What if the answer you’re looking for isn’t something to find, but something nature can help you notice you already have?

In this episode of the Writing with Purpose podcast, I’m joined by Rachel Woods, an executive coach and coaching supervisor whose practice unfolds, quite literally, outdoors. After sixteen years in senior HR roles across global organisations, Rachel stepped away from corporate life in 2020 to pursue what she describes as an intense calling, to take coaching into the natural environment. She holds a Master’s in Coaching and Behavioural Change, sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Ecopsychology, and is a TEDx speaker. Her book, ‘Let’s Take This Outside: The Business of Thinking in Nature’, was published in July 2025.

Rachel and Anna talk about what it feels like to leave a settled career for something that had no established path, and how that transition built slowly rather than arriving as a single decision. They explore Rachel’s coaching philosophy, one built on never imposing an agenda and instead helping people find their own answers, often with nature doing the prompting. The conversation moves through DNA, mud pies, bamboo, and why nature’s total indifference to us might be exactly what we need to hear.
"Housekeeping genes... the basics of being alive essentially... us and the blobfish, about 70 to 80%. Bumblebee, 44... your average pot plant, 20%... We are all related."

In This Episode

• Leaving sixteen years in senior HR roles to build a coaching practice around nature
• What genuinely moved the transition, rather than one single moment of deciding

• Why Rachel refuses to set an agenda for clients and instead helps them find their own answers
• The five levels of connecting with nature, from one-sided use to fully immersive
• Why nature’s complete indifference to humans is something to sit with, not fear
• Untapped nature metaphors beyond the obvious, from rocks to bamboo to lichen

Practical Wisdom

Rachel shares practical ways to bring nature into everyday thinking and work, including:

• Swap a sit-down meeting for a walk-and-talk, even round the block, for better team dynamics
• Notice what has already moved into your garden or windowsill rather than tidying it away
• Reach for an everyday nature metaphor, such as bamboo’s invisible root growth, to reframe a problem that feels stuck
• If you can’t get outside, bring a houseplant in; even a small connection to nature counts

"Why not use nature itself to help you come up with the answer to whatever that is."

Connect With Rachel

Please connect with Rachel on social media, visit her website or follow her work to find out about coaching, supervision, and the book.

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Book: Let’s Take This Outside—The Business of Thinking in Nature

Also Mentioned in This Podcast

• Silver Snaffles by Primrose Cummings
• The Hidden Seasons by Tristan Gooley
• Biophilia by Edward O. Wilson
• Attention restoration theory, Kaplan and Kaplan
• Journal of Ecopsychology
• Woodland Trust
• National Trust

Podcast Chapters

 01:06 Introduction to Rachel Woods

03:29 The Connection Between Humans and Nature

06:48 The Importance of Nature

09:35 Childhood Memories

12:24 Transitioning from HR to Outdoor Coaching

18:14 The Role of Nature in Coaching

29:42 Connecting with Nature: Levels of Engagement

34:17 The Microcosm of Nature and Community Engagement

37:21 Nature's Indifference and Human Responsibility

37:51 Coaching Dynamics

41:43 Metaphors from Nature

49:26 Finding Nature in Concrete Environments

53:38 Rekindling Childlike Wonder in Nature

56:20 Closing the Gap

59:54 Future Aspirations

A new episode is released every other Saturday at 8 am.

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe to the Writing with Purpose podcast and leave a review. It makes a real difference in helping more people find the show.

• Download a free journal planner PDF
• Connect with me
• Join my bi-weekly newsletter
• Search Writing with Purpose for events

Episode 77: The Difference Between Resting and Feeling Restored

What if the reason you still feel flat on Monday has nothing to do with how much rest you actually got?

Episode Description

In this solo episode of the Writing with Purpose podcast, I'm talking about rest and restoration, and specifically why so many of us can have a full weekend off and still feel pretty flat by Monday morning. I unpack a distinction I've been exploring in July's Journalling Circles: rest and restoration are not the same thing, and understanding the gap between them changes how you approach recovery.

I walk through the energy audit, a simple two column journalling exercise that helps you work out what genuinely restores you rather than what you've been told should. I also share some UK statistics on stress and burnout, a couple ofjournalling prompts to try, and what's coming up in August before the podcast pauses for a summer break, returning on the 12th of September.

