Shows
The Clearing with Katherine MayPoorna Bell’s New Zealand vistaFloor to ceiling windows overlooking a temperate blue ocean off the coast of New Zealand is where this week’s guest, journalist and author Poorna Bell, dreams of rest and retreat.Since the death of her husband in 2015, Poorna has become well-versed in making the most of the everyday. As a result this is a conversation filled with the joy of small things. From relishing the prospect of unstructured days, to finding unquantified pleasure in movement. From an appreciation of the smell of toast to being able to say no to picnics. And why she never wa...
2026-02-211h 00
The Clearing with Katherine MayEmma Gannon’s year of desert restProlific author of nine books and writer behind the Substack phenomenon The Hyphen, Emma Gannon takes us away for a whole year to her imaginary retreat in Palm Springs, where she plans to indulge almost solely in her number one favourite pastime - reading.Revealing the extent to which she craves alone time, she tells Katherine about her very real experience of burnout, how she went from someone who lived to work to appreciating downtime and why she relates to The Hermit in Tarot. An inspiring listen that challenges our ideas of ‘the righ...
2026-02-1459 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayMike Sowden’s island of curiositySettling in amongst the sparkling sea views and scented coniferous trees of Corfu, writer Mike Sowden tells Katherine why he is ditching the concept of escape to run towards places and people with enthusiasm and curiosity. Conjuring up a beautiful stay on the island so beloved by author Gerald Durrell, where people are still viscerally connected to the changing seasons, Mike and Katherine find creativity in discomfort, stories from failed adventures and a shared desire to get out into the world more and embrace the randomness of life.Links from the episode:
2026-02-071h 02
The Clearing with Katherine MaySeason One InterludeKatherine explains why we are heeding our own advice and taking a tiny break this week. She also previews some exciting, listener-led bonus content that will be coming your way next season. We’ll be back next week with another wonderful guest for you. Meanwhile take care everyone.Visit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript and to discover how to enjoy the episodes ad freeBuy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / USFollow Katherine on InstagramVisit Katherine’s Websit...
2026-01-3108 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayEce Temelkuran’s landscape of belongingA modern sage who forewarned the world of the rise of fascism, writer Ece Temelkuran explains why she ‘put her heart in the freezer’ ten years ago when she fled her country of birth and how finding traces of home all around are helping her to heal. From a beloved old cardigan to episodes of Downton Abbey, from being surrounded by Turkish food in Berlin to talking to her three favourite trees in the park; in this moving conversation Ece reveals the power of finding joy in the little things, as we collectively go through what she c...
2026-01-241h 00
The Clearing with Katherine MayKaitlin Curtice’s sanctuary of the subconsciousAuthor, storyteller and enrolled citizen of the Potawatomi nation, Kaitlin Curtice, shares her beautiful image of the perfect retreat, created by her own consciousness during the Covid pandemic. Exploring this space together, Katherine and Kaitlin discuss the little-appreciated power of ageing, looking for stories beneath the stories, the art of listening, feeling the presence of the ancestors and asking permission from the stones and shells before you bring them home. A wonderful episode of Indigenous wisdom, stillness and calm - the perfect moment of retreat. Kaitlin’s Links
2026-01-1755 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayMartha Beck and Rowan Mangan on the magic of communing with every living thingThis episode of The Clearing with renowned, Oprah-endorsed American life coach Martha Beck and her wonderful wife and podcast co-host Rowan Mangan skips the small talk and delves right into the mysteries and wonder of life and death. From the consciousness of stones to the nonsensical hierarchy of different sentient beings on earth. From the spiritual repression of our age to the societal need for a shaman. From the realities of living in a liminal space as an autistic person, to parenting neurodivergent children to each of their own unique ‘awakenings’.With uncannily simil...
2026-01-101h 10
The Clearing with Katherine MayMelissa Hemsley’s calm chaosChef and cookery writer Melissa Hemsley shares her bucolic, Darling Buds of May-esque fantasy of ‘safe’ escape with Katherine. Filled with wild and domesticated animals roaming freely, Chi Gong, nudity, a hammock, friendly neighbours who are close but not too close, the sea, also close but not too close; it’s a warm hug of a landscape where everything is chaotic but controlled. Wild but safe. With people but alone. Calm chaos.A chance to escape the anxiety that accompanies her daily life, Melissa fully embraces the opportunity to imagine a place where her bra...
2026-01-031h 00
The Clearing with Katherine MaySam Baker on the challenges of letting goWriter and former magazine editor Sam Baker is dragged kicking and screaming into this getaway as she admits she can never let go of her internal chatter and is not someone who ‘does rest’. Giving us a fascinating insight into the brain of someone who has dedicated their life to hard work and busy-ness, we come to understand how different our visions of escape can be. Needing to be ‘at the edge’ of somewhere, looking out to sea with mountains nearby, and her faithful, tail-less cat Sausage, Sam only truly rests when entering the world...
2025-12-2757 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayAndy J. Pizza’s magical, moving ADHD landscapeThe ADHD and autistic tendency to rest in motion is fully realised in American author and illustrator Andy J. Pizza’s vision of the ideal retreat. Choosing an extraordinary fictional setting which incorporates an ingenious method of travelling the world, this episode showcases the wonder of a brilliantly creative, neurodivergent brain. Along the way, and with many fascinating tangents, Andy and Katherine discuss the power of Miyazake films, their shared love of Fraggle Rock and longing for direction from the universe. A meticulously thought out and fully realised world that accommodates his own pers...
