“Italy gives people permission; permission to slow down, to enjoy themselves, and to live with less urgency.” Rachel Zitin
In part two of my conversation with Rachel Zitin, we go deeper into what it means to live, travel, and create in a way that is truly embodied and humane.
Rachel reflects on how life in Italy has reshaped her relationship to time, productivity, rest, and desire.
We explore the contrast between American urgency and Italian permission; permission to slow down, to enjoy, and to be less defined by achievement and more rooted in presence.
We talk about how shame around rest and pleasure is culturally constructed, and what becomes possible when it falls away. Rachel shares how Italian culture has taught her to think in decades rather than deadlines, and to reconnect with a more expansive, human-centered understanding of wellness.
The conversation also turns to creativity and writing. Rachel shares her intuitive journey from memoir to novel, reflecting on writing without formulas, credentials, or permission, and trusting what wants to emerge.
Her novel-in-progress, set between Italy and the U.S., explores love, place, and the ways travel changes us.
At its heart, this episode is an invitation to slow down, listen inward, and remember that being fully human is already enough.
Biography
Rachel is a retreatleader, somatic coach, yoga instructor, and writer based in Rome for over 15years. She leads transformational retreats for women rooted in somatics, yoga,pleasure, and Italian culture. Her passion it to create embodied, joyful, andnourishing experiences. A former tour guide with a gift for storytelling, shebrings warmth, wisdom, and a reverence for fun and beauty to everything sheoffers—from women’s circles and 1-on-1 coaching to yoga classes and luxuryretreats.
Links
https://www.rachelzitin.com/
https://www.instagram.com/rachelzitin
https://www.facebook.com/RachelPilarZitin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelzitin/
https://substack.com/@rachelzitin
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Podcast Producer: Andrew Niklas Curtis
Production Intern: Jasmine Kim
Recording and post-production Lorenzo Maiani, Faminore
