Eat Love Do – Claire Winter, Walking And Unlocking Your Creativity

Hello and welcome. This is the Eat Love Do Show, exclusive to Women's Radio Station. I'm Janine Newbury, I'm your host, and I've got a fantastic guest on for you today, the lovely Claire Winter. Um, but before I get chatting to her, do remember to head over to our socials, um, hit that like and subscribe on our YouTube channel because it really does help us and we love it when you support the show. And our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter is @WomensRadioStn. Okay, that's all the fluff. Let's crack on with the show. So I've got the amazing Claire Winter on with me today. She is the founder of Creatix Journey. She does walking and creative writing techniques and courses, experiences. I'll let her tell you about it because she's much more eloquent at describing it than I am. Claire, welcome to the show. Oh, hi, Janine. It's an honor to be here. Thank you for having me. Oh, absolute pleasure, absolute pleasure. So do you want to just briefly sort of share who you are, um, and how you started on your journey? Because I know you mentioned that you used to be a journalist, um, and now you're doing this. So, so how did it all come about? Yeah, it's a good question. Thank you for asking. Um, so I've been a journalist for over 20 years. I started my career in radio and television at ITN. Um, I went on to work for various different media organizations, um, but when I got pregnant with my first daughter, I moved out of London, and those kind of 4 AM news shifts no longer fitted with a family lifestyle. So after taking a brief break, um, I bought and edited my own magazine. It was part of a franchise called Families, and I ran that for 8 years. So that was really good. Um, I sold that business and then launched a consultancy and training business called Cracking Content, which also had a podcast attached to it. So I helped small business owners and bigger businesses through consultancy pitch to the press and do their own content marketing. So you'll find like lots of people will leave corporate life where they have a nice team, a nice marketing team that does all their blogs and their social posts, and then they've got this great big idea, and then they, they they don't know how to fulfill it. And obviously quite often when you start a small business, there's just you or you've got some freelancers working for you. Not many of us are lucky to start and launch with a team. So yeah, I really enjoyed doing that. So I did that for about 5 years after selling my first business, and then the idea for the Creatrix Journey was born, um, which was from going on a walk. I love walking. I'm also a trained Nordic walking instructor. Oh wow, that's incredible. So you take people out Nordic walking. So if you ever see people with two poles, we used to always get, where are your skis? It's really good for you. You use a lot more muscles, use your, your arms and your core. It's really good for fitness. Cross-country skiers do it in the summer to stay fit and yeah, keep up their fitness levels. So it's actually, even though you look fairly ridiculous, it's a very good way of exercising that doesn't stress your joints and stuff like that. Anyway, I'm going off on a bit of a tangent, but yes, so I've already been walking out, walking with people. And what I found was when I went out for a walk, which I do daily, that my creative output and my ability to like write blogs for my business and copy for clients really improved. And there's actually a scientific study by Stanford University that says that walking can boost your creative output by as much as 60%. So suddenly I was like, oh, maybe this isn't such a crazy idea. And obviously there are lots of authors that talk about writing as well, poets and authors. And that's really where the idea came from. It also was like, I'm not a spiritual person in the standard sense, but it was almost like a download. You know, people say you just get this inspiration, like Elizabeth Gilbert talks about it in Big Magic, where this idea just sort of drops down. Down and it's like, yeah, I've got to take that and, and, and, and move with it. So that's really where it came from. It was sort of inspiration. And, uh, yeah, I've been running online courses, um, retreats and half-day workshops in person. So a mixture of online and offline because I'm used to delivering online. And it's just been amazing, the journey people have gone on. Um, at the moment they're for women, but I'm going to open up courses for men and women. So they're circles, we call them writing circles. So they're really, really lovely. This is incredible. I love this. I'm definitely, I definitely, I go, I love to go for a walk every day and I definitely find it clears my head and I kind of tap into like ideas and things come and flow and it definitely just, it kind of, and if you've been sort of sat at a desk all day or a computer, just going for a walk and getting that movement back into your body just helps you kind of get into a nicer space. So I love that you combine them. This is absolutely brilliant. And I love that you said that Walking boosts your creativity by 60%. That's huge. Yeah, it's amazing. That's incredible. Get more walking done. Yeah, literally, if you're stuck, go for a walk. Literally, you know, and even those days when it's a bit gray, and obviously we've had some cold and muddy wet days, you know, I would genuinely say you never regret going for a walk. And it really does, yeah, it lifts your spirits, it's good for you. There's just so many reasons. And to combine it with walking— I'm sorry, to combine it with writing has meant, um, that people I've worked with, they sort of come because they want— they know me from my content marketing background and they're like, oh, I want to get better at writing copy for my business sometimes, you know. But then they end up like writing poems and beautiful prose, and often they come up with great ideas for their business, like new programs and things like that. But, you know, I've had people that— she used to be a Qigong teacher, and it's like an ancient practice that she's done for a really long time, and she'd stopped teaching it. And she said, because we do— we get in touch with the elements, we do element— you know, we go through each element and write about them. And she said her practice was so similar to that that she relaunched, her classes, they got completely sold out and she added this element to her life that really lit her up and she was serving people again. So it is about like a Creatrix is a female spiritual creator. So it is connecting to what I call Source, like the, the thing that is beyond us. Create, you could call it creative inspiration. Some people might call it God or spirit. I like to just call it Source cuz it, cuz you feel it when you're in nature. So there's so much evidence about like nature connection, shirin-yoku, um, otherwise known as forest bathing, has become really popular. Um, what's this? Just before you move on. Yes. Yeah, what's this forest bathing? This sounds interesting. Yeah, so this is— this was developed in Japan, and they actually prescribe it to people so that you go into the forest, and again, you just— you, you disconnect from all devices and you get in touch with all of your senses, and