2025-12-201h 15
The Clearing with Katherine MayOliver Burkeman’s art of the non-retreatKicking off the episode with an existential crisis, the inimitable Oliver Burkeman joins Katherine to explore his own, unique take on rest and retreat. A familiar name to many in both the US and the UK, Oliver’s book Four Thousand Weeks has put him at the heart of the global conversation around building a meaningful life. As you might expect, Oliver turns the concept of the podcast on its head whilst taking Katherine on a wild ride through topics from whether we should use AI as a creative tool to favourite notebooks to whether TS Eli...
2025-12-131h 00
The Clearing with Katherine MayLaura Pashby's lighthouse at the end of the worldIn this episode Katherine chats to Laura Pashby, author of the incredible book Chasing Fog and master of ethereal photography, about her vision for the perfect retreat when things get tough. A magical dreamscape unfurls of a fog-bound lighthouse on an island in the Arctic circle; a liminal space filled with books and a favourite painting which acts as a portal through which Laura can step whenever she needs to escape. The perfect, escapist listen for anyone needing to give their mind and body a fleeting moment of rest and retreat....
2025-12-0658 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayCariad Lloyd’s mossy, mythical retreatKatherine launches her new podcast The Clearing with British actor, comedian, author and 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction judge Cariad Lloyd. Together they explore Cariad’s vision of a dream retreat; a place she would conjure given the opportunity, and of course the privilege, to rest and retreat. The result is pure joy. A Tolkien-esque riot of ancient oak trees, moss and mythical creatures merging into a Brambly Hedge world replete with tiny mice making jams and apple crumble.At a time when the world feels more uncertain than ever, allowing ourselves to dream...
2025-12-061h 16
The Clearing with Katherine MayIntroducing The ClearingKatherine is delighted to let you know she’s back with a new podcast series called The Clearing. In each episode she asks writers and creatives, where would you go to rest and retreat, in good times and bad?Drawing on memory, inspiration and imagination, she explores the things we seek out when we need to restore our joy, hope and energy. It begins with a forest clearing. What will we find there? A log cabin or a grand hotel? What cherished object or talisman would you bring? And what sing...
2025-11-2804 min
Phone Eats FirstKicking off the holidays with Katherine May#51 Hello everyone and happy Sunday! In this week’s episode, we have a VERY special guest... Katherine! Not only are we celebrating Thanksgiving and kicking off the Christmas season, but we have a 4 year old on our hands. This episode doesn't require much explaining, just sit back and giggle. Enjoy!
Follow / Find Me Below:
Instagram: @cori_inthekitchen & @phoneeatsfirstpod
Tik Tok: @cori_inthekitchen
Youtube: @PhoneEatsFirstPod
Email: phoneeatsfirstpod@gmail.com
2024-12-0223 min
ContemplifyKatherine May on Enchantment, Building Community, Tasting Words, and a Drink of Lake Water"I love Katherine May's new book, Enchantment.… It's a beautiful offering of light, truth and charm in these strange, dark times." — Anne Lamott Katherine May is an internationally bestselling author and podcaster living in Whitstable, UK. Her most recent book, Enchantment became an instant New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller. Her internationally bestselling hybrid memoir Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times was adapted as BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week, and was shortlisted for the Porchlight and Barnes and Noble Book of the Year. The Electricity of Every Living Thin...
2024-11-2457 min
ContemplifyKatherine May on Enchantment, Building Community, Tasting Words, and a Drink of Lake Water
“I love Katherine May’s new book, Enchantment.… It’s a beautiful offering of light, truth and charm in these strange, dark times.”
— Anne Lamott
Katherine May is an internationally bestselling author and podcaster living in Whitstable, UK. Her most recent book, Enchantment became an instant New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller. Her internationally bestselling hybrid memoir Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times was adapted as BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week, and was shortlisted for the Porchlight and Barnes and Noble Book of the Year. The Electricity of Every Living T...
2024-11-2457 min
The Clearing with Katherine MaySarah Moss on memory and meaning-makingRecently, Katherine interviewed Sarah Moss about her incredible new memoir, My Good Bright Wolf, an account of growing up as a difficult girl in a difficult family, and how this ultimately led to her eating disorder. Throughout the book, she repeatedly argues against herself. A voice rises up in the text and says, What are you trying to claim here? That’s not how it happened! Why can’t you tell the truth? The point she makes is that we are unsteady in our remembering. We’re often incredibly uncertain, not just about the con...
2024-11-1646 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayExploring Hilary Mantel's memoir with Jillian HessWhat’s to be done with the lost, the dead, but write them into being?’So writes Hilary Mantel in her extraordinary memoir, Giving Up the Ghost. First published in 2003, it offers a snapshot of the great writer before the Wolf Hall era: a literary, if not commercial, success, and a fragile soul with a dark, scuttling imagination. Katherine was joined by Jillian Hess of the brilliant Noted Substack to explore this wonderful book. They discussed the way that Mantel captures her childhood and family, her relationship to her body and the endometriosis that assai...
2024-11-011h 00
The Clearing with Katherine MayKate Fox on the potential and power of poetryIt was National Poetry Day in the UK earlier this month and Katherine talked to Kate Fox about her new book, On Sycamore Gap, in an extra Book Club event. Kate’s book is about a very special tree in the north of England that was chopped down by vandals, but that has brought people together in the aftermath of its felling.Katherine's book, Enchantment, is available now: US/CAN and UKLinks from the episode:Kate on InstagramKate's websiteKate’s book, On Sycamore Gap: UKJoin K...
2024-10-1759 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayOliver Burkeman on mortality, acceptance and imperfectionismSeptember - when we’re almost as likely to be trying to reform ourselves as in January - is the perfect moment for Oliver Burkeman’s new book, Meditations for Mortals. Katherine sat down to talk to Oliver for her Book Club, and there was one question she was burning to ask: do you confuse lots of readers too?Oliver, you see, has mastered the art of subverting the self-help genre. It’s not that he doesn’t want to offer succour to people who are struggling, nor that he denies we can change. It’s just...
