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.
- The Memory Of Sight
How my brain built a new world from fragments of failing vision I recently read Kim Peek’s story. Bit of a revelation, it was. To me, anyway. From the moment he was born in Salt Lake City in 1951, doctors urged his parents to place him in an institution. They said he would never walk … - The Mindful Traveller’s Guide to Making Every Mile MatterYour Camino de Santiago Crossroads Retreat Begins the Moment You Close Your Front Door Behind You – How to transform travel delays, mishaps, and detours into powerful lessons in mindful travel My own experience: Stranded At The Airport: What 50 Hours of Delays Taught Me About Stress and Self-Care What this is: A field guide …
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- Start Over Smarter: How to Start Over Without Starting From ScratchWhat five years of intentional cycles taught me about renewal, reinvention, and the courage to start over and evolve what actually works Introduction It’s nearly time to step into what comes next: the 2026 retreat season. In just over three weeks, the first guests will arrive at Esprit Meraki. Boots will crunch on gravel that’s …
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- Stranded At The Airport: What 50 Hours of Delays Taught Me About Stress and Self-CareWhat marathon delays taught me about managing stress during major life transitions What This Is About You know those self-care and stress management mantras about setting boundaries, prioritising yourself and protecting your peace? Nothing wrong with them. But after spending 50 hours getting from my front door to my destination (yes, you read that right), …
- How Mindfulness Intensifies Your Retreat Experience During Life TransitionsMindfulness Can Turn Your Retreat into a Life-Changing Journey (Not Just a Holiday) What this is: A practical guide to using mindfulness as the bridge between “going on a retreat” and actually experiencing transformation. This explores how present-moment awareness turns travel from escapism into a catalyst for the next chapter of your life. What this …
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- Should You Book That Retreat During Your Life Crisis? (The Answer Might Surprise You)Retreats During Life Transitions: Escape Route or Expensive Mistake? What this is: A straight-talking exploration of whether booking that getaway during your divorce, career crisis, or major life upheaval is genuine self-care or just really expensive avoidance. Spoiler: it depends entirely on why you’re going. What this isn’t: A guilt trip about deserving a break …
- Stop Waiting to Be “Healed” Before You Start Living Your LifeHealing Is NOT the Destination What this is: A reality check for anyone who’s turned healing into their full-time job and forgotten they’re allowed to live whilst doing it. This is about reclaiming permission to exist messily, joyfully, and imperfectly whilst growing. What this isn’t: Another productivity hack disguised as wellness advice. This isn’t about …
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- The Silent Burnout: Why Most People Miss the Warning Signs During Life UpheavalsThe Transition Trap: Why Smart, Capable People Burn Out Without Realising It What this is: An honest look at why silent burnout sneaks up during life’s earthquakes, when you’re too busy surviving to notice you’re running on fumes. What this isn’t: Another “practice self-care” listicle or suggestion to take a bubble bath whilst your life …
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- Why Hitting Rock Bottom Actually Makes Your Brain Smarter: The Science of Dopamine Dips and ResilienceYour Setback Is Rewiring Your Brain for Success: Understanding Dopamine Dips, Plasticity, and Life Transitions What this is: A neuroscience-backed exploration of why your worst moments might be creating your wisest self, with practical strategies for harnessing your brain’s natural rewiring process during life transitions. What this isn’t: Toxic positivity dressed up as science, or …
- What Nobody Tells You About Starting Over After DivorceWhy Purpose matters more than ever when you are going through a Divorce/Breakup What this is: A frank, research-informed look at why reconnecting with purpose isn’t just feel-good advice when you’re divorcing, it’s the difference between starting over and simply surviving. Expect practical strategies, not platitudes. What this isn’t: Another “you’ll be fine” pep talk …
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- The Ultimate Digital Detox: “You Mean People Will Pay to Just… sit and Read?”“The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – which you had thought special and particular to you. Now here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it …
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- Preserving the Essence of Human ConnectionWhy I won’t be unleashing a “Digital Margaretha” upon the world any time soon Every few months, someone asks me a question that makes me blink slowly, tilt my head, and wonder whether I’ve missed a memo. The latest one goes something like this: “Have you thought about creating an AI version of yourself?” You …
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- Winter’s Grip – My First Attempt at Writing a Proper PoemMy fingers ache inside my gloves,each movement slow and clumsy now,the kind of cold that steals your grip.I hoist the bales with stiffened limbs,feel needles shoot across my back,the rough hay scraping at my wristswhere skin meets air, already cracked.The water sloshes, heavy, dark,my shoulders burning with the weight.Ice glistens on the surface as I …
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- The Reading Retreat: The recalibration method to use when everything else has failedTrade your to-do list for a stack of books: The counterintuitive reason high achievers are choosing books over bootcamps What This Is: A research-backed exploration of why deliberately stepping away to read, intently and without interruption, can create more meaningful life change than months of frantic productivity. What This Isn’t: A prescription to abandon responsibility, …
- Protected: Why AI Is Your Secret Weapon for Intermittent Fasting SuccessThis content is password protected.
- Why Storytelling During a Divorce Recovery Retreat Might Be the Plot Twist You NeedWhat this is: A deep dive into why telling your story, out loud, to other humans who’ve been through it, matters more than you think. This is about the neuroscience, the heart science, and the practical magic of storytelling during divorce and breakup retreats. What this isn’t: Another “journaling will fix everything” article. This isn’t …
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.