life I was building… no longer feels like mine?

In this conversation, I explore:

•Taking a break from being “seen”

•Learning to trust the inner pull without external validation

•The discomfort of being in the void / liminal space

•The fear of choosing ourselves so fully we might not need others

•The recovering people-pleaser identity dissolving

•Letting life re-form itself without forcing

If you’re in a season of pause, cocoon, wintering, void, or deep self-reclamation — this will likely speak directly to your bones.

✨ Let me know what this stirs for you

What whispers came alive inside you?

Big love,

Jenny 🤍

#spiritualawakening #selfrediscovery #voidseason #wintering #choosingyourself

#hermitseason #selftrustjourney #creativespirituality #healingjourney #soulgrowth

♡ Freedom Rising ♡

For the ones reclaiming their voice, their power, their wild.

Website:

www.freedomrising.co.uk

Instagram Spaces:

@freedom_is_rising — personal expression & storytelling

@creative_muse_oracle — creative channeling & oracle deck creation

@shamanic_practitioner — shamanic work, healing, ceremony, space holding

In this vlog/podcast, I share heartfelt reflections on time, presence, and gratitude — inspired by films, family moments, and the reminder to slow down.

I talk about:

🌿 The importance of being present with loved ones (and why cuddles still matter, even with teenagers).

🌿 How films and stories can help us process emotions and reflect on life.

🌿 The way time passes — through parenting, loss, and change — and how to honour it instead of fearing it.

🌿 Why we need to pause the hustle, put down our phones, and truly live in the moment.

This is your gentle invitation to slow down, reflect on how far you’ve come, and reconnect with what really matters.

If you’re exploring mindfulness, parenting reflections, grief, gratitude, presence, or slowing down in a busy world, this share is for you.

✨ Take stock of your journey.

✨ Be in the now.

✨ Let life seize you.

Big love,

Jenny 💛

Walking the Marsh: Mothering, Endings & the Call of the Feminine - Podcast Episode 025 of the Know Thyself Podcast.

Out on Stephanie’s beloved marsh, we record a walking, talking medicine conversation about the parts of us that resist what we most need. We name the weight of modern motherhood, the grief of endings that weren’t properly honoured, and the ache for a real village. We talk Virgo-season “go-go-go” vs. the feminine pace of nature, why art and slowness can trigger guilt and perfectionism, and how barefoot earth, birdsong, and a good scream in a field can soothe a fried nervous system.

Expect honesty, humour, and a few F-bombs as we touch on: being a single mum in a broken system; allowing support; September cycle energy; full-moon/eclipse endings and new beginnings; receiving Mother Nature; and the permission to choose creativity over crumbs and shoulds. If you’re navigating resistance, craving community, or remembering how to live at human speed, walk with us.

Key themes: resistance to the feminine, mothering vs. being mothered, honouring endings, nervous system care, creativity without perfection, seasons & cycles, village energy, nature as teacher.

Content notes: strong language; frank talk about motherhood and frustration.

CTA: If this resonated, share your “village moment” or a nature practice that’s helping you—tag me or send a voice note. Big love.

You can find Stephanie at: https://open.spotify.com/show/26tT3N4RcJd69YtPTHv533?si=5zokfu-GR_GeOfm637bXYw

If I’m Not Witnessed by Others, Do I Even Exist?

A raw, unfiltered dive into the existential and the everyday, where Jenny explores the tender space between needing to be seen and learning to witness herself. In this episode, recorded in real-time flow with no edits or polish, she unpacks the pull to disappear from social media for a year, the cycles of burnout and renewal, and the unsettling question of whether creativity still matters if no one is watching. Blending personal truth, astrology, human design, and the quantum mystery of the observer effect, this is part journal entry, part soul inquiry — an open invitation to anyone questioning their own visibility, value, and creative life force.

In this deeply reflective episode, I share an honest, late-night transmission on the energy of “I don’t chase, I attract.” From the bed, in the quiet after a full-on weekend, I talk about the shift from toxic positivity and hustle to nervous system peace, soul alignment, and surrendering to the moment. I open up about navigating mental health, letting go of old programming, learning to rest, and trusting the divine timing of life. This one is for those walking the path less travelled—those who feel deeply, live intuitively, and are learning to honour their unique rhythm.

It’s raw. It’s real. It’s a love letter to the ones doing the deep inner work. You’re not alone.

⚠️ Sweary Warning ⚠️

Welcome to an ad hoc conversation with my cousin and soul sister Hayley Bird where the conversation flows,weaves, twists and turns as it always does when talking to someone who is all about soul exploration and personal development.

This podcast episode has come off the back of a phone call we were having, and is recorded directly on my phone (wow I know!), so there is an occasional beeping which is slightly annoying, but hopefully not too distracting! 

We were discussing the things that are coming up for us over the last couple of days, such as consistency, flow, our right to change our minds, and the way society tells us otherwise. The conversation gets onto one of our favourite topics: shadow work, where Hayley expertly explains Carolyn Elliotts book existential kink and how the law of attraction is missing this vital part.

The book discussed is: “Existential Kink: Unmask Your Shadow and Embrace Your Power; a Method for Getting What You Want by Getting Off on What You Don't - Book by Carolyn Elliott”

Hello hello and happy 2025.... What a start to the year its been.... No intro and outro here, just me sharing where I'm at.
This vulnerable real talk is a little update and share about what has been going on for me. I have realised I am suffering with mental burn out and depression and I sensed I needed to get recording and see what wanted to come out.
This is an episode for anyone else feeling the pressure to be consistent in an infinitely inconsistent world.

You can find my talk with Holly at:

https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/77wJIoDQ5Pb

You can find my talk with Jo Bardol at:

https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/t2XhxkDQ5Pb

Welcome to a super informative and inspiring medicine conversation with Joanna Bardol, one of the most caring and calming souls I know. Jo is so informative and the knowledge she has to share with the world is so needed, so it was an absolute honour to have this chat with her and share it with you all.

Big love and I hope you enjoy xx

You can contact Joanna on email: [email protected]

Or telephone: 07828 669395

Settle in for a little life run down and story time with Jen.

So often we can feel that our stories are pointless or not worth sharing, but our experiences are what shape us into who we are, and can be how we turn our experiences into teachable moments and ways in which we can hold other people through similar situations.

As I step deeper and deeper into my authentic expression with self love and empowerment, I know I am activating in you, layers of your own narrative, voice and stories that want to be birthed and shared.

Together we rise. Share your words. Share your magic. Share your thoughts feelings and reflections. The world needs your voice.

Big love xx

Find out more about how you can work with me or attend my events at www.jennygilescreativerebel.com