2024-09-271h 00
The Clearing with Katherine MayLucy Jones on matrescence, maternal myths and transformationThis month, Katherine spoke to Lucy Jones about Matrescence, her book about the profound changes wrought by pregnancy and birth. Combining the biological, the social and the political with exquisite writing, this is a radical revision of a subject veiled in forced cosiness and obfuscation. Lucy's frankness and curiosity - her utter realness - are an absolute balm for anyone who’s navigated the very particular environment of contemporary western maternity, whether that contact has been personal or at one remove. It helps us to understand why pregnancy feels like such a hinterland, and also why it d...
2024-08-3053 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayDaniel Tammet on real autistic livesKatherine was excited to speak to Daniel Tammet about his latest book, Nine Minds: Inner Lives on the Spectrum. Katherine has been reading Daniel’s writing for a long time - his first book, Born on a Blue Day, came out in 2006. At the time, he was writing about his experience as a savant (his synaesthesia means that he conceptualises numbers and dates in a completely different way to most of us), and in this conversation Katherine and Daniel talk about the way that he was treated during those years. Daniel is a beautiful writer, but his talent was ofte...
2024-07-2655 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayTom Newlands on writing neurodivergence with a light touchJoin Katherine as she talks with Tom Newlands about his debut novel, Only Here, Only Now. Katherine talks with Tom about his female main protagonist, the unforgettable Cora, setting the book in 1990s Scotland and how it offers a new way of writing about neurodivergence. She also explains the thinking behind choosing Only Here, Only Now for a non-fiction book club, and why it captivated her enough to break her own rules. Katherine's book, Enchantment, is available now: US/CAN and UKLinks from the episode:Tom's InstagramTom’s book, Only...
2024-07-0547 min
The Clearing with Katherine MaySamantha Irby on being a personJoin me for a recent conversation with comedian, essayist, blogger, and television writer Samantha Irby. Recorded as part of my True Stories Book Club hosted on Substack, we talked about realising you have a body again after lockdown, dogs that don’t love us enough/love us too much, writing about the darkest parts of our life, and terrorising Sex and the City fans by writing on And Just Like That… If you haven’t read it already, do check out her latest essay collection, Quietly Hostile.Katherine's new book, Enchantment, is available now: US/CAN and UK
2024-06-2157 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayCatherine Coldstream on life as a nunJoin my conversation with Catherine Coldstream as we relax into a questing, rambling chat about the deep pull that many of us feel towards the quiet and gentle rhythms of the monastic life, and the risks of submitting so completely.Katherine's new book, Enchantment, is available now: US/CAN and UKLinks from the episode:Catherine’s websiteCatherine’s book, CloisteredJoin Katherine's SubstackFind show notes and transcripts for every episode by visiting Katherine's website.Follow Katherine on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priv...
2024-05-241h 13
New Glarus Brewing Podcast W/ Dan CareyEP 73: Meet Scott May!In this episode, Katherine May (Carey) sits down with Scott to talk about his story of how he came to work at New Glarus Brewing. Cheers!
2024-03-0449 minNew Glarus Brewing Podcast W/ Dan CareyEP 63: Katherine May Talks Expansion at New GlarusIn this episode brewery architect Katherine May talks about the new warehouse expansion finishing up and plans for a future hospitality expansion at New Glarus. Cheers!
2023-12-2535 min
630 Miles - An Audio JourneyKatherine May"discovering the south west coast path was like finding a gateway to another world"
Critically acclaimed author, Katherine May, joins Rachel to chat about her journey along the South West Coast Path and the healing power of the path. Katherine is one of the charity's ambassadors and has walked the South West Coast Path for a number of years.
Chatting through her transformative time on the Path, Katherine also talks about winter and suggests tools we can all use to help us through the darker months.
About Katherine May
Katherine May is...
2023-12-1629 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayCamille T. Dungy on unearthing historiesAt a superficial level, Soil is a gardening memoir, full of gorgeous descriptions of plants and getting your hands in the soil. But the garden in question is a political gesture, an act of resistance and an assertion of belonging. Camille T. Dungy uproots the staid monoculture of the suburban garden, and takes a fierce, critical look at its assumptions.In this conversation, we talk about the way that gardens can become a means of social control and conformity, but also an expression of freedom and solidarity that crosses generations. We also touch on the idea...
2023-12-1550 min
Not Too Busy To WriteKatherine May on writer boundariesKatherine May is the Sunday Times and New York Times best selling author of Enchantment. Today we talk about the challenges of writing a follow up to her phenomenal bestseller Wintering, the importance of writers being open about the constraints they face, especially successful authors and advocating for accessibility while promoting your work. We also do a deep dive into Substack and why Katherine loves it so much and the importance of writers getting paid for their work.linksEnchantment - Katherine MayWintering - Katherine MayThe Electricity of Every...
2023-11-2953 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayKaitlin Curtice on resisting with integrityIn the past few years, resistance has been a live issue for many of us, whether we’re wondering for the first time how to bring about social change, or realising that we need to find new ways to be activists. For Kaitlin Curtice, this resistance is an ongoing practice, informed by her perspective as an Indigenous American, and imbued with gentleness, integrity and personal sustainability. In this episode, we talk about her book, Living Resistance, how her own perspective developed over time, and - appropriately for this podcast - how we can live in this uns...