“Rest is the pause... restoration is what that pause, that stopping doing something will give back to us.”

In This Episode

• The real difference between being rested and feeling restored, and why the two get confused
• Why identical amounts of sleep can leave two people feeling completely differently recovered
• UK statistics on stress and burnout, and what they reveal about why rest alone often isn't enough
• The belief that rest has to be earned, and how that shows up in an endless to do list
• What's on in August's Journalling Circles, and a first look at who's joining the podcast in September

Practical Wisdom

I share a few techniques for anyone who feels rested but not restored, including:

•  The energy audit, a two-column journalling exercise using 'drains' and 'restores'
• The rest sprint, a three- to five-minute free write on where tiredness shows up in the body
• A sentence stem to complete: 'A form of rest I keep putting off is...'

“What restores you might drain somebody else completely.”

August Journalling Circles and Events

• In-person Journalling Circles: 21st August at Hub and Health, Alsager, and 28th August at the Nantwich Clinic
• Slow Morning Sanctuary with Claudia Brown: Saturday 15th August, Nantwich Clinic, 3 hours, £49
• Nature Journalling Walk at Rode Heath Rise: Friday 27th August, 10am
• Online Journalling Circles: Wednesday 19th August, 9am and 5pm sessions via Zoom
• Introduction to Journalling: Monday 7th September, 9am, online via Zoom, 2 hours

Also Mentioned in This Podcast

• Mental Health UK, 2025 Burnout Report
• Brainz Magazine, article on rest and restoration
• Staffordshire Signal Magazine, monthly column
• Claudia Brown, yoga expert and Slow Morning Sanctuary co-host
• Free journal planner and entrance meditation
• Find Your Voice Again – on-demand journalling course
• Rachel Woods, author of Let's Take This Outside: The Business of Thinking in Nature (guest, 12th September)
• Ian Boyd, CEO of Mind Over Mountains (upcoming guest)
• Ellie Reynolds, scientist, author, and ocean rower (upcoming guest)

Podcast Chapters

01:01 Understanding Rest vs. Restoration

02:55 The Gap Between Rest and Feeling Restored

07:08 The Energy Audit Exercise

11:09 Journaling Prompts for Self-Discovery

15:19 Upcoming Events and Conclusion

 _ _ _

A new episode is released every other Saturday at 8 am.

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe to the Writing with Purpose podcast and leave a review. It makes a real difference in helping more people find the show.

• Download a free journal planner PDF
• Connect with me
• Join my bi-weekly newsletter
• Search WWP events

Writing with Purpose podcast, episode 76: How to Rediscover Who You Are Beyond the Roles You Play with Maria Newman

If the role you play every day disappeared tomorrow, would you still know who you are?

In this episode of the Writing with Purpose podcast, I'm joined by Maria Newman, a certified NLP Master Practitioner, hypnotherapist, coach and author who has spent nearly a decade helping working mums rediscover who they are beyond the roles they play. After leaving a long-standing career at Rolls-Royce in 2016, Maria built her own coaching practice from the ground up and has since written two books, founded YaaMas, an online networking community, and launched her podcast, Rising from the Rubble.

Our conversation moves through the roles we absorb as our identity, the life transitions that leave us asking 'who am I now', and why living consciously matters when our unconscious minds run so much of the day. Maria shares how journalling anchors her mornings and evenings, what hypnotherapy and NLP make possible when talking alone isn't enough, and why nature is one of the simplest ways to come back to yourself.

"I'd rather regret something that I've done than regret something I haven't done."

IN THIS EPISODE

• Why the childhood book Back Home became a lifelongmetaphor for life's changing chapters
• The car journey conversation with a senior manager thatplanted the seed to leave a secure career
• Building an online course in 2020 and gettingtumbleweeds instead of a Field of Dreams moment
• Living a balancing life rather than a balanced one, andwhy motion softens the curveballs
• Recognising when you are sleepwalking through life onautopilot
• The shrinking comfort zone, and how small acts of newness keep our  world wide

PRACTICAL WISDOM

Maria shares simple, repeatable practices for anyone wanting to live more consciously, including:

• An evening journalling routine using a day-per-page diary, closing with ten things to be grateful for, no letting yourself off the hook
• Writing three priorities and an intention each morning to set the day's direction
• Mindful walking in nature, noticing what you can feel underfoot, see and hear
• Breaking everyday patterns deliberately, from what you eat for breakfast to the route you travel
• Writing a letter from your future self to break through feeling stuck
• Celebrating every win, whatever its size
  "It's not selfish to think of yourself as an individual tomeet your own needs."

