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 empty nest, a career change, a major loss, or just a nagging sense that your life needs a rewrite, you’ll find thoughtful guidance, gentle provocation, and the occasional laugh — all aimed at helping you rediscover clarity, reclaim your purpose, and set off in a new, more aligned direction.
- Countdown to Christmas Calendar – Day 7
December 7, 2025 – 19 Days until Christmas Theme: The Importance of Making Friends and Maintaining Friendships during Difficult Times Today’s Story: Au Café des Platanes Friends as Chosen Family The air outside the Café des Platanes smelled like caramelised sugar, finest dark roast coffee, and old radiators working overtime against the sudden cold. A … - High-Functioning Burnout Symptoms: I Looked Fine on the Outside, But Inside I Was Falling ApartHigh-Functioning Burnout Symptoms Are Easy to Miss when you’re still “holding it together”: A doctor’s guide to rebuilding after burning bright for too long. Additional feature: High-Functioning Burnout Symptoms at Christmas: Why this season reveals the cracks in your carefully constructed coping mechanisms What this is: A clear-eyed look at the specific type of burnout …
- Countdown to Christmas Day 6December 6, 2025 – 19 Days to Christmas A Christmas Gift A Christmas Story: The Spa Day That Went Sideways For Lesley By the time Claire Dubois signed her divorce papers on December 18th, she felt as if she had spent five years inside a malfunctioning emotional blender—one of those noisy, lid-jumping contraptions with several …
- Countdown to Christmas Calendar Day 5December 5, 2025 – 20 Days to Christmas Relocation to Paris Today’s Story: Priya’s Paris Relocation The moment Priya stepped into the “3ème Soirée Annuelle de Networking & Canapés de Noël”—an event title that sounded like a hostile takeover of her free time, now with added French pretension—she knew she’d made a mistake. The Marais …
- Countdown to Christmas 2025 Day 3December 3, 2025 – 22 Days to Christmas Today’s Story: Elsie’s “Mistake.” Château de la Garde had rough-hewn limestone walls that rose from the damp earth like a sleeping giant. Elsie pulled her wool scarf higher, the fabric scratching her chin. Her instincts, which usually guided her safely to the nearest quiet corner with a …
- Countdown to Christmas Calendar 2025 Day 4December 4, 2025 – 21 Days to Christmas Today’s Story: Marie’s Wig Collection For Harriet The text arrives at 6:47 AM on December 10th: Chemo brain strikes again. Forgot to buy eggs. Also forgot what eggs are for. Send help. By 7:15, there are four dozen eggs in Marie’s kitchen. Also: three different types of …
Continue reading “Countdown to Christmas Calendar 2025 Day 4”
- The Reactive vs Responsive Brain – How to Stop Crisis Mode and Start Your Next Chapter with Clarity -Christmas EditionWhat this is: A practical exploration of how your brain responds to life’s curveballs, and why understanding the difference between reactive and responsive thinking is the single most important skill for anyone ready to write their next chapter (especially when your previous chapter ended in a way you didn’t choose). What this isn’t: Another “just …
- Countdown to Christmas 2025 Day 2December 2, 2025 – 23 Days to Christmas Life transitions can be isolating, especially during the holiday season when everything seems to revolve around togetherness. But even in the darkest times, we don’t have to face challenges alone. Our friends want to support us; they just need to know we’re open to receiving their help. …
- Countdown to Christmas 2025December 1, 2025 – 24 Days to Christmas It’s the 1st of December 2025 and time to start my annual Countdown to Christmas Calendar! The theme is friends and friendships and the format this year includes a story and a Making Friends and Maintaining Friendships Master Plan. Story first: Today’s Story: The Frozen Aisle Meltdown …
- Book Review: The Artist’s WayAuthor: Julia CameronRating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 out of 5 stars)Read if: You’ve been telling yourself “I used to be creative” for longer than you’d like to admit. The Backbone of the Book According to Julia Cameron, your creative self isn’t dead—it’s just buried under years of self-criticism, practical concerns, and that one time your third-grade teacher …
- Morning Pages: Your Mind’s Daily Detox during Life’s StormsThe Simple Writing Practice That Clears Mental Chaos so You Can Finally Start Your Next Chapter What this is: A practical exploration of morning pages, the brain-clearing writing practice that helps you process the mental chaos of major life transitions. Think of it as your daily mind-detox, not your therapy session. What this isn’t: Another …
Continue reading “Morning Pages: Your Mind’s Daily Detox during Life’s Storms”
- Keeping Your Private Life Private: Why Silence Is Your Superpower During Life TransitionsYou Don’t Owe Anyone Your Story: Why Privacy Matters During Major Life Changes What This Is: Permission to protect your tender, transforming self from well-meaning interrogators, social media pressure, and the exhausting expectation that you owe everyone an explanation. This is about choosing wisely who gets access to your unfinished story. What This Isn’t: Advice …
- Gratitude Practice as Groundwork: Building Your Next Chapter on What Still StandsA doctor’s guide to using gratitude as a lifeline (not a bandaid) when navigating major life upheavals and unexpected crises What this is: A practical, research-informed exploration of how cultivating gratitude can become your anchor during life’s most turbulent transitions—whether you’re navigating divorce, illness, career upheaval, or loss. What this isn’t: Another fluffy “just be …
Continue reading “Gratitude Practice as Groundwork: Building Your Next Chapter on What Still Stands”
- Social Intelligence: The Life-Changing Skill No One Talks About (But Everyone Needs in a Crisis)What this is: A deep dive into Social Intelligence (SQ), the often-overlooked skill that determines whether your next chapter becomes a triumph or a struggle. This article explores why your ability to read people, build authentic connections, and navigate social situations matters more during transitions than your CV, bank balance, or five-year plan ever will. …
- If You Change Nothing, Nothing Will Change18 months ago, I wrote the post below (see extract). At the time, I asked my faithful newsletter readers for advice, as I wanted to amalgamate all my different retreats into one signature retreat. They replied, “You do you.” In that post, I looked at what “You do you” means to me. Again and again, …
Continue reading “If You Change Nothing, Nothing Will Change”
- Unconscious Bias: What It Is and Why You Need to Avoid ItYour brain is brilliant at making lightning-fast decisions, but sometimes it gets a bit too clever for its own good. Unconscious bias is the mental shortcut that whispers misleading stories in your ear, especially when you’re navigating major life changes. This article explores what’s happening in your remarkable brain, why it matters more than you …
Continue reading “Unconscious Bias: What It Is and Why You Need to Avoid It”
Ready to start again, stronger than ever before? This quiz will help you find out. It is not just about measuring where you are right now; it’s about shining a light on the areas of your life that feel meaningful, as well as those that might need attention. It’s an opportunity to reflect, recalibrate, and take steps toward a life that’s not only successful but profoundly fulfilling. Take The Quiz
Author Bio: Dr Margaretha Montagu – described as a “game changer”, “gifted healer”, “guiding light” and “life-enriching author” – is an experienced medical doctor, a certified NLP practitioner, a medical hypnotherapist, an equine-assisted psychotherapist (EAGALAcertified) and a transformational retreat leader who guides her clients through life transitions – virtually, or with the assistance of her Friesian and Falabella horses, at their home in the southwest of France.