it's, um, really, really good for your mental health. So there's been a massive upsurge. Now I've said it, you're gonna see it everywhere. There's been a real, like, lots more people training to do it. Um, and it's even, they're starting to prescribe it in the UK. There are some areas in the UK that are sort of trialing it that they're saying that, you know, actually going for a walk and in the woods, it can be really, really good for things like your mental health and depression. Obviously take advice. I'm not telling people to give up one thing to do another thing, but to add it into your day if you're struggling with your mental health is a really, really good idea. But this isn't just, you know, phoning your mum, doing your shopping list, you know, listening to podcasts. This is disconnecting and spending time to really connect with nature in a really, really real way. You know, like sitting under a tree, looking up at the canopy, noticing all the textures and all of those things and the sounds, the smells, it really is transformative. Yeah, it sounds so simple, but it really works. It is so, but sometimes it's the simplest things that are the most powerful and most effective. And I think we forget that in our kind of fast-paced lives and society, especially if we're living in city. We forget that, you know, this is literally stop and smell the roses, as it were. But yeah, I look, I go for a walk, I've got a park not far from me, and I'll go for a walk. I look at all the trees, they're incredible. It's like little squirrels running around. Sometimes you box, and it just, it just brightens up my day because it's just, you just, it's just absolutely beautiful. And I think you can't help but feel happy when you're surrounded by that much beauty. So I'm completely on board with that. And I love that they're prescribing it as well. That's fantastic. What an amazing thing. I love that. That's lovely. And they've been doing it in Japan since the '80s. So yeah, there's definitely a massive movement towards, um, I've seen things like sound baths in nature. Someone's developed something called Eek, Eekoneedra. So you do yoga nidra, don't you, in a yoga class? And I think it is literally being, doing relaxation exercises under the trees. So I do something which isn't forest bathing, but it's like forest immersion. So we would go and sit in a wood or forest and write as well. So for me, it's just, I think it's the transformation I have seen in the women that I've probably— there's probably been about 80 women have done my online course, and every single one of them has got something from it. And it often— it is also the sharing. So we share on Zoom. It's— we don't record it, so people share their writing. And sometimes people haven't shared their writing since they're at school and their English teacher was horrible to them, you know. And they're like, you know, people have got a lot of angst around writing and sharing it. So even that's amazing. Like, there was a lady, and I did— had a writing circle this morning, and she's got a keynote in front of at least over 500 of her kind of colleagues in her profession. And she completely rewrote it, the introduction, and shared it with us, and we were all in tears. It was so moving. And I'm going to ask her permission if I can share it on my blog at a later date. But at the moment, I'm keeping her anonymous in case she doesn't want to. But it was just, you know, and she had all of us going, 'Yeah, that's amazing. Share that tomorrow.' And she's like, 'I've been writing it all week and I've just thrown it out the window because this is what I, this is what I really want to say. This is what I really want to say, and I'm just gonna say it.' I love that. That's like complete empowerment, isn't it? That's what, that's what we all kind of aim to be like, to speak from our heart, from that place of intuition and love in our heart, what you really want to say, and sort of let go of all that fear and not saying what you think you ought to say or what they want to hear, but 'But she's actually like saying what she really wants,' and then the impact that had on all of you, it's just, it's just incredible. Yeah, that's— yeah, and this is what this work is about. It's like getting in touch with your inner guidance. Like, I believe we all have a unique gift, and if we don't connect with that and share it with the world, we, we start feeling dis-ease. Like, we are starting to feel things don't work out, you start feeling ill. Like, if you're unable to express yourself properly, your authentic truth, what you're here to do. It's really, you know, and, and I think midlife— and I'm in midlife, I'm in perimenopause— it's a really interesting time. And a lot of women, you know, their kids have grown up, or they, you know, their career has changed, and they suddenly have some space where they can explore this. And they go, you know what, I've always wanted to do X, Y, or Z— write a book, go on a painting course, learn some sort of, you know, cirque or belly dancing or whatever, you know, whatever it is. You know, there's one woman who's doing the course at the moment who's like, I love writing, but I don't think I'm ever going to express myself publicly. I like journaling. I'm loving this course. I want to be flamboyant. I want to dance. I want to perform, you know, and that's, you know, she's got in touch with that by writing and going, yeah, that's actually how I want to show up in the world. So, you know, it's powerful stuff. It is. Really is, isn't it? It's really— oh, I love, I love that you're doing this and bringing this to the world. This is like, I want to come on one of your courses, one of your retreats that you run now. I want to do it. It's lovely. But so tell us a little bit, because you mentioned before we came on and started recording that you got into this, something to do with perimenopause. You were going to share something about that. Yeah. Well, yeah, I was fortunate enough, actually, So obviously, as I said before, I used to teach people how to kind of do their own PR and pitch to the press. And I still do that work with people one to one. And I'm moving towards— because of the work that I'm doing, I'm suddenly like, it's thought leadership. I want women to get clear on, you know, what is their big and brave, bold idea? What is the thing that they want to bring to the world? What do they want to be known for? You know, how do they want to show up? How do they want people to remember them? And it doesn't have to be because you're doing a TED Talk or TEDx Talk, or it could just be for your business or for your family. You know, we can take it on all, all levels, um, you know, but it, you know, it's a nice thing to consider. Um, so I've been doing this work with some people, and, um, I did my own pitching to the press. So, um, uh, because I want the Creatrix Journey to be You know, I've written some articles in various different kind of niche publications like The Homeworker and Menopause Magazine and different things like that. So I answered someone's call because part of this journey was overworking in my training and consultancy business and kind of reaching near burnout, if not burnout, where I just suddenly lost the ability to write, literally like string a sentence together. And I was like, okay, something's really not