CONNECT WITH MARIA

Please connect with Maria on social media, visit her website or follow her work to stay connected and find out about her coaching, books, workshops and podcast.

• Website
• LinkedIn
• TikTok
• YouTube
• Busy! Book
• Your Next Chapter Book

ALSO MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST

• Karmic Management, Geshe Michael Roach
• Back Home, Michelle Magorian
• Can't Hurt Me, David Goggins
• YaaMas networking community
• Maria's workshop From Doubting to Decisive (November 2026)

PODCAST CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction to Maria Newman

01:47 Maria's favourite childhood book and its meaning

06:19 Reflections on journaling and gratitude practices

10:48 Leaving a corporate career for coaching and entrepreneurship

19:32 The metaphor of the tightrope and balancing life

29:34 Recognising sleepwalking through life and how to break free

44:32 Maria's second book: a practical guide to letting go of the past

48:08 The importance of nature, outdoor activities, and movement

01:04:05 A technique: writing a letter from your future self

01:05:59 Upcoming workshops and how to connect with Maria

_ _ _

A new episode is released every other Saturday at 8 am.

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe to the Writing with Purpose podcast and leave a review. It makes a real difference in helping more people find the show.

• Download a free journal planner PDF and entrance meditation to kickstart your journalling journey
•  Connect with me on your preferred platform
• Join my bi-weekly newsletter for journalling prompts, curious thoughts, and writing ideas
• Search WWP events

Episode 75: How to Write from the Soul Using Embodied Poetry, Moon Journalling and the Art of Showing Up

What if the most profound writing you'll ever do isn't aimedat an audience, but at uncovering what your own soul already knows?

Nora Wilhelm is a social entrepreneur, changeworker, andwriter from Switzerland who, after years of giving everything to her work, found her way back to herself through the powerful act of creating. Nora is the founder of the well, change atelier, a platform for creative regeneration, and the host of Writing with Flow, a programme that helps people build a writing routine that feels sustainable. In 2024, Nora wrote her first book, discovering along the way that showing up daily and gently is far more potent than waiting for the perfect conditions.

In this conversation, we explore Nora's embodied poetry practice, which she describes as 'cranking up the volume of your own soul', and the accessible techniques she uses to help people access that depth, whether or not they've ever thought of themselves as a writer. We also talk about journalling in alignment with the lunar cycle as a gentle, natural rhythm for reflection, the raw realities of self publishing, and how Nora built a daily writing habit that carried her through writing her first book, five minutes at a time.

“I... put words to the process that I go through... it's all about cranking up the volume of your own soul [–] what's already there, what you deep down already know maybe is important, the voice that's whispering always and... allowing that to come through.”

In This Episode

• How Nora's embodied poetry process uses rapid-fire association and metaphor to bypass the critical mind and access deeper writing
• The collective poetry practice: how Nora channels group experiences into a single emergent poem
• Why Nora structures her journalling practice around the lunar cycle
• The five-minute writing habit that helped Nora complete her first book draft
• What no one tells you about self-publishing, from the editorial process to printing ethics
• The creative palette at Well Change Atelier

Practical Wisdom

• Nora shares practical approaches for anyone wanting to build a more sustainable writing practice
• Anchoring writing to an existing daily habit, such as a first coffee or returning from a walk
• Adding a small reward to reinforce the habit, and applying the 'don't miss twice' principle
• Using rapid-fire metaphor association as an entry point into embodied poetry
• Journalling at the new moon to set intentions and at the full moon to reflect and release

Connect With Nora

Please connect with Nora Wilhelm on social media, visit her websites, or follow her work to stay connected and find out about upcoming poetry workshops, Writing with Flow, and her forthcoming book.