2023-11-1759 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayErica Berry on the meaning of wolvesThe wolf carries an almost unbearable amount of symbolism in western culture, encapsulating the predatory, the carnal, the supernatural and the ravenous. But in her book Wolfish, Erica Berry suggests that it’s time to understand wolves differently: as tender, as hunted, as guardians of the landscape. What’s more, those evil qualities may be better attributed to ourselves than to wolves. Berry weaves memoir with natural history, cultural critique, folklore and conservation to show that wolves have too often been a cypher for all our fears, and that this has left them under threat of extin...
2023-10-201h 04
The Clearing with Katherine MayDacher Keltner on awe, humility and purposeI stumbled across Dacher Keltner’s work when I was first researching Enchantment, and now - for the final episode in this season - I’m honoured to speak to him about Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life. Dacher’s research attempts to understand this very fleeting, ineffable emotion. He and his colleagues have shown that awe induces a feeling of being small within a vast universe - a radical shift into context. What’s more, by absorbing ourselves in awe, we become better people, more motivated to go out and...
2023-08-0449 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayMarjolijn van Heemstra on the overview effectMarjolijn van Heemstra believes that we can change the world by gazing into the night sky. Her book, In Light Years There’s No Hurry, explores the ‘overview effect’, a personal transformation reported by astronauts who have seen the earth from space. People who’ve experienced this rare view often report an ethical shift taking place, a new sense of mission in their lives. They come to see themselves as guardians of their planet, rather than its passive citizens. Clearly not all of us can - or want to - leave the atmosphere to gaze over the earth...
2023-07-2148 min
Slow StoriesKatherine May — ”It’s okay to get on with the business of living.”How do we find and maintain a sense of wonder in a world that's become so unpredictable? Katherine May (author of Wintering and The Electricity of Every Living Thing) tackles this pressing question in her latest book, Enchantment, which is “an invitation to each of us to experience life in all its sensual complexity and to find the beauty waiting for us there.”
Calling upon the natural elements—earth, water, fire, and air—Katherine launches a personal and collective investigation into how we can restore ourselves and restoke imagination. Far from prescriptive, Katherine's work always invites readers to follow...
2023-07-1354 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayAmy Jeffs on ancient stories and new understandingsHow can we return to a richer, more complex understanding of national identity and personal ethics - one that can only come from folklore?Amy Jeffs is the perfect person to ask. An art historian and printmaker, she creates immersive retellings of ancient stories, beautifully illustrated with her own woodcuts and etchings. In this week’s episode of How We Live Now, we discuss the function and appeal of folklore, and roam around the wind-blasted landscapes of Medieval Britain. We get a glimpse of the British Isles through ancient eyes - a haunted place stranded on th...
2023-07-0755 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayBáyò Akómoláfé on fugitive ideasIn this week’s episode of How We Live Now, Katherine speaks to author and public intellectual Báyò Akómoláfé. We consider how we can step out of the belief that humanity is in control of a passive planet, and instead wonder how we can learn to read the intelligence of the systems and landscapes that we inhabit. We meander our way to autism, and begin to think about how we can create a new language of neurodivergent experience that resists the labels applied from disinterested - or disgusted - outside viewers. And we take a look at ‘hus...
2023-06-3050 min
We Can Do Hard Things220. Why So Many Women Don’t Know They are Autistic with Katherine MayAuthor Katherine May recounts the moment she – at age 37 – discovered she is autistic and recognized herself for the first time. Living as an autistic person in a world that often misunderstands her, Katherine shares:
How the prevailing understandings of autism erase the lived experiences of autistic women and girls;
The way autism looks and feels for adult women; and
How she navigates social interactions and sensory overload.
Katherine also reveals what she hears most often from people who think they might be autistic, which has Glennon asking: “Katherine, am I one of...
2023-06-201h 09
The Clearing with Katherine MayKerri ní Dochartaigh on the mystical everydayKerri ní Dochartaigh’s writing rings with a sense of connection between this world and the otherworld, and nowhere is it expressed more clearly than in her latest book, Cacophony of Bone. Here are pages full of subtle signs that are legible only to those who are in the practice of seeking them. It’s a work of plain mysticism, a very personal representation of direct contact with the sacred. At its roots, it’s about perception: how we allow it, honour it, foster it. How we can allow ourselves to encounter beauty and transcendence in the everyday.B...
2023-06-0951 min
For The Love With Jen Hatmaker PodcastThe Power of Rest & Retreat in Difficult Times: Katherine MayWe’re at the tail end of our For the Love of Calming the Chaos series–and if you’ve gotten a chance to hear the whole series, we hope you’ve been able to take away some actionable items toward further peace in your life. Our last episode in the series is the perfect capper toward extending that ability to calm the chaos during the disruptive times of our lives, but also during the heartbreakingly difficult times. Our guest this week brings us the very comforting message that simply bucking up or trying to cheerlead ourselves into positivity isn't go...
2023-05-3156 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayMorgan Harper Nichols on art and perceptionWhen I spoke to Morgan Harper Nichols, she was taking a break from assignment-writing for the MFA in Interdisciplinary Media Arts she’s studying. That’s a telling detail for this exuberant soul: she has ideas and energy to spare, and she’s always learning, always reaching towards new forms. A visual artist, writer, musician, speaker and podcaster, I always see her as a communicator first and foremost. She draws on all these different modes of expression to facilitate the sheer urgency of what she has to say. In this episode, I talk with Morgan about the way...
2023-05-261h 00
human2human with Stacy IkeKatherine May On Embracing Uncertainty, Giving Yourself Grace, and Finding EnchantmentWith the world as it is right now, there are so many unwanted changes happening for all of us, and we can't stop them. We can do what we can to influence and ameliorate them, but honestly, there are unstoppable things we just can't control. So to help us get comfortable with this sense of uncertainty and lack of control, Stacy welcomes writer, author, and podcaster Katherine May to the show.Tune in as Stacy and Katherine deep dive into how we can embrace uncertainty and experience enchantment in our daily lives amongst change and growth. Referencing...