right here. So it's quite a long journey, so I won't share all of it, but I tried acupuncture, which I still really value and it has really helped me, herbal medicine, lots of doctor's appointments, lots of blood tests, all of those things. And it, it turns out I was in perimenopause and a lot of the symptoms I was suffering from were, you know, joint pain, forgetfulness, crying, moodiness. I could go on. Like, there are something like 54 symptoms. So just a few. Just a few. So, and I'm not alone, you know, the minute you start sharing, women are like, yeah, yeah, that happened to me. I had to leave my job. Oh, you know, like, life got too much. And they had like a— they were the CFO of a massive company. And they had, they had to leave or they had to take unpaid leave, you know, so they could figure out what was going on and get some help. So, yeah, so that's been my journey. And actually, eventually, despite trying all alternative methods to feel better and I was starting to feel better, I opted for body identical hormones. And that is thanks to people like Davina McCall. You know, the Newsome Clinic, where, where they give a lot and lot of information about one, your symptoms and how you can deal with them. And for me personally, and again, I'm not advocating anyone to do what I, I've done. I'd say seek external advice from a variety of sources, not just your GP, because often they're a bit behind with the current kind of thinking. Yeah. So body identical hormones have worked for me for now. I see it as a way of transitioning through the menopause because I'm excited about going into this next phase of my life. You know, a lot— there's a, there's a strong argument that you, your sort of ability to multitask and things like that leave you when those hormones leave you and you have— you run on a different kind of you run differently, you're more focused, you don't put up with any bullshit, you know, all of that stuff. They're all really useful skills to have in midlife. Do you know what I mean? So I'm not— I know exactly what you mean, Claire. I was thinking, am I allowed to say that word? So I'm listening to you going, yep, yep, yes, yes, exactly. So So there is a, you know, it's a fine line that we walk, and it's something I would encourage people to do their research, you know, because I was offered lots of different things before I hit on this particular treatment choice. And again, I've only been doing it for 3 months, but it's made a significant difference to me. So I was given the opportunity to talk to ITV on Good Morning Britain about it, and also then it rolled over to ITV News. So it's been a fun week. Yeah, it's brilliant. It just kind of blew up a bit. And yeah, it was great. And so many people shared their own experience because the government has denied menopausal leave. They're basically playing lip service to helping women who are going through this, through this. And let's face it, every woman in some capacity is probably going to go through this, and they're saying it's because it'd be discrimin— discrimin— I can't say that word— discriminatory towards men. Uh, hello? What the actual? Oh, really? They've had such a bad go of it for the last 100 years, haven't they? Exactly. I mean, they're just, you know, those poor men. They don't get some extra time off. And I think most men— I'll tell you what, let them have the perimenopause and we'll stay and work. That'd be great. Yeah, exactly. Um, and I think most men who've lived with a woman— yeah, um, I'm just speaking for my husband right now, uh, who has gone through this— would be like, oh my God, please give that woman some time off. Please give her some time off. Please give me some time off. Please, for the love of God. We all need a break from the crying or the anger. Yeah, do you know what? I'm really glad you've shared this because I've been going through perimenopause, um, getting the whole nights it's a whole thing. And some of the stuff you mentioned there, but no one seems to have any information on it, on where to go. So I will definitely be looking at the body identical hormones. And is it the Newsom Clinic, did you say? Yes, they've got a great app. Um, I will share the name of it, but if you look up Newsom Clinic, and also the Davina McCall documentary, um, mentions her as well. Um, I tell you who else is quite good— Meg Matthews. She's written a book called HOTT, and there is a whole campaign called Menopause Matters. So there are people kind of advocating that women get better access and, and there's better information. They're trying to get menopause nurses or doctors in lots of surgeries. It's just not— it's just taking a lot of time. But a classic example of where things still really need to change is I'm testosterone deficient. And they won't prescribe that on the NHS very easily. They do it in America. And the only reason I know that is because a girlfriend of mine, she's about 5 or 6 years older than I am. And a couple of years ago, she was testosterone deficient. And in America, they gave her testosterone and it sorted her out. She's full of energy. She's happy. She's great again. Her libido came back. She just, she's, you know, she's great again. So it just, it just completely balanced her out. So, yeah, so there are a little— and if you do manage to get testosterone off the NHS, they give you a male version. You have to take smaller amounts. There is a female version available, um, so I'm exploring that with a private doctor, but I am hoping my GP will listen. And I'll say, you know, we produce all three of those hormones. Why wouldn't you give me the third one? Yeah, just because it's traditionally known as a male hormone, we need that for decision-making. Libido, um, all of those things. So it's just really interesting because I had a massive sort of presumption that it wasn't good for you, um, you know, that it was a natural process, that I, you know, that I could just navigate it on my own because that's kind of my personality. Actually, sometimes you need to know when to go, do you know what, I actually do need some help. And it's okay. Yeah, it's okay to, to take a, to, to take something that makes you feel better. And it doesn't, you know, I'd say it is a nuanced journey because you can talk to some people and they'll say, you know, that didn't work for me. So people are all trying different things. But, um, yeah, I, I think it's well worth exploring, and there are some resources out there now. Yeah, that's brilliant. Thanks for sharing that. I think there's a lot of the listeners will be taking that on board. Thank you for that. And it's just like once you start, it's like when people get, you know, literally people have left jobs or, you know, they've had, um, because another symptom that people don't talk about so much is like anxiety, because often your sleep's disrupted and suddenly you don't trust your decisions, um, and you worry about things unnecessarily. Um, so it just, it can make life, you know, like if you don't sleep because of hot flushes for 6 months, that's going to have an impact on all areas of your life. Yeah, it's like a slow form of torture, not sleeping, is it? That kind of— yeah, it's so, so, so difficult. Um, yeah, to, to function. And, you know, we, you know, we've got a lot of life ahead of us. And, and like I said, I do genuinely believe