• Nora's website
• Well Change Atelier
• Parayma
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Well Change Atelier on Instagram

Also Mentioned

• Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldry
• Hafiz, Rumi, and Rupi Kaur
• John Stubbley, Presenting Institute  
• Chani Nicholas
• Atomic Habits by James Clear
• Elaine Brooks
• Human design
• Art of Change conference, Austria

Podcast Chapters

00:00 Intro to Nora Wilhelm

03:18 The Power of Books and Childhood Reading

05:55 Exploring Poetry and Its Impact

11:04 The Role of Collective Experiences in Writing

15:10 Nora's Writing Journey and Daily Habits

36:15 Journalling Practices and Lunar Cycles

58:09 Nature as a Source of Regeneration

01:08:47 Future Endeavours and Closing Thoughts

_ _ _

A new episode is released every other Saturday at 8 am.

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe to the Writing with Purpose podcast and leave a review. It makes a real difference in helping more people find the show.

• Download your free journal planner PDF and entrance meditation to kickstart your journalling journey.
• Connect with me on your preferred platform
• Join my bi-weekly Writing and Nature Connection newsletter

Episode 74: Living on Less, Writing from Life: A Conversationwith Author Mike Leaver

What if stripping your life back to almost nothing was the thing that finally gave you the space to write?

In this episode of the Writing with Purpose podcast, I’m joined by Mike Leaver, author of five books, who has spent 30 years living off-grid in a static lorry in Porthmadog, North Wales.

With no electricity, no mains water, and no internet, Mike writes by candlelight, spends around £15 a week on groceries, and has attracted over a million views on YouTube for simply living the way he does.

Mike writes from lived experience, thinking through narrative at night and committing it to the page each morning. His autobiographies draw on contemporaneous notes made across four decades. His novels use fictional characters to explore emotions he finds difficult to own directly. This conversation explores what it means to write honestly from a life that refuses any conventional script.

“Where other people are involved who I can’t actually tell their bit of the story, then sometimes I will put them situations into a fictional situation because then I’m free to go with thoughts that they might be having.”

In This Episode

• How Mike uses fictional characters to explore emotions he cannot express in his own voice
• Writing from contemporaneous notes kept across four decades
• What Mike learned about writing female characters from being the only boy in a class of fifteen girls
• How homelessness, job loss, and a sunken boat became raw material for two autobiographies
• The off-grid life as a writing environment: candlelight, no distractions, a routine built around creativity
• Living the adventures first, then finding the story in them

Practical Wisdom

• Think through your narrative before you write. Mike develops plot and memory at night before committing it to the page the following morning.
• Use fictional characters to explore what you cannot say directly. Fiction gives you the freedom to go there honestly.
• Write from observation. Read widely outside your own experience to understand perspectives you would not otherwise access.
• Record life as it happens. Both autobiographies were written from contemporaneous notes, not reconstructed from memory.

Connect With Mike

• Website
• Facebook
• Books
• Write to Mike: Mike Leaver, Lorry Called Yr Wyddfa, Porthmadog, LL49 9GB

Also Mentioned

• Elizabeth Gill, ‘A Sister’s Dream’
• Enid Blyton, Famous Five series
• YouTube: Mike’s off-grid life, over 1 million views

Podcast Chapters

00:00 Introduction03:40 Literary Influences and Writing Style06:30 Themes in Mike’s Novels09:21 From Life Experience to Fiction12:09 The Gritty Realities of Mike’s Writing14:58 Living Off-Grid17:21 Fame, Writing, and Daily Life20:06 Life, Happiness, and Simplicity33:45 Creating Atmosphere for Writing35:39 Off-Grid Living: The Details42:17 Finding Inspiration in Adventure46:38 Balancing Fact and Fiction51:09 Practical Tips for Simple Living52:55 Future Plans and Community57:15 Outro

_ _ _

A new episode is released every other Saturday at 8 am.

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe to the Writing with Purpose podcast and leave a review. It makes a real difference in helping more people find the show.

• Download your  PDF and entrance meditation to kickstart your journalling journey.
• Connect with me on your preferred platform by ⁠
• Join my bi-weekly newsletter

Writing with Purpose Podcast 73: Visual Journalling for Grief, Healing, and the Art of Becoming with Evie Lindemann

What if the image you made without thinking was already holding something you hadn't yet found the words for?

