A Listener Chat with Xan Holyoak
One of the (many) things I love about slow living, is that it looks different to everyone. It's not about following a set of rules or embracing a particular way of living, it's about figuring out what is important to us as individuals and gradually letting go of things that aren't that.
Back in 2016 and 2017 I did a series of interviews with listeners, where I was able to dig deep in to what it looks like to live a slower, simpler life in circumstances different to my own, and they were nothing short of a delight.
I loved the opportunity to examine the real-life realities of slow living, away from what can sometimes feel like the commoditisation of the whole movement, and this past year, as we travelled and tilted heavily in to a different way of living, I realised I missed those conversation. So, when I was putting together the new season of the podcast, I knew that I wanted to make space for listener chats again.
This week I'm thrilled to welcome back the listener chat, as I sit down to talk with Xan Holyoak. Xan is a listener of the show, a writer, a single parent and a slow living and nature loving woman.
We first hit it off when Xan emailed me after last year's Great Outdoors Slow Experiment, and immediately bonded over our shared love of wild places, journalling and digging in to the sometimes messy business of living with intention. As we exchanged emails back and forth and Xan shared more of her story, I knew I wanted to have her on the show to share her own hard-fought wisdom with all of us. So here we go!
In today’s episode we talk about the genesis of Xan's own slow living journey, why she started writing about it on her blog, how her life changed after her husband passed away in 2015 and how she lives slowly now as a single, working parent. There’s a wonderful thread throughout the conversation of the importance of values, journalling and developing boundaries, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Questions featured in this episode:
- Where did your journey to slow living/simplifying start?
- Why did you start your blog?
- How did your efforts to live a slower, simpler life change when you unexpectedly lost your husband in 2015?
- How do you make life work now, as a single parent, working mum and someone who still values time in nature and a slower paced life?
- How do you use journalling as a self-care practice?
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Things to Check Out After Today’s Episode:
As always, thank you for listening!