menopause can be a gift, as in you step into your creatrix powers in a massive way. We are really powerful. At this stage in our life. You know, we're only just getting started for some of us, you know, not for everyone. Some people know what they want to do. I've got loads of things I still want to do, and I want to encourage women like this woman on my course who just completely changed her keynote. Like, yeah, it's possible. You can have your voice heard in the way that you want to share it. Your words and wisdom are unique to you and they're important to share. I love that. I love that because I think we're sort of raised societally, especially if we're younger, to try and fit in and blend with everyone else and not to stand out, not to, you know, mess the status quo, otherwise you'll be ostracized from like your peer group. But actually, we shine and are our happiest when we're in our heart and being who we are. So it's almost like we kind of go through the first part of our life learning to un-be like that, and then the latter half, we're then trying to learn to get back to who we really are again. It's It's like a fascinating journey and everyone seems to do the same thing. It's like a circle of insanity really, in a way. And then, oh, actually I can just be me. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. If you think all the time you wasted worrying about what other people think of you, and you'll never know anyway, and they're probably too worried, too busy worrying what you're thinking of them. Yes, true, isn't it? Yeah. They're not thinking anything about you. I know. Just think of all those hours wasted. It's true, it's true. And you know, and it's like, yeah, so you know, for anyone listening, I would encourage them, whatever that looks like for them, is to take time for their creativity and just see what unfurls for them and, and how it has an impact on different areas of their life. Because it won't just be, oh, I get to spend half an hour painting or crafting, it's also all the other things it can unlock inside. Yeah, because when you unlock that creative part of your mind, it unlocks your mind in general, doesn't it? So I think that's really powerful. I love this, I love having this conversation. So, um, do you wanna— do you have any tips that you can give to the listeners? So if they're thinking about opening up their creativity, are there things they can do and start applying to their life now? Yeah, absolutely. Um, One of the big things, you know, is writing's like a muscle, like everything else. You need to exercise it to get better at it. So if it's writing that you want to get better at, and your creative, or your creative writing, you know, journal every day. You don't have to do it in the morning. Do it when you have a window of time. It might be when you have a cup of coffee midday, might be last thing before you go to bed. You know, The Artist's Way advocates morning pages, which is great. Look that up if you've not come across that before. So yeah, write every day, even if it's for just 5 minutes. It can make a massive difference. And actually getting how you're feeling onto paper can really change your day as well. You know what the second thing I'm going to say is? Go for a walk. Yeah, really? It's simple. Again, all of these things can be free. You don't have to pay anyone. Um, yeah, take yourself out into nature. Um, uh, unplug. Yeah, put your phone— if you can't, like, I like taking my phone with me because I like taking pictures of nature. If anyone follows me on my socials, they'll see I take a lot of pictures of trees. My— this is my favorite tree, you know, I have favorites. I've got about 3 that are my favorite and they, they get featured all seasons. Um, so I put my phone on airplane mode. So I don't get any, any binging or ringing. So that's another way, because, you know, take— for me, taking photos in nature is sort of part of my creative output. So it's the taking of photos and sharing them is also part of what I do with the writing. So yeah, so get out in nature. Another really good tip is if you can't get out, out, and you've got a garden, walk barefoot on the ground, ground yourself even in the winter and in the mud. That can just change your mood and connect you back to the earth. And that's also scientifically proven to boost how you feel. The other thing I would recommend is free writing. Again, I sort of mentioned that with the morning pages. That is also free writing. But say you've got something to write today. Maybe it's for your business or your boss, and you're stuck, I would go for a walk and then try free writing. And you just write with no grammar. You can even go, I don't know what I'm gonna write about today, and just keep on going until the thoughts start to flow. And last but not least, banish your inner critic. Carol Burrell, him, whoever told you you couldn't do it, or your spelling and grammar was rubbish. That's what spell check's for. Tell them to do one. Yes, true. I love spell check, it's like my savior. Yeah, the other one that's great is Grammarly. You can get the free version of that. So yeah, there's plenty of, you know, there's plenty of ways of checking your writing. Yeah, I love that. And that inner critic is so— it really disrupts, doesn't it? I do a lot of, um, work with my clients. I helped clear that out from the subconscious mind. Amazing. Completely frees them up. So that, that inner critic, subconscious stuff, really powerful. And I love that you said to put your phone on airplane mode, because I put mine on silent, but you can still get, uh, you can still get a message, can't you, or missed call, which can still disrupt you. So I love just that little— put it on airplane mode rather than silent so no one can disrupt you, so you purely have that time for yourself. That's a very good tip. I shall be applying that one. Thank you very much. Good. No, my pleasure. Yeah, this is lovely. Um, so talk us through a little bit, um, about what one of your creatix writing, um, experiences is, because this sounds really interesting. Well, um, I held 2 retreats in Wales, um, last year. And then— yes, Tin Turn in Wales. So yeah, it's where they film Sex Education as well, if you, uh, ever watched that. My teenagers loved that program. I may or may not have watched it. No, I did watch it. Um, so yeah, actually a lot of my participants were quite excited that that is where they filmed it as well. So yeah, it's a beautiful part of the world., and the program involved, um, forest bathing, um, outdoor spa, and lots of walking and writing. So getting out into nature and coming back and, um, writing. People mapped out books. Um, one participant became a poetess or a poet. She's, you know, writing poems every day. She's like, I don't know what you've done, you've unleashed this poet in me. Like, I just Love it. So yeah, all sorts of things. I had someone come on the retreat who was helping me, you know, just run things and she's like, I'm coming, but I'm not, I'm not writing. I was like, fine, fine. You're coming anyway. By the end of the weekend, I had her writing. She was like, oh my God, I haven't done this for years. I've only written reports for work. And yeah, completely transformed the way she felt and the way she wrote as well. So yeah, and that's my challenge. So anyone, I believe