In this episode of the Writing with Purpose podcast, I'm joined by Evie Lindemann, an art therapist, marriage and family therapist, and author who bridges creative expression with depth psychology and end-of-life care. Evie's work spans clinical practice, teaching, and humanitarian projects, helping people navigate grief, trauma, and life transitions through visual journalling and expressive arts. Her unique approach invites us to explore what images can reveal that words alone might miss.

In this conversation, Evie draws on a remarkable life, from illustrating children's literacy materials in Afghanistan to working with combat veterans, supporting communities through critical incident debriefing, and sitting with families in emergency room grief. We explore William Worden's four stages of grief, including the often-overlooked fourth stage of finding an enduring connection with those we have lost, and why grief has no timetable. At the heart of the conversation is Evie's own 'pick up your pen' moment, and the simple, powerful invitation it carries for anyone who feels their creative voice has gone quiet.

"I think our fractured and wounded places lead us to things that will ultimately matter."

In This Episode

• Geographic loss as a form of grief
• The difference between productive art making and reflective art making
• What happened when Evie walked into a room of combat veterans and admitted she had no answers
• How the blend of visual image and expressive writing carries a power that neither holds alone
• The inner cast of characters we all carry

Practical Wisdom

Evie shares practical starting points for anyone curious about visual journalling or expressive arts, including:

• The scribble technique: fill a blank page with marks until an image appears, then outline it and begin a written conversation with it
• Using a line of poetry as a place to begin, with no expectation of where it will lead
• Approaching creative resistances with gentleness rather than force, finding a settled internal place before pushing through

Connect With Evie

Please connect with Evie Lindemann to follow her work and stay connected.

• Website
• LinkedIn

Also Mentioned in This Podcast

• The Light of Days: Women's Resistance Fighters in the Ghettos by Judy Batalion
• The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
• Ferdinand the Bull
• Kitchen Table Wisdom by Rachel Naomi Remen
• Kay Adams and the Center for Journal Therapy
• William Worden, grief therapist and researcher
• Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, grief researcher and author
• Carl Jung's 'active imagination' concept
• Meher Baba / Meher Archive Collective
• International Poetry Therapy Association
• The Bamiyan Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site, Afghanistan

Podcast Chapters

00:00 Introduction

03:39 Exploring Grief and Courage Through Literature

06:27 The Role of Art in Therapy and Personal Journey

08:56 Childhood Experiences on Creativity

14:14 The Intersection of Travel, Art, and Cultural Understanding

16:41 The Significance of Children's Literature

24:18 The Stages of Grief and Personal Reflections

27:03 Finding Meaning in Loss and Moving Forward

37:33 Enduring Connections and Memory

41:27 The Power of Shared Stories

46:05 Art as a Healing Medium

51:07 Engaging with Creativity

55:06 Self-Discovery through Art

01:04:08 Future Endeavours

01:09:05 Community Engagement

01:09:30 The Benefits of Journalling Workshops

_ _ _

A new episode is released every other Saturday at 8 am.

Loved this episode? Leave a review or share your thoughts on social media – your feedback helps others discover the podcast and keeps the conversation going.

• Download a free PDF journal planner and entrance meditation to kickstart your journalling journey.
• Connect with me
• Join my bi-weekly newsletter

Writing with Purpose Episode 72: Journalling Beyond Words About the Journeys We Never Wanted to Make with Julia D McGuinness

What if the most difficult journey you've ever faced was also the one that finally brought you to the page?

In this episode of the Writing with Purpose podcast, I'm joined by Julia D McGuinness, author of six books, poet, ex-teacher, and workshop facilitator who guides people through the transformative power of poetry, journalling, and creative writing.

Julia's latest book, Writing the Journeys We Never Wanted to Make, offers a blend of therapeutic techniques and poetry-based prompts to help readers navigate life's difficult seasons through the written word. Her work draws on her background as a trained therapeutic counsellor, years of running writing for wellbeing workshops, and lived experience of navigating unwanted journeys.

In this conversation, Julia shares how poetry and journalling became a lifeline for her as a teenager, what prompted her to write this latest book, and how she developed her nine-part framework. We talk about the difference between writing down into a pit and writing through something, the role of nature, poetry magic, and how anyone, regardless of experience or confidence, can find their footing on the page.

