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.
Margaretha Montagu
"I always get anxious when facing uncertainty, and it usually shows up as overthinking." I asked Claude, "Why are life transitions so disruptive? He replied, "Going through life transitions typically cause: 1. Identity and Purpose Confusion The old sense of...
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Margaretha Montagu
How decades of parenting prepared you for the most purposeful and meaningful chapter of your life Question: By the end of the year, we'll be empty nesters. I dread it, I don't know what I will do with myself once...
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Margaretha Montagu
A Revolutionary Perspective on Life Transitions Here's a truth that might sting a little: You're probably overthinking your life transition. Yes, you – the one who's been good enough to build empires, close million-dollar deals, and navigate corporate politics with...
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Margaretha Montagu
The Wild, Weird and Wonderful Alchemy of Generosity Or: The Goat, the Gucci Bag, and a life-enriching Cappuccino It started, as many seriously strange stories do, with a cappuccino. Picture this: a honey-hued morning in Gascony (the French Tuscany), the...
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Margaretha Montagu
Or: The Mysterious Case of the Billionaire in Birkenstocks It was supposed to be a weekend of quiet reflection. A stealthy “silent success” type—let’s call him Stephan—had recently sold his third AI-adjacent startup for an undisclosed sum that rhymed suspiciously...
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Margaretha Montagu
The Short Answer: You are still the same person you were before your retirement, the one who always gave your all—but now, your time is yours. You get to slow down, speed up, and change course. No deadlines, no rules—just...
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Margaretha Montagu
From Midlife Crisis to Midlife Mission How Sophie Discovered Her Crisis Is Actually Her Calling Sophie discovered that the end of the Camino wasn't a destination at all – it was a doorway, and she was standing at the threshold...
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Margaretha Montagu
How Our Empty Nest Transformed Our Lives (and Left Us With All the Cookies) "Honey, remember when we used to trip over LEGOs and wonder if we'd ever have a quiet moment to ourselves? "Sarah chuckled, raising an eyebrow at...
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Margaretha Montagu
The Controversial Truth About Making Your Journey Matter Purpose-driven travel isn't about collecting passport stamps or posting sunset photos on Instagram. It's about showing up as your authentic self, contributing meaningfully to the places you visit, and returning home fundamentally...
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Margaretha Montagu
Your Sunset Years Look More Like a Solar Eclipse on Your Bank Account A "third-age crisis" is what happens when you're 65-70 years old, staring down the barrel of another 20-30 years of life, and realising your retirement savings won't...
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Margaretha Montagu
The Unexpected Companion When Starting Over Means Starting Together Sophie thought she was walking toward the end of her reinvention journey – until she discovered that some beginnings look exactly like endings, and some strangers carry the keys to futures...
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Margaretha Montagu
10 extraordinary people who proved that wisdom beats youth every time – and the surprising science behind why second act career changes after 50 are more successful They said it was too late. They said the ship had sailed. They...
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Margaretha Montagu
Getting Fired Might Be the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Your Career The Short Answer: This is not the end—you're just being redirected. At 50, you have two decades of experience, hard-won wisdom, and the chance to build something...
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Margaretha Montagu
The Solo Mile, One Step at a Time Sophie discovered that learning to walk alone wasn't about being abandoned – it was about building the foundational bedrock for everything that comes next. Building Firm Foundations, One Brick at a Time...
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Margaretha Montagu
The Body Revolution In the moment between Armand's collapse and the arrival of the ambulance, Sophie discovered that resilience isn't about being strong – it's about being present when strength fails. A Masterclass in Radical Resilience Yesterday, our intrepid pilgrims...
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Margaretha Montagu
The Pivot Point Sometimes the most courageous thing you can do is admit that your dreams need updating – and Sophie's phone call proved that courage comes in unexpected forms. Day 3: Wisdom lies not in stubborn adherence to old...
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Margaretha Montagu
The Compass That Points Inward Armand had carried the compass for forty years, but until today, he'd never realised it had been pointing the wrong direction all along. A Compass becomes a Catalyst Yesterday, we met two souls beginning a...
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Margaretha Montagu
He was unprepared to die because he'd never really figured out how to live. Q: "I've just been told that I have a life-threatening disease. I've heard that knowing your life purpose can help during difficult times. Well, this is...
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Margaretha Montagu
Two Souls, One Path: Sophie and Armand's Life-changing Adventure in the Southwest of France More and more, I find myself using storytelling as a medium to pass on insights, probably not altogether surprising as my first love, even after 8...
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Margaretha Montagu
#BruisedButNotBroken Series Question: "I'm going through a divorce and trying to make sense of it all. I've heard that knowing your life purpose can help during difficult times. Can someone explain how knowing my life purpose might help me cope...
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Margaretha Montagu
Success is not how high you have climbed, but how you make a positive difference to the world. - Roy T. Bennett The morphine drip wasn't doing much anymore. Richard Hartwell, CEO of Meridian Industries—a name you'd recognise from your...
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Margaretha Montagu
All you need is love - John Lennon Summary This article explores the profound difference between being needed for what you do versus being loved for who you are. Through the story of Sophie Lemaire, we uncover how many people...
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Margaretha Montagu
Blending soulful insight, dry wit, and hard-earned real-world wisdom, these articles offer more than just feel-good inspiration — they’re field guides for anyone who’s found themselves standing at a crossroads or stuck in a life crisis. Whether you’re navigating an...
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Margaretha Montagu
Something different for today's blog post. I've handpicked 30 films not just because they're entertaining (though they absolutely are), but because each one offers something special for you, if you are going through a difficult time. They don't preach or...
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Margaretha Montagu
The High Cost of Being Everyone's Favourite Person - explore the emotional, financial, and psychological toll of chronic people-pleasing Summary Ever notice how some people seem to effortlessly attract meaningful connections while others collect relationships like unused gym memberships—lots of...
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Margaretha Montagu
From Corporate Burnout to Creative Breakthrough: The Missing Link Between Purpose and Innovation Bite-sized Summary Ever wondered why some days you're creatively unstoppable while other days you feel like you're drowning in mud? The solution might be simpler than you...
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Margaretha Montagu
Ever wonder why some people seem to glide through their to-do lists while you're stuck procrastinating while refreshing social media for the fifteenth time today? The secret isn't better time management apps or fancy productivity systems—it's having a crystal-clear sense...
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Margaretha Montagu
The Boundaries Breakthrough: From People-Pleaser to Purpose-Powered Bite-seized Summary This article explores how discovering your life purpose fundamentally changes your ability to say no without feeling guilty, without lengthy explanations, or emotional drama. When you're crystal clear on your purpose,...
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Margaretha Montagu
From FOMO to Focus: How Purpose Transforms Your Brain, Boundaries, and Breakfast Choices You’ve heard it before. That hushed, reverent whisper during late-night soul-searching conversations: "You NEED to find your life purpose." Cue the dramatic music, the wind-swept hair, and...
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Margaretha Montagu
Identifying Your Life Purpose Is Your Secret Weapon Against Comparison Culture When you know why you're here, you're far less susceptible to the "Fear of Missing Out." You don't need to be everywhere, do everything, or try to keep up....
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