anyone, and you can just write for the love of it. You don't have to come on this because you've got a book to write or you've got blogs to write for your business. Obviously that's also useful. You could just come to explore your midlife. What does becoming a creatrix mean for you? You know, what, how do I tap into that power? Because I really, really believe every woman I've met, um, through this work has something really beautiful and unique to them that they can share. And it's so powerful to see it kind of come, come up and then go, yeah, this is what I want to do. I love that. It's written like, and it just taps in. Yeah, you said it taps into their power. And I love what you just shared about your assistant. She said what I think a lot of people do, women in particular, I don't, I don't want to write, I don't want to do it. They kind of like put yourself off, like sort of convince yourself that you don't want to do, give yourself this thing or put yourself there. But then when she got there and did it, she absolutely loved it. And I think sometimes we rob ourselves of joy and experience because we tell ourselves we don't want it or we can't do it. So I love that when you said like you just got her there and then you got her into that space and she absolutely fell in love with it. And you're probably like, yes, I knew you would. She was a hard nut to crack. I think she was my hardest one yet. But there could be a lot of resistance, can't they, then tapping into that creative space if you've had it shut off for so long? Yeah, and people have, and I think it's also layers of trauma, which it sounds like the kind of work that you do is, yeah, they've got, you've built up these protective layers where you're like, if I let that crack open, I'm not, I'm not sure what I'm going to unleash, you know, um, it's a vulnerability. Which they've had to keep really safe and secure. There's just so many layers to it, um, that it's fascinating actually. But you know what, a lot of, um, women who do the online course— so I do a 6-week online course, so that was a kind of example of what a day— um, sorry, a residential retreat looks like. Yeah, we're going back to Tintern in July, and also just, um, I'm co-hosting one in Snowdon in Wales, and that one is going to be connecting with the elements. So we're going to do— you're going to climb peaks? Um, it's not— it's in like the valley. No, no, it's in the valley. There's a stream that runs right through the property, so we're going to get people to get in the cold water. Um, so that'll be getting in touch with water. We'll take them for a forest immersion experience, getting in touch with the earth. We'll be doing pranayama, breathwork, um, to get them in touch with air. And then we'll have a fire dance. We'll have like a Saturday night kind of celebration as well. So really excited about that. And, um, cuz that's what I've been calling in this year. I'm often, I'm, um, doing things on my own and to kind of co-create and have partners to do things with. So that's my first win of this year is that I'm gonna be host, co-hosting that in in September. Oh, that sounds incredible. Yeah, yeah, yeah. If anyone listening wants to get involved with that, where can they find the information on it? Um, on my website, um, creatrixjourney.com. It's coming soon. I will put that up to my newsletter. Yeah, I will put your— I'll put Claire's information on, on my socials as well. So if you— and on the eatlovedo.com site. So if you want to, um, reconnect to her and you can't remember how, just go there and the information be there soon. Um, this is amazing. I love that. And yeah, and I love that you keep saying that you're getting downloads because I think that definitely is that connection to source. And I think sometimes we, um, I think we forget to, to have that connection as well. And we kind of can feel quite alone and isolated. So I love that you're, you're openly speaking about that because I think that's, that's really important as well in that kind of creative process. That's lovely. Thank you. Yeah. And also I think the thing that I really felt strongly after everything that happened that people got really disconnected and scared. Yeah. And that, like, operating on that vibration is no good for anyone. It's no, it's no good for their mental health. It's no good for society. So that fit, that idea of gathering women, powerful women in circle. Yeah. And that's why I want to do it online and offline because I think it's important I really do. And, um, when women come together, I think something really powerful happens. And when you've got that kind of support network of just love and that kind of strong feminine energy, it, it just, it like unlocks something within you as a woman, and you get that kind of safety that you might not get out in society. And I think it's really, really powerful. So I love, um, if anyone's not experienced doing, um, you know, work with other women, then I really, really recommend that you try this and maybe do Claire's course. And just have like a woman's circle and have amazing women surround you because it just empowers you on another level. So yeah, I'm 100% behind you on that. It's lovely. I'm loving everything you're saying. I'm like, yeah. Oh, thank you. It's really nice to have it, someone else go, yes, it's a good idea. Because there's points when you've run a really successful consultancy and training business and I'm like, okay, here we go. Yeah, this is my, this is my kind of truth. This is my words of wisdom. This is my offering to the world. So yeah, and I think the other thing, it's, um, a few people have said to me, you know, you've inspired me to bring, you know, my dream, my, the thing that I want to bring out in the world as well. And I, I feel like, because you're, you're talking about spirituality, but, and practical things. That, you know, that that's inspired them as well. So that's, that's, that's makes my heart full. You know, my groups are small. I'm building this business really slowly. I've got a half-day workshop tomorrow, which is great. I've got 9 people on that. You know, it's growing. And, and my dream is to have Creatrix Circles around the world that other women facilitate. Yeah, that's lovely. I love that. Oh, it's like, I feel like we're just sharing the love. That's lovely. Get me back onto the menopause and I'll get— Yeah, let me have that. It's like, because you kind of come from that corporate world, but it's very masculine energy, and you kind of came into this creativity, which is very feminine. So it's nice. I love that. That's kind of— we need that balance. But also you've got the spiritual and and, and the practical and those things together. Because I think sometimes think people think it has to be separate and the spiritual stuff's a bit woo-woo and they don't understand it, but actually it's just connecting to your intuition and doing what you love. Yeah, and nature. And you know, there's nothing— you can make it as spiritual or practical as, as you like. You know, this is the thing, it's like you don't have to be around hugging trees every day and like, you know, stopping. Yeah, although I've had quite a lot of tree hugging, I'm not gonna lie. Walking in streams barefoot and walking in the woods in the mud. I mean, it was amazing. You know, we had people