"Just give yourself permission to write as you can, not as you can't, to write as you are, not as you aren't."

In this episode

• The nine-process framework that gives shape to the journeys we never wanted to make
• Why poetry reaches the places that prose cannot
• The difference between writing down into a pit and writing through something, and how to protect yourself
• The ‘heart of the day’ as a gentle starting point for anyone who feels intimidated by the blank page
• How nature and imagery can open unexpected doors
• Julia's own unwanted journeys, and how writing became an anchor and a creative outlet

Practical Wisdom

Julia shares practical approaches for anyone drawn to writing for wellbeing or navigating a difficult season.

• Identifying one standout moment from the day
• Rereading what you've written, noticing, and reflecting
• Setting a time or page limit if writing feels overwhelming
• Writing with your non-dominant hand or with your finger to bypass the inner critic
• Changing your writing location when you feel blocked
• Holding onto the three maxims: keep it simple, keep it real, keep it up

"Poetry is really helpful language...because it's a different language. It uses images to convey something rather than a diagnostic factual analysis."

Connect with Julia

Please connect with Julia D McGuinness to find out about her workshops and books.

• Website
• Substack
• Books
• Amazon

Also Mentioned in This Podcast

• A Morning Walk by Steve Dilworth
• A New Theology by Sheila Bender
• The Art of Slow Writing by Louise DeSalvo
• Dr Megan Hayes
• David Kessler
• Stroebe and Schut
• Joseph Campbell
• Dr Mark Oakley
• The Write for Life conference, Stockholm
• The Millennium Oral History Project
• The Weird Stone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner
• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
• Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson

Podcast Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Julia

04:06 The Role of Poetry and Journalling in Healing

06:42 Exploring Childhood Influences

09:23 The Evolution of Julia's Journalling Practice

11:55 The Power of Writing Through Grief

19:53 The Connection Between Nature and Writing

22:28 The Art of Slow Writing

25:15 Reflections on Early Writing Experiences

35:43 Navigating Career Choices and Creative Paths

40:18 Teaching and Writing

51:43 The Therapeutic Power of Poetry

56:26 Overcoming Writing Intimidation

01:01:26 Nature's Influence

01:09:28 Exploring the Benefits of Journaling Workshops

_ _ _

A new episode is released every other Saturday at 8 am.

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe and leave a review. It makes a real difference in helping more people find the show.

• Download your free journal planner PDF
• Connect with me by ⁠visiting my links page
• Join my newsletter

Episode 71: When Pain Meets the Pen: Writing as Medicine with Elisa Friedlander

What if the most powerful thing you could do in the middle of chronic pain wasn't to fight it, fix it, or push through it, but simply to write about it?

In this episode of the Writing with Purpose podcast, I'm joined by Elisa Friedlander, licensed psychotherapist, Certified Journal Therapist, and writing workshop facilitator. Elisa helps people transform their relationship with chronic pain and illness through the written word. Her work has appeared in outlets including HuffPost, Wordgathering, and The Mighty, reaching thousands who live with chronic conditions. She is on the faculty of the Therapeutic Writing Institute, where she teaches her original Pain Meets Pen™ curriculum and other courses. Through her business, Ink To Insight, LLC, Elisa regularly facilitates Poetry Journalling with the general population and Pain Meets Pen™ workshops that explore how therapeutic writing can quiet chronic pain. Elisa is currently working on a book centred on this topic.

Along with her professional expertise, Elisa’s personal journey with chronic pain, complex spinal surgeries, and multiple medical diagnoses, including complex regional pain syndrome, has shaped her approaches to teaching and workshop facilitation. In this conversation, we explore how writing became her medicine, how she uses dream journalling to process fear her waking mind tries to quell, and why the journal is the one place we can be entirely unfiltered. We talk about Elisa's bathtub writing practice, the healing power of nature, and the profound insight she reached through journalling: that pain could take many things from her life, but it would never take her essence.

In This Episode

• How Elisa's experience of failed spinal surgeries and a complex regional pain syndrome diagnosis led her to develop Pain Meets Pen™,
• The practice of illegible writing
• How dream journalling helped Elisa recognise and process health fears
• Why the journal creates distance and closeness at the same time
• The role of nature, including an oak tree visible from Elisa's writing window
• Elisa's bathtub writing practice!