2023-05-171h 13
The Clearing with Katherine MayPico Iyer on the wisdom of travellersPico Iyer’s latest book, The Half Known Life, looks at the ways in which we seek paradise on earth, sometimes in places that are fraught with risk. In this episode, he and Katherine talk about the similarities in their work, particularly the ways in which they explore secular understandings of big spiritual questions, and they touch on the differences, too. Where Katherine is drawn to the local and the known, Pico quests after the insights that come to travellers and strangers. They are two different ways of looking at the same question: that of how to live a go...
2023-05-1256 minNew Glarus Brewing Podcast W/ Dan CareyEP 25: Meet Katherine May: New Glarus Architect and Construction Project ManagerIn this episode, Scott May sits down with Katherine May who is New Glarus' in-house Architect and Construction Project Manager. Katherine talks about all of the expansion projects she's overseen and guided during her time at New Glarus, including the Wild Fruit Cave, The new fermentation cellar at Hilltop, the Hop Barn, the wastewater treatment facility, and more. Katherine is also Dan and Deb Carey's daughter and has been helping out at the New Glarus Brewing Company since they first purchased the original warehouse back in 1993. Scott and Katherine discuss the difference between working at an architecture firm and wo...
2023-03-2057 min
What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood | Parenting Tips From Funny MomsFresh Take: Katherine May on "Enchantment"What do we do when it seems like there's nothing new or wondrous in the world for us to enjoy and feel deeply connected to? Katherine May, author of the new book ENCHANTMENT: AWAKENING WONDER IN AN ANXIOUS AGE. tells us about her own journey of rediscovering the world and her own sense of wonder.Katherine May is the author of the New York Times bestseller WINTERING: THE POWER OF REST AND RETREAT IN DIFFICULT TIMES, which has been translated into 25 languages.Katherine, Amy, and Margaret discuss:
Why we're all suffering from a "pandemic...
2023-03-1732 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayBonus episode: Katherine May on burnout and why we all need a little more wonder in our livesWe're in between seasons of How We Live Now and Katherine is in the midst of talking about her new book Enchantment in radio and podcast interviews. We wanted to share one of these conversations with you in the How We Live Now podcast feed.In this episode of The Shift with Sam Baker, Sam and Katherine talk about Katherine’s midlife autism diagnosis, why she believes we’re living through the burnout decade and how to wrest back control of our lives from our work. Buy Katherine's new book Enchantment: US & Canad...
2023-03-1546 min
You're BookedKatherine May - You're BookedHurrah! This week we're featuring an author we've trying to tempt onto the show for ages. It's the brilliant Katherine May! Katherine is the New York Times-bestselling author of Wintering which has been translated into twenty-five languages around the world, the acclaimed The Electricity of Every Living Thing and her new book Enchantment: Reawakening Wonder in an Exhausted Age. She also hosts the podcast How We Live Now in which Katherine and her guests try to access wonder and joy in a world determined to elicit exhaustion and despair. We talked to Katherine about the brilliance of Jean Rhys...
2023-03-061h 00
The Happier Approach: Quieting your High Functioning AnxietyWintering: Extended Conversation with Katherine MayWe hope you enjoy this super special bonus episode, here to tide you over until our next season begins in a few months. This is my extended conversation with Katherine May, author of the book Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times. We talk about how to get through our winters, what we love about winter, and why different people need to rest in different ways.Listen to the full episode to hear:Nancy's extended conversation with Katherine May, author of Wintering and the forthcoming book Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age...
2023-02-0344 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayEce Temelkuran on the politics of emotionTurkish journalist Ece Temelkuran understands the problems of rightwing populism better than most: she lives as an exile, after her criticism of the Erdogan regime threatened her liberty. But despite the very personal toll that our current politics has taken, Ece remains optimistic. The seeds of a new society, she says, lie in communities, and the ways they find to come together.In this episode, Katherine and Ece discuss courage, truth and learning to befriend our fear. We also touch on the power of Twitter in the days before Elon Musk took over - so maybe...
2023-01-061h 08
The Clearing with Katherine MayEmma Gannon on understanding, not agreeingEmma Gannon is a true digital native, a storyteller who finds creative inspiration in online communities, and who has sought a more thoughtful way to be in the digital spaces that so dominate our lives. In this episode, Katherine and Emma discuss what it means to be a digital citizen - the pleasures and the agonies of coming together in the ether, and the ways it can both warp and welcome connection. Emma’s is a nuanced take, emphasising our own agency within social media spaces, and inviting us to be thoughtful and disciplined, rather than rea...
2023-01-0659 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayJay Griffiths on the ecology of connectionJay Griffiths’ writing has long explored the link between land, culture and our potential for connection, but her father’s death during lockdown made this more vital than ever. Denied the comfort or closure of a funeral, Jay had to find other ways to connect, mourn and memorialise, and in this gentle, wide-ranging conversation she and Katherine talk about imaginary journeys, ritual and delving into a sense of place. Behind all of Jay’s work is an ecological urgency, and a sense of grief for the life that we seem to be losing. Here, it’s expressed...
2023-01-0656 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayLama Rod Owens on necessary changeMany of us are enduring a painful new awareness of the conflicts that underpin our social relationships. For Buddhist teacher Lama Rod Owens, this is the beginning of a revolutionary path to our liberation - a necessary upheaval that will rebalance us forever.In this profound, perspective-shifting conversation, we are urged to stop looking for short-cuts and panaceas for our suffering, and instead to engage with the deep, transformative work of change. Join the conversation! We’re also inviting your thoughts on each episode from now on - follow this link to join the...