squidging about in, you know, taking off their very nice hiking boots and they're like, I'm not very happy about this. You know, like I've never walked barefoot in the mud in the woods. And by the end of it, they're like, that was amazing. That was amazing. I love it. I feel really different. You know, so it's, you know. It's stretching people out of their comfort zone. And I think the other thing that I often hear is it's time. They've been given the gift of time. So like a residential retreat, they're given a whole load of space. But even just our writing circles, they'll go out and walk. They're given an audio and a writing prompt, and we write on Zoom for just 1 hour. But they've, they've blocked out, what, an hour and a half, 2 hours out of their diary. For them, just for them. And they're like, just to have the space to express and explore. Um, you know, we've got one lady who's writing a fiction book. She's a copywriter by trade, but she wants to put a fiction book out in the world, and she's like, I'm just carving out this time for me because this is what I want to do. So it is, it is amazing. It is. I'm, I'm just, yeah, it's nice to do something that just completely. I mean, I've been doing it for a year and I'm still just excited about it as I was from the very beginning, which is a lovely place to be. I think that is a lovely place, and I think that's, um, that shows that you're doing the right thing. You're still excited a year later and it fills up your heart every day. Of course you'd want to keep doing it. Oh, I love this! I'm loving your story, Claire. This is wonderful. So, um, tell us a little bit about your online course then. So I think you just mentioned that. So you, you do, you do a bit of talking and then you do a writing and they carve out the 2 hours. Yeah, that's right. So they're sent an audio prompt that they listen to on their walk. Yeah. Or before they listen. I like that they listen as they walk. That's really good. Yeah. And then we come back and write together. It's that simple. But what they're gaining, like I said, is this circle of trust. It's not recorded. Um, we do have a Facebook group, uh, where we share our writing. But again, and, and, and usually by the end of the 6 weeks, in my, in my weekly newsletter, which is a Creatrix love letter, of course— oh, I love that, I love that— with their permission. So, you know, people might start the 6-week, 6-week course and, um, go, no, there's no way I'm sharing. But by the end of it, I'm like, can I share that poem you wrote or that bit of writing? And a lot of people are really up for sharing, which is really nice. So I love sharing other people's words as well. So yeah, it is, it's a really simple model and that's why it works because I've taught a lot of programs. I've taught Selling with Stories masterminds and all sorts of things that were quite complicated, had a lot of webinars and worksheets and all of those things. And just to strip it right back to a really simple model and, you know, people show up week after week and they do the work back because they want to. Yeah, that's amazing. Yeah, I love that, that just carving that time out for yourself. Like, how many of us, and how many of you listening, actually give yourself 2 hours each day which is time for you to be in your heart, to be in your creative space, that do something just for you that's not for anyone else? But there's not many that do. No. And, and this is once a week, and that's, you know, that's kind of more You know, more doable. I mean, you know, the things that I implement for myself is a daily walk. But the other thing that's been really transformative, and it's something I'm interested in exploring, is breathwork. Mm. Yes. Yeah. So before I came across, um, the Solve with the body identical hormones for the perimenopause, it was breathwork that helped me sleep. So, um, I've explored like the Wim Hof method, which is also cold water exposure. Exposure, which is also really good for you. Um, but yeah, any kind of breath withholding or, or pranayama. Um, Insight Timer, which is a meditation app, has loads of free kind of exercises that you can do. Okay. And again, if you're feeling stressed out or you're going through the perimenopause and sleep is an issue, yeah, like that, you again could be 5— you could do a 5 or 10 minute, you know, listening just with earphones Um, so yeah, so I integrate breathwork, walking, and writing into my day every day, and it has made a massive, massive difference. Do you do the breathwork at night? Because I'll do the breathwork in the day, but if it's going to help with sleep, I've never thought about doing it in the evening. No, I've done it in the evening when I've, you know, like, you know, when you just feel a bit jangled or something, you know, something's on your mind. Yeah, you can do it at night, definitely. I mean, I think probably Wim Hof is more like morning thing. It's quite a vigorous— yeah, it's quite extreme, isn't it? When Pape is like, oh, he's hardcore. And one thing I've noted about that, I think if you, if you've ever been prone to hyperventilating or panic attacks and things like that, that probably to sort of ease yourself in gently with that work because it's quite full-on and you— the kind of breathwork so fast that you could induce some sort You know, I think, uh, you could get panicky, but obviously if you listen to his advice and, and do the cold water as well, um, again, that's so good for your mental health. It can completely change your day. Yeah. And if anyone's listening, they want to give it a go, you can just start with cold shower, like have your shower in the morning and then switch it to cold. That's like a nice little transgression. Yeah. Or fill up, fill up your bath with cold water and just start 30 seconds. And then come out and then build it up to 3 minutes. I think once you get above about 2 minutes, I do this, I feel like the water warms up a bit from your body heat, so it gets easier. Yeah, you know, and also when you notice the, the effect it's having on your mental health, you know, his story is so powerful about losing his wife to suicide. So yeah, he's, he's on a big mission. Yeah, I think it's powerful. Everyone's got an incredible story, haven't they? So I think, I think it's great that you're helping people write because it's helping people get the stories out there as well. And the heart out there. So this is the thing. Yeah, definitely. It's— yeah. And I realize that's kind of the theme, you know, that's why I became a journalist all those years ago in my 20s, is that I wanted to share people's stories. I wanted to explore them. That's lovely. But actually, when you're in a newsroom, you don't get very much time to do that. I can imagine it's quite manic working in a newsroom. It is. Not much time to breathe. I'm just going for a walk in nature. I'm just going to connect to myself. Yeah, and I also think, um, you know, mainstream media has changed quite a lot. You know, it's, um, yeah, it's got some questions to ask about the way it reports. I have— it's a— would be a whole other radio show, but, um, yeah, I'm disappointed with the way media has, um, um, is not showing both sides of the stories as well as it could. Yeah, we leave it at that. But yeah, it's, um, yeah, it's been interesting as a journalist to see how media