Stories

Trailblazers’ Stories: not-your-average Blog

Here you’ll find more than 450 full-lenght articles, most 4000 words+, about subjects that would interest people who are navigating huge life changes, challenges and crises and are starting the next chapters in their lives. Most articles feature the story of someone who had to cope with a life-altering crisis. Maybe you’ll find the story of someone who survived the exact same crisis as you are facing? You can use the search function below to find inspiring stories:

Here are the main themes:

1. Retreats – Stress Dissolvers & Direction Finders – The transformative power of retreat experiences for people navigating major life transitions, career pivots, and personal crossroads. Explore how stepping away creates space for clarity, renewal, and intentional next chapters.

2. Horses – Partners in Transformation – How equine-assisted learning can accelerate emotional healing, build self-awareness, and guide stressed professionals toward their next chapter with wisdom that only horses can provide.

3. Navigating Life Changes, Challenges & Crises – Practical strategies and emotional support for weathering life’s storms—from unexpected upheavals to planned transitions. Learn to navigate uncertainty with resilience and emotional adaptability during pivotal life moments.

4. Burnout & Stress Management in Transition – Understanding why life transitions amplify stress and burnout risk. Science-backed approaches to managing acute and chronic stress when you’re already navigating significant personal or professional change.

5. Life Purpose – The Foundation of New Beginnings – Discovering and reconnecting with your deeper purpose during times of change. Explore why clarity of purpose is essential when reinventing your life, career, or identity.

6. Emotional Intelligence, Empathy, Self-Awareness & Mindfulness – Developing the inner resources that make transitions smoother. Cultivate emotional maturity, self-compassion, and mindful practices that support you through life’s most challenging passages.

7. Reinvention and Reconstruction after a Major Life Change – Navigate relationship shifts, empty nests, health scares, career pivots, redundancies, retirement, relocation, professional success without fulfillment, and find clarity for your next chapter.

8. Grief, Loss & Legacy – Honouring what’s been lost while creating meaningful legacy. Process grief from death, relationship endings, or life chapter closures, and discover how loss can transform into purposeful living.

9. Nature, Sustainability & Slow and Solo Travel – Reconnecting with natural rhythms as an antidote to modern overwhelm. Embrace sustainable, intentional living that supports well-being during life transitions and beyond.

10. Writing, Reading & Storytelling – How words heal and transform during major life changes. Explore writing your story, reading for solace and inspiration, book reviews, and storytelling circles as powerful tools for processing transition.

Time For Change

Margaretha Montagu

I want to start this email by thanking all those wonderful people who have written to me after my last email: I can’t tell you how heartwarming it was to receive your encouraging responses. The consensus was: "You do You."...

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Manifestation Journal Prompts

Margaretha Montagu

Having experimented with the Law of Attraction and having been thoroughly disillusioned more than a decade ago, I have had little time for the idea ever since. Recently, a friend mentioned Human Design, and knowing nothing about it, I decided...

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Retreat to a Refuge and Discover Your Sanctuary Away from Home

Margaretha Montagu

Relax, Rejuvenate, and Rediscover Yourself at a Sanctuary in the foothills of the Pyrenées Mountains A retreat should be a refuge: somewhere you can escape to, a place where you feel safe, seen and heard. I mentioned that I run...

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Vintage Escapes: The Irresistible Allure of Retro Retreats

Margaretha Montagu

Experience Vintage Charm with Modern Comforts I host old-fashioned retreats. An old-fashioned retreat is one with a rustic charm reminiscent of a bygone era, where guests can escape the modern world's fast pace and engage in traditional activities like nature...

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Why a Private Wellness Retreat Might Be the Plot Twist Your Life Story Needs

Margaretha Montagu

How Private Retreats Can Revolutionise Your Well-being I have been hosting small group Camino de Santiago hiking retreats for more than a decade, here at my house in the southwest of France. Last week, I came across this post in...

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Why You Shouldn’t Fake it till you make it

Margaretha Montagu

Don't Fake It Until You Make It, Face It Until You Make It The Case for Authenticity in Leadership and Life What this is: A compassionate dismantling of the most overused advice in business, written by someone who learned the...