2023-01-0649 min
The Clearing with Katherine MaySimran Jeet Singh on Radical InterconnectednessBeing a Sikh in America gives Simran Jeet Singh a very particular insight into the divisions that run between us: on one hand, his visible differences have made him a target for racism; on the other, his religion emphasises the connectedness of all humans, and urges him towards compassion, forgiveness and love.In this thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation, Katherine and Simran explore building empathy, seeing the divine in everyone, and how being forced to confront white supremacy has helped Simran to develop a language to challenge those who would attack him. The Sikh value of Chardi...
2023-01-0656 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayPriya Parker on gathering wellWhen it comes to getting together, Priya Parker turns our assumptions on their heads: gatherings, she says, benefit from firm rules and careful management, which allow us to relax more, communicate better, and come away feeling positive. It’s all about clarity of purpose. A lack of structure leads to chaotic and draining events, and may even put us in conflict. In this episode, Katherine asks Priya how we can learn to be in the same room again - whether it’s with colleagues, family or even complete strangers. For those of us who have found it to...
2023-01-0656 min
The Clearing with Katherine MaySusan Cain on the bittersweet & introducing How We Live NowSusan Cain’s groundbreaking book, Quiet, taught a generation of readers to perceive and value their introvert qualities. Her latest book, Bittersweet is a song to the complex space between happiness and sadness. In this episode, Katherine talks to Susan about how she came to move so comfortably in the understated parts of life, and why the minor key is so beautiful. While we’ve been away, The Wintering Sessions have been undergoing a metamorphosis. Katherine talks us through the process of becoming How We Live Now, and offers us a peek at the season to come...
2022-12-1930 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayRaynor Winn on losing everything and finding homeWelcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.Author Raynor Winn talks to Katherine May about the losing her home when her husband was diagnosed with a terminal illness, and finding new life from having nothing.Raynor Winn has captured a multitude of hearts with her book, The Salt Path, which recounts the time she lost her home just as her husband received a terminal diagnosis. With nothing to lose, they set off to walk the South West Coast Path carrying nothing but a tent.Here Raynor reflects on that...
2022-09-1537 min
London Writers' Salon#020: Katherine May — Writing Memoirs, Wintering, and Embracing Every Season of a Creative LifeEvery journey in life, creative or other, has seasons of Winter – difficult periods where the world can seem overwhelming, when our next step is unclear, and where doors close before our eyes. How can we face such fallow periods, learn to rest, and be kinder to ourselves? In this episode, we chat with Katherine May, New York Times bestselling author of Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times’ about writing memoirs, writing through fallow periods, finding our natural rhythm, and how the key to happiness might be found in incremental progress over grand ambitions. *...
2022-08-0648 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayRemona Aly on breaking an engagement, and the transformative force of griefWelcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.While we take a rest over the summer, we’re sharing some remastered episodes from Season One, chosen by listeners.In this episode, I speak to journalist and broadcaster Remona Aly about her life-changing decision to call off an engagement, and how it echoed through the years to teach her about forgiveness, faith and empathy.This is such a special one for me - I went to school with Remona, and I think you can hear our joy at reconnecting after a co...
2022-07-2252 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayEmma Dabiri on history and belongingWelcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.Producer Note: You'll notice a slight change in Katherine's audio in the second half of the podcast. This is just due to a necessary 'source switch', where we had to change where her recording was coming from. Your ears will adjust very quickly but apologies for the ever so slight dip. Thank you!This week Katherine talks to Emma Dabiri, author of Don’t Touch My Hair and What White People Can Do Next. What begins as a conversation about Emma’s new-f...
2022-07-081h 06
The Clearing with Katherine MaySaima Mir on marriage, dreams and late flourishingWelcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.'I am my childhood’s wildest dream,’ says Saima Mir. This episode is about the process of getting there, not just the determination and hard work, but also the intangibles: the beliefs, ambitions and understandings that you don’t even know how to articulate, but which hold you up on a decades-long journey to becoming. In this conversation, the journalist and bestselling novelist talks about shame, failure, the experience of being gossiped about - but also the inner strength and family support that allowed her to rein...
2022-06-2452 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayRoss Gay on delightWelcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week, Katherine talks to Ross Gay about finding delight in dark times.Ross’s practice of writing down a daily delight - a small surprise or pleasure that might otherwise go unnoticed - is the foundation of The Book of Delights, his bestselling essay collection. Here, he talks about the way that delight can sit alongside our fear, anger, frustration and grief, not to block them out, but to find a way to survive them. Along the way, we touch on fleeting moments of hu...
2022-06-1051 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayAja Barber on getting dressedWelcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week, Katherine asks Aja Barber how we can change the way we buy clothes.Many of us have an uneasy feeling about the clothes we buy and wear. Although we know that there are ethical issues with their production, few of us understand how to change our behaviour, and make better choices. As a stylist and fashion consultant, Aja makes it her business to understand the whole supply chain, from raw materials to disposal. There are some dark stories to absorb, but there’s al...
2022-05-2756 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayJoanne Limburg on reclaiming weirdWelcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to writer Joanne Limburg about the ways that we can find connection in the experience of outsidership.While writing her astonishing new book, Letters To My Weird Sisters, Joanne sought out women from the past who were marked out as ‘weird’, from Virginia Woolf, who was unable to choose the ‘right’ ballgown, to Katharina Kepler, who was put on trial for witchcraft. Drawing on her Jewish heritage, Joanne urges us all to assert the humanity of those who seem unfathomably different to us...