Practical Wisdom

Elisa shares practical approaches for anyone exploring writing as a healing practice, including:

• Illegible writing: write freely, then write over your words repeatedly
• Dream journalling as a form of body listening
• Guided imagery before writing
• Nature as a writing prompt source
• Writing from the body's perspective

Connect with Elisa

Please connect with Elisa and explore her journalling and therapeutic writing workshops and newsletter:

• Website
• Pain Meets Pen workshops and other courses
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

Upcoming workshops:

•  Monthly Poetry Journaling Workshops 
• Pain Meets Pen™ Workshops 
• Self-Compassion Writing for Quieting Chronic Pain and Illness
• Expressive Therapies Summit: Pain Meets Pen™ for Psychotherapists

Also Mentioned in This Podcast

• The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
• The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
• Mary Oliver
• Wordgathering: A Journal of Disability Poetry and Literature
• The Therapeutic Writing Institute

Podcast Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Therapeutic Writing and Chronic Pain

09:03 The Impact of Childhood Literature on Resilience

23:34 Navigating Chronic Pain and Identity

30:43 The Role of Writing in Healing

39:06 Workshops and Community Engagement

01:05:32 Final Thoughts on Writing as a Healing Practice

_ _ _

A new episode is released every other Saturday at 8 am.

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe to the Writing with Purpose podcast and leave a review. It makes a real difference in helping more people find the show.

Listen on Spotify | Apple Podcasts | wherever you get your podcasts.

• Please download your free journal planner PDF and entrance meditation to kickstart your journalling journey.
• Please connect with me on your preferred platform by ⁠visiting my links page
• Join my bi-weekly Writing and Nature Connection newsletter

Episode 70: Pay Attention, Be Astonished & Finding Awe with Elaine Brooks

When did you last stop in your tracks and think: what if I never see this again?

In this episode of the Writing with Purpose podcast, I'm joined by Elaine Brooks, a certified poetry therapy mentor and certified applied poetry facilitator. Through her own work and teaching collaborations, Elaine helps people uncover their gifts and reclaim their stories using the Eight Wonders of Life framework. Her background as a registered nurse and integrative nurse coach has shaped a uniquely embodied approach to wellbeing, one rooted in the belief that awe is not a luxury but a quiet, transformative force available to all of us.

In this warm and wide-ranging conversation, Elaine and I explore what awe actually is and how to recognise it in your own body, why the research of Dr Dacher Keltner has changed the way we understand wonder, and how the Eight Wonders of Life, from moral beauty and collective effervescence to music, nature, and those sudden aha moments, offer us everyday doorways into something larger. We also talk about the journalling technique of the captured moment, the two questions that can shift the way you move through the world, and how sharing stories of awe can deepen relationships and anchor positive memories more firmly in our bodies.

"What is the weight of the words that I put in my journal? And how many of them are often heavy because I'm writing about things that are going on that are troubling me. And that made me think, what about just kind of balancing that with some lighter words and really capturing moments of awe in my journal, along with the heavyweight words."

In this episode:

• The Eight Wonders of Life framework

• The journalling technique of the captured moment

• Two questions that change how you pay attention

• How awe activates the parasympathetic nervous system, lowers heart rate, reduces inflammation, and draws us out of overthinking

• Elaine's encounter with a juvenile eagle and what it taught her about transformation

Practical wisdom from this episode:

Elaine shares grounded, accessible ways to invite more awe into everyday life, including:

• Practising the captured moment after an experience of awe
• Keeping the Eight Wonders in mind as a compass
• Looking for moral beauty in daily life
• Listening to awe-inspiring music with intention
• Sharing your stories of awe carefully and with people who can truly hear them

Connect with Elaine

Please connect with Elaine to find out more about her work, upcoming workshops, and her forthcoming awe wellbeing project.