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Silent Walking: Your Guide to Mindful Movement

Margaretha Montagu

A Moving Meditation for Stress Reduction and Inner Harmony In our modern world, filled with constant noise and distractions, a "new" trend has emerged called "silent walking," and it's all about escaping the chaos that surrounds us. I had to...

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Emotional First Aid: How to Heal the Invisible Wounds Within

Margaretha Montagu

What this is: A practical guide to treating emotional injuries with the same urgency and skill you'd apply to a physical wound, because your feelings deserve better than a stiff upper lip and a bottle of wine. What this isn't:...

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Making Monday Mornings more bearable with Journaling

Margaretha Montagu

#MoreMeaningfulMondays Series It's Monday morning. Again. Ever wonder why Mondays feel like such a drag? You're definitely not alone! There are actually a few reasons why Mondays can be so tough: Weekend Bliss Contrast: Think about it – weekends are...

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Your Perfect Summer: Manifestation Journaling Your Dream Season

Margaretha Montagu

Cultivate Physical and Mental Wellbeing this Summer Good morning! I wish each and every one of you un très bon Dimanche! It's FINALLY summer here in the southwest of France - we had one last horrendous storm on Wednesday night...

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Don’t walk through the world looking for evidence that you don’t belong, you’ll find it

Margaretha Montagu

You've built something meaningful. And yet, you're scanning every meeting, every social gathering, every interaction for proof that you don't belong. An imposter. Out of place. Here's the uncomfortable truth: if you're determined to find evidence you don't belong, you'll...

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Emotional Resilience: Finding Strength from the Herd During Life Transitions

Margaretha Montagu

When asked what I do, here in the deepest rural southwest of France, I usually reply that I host retreats, onsite but also online, for those who can't escape to the south of France at the moment, to help my...

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10 FAQs About Online Courses Inspired by Horses: Everything You Need to Know

Margaretha Montagu

. Since the pandemic, I have been working on making my retreats available online. I thought onlining the Camino de Santiago hikes would be the most difficult part, but it turned out to be the easiest. There already exists virtual...

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What Are Your Strengths and Why You Need To Know

Margaretha Montagu

My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.” —Jane Austen. What Are Your Strengths? I have just launched a new online course called "The Life Purpose Pursuit Protocol " - the content is largely based on what my...

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How to figure out your purpose in life in 5 minutes

Margaretha Montagu

This post was inspired by this "How to figure out your purpose in life" TED talk by Adam Leipzig that has 232 000 likes on Youtube, and for very good reason too - it is literally life-changing (watch below). I...

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How to Detect Burnout At Work

Margaretha Montagu

We can detect burnout early, merely by paying attention to what others are saying, and to what we are saying to ourselves. These statements can indicate impending burnout

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Body language affects how others see us, but it may also change how we see ourselves

Margaretha Montagu

The Secret Conversation You're Having With Yourself Ever notice how crossing your arms makes you feel more defensive, not just look it? Or how standing tall actually makes you braver? Turns out, body language isn't just about signalling to others—it's...

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Why Would You Go on a Wellness Retreat?

Margaretha Montagu

A Comprehensive Guide People go on a wellness retreat to step away from their daily routines and create space for growth, healing, rest, or connection. In our constantly connected, fast-paced world, retreats offer a sanctuary where you can focus on...

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Burnout Destroys Creativity

Margaretha Montagu

The average American takes only half of their allocated leave...to prevent burnout, we need to redesign our workday around creativity - not just producitvity

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Mindful Travel: Making the most of your next Travel Opportunity

Margaretha Montagu

Sitting at home, during the pandemic, thinking of all the places I wish I could travel to, I amuse myself by making lists of the places I would like to visit, as soon as it is possible again. I think...

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Solo Slow Travel: Best Option for Introverts

Margaretha Montagu

What is Slow Travel? As the third wave of the pandemic starts to flatten here in France, I come across more and more articles about Solo Slow Travel. Slow travel is a mindset that encourages travellers to take their time,...

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Blog Posts before October 2023

Margaretha Montagu

Previous Posts Click Here to read previous posts of this of this blog

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