2022-05-1357 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayCole Arthur Riley on "We did good"Welcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to writer and poet Cole Arthur Riley, author of This Here Flesh and creator of Black Liturgies. Unable to speak up as a child, Cole talks about how she learned to find her voice amid a family of gifted talkers and storytellers. Cole describes her father and grandmother as inspirational figures who nevertheless were marked by the generational trauma experienced by so many African Americans. But from this emerges Cole’s own, unique spiritual account of the world, overseen by a God...
2022-04-291h 12
The Clearing with Katherine MayAlexandra Heminsley on inhabiting a female bodyWelcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to journalist and writer Alexandra Heminsley, author of Some Body to Love. After infertility treatment, a challenging pregnancy and a sexual assault, Alex found her relationship drifting apart for reasons she couldn’t fully understand. But when her partner finally disclosed that they wanted to transition to being a woman, Alex had to come to terms with something she never expected: being part of a LBTQIA+ family. In this conversation, she explores her compassionate response to her former partner’s needs, how it has chan...
2022-03-2557 min
Pulling The Thread with Elise LoehnenPassing as “Normal” (Katherine May)“I increasingly feel that modern life is becoming intolerable for everyone, whether they're neurodivergent or not. I think we've noticed it earlier. I think, you know, we've reached our point of unbearable discomfort earlier along the line. But I just begin to think that the way we are living is generally hostile to our brains and our neurology. We are, all of us, completely overwhelmed all the time. And you know, like the idea that some people had a good pandemic, well that's because the world called a truce on some of us, and we didn't realize we needed it...
2022-03-1752 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayMeghan O' Rourke on the invisible kingdom of chronic illnessWelcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to poet and author Meghan O’ Rourke.In a fascinating conversation with Katherine, Meghan talks about the struggles she’s endured (and endures) with chronic illness. As she mentions in the episode, there is an invisible quality to many forms of illness which makes it very hard to navigate and manoeuvre through, and we hear all about the difficulties faced when consulting with doctors, dealing with it in our heads, and living with it in the company of loved ones - but...
2022-03-111h 05
The Clearing with Katherine MaySara Tasker on hyperfocus, exhaustion and finding the new normalWelcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to Sara Tasker, writer, social media expert and coach.While you might expect a full on party-popper celebration of social media from someone like Sara - an expert within the realm, this is a very honest chat which takes many entirely relatable routes and tangents which surely many of us can relate to. Sara and Katherine also connect on matters of the neurotypical and neurodivergent, involving Sara's own ADHD and hyperfocus and how that sews its thread into the fabric of...
2022-02-251h 08
The Clearing with Katherine MayGemma Cairney on conducting energy with balance and motionWelcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to Gemma Cairney, presenter, curator of greatness and author of ‘Open: A Toolkit...’ and more.There's a strong chance you're familiar with Gemma through her prolific radio and broadcast career, but if not - as you've surely come to notice over the Wintering podcast - you're about to meet another new best friend. Gemma's been grinding and hustling since the early days of her media work which kicked off at the BBC, and Katherine checks in with her at a point in h...
2022-02-111h 08
The Clearing with Katherine MayAimee Nezhukumatathil on nurturing wonder through natureWelcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to Aimee Nezhukumatathil, author of ‘World Of Wonders’ and more.An uplifting, soulful and inspiring chat with Aimee and Katherine, beginning with a foundation of wonder and never dropping the ball once.Moving from prose to poetry and immediately feeling boundaries being lifted, Aimee has put out some truly valuable work into the world and this is a perfect opportunity to get to the heart of it all.As always, it branches out into some rich areas incl...
2022-01-2852 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayElissa Altman on navigating the MotherlandWelcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to Elissa Altman, author of ‘Motherland’ and more.Katherine finds Elissa in that pre-Christmas zone, which serves as the perfect jumping-off point for a very upfront, candid and fascinating conversation on family. Specifically, Elissa's relationship with her mother. Like every family, it's a relationship which is unique and comes with its own inimitable history, and as such, informs where the two find themselves this present day, and it's a wonderful thing to hear Elissa talk openly about all that is contained with...
2022-01-1454 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayMaggie Smith on the mutual reflection of poetryWelcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to Maggie Smith, poet, writer and editor from Columbus, Ohio.You may know Maggie's tremendous work via her poem 'Good Bones', which she has a difficult relationship with. The poem is often referenced in times of crisis, which she thinks of as a 'disaster barometer' - she break downs this fascinating dissonance in her chat with Katherine, which reaches a wide range of topics including metpahor, the 'tasting' approach to culture, her own range of published works, America's history of being...
2021-12-3148 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayCheryl Strayed on walking through the wildernessWelcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to Cheryl Strayed, author of ‘Wild’ and so many more.A luxurious chat from the beginning til the end, this is a wonderful chance to get to know Cheryl a little better and hear the voice behind the books. It’s a true comfort, which folds in everything from the power of walking and what it can do to you, the unfinished walk, the male narrative and damage on all sides, finding the ‘off’ button for our brains and whether such a thing is...
2021-12-2054 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayJennifer Pastiloff on the power of 'I Got You'Welcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to Jennifer Pastiloff, a speaker, teacher, and author of ‘On Being Human’.In a warm and honest chat with Katherine, Jennifer perfectly lays the table for where she finds herself at this point in time, as a yoga instructor, public speaker and best selling author. With an attitude of ‘I Got You’ - extended to a community which she has cultivated with care over time - she has learned to transform her own feelings of shame towards her deafness, and earlier moments...
2021-12-101h 02
Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online“On the human spectrum” with Katherine MayThings we talked about:Allowing ourselves to feel good when things actually go wellThe synchronicity of things happening when they’re supposed to (and when you’re ready)Defining success for ourselves (and it’s not always what we assume it might be)How lockdown taught Katherine to create her own “sense of safety” following the success of her book, by creating courses to shore up her incomeFinding ways to own your own story, message and brandHow Katherine’s approach to Instagram evolved from “sharing pictures” to “telling stories”Katherine’s experience of coming back from “an anxious pattern of behaviour” ar...