has changed. And, and what you really need to look at is who owns it. Um, so if you go, you strip it right back, like, who's funding it and who owns it? And that, and then it becomes a lot clearer, like, okay, that's, that's why there's one narrative now rather than lots of different voices. I'm a massive— are you saying newspapers don't print the whole truth? And everything's not gospel, is there? Shock horror! No, surely not! Yeah, exactly. And that's why I love independent radio. I love podcasting because you can speak your truth. You don't— you can actually, you know, have an opinion and not get cancelled for it, you know. And it's okay to have an unpopular opinion. Since when was it Since when? Why should you cancel someone because you don't agree with them? That's insane. What happened to valued debate? You know, you can go, well, I disagree with you on that because I think this, you know, and that's what I think we've missed, those valuable debates to allow people to make informed decision. And I feel quite strongly about that. Yeah. So freedom is like my highest value, like expression, freedom of expression. Yeah, yeah, I think it's true. I think it's true freedom. And also, someone's got a different opinion to you, their opinion might be right, yours might be wrong. Theirs might be wrong, yours might be right. It doesn't matter, it's just a different perspective, isn't it? And just keeping your mind open. And there could be some gold in what someone's saying, so it's always worth listening to. I would, yeah. Yeah, and you know, everything's subjective. The way I see the world, the way you see the world, we've all got a lens that we see it through. Um, and it's okay to disagree with someone. You can listen to them and just go, I disagree with you. And if I want to believe unicorns are real, I can believe they're real. Exactly. I wish they were. That would be amazing. Wouldn't it just? But yeah, so, so part of this work is, you know, my belief that, you know, in the freedom of expression. Yeah. That, that's really important and that's why I love the space, the podcasting and radio space for that, independent radio space for that. And also, you know, there's been a lot of chat about AI, ChatGPT, is it GPT? So where you can literally, the other day I got it to write a 1,500-word blog about why you should love podcasting or, you know, why podcasting is good for your business or something. Like that. It took 3 minutes. Now, the copy is boring as anything, but it is going to put a lot of mid-level copywriters out of business. You know, it's an amazing research tool. So it's really interesting. And so for me, I was like, okay, what can't a bot or an AI, you know, replicate? And it's podcasting, interviews. They can't do that. Like, you can get AI to transcribe what we've spoken today, but they can't repeat and have the nuanced conversation that we're having today. So I think, you know, you also have to think like the way the future is going, you know, I feel like the Creatrix Circle is the opposite of AI. You know, it's getting together, being creative. I can also see it as a useful tool. Yeah, it's quite terrifying to watch something write something so quickly that would, you know, it takes someone a couple of hours to write. I mean, it don't— it is pretty dry stuff. Yeah, it is. You know, some people won't mind. Yeah. Or it'll take someone like me to just kind of tweak it so it's more interesting, but it's still, you know, it, it's something interesting for us all to consider. Like, you know, if AI can do that at this stage, what else can it do? What else? What other jobs will it, will it, you know, take away from people? So it's an interesting time to be alive. So The Matrix could become real. No, but it is incredible, but also terrifying at the same time. But I think you're right. And it— okay, he wrote 1,500 pages in like what minutes? You said that's 1,500 words. 1500 words. So that's kind of like your standard blog, you know? So yeah. Which is great, but if somebody puts in those same keywords, they're going to get the same article, are they not? Yeah. So there's going to be a lot of, a lot of replicated content, which also Google doesn't like. But if you're smart, you just rewrite it, but it takes out that heart, that connection. I think, I think it could be great if you want to use it. Like I think you said about researching, it could be good for that. We're using it as a starting point. But then you have to write from your own heart though, surely? Yeah, well, this is exactly— this is what I think, that's kind of the yin and yang of it, isn't it? Is like, that's what I'm saying, is like the Creatrix is the opposite of that. But it was just really interesting this year. I just, I thought, I've got to see what this is, this is all about, you know, like, you know, I can't be a writer and not look at this. So yeah, so exactly, Speaking from the heart, being absolutely true to what you believe in, no, no robot, no AI is ever gonna replicate that. But it is, yeah, it's definitely something to keep an eye on. Yeah, I was thinking it would be an interesting experiment to get the AI to write a complete book just using the AI and publish it and see how successful it was out in the public. It'd be a great kind of social experiment. Wouldn't surprise me if someone's already— yeah, wouldn't it? Yeah, there's probably about 100 books already out. Yeah. Amazon's covered in it. Yeah, probably. Yeah, so yeah, it's, um, yeah, lots of things, um, to think about, isn't it? You know, like, it's, you know, what do you want life and society to look like in the future? They are big questions, but I think we all need to ask them. Yeah, I think if they invent a robot that will clean the house though from top to bottom, I would definitely invest in that one. I think I would too. You get those little hoovers, don't you, that bounce about on their own? What are they called? I can't remember. Like RoboVacs or something, isn't it? Yeah, one of those that can dust as well. Yes, please. They are brilliant. A friend of mine's got one, they're brilliant, but they can't get into the corners. And if there's something in the way, like a chair leg, it kind of bounces around and it misses a bit. Yeah, but yeah, yeah, brilliant. But I think that's a good analogy, probably, for writing as well. It can't get into the corners. It can't— it's not nuanced. It can't— it can't think in the same way as we can. So yeah, it can't navigate the same way we can. Yeah, it's just giving the knowledge but not the wisdom, isn't it? I was like that quote, the difference between knowledge and wisdom is knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, but wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad. Yeah, AI doesn't know not to put it in a fruit salad. Exactly, there you go, there you go. We Nailed it. We sorted out all the world's problems. Done. Next. Oh, okay. Right. Speaking of next, we still got about 5, 6 minutes to go. So speaking of next, what's next for you then? What's your— like, what do you want to do next? Because I think I'm just going to say it now. I've put it out in the world. I'm going to— yeah, I'm going to write a book. I've written about half of it. Yeah. Yay! Exciting. Do you know what the subject is yet? What you're writing about? Walking and writing, obviously. Really? What