• Website
• Contact Elaine
• Email

Also mentioned:

• The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish
• When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
• A Sense of Wonder by Rachel Carson
• Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life by Dr Dacher Keltner
• Writing Wild by Tina Welling
• The Good Life Project podcast
• John Muir Laws
• Mary Oliver
• The Poetry Therapy Conference
• Today's Headline, poem by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

Podcast Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Awe and Wellbeing

05:44 The Power of Journaling and Reflection

12:38 Understanding Awe and Its Impact

18:35 The Eight Wonders of Life

37:01 Practical Ways to Cultivate Awe

54:32 The Future of Awe and Wellbeing

01:15:12 Introduction to Journaling and Community Engagement

01:15:37 Exploring the Benefits of Journaling Workshops

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A new episode is released every other Saturday at 8 am.

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe to the Writing with Purpose podcast and leave a review. It makes a real difference in helping more people find the show.

• Listen on Spotify | Apple Podcasts | wherever you get your podcasts
• Please download your free journal planner PDF and entrance meditation to kickstart your journalling journey.
• Please connect with me on your preferred platform by ⁠visiting my links page
• Join my bi-weekly Writing and Nature Connection newsletter

Episode 69: One Step at a Time: Alex Staniforth on Resilience, Nature, and the Mountains That Changed Everything

What does it take to keep going when everything falls apart, not once, but again and again?

Alex Staniforth is a record-breaking adventurer, performance coach, author, and founder of Mind Over Mountains, a charity whose mission is to restore mental wellbeing through nature.

Alex has overcome epilepsy, bullying, and mental health challenges whilst surviving two of Mount Everest's most significant disasters before the age of 19. He is the first and fastest person to run all 446 mountains in England and Wales, raising over £150,000 for charity.

In this conversation, Alex and Anna explore how adversity shaped his relationship with the natural world, what two catastrophic events on Everest taught him about survival and gratitude, and why he believes that a single walk in the right place at the right time can genuinely change the course of a life.

Alex speaks with characteristic honesty about burnout, mental health, and the harder question of what comes after the summit, when the goal is gone and the flatness sets in. He also shares how writing has been a constant thread throughout, from keeping a diary on the road to writing books that help him, and others, make sense of the journey.

If I don't have any log of life, then it's so easy to forget it and I've got nothing to pass on. So yeah, that's how I see it really, as an investment."

In this episode

• How one walk in the Lake District at age 14 gave Alex a sense of direction, confidence, and possibility he had never felt before
• Surviving two of Everest's worst disasters, and the lasting guilt and gratitude that followed
• The founding of Mind Over Mountains and how combining walking in nature with professional mental health support creates something more lasting than a single retreat
• Why planning for the aftermath of a big challenge matters as much as the challenge itself
• How writing, voice notes, and keeping a daily diary have informed Alex's books
• Alex's advice for anyone facing their own mountain

Practical wisdom from this episode:

Alex talks about the value of keeping a daily record as a practical investment in memory and legacy. Even ten minutes the morning after, noting the key things from the previous day, is enough.

He also talks about the importance of planning the recovery period before a challenge begins as a way to come down and have something to look forward to. And when the flatness comes, he suggests keeping busy but staying present, talking to people who were part of the experience, and accepting that processing takes time.

Connect with Alex:

• Website
• Mind Over Mountains
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Alex's books

Also mentioned

• The Chimp Paradox by Professor Steve Peters
• Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
• Climb the UK challenge
• University of Chester

Podcast Chapters

00:00 Introduction

05:14 The Power of Nature and Personal Transformation

09:36 The Journey to Everest: Overcoming Challenges

12:24 Commitment and the Drive to Achieve

19:04 Fundraising

23:30 Exploring New Sports and Personal Growth

28:09 Writing as a Form of Expression

33:48 The Birth of Mind Over Mountains

37:37 Navigating Mental Health and Charity Work

40:59 Balancing Challenges and Wellbeing

46:28 Planning for Post-Challenge Mental Health

51:17 Future Aspirations and Advice

_ _ _

A new episode is released every other Saturday at 8 am.

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe to the Writing with Purpose podcast and leave a review. It makes a real difference in helping more people find the show.

Listen on Spotify | Apple Podcasts | wherever you get your podcasts.

• Please download your free journal planner PDF and entrance meditation to kickstart your journalling journey.
• Please connect with me on your preferred platform by ⁠visiting my links page
• Join my bi-weekly Writing and Nature Connection newsletter