made you come up with that? And people have to read it whilst walking? No, that'll be the audio version. Yeah. So I'm interviewing, um, people on my podcast, The Creatrix Journey. Yeah. That, uh, interviews will feature in there as well. So people that have gone on big walks or their lives have changed because of nature connection, lots of— but yeah, it's all to do with nature connection and writing. So yeah, so I'm connecting the two. That's lovely. Or if you do it in an audiobook version, you could have— you could add into it like a section that's like a writing meditation or writing, yeah, that connects them to it. So they do it as a process of the book. That's pretty amazing. Yeah, I've got some ideas for like external resources. I don't know if you've read, um, like things like Atomic Habits where they'll sort of take you to some external resources. Gabby Bernstein, her books are good for that. So it's also how you grow an audience as well. So here, content marketing hat on again. But yeah, so like a combination of things. Yeah. So they'll definitely, because of the courses I do, there'll definitely be some audios, free audios that people can download as part of the book's journey. So yeah, I'm really excited. Oh, I'm excited for you. You'll have to come back on and tell us all about it once you've written it. Yeah, yeah, no pressure, no pressure, no pressure. So what date is it going to be printed by? No, no, I'm not— yeah, it's definitely going to come out this year, but, um, I haven't got a date yet. So yeah, I've written about half of it, so yeah, um, watch this space. Yeah, I'm really excited about it, and, um, it's been like an ambition of mine since I 6, so it would be really, really nice to get out in the world. I think that's incredible, and I'm sure we all, everyone listening, wishes you the best of luck with that, and we'll be supporting you. I will be supporting you on your journey. I'm looking out for that. That is amazing. Love that. And what else? So you've already said your big dream is that you want to take Creatix out globally. I love that, by the way. Anything else? What's like— I mean, yeah, just to build the audience that I've got So yeah, if people want to, we've got a free writing guide which I'll send to you so you can put in the show notes and yeah, people, yeah, join the Creatrix Love Letters, like join the audience, get, get involved. You know, it's a fledgling business, so any support people can give me would be amazing. Yeah, it's just, you know, it's— yeah, I'm really excited about it. And yeah, obviously we've got the two residential retreats, and I'll be continuing to deliver workshops and, um, the online courses. We're also, um, reaching out to corporate companies, so there'll be a version that is available not just for women but for men and women. Um, so that's a new product that we are, um, sort of testing and, you know, seeing if there's an appetite for it, basically. So seeing if companies would be interested in that for like away days and lunch and learns and things like that. So yeah, they're the three areas really. Yeah, like to see if there's a sort of corporate angle because it will help fund the B2C, um, work. You know, I'm trying to make the courses and work affordable. Um, I want, you know, I always gift a place to someone, um, on every circle that I launched because that's important to me. Um, yeah, so yeah, trying to keep it, um, yeah, just in a, in a place of love, I suppose, and without sounding too much like a hippie. No, no, let's bring on the hippie, hug the tree. Yeah, we do hug trees, okay? Deal with it. Well, I like that you're taking it, gonna take it into corporates. I think that'll help the businesses as well because people tap into their creative part then they'll bring that enthusiasm and creativity back into the business. Either that, or they'll all become poets and want to leave. Either way, my work will have been— yeah, my work here is done. Write a poet book, book of poetry. Oh yeah, so, you know, just small dreams, but, you know, it's good to think, you know, it's good to have a vision. It's good, you know, it's, it's, it's, you know, they're simple offerings that make a big difference. And it's just, and that has come from perimenopause going, man, your life's really complicated and stressful and you're doing a million things and trying to be in a million different places. You know, I've got 3 teenage children. I've got 16-year-old twins and a 20-year-old, you know, I've got a busy life and a silly little dog called Leo that I have to walk every day as well, you know. So I've got lots going on as well. So it's, yeah, it's finding the right balance, isn't it? The right work-life balance without sounding, again, you know, too cheesy. It's true though, isn't it? Because we get caught up in our lives and we forget to take that time. So I love that you're creating a space for people to do that. And I don't think it's small dreams at all. I think it's powerful dreams that you bring out. It's really, really lovely. Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna write a book this year as well, so it's not— I'm listening to you. Okay, nice. I'll be messaging you. Yeah, yeah. What's your book going to be about? So I think I'm going to call it Eat Love Do because it's going to keep in with the brand. Um, so it's self-help book, obviously, but it's about, um, living and like living your best life, really, kind of like tips and stuff like that. So I think that's the first book. I think there's a few in there. There's a few going to come out. Yeah, I think it's getting that first one out is the key. Yeah, yeah. I was like, I can't be doing this work without getting even a small book out, like, and I've been working on it. Um, I keep on writing poems in our writing sessions, so I was like, I really just need to start writing the book. Okay, so have you got any gems or nuggets and advice you want to leave our listeners with before before we, uh, part ways, as it were. Yeah, I know. Um, I, I genuinely just think, you know, spend some time in nature, you know, and just breathe and, and see, see what gifts it gives you. Yeah, yeah, I love that because it really is powerful, isn't it? Yeah, thank you. That was absolutely lovely, Claire. You've been Absolute pleasure to talk to you. Absolutely love it. I'm sure our listeners absolutely love you too. That was a great conversation. I really enjoyed that. Thank you. Yeah, you're welcome. And I love what you're— I really love what you're creating, actually. I'm creating some stuff this year as well. I'm going to do a 3-day summit. So if you want to be involved with that and talk about what you're doing, like, yeah, yeah. And I'll probably do some in-person events as well because I used to put on events and run events and do marketing and stuff. So I think you'd be fantastic at that if you want to get involved. Of course. Yeah, I'd love to. Um, thank you all for listening. This has been the Eat Love Do show on Women's Radio Station. I've been Janine Newbury chatting with the fantastic Claire Winter, founder of the Creatrix Journey. Um, so do you go check her out, um, because I think what you're creating is amazing. Um, and remember to listen to our show 9 AM and 9 PM every day at womensradiostation.com. Thank you for listening. See you next time.