2021-09-221h 05
'Round the CauldronEpisode 107: Wintering with Katherine May || Slowing Down for Darker TimesThis concept of wintering was introduced to me through Katherine's book. Having thoroughly enjoyed it myself, I thought it would be wonderful to bring it to you, as well! Although not specifically witchy or polytheistic, I feel like we can all benefit from wintering every now and then.If you'd prefer a transcript, you can find this and past transcripts here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ATnoPoTD51xY6A46ay0F5moVxki-1X28?usp=sharing"Katherine May is a writer of both fiction and nonfiction. Her journalism and essays have appeared in a range...
2021-07-1739 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayJackee Holder on the good things in lifeWelcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to Jackee Holder, coach and author of 'Writing With Fabulous Trees', among many more.Jackee Holder is a writer, walker, coach, interfaith minister and daughter of the windrush. In this uplifting conversation, she talks about the capacity of life to uplift us, her love of libraries, and how a tree helped her to treasure her name.Hear Jackee expand too on her introvert / extrovert sides, rituals and body prayers, seasons and trees and nature metaphors, having skeletons on...
2021-05-0756 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayMichelle Adams on how life can change in an instantWelcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to author Michelle Adams.Michelle Adams is best known as the author of Little Wishes, Between the Lies and My Sister. In this episode, she talks about a sudden and unexplained illness that disrupted everything she knew about herself, and how vital her support network became during that time.In other areas of this open and honest chat, Michelle also expands on her love of podcasting over the written interview, allergy season in Cyprus where she and her...
2021-04-3038 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayAngela Barnes on the continual winter of Persistent Depressive DisorderWelcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to Angela Barnes, podcaster, comedian and regular panel guest on Mock The Week (and much more!).Angela Barnes has zero tolerance for anyone reassuring her that she's pretty - it talks over her lived experience, and does nothing to change her self-perception. Here, she discusses living with Persistent Depressive Disorder, which has made her whole life feel like the drizzly English climate, but which has also made her more able than most to endure the hard-knocks life of a stand-up comedian.
2021-04-231h 07
The Clearing with Katherine MayJosie George on the joy of small thingsWelcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to Josie George, author of 'A Still Life: A Memoir'.Josie George has always lived with a complex of medical conditions that are difficult to name, but which leave her permanently in pain and having to carefully manage her mindset and energies in order to cope with everyday life. Here, she talks about the joys she finds in small things, and the vibrant appreciation for life that her restrictions have given her.An upfront and positive chat in...
2021-04-1636 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayGeorgina Lawton on growing up Black in a white familyWelcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to Georgina Lawton, author of 'Raceless: In Search of Family, Identity, and the Truth About Where I Belong'.For most of her life, Georgina Lawton was aware that she didn't look like her white family, but by her teens, she was no longer able to believe her parent's line that she was a genetic 'throwback' to a Black ancestor. In her memoir, Raceless, she writes about the painful process of forging a Black identity from scratch, and the painstaking work of...
2021-04-0936 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayTanya Shadrick on learning that life is shortWelcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to Tanya Shadrick, author of 'The Cure For Sleep'.A few days after giving birth, Tanya found herself in an ambulance, barely clinging to life. But surviving that terrifying experience changed everything. In this conversation, Tanya talks about how facing death made her bolder, more certain of her ambitions, and more determined to become a writer. And it also left her able to help other people who were nearing the end of their life.Tanya lets us all...
2021-04-0245 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayZeba Talkhani on surviving online abuseWelcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to Zeba Talkhani, author of 'My Past Is A Foreign Country'.Growing up as an Indian Muslim in socially-repressive Saudi Arabia, Zeba Talkhani learned her feminism young, unable to stop questioning the restrictions on her thoughts and personal freedoms. But after writing a memoir of her experiences, she encountered a backlash that she could never have expected. Here, she talks about how she came to terms with the abuse she received after publication, and how it brought her closer to her...
2021-03-2653 min
The Clearing with Katherine MaySara Ryan on grief, justice and righteous angerWelcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to Sara Ryan, author of 'Justice For Laughing Boy'.After Sara Ryan's autistic son, Connor, was sectioned and admitted to a residental mental health unit, there seemed to be no way to get him out again. And then, one morning, he died after having an epileptic seizure in the bath. Convinced that negligence was to blame, Sara began a campaign that not only brought the local authority to justice, but also put Connor's humanity at the front and centre. Sara talks...
2021-03-1254 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayMarlee Grace on journeying to the centerWelcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to Marlee Grace, author of 'Getting To Center'.In this frank and wide-ranging conversation, Marlee Grace talks about the process of finding a life that makes you happy.Drawing on her book 'Getting to Center', she talks about finding love, living with addiction and the ongoing quest to find balance in life that's led to her decision to leave Instagram (at least for a while).It's fascinating to hear Marlee's take on social media at a...
2021-03-0534 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayNicola Slawson on being alone in BerlinWelcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to Nicola Slawson, journalist and founder of 'The Single Supplement'.Through her newsletter The Single Supplement, Nicola Slawson has become the poster girl for a happy life lived alone. But much of her success lies in her ability to write honestly and with balance about the single life - and here she talks about a period of extreme loneliness after taking a dream job in Berlin. This is a story of finding your own path through difficult times....
2021-02-2641 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayMichele Harper on the calling to work in ERWelcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to Michele Harper, author of 'The Beauty In Breaking'.Michele Harper's career as a physician is a true vocation - the result, she says, of a childhood spent with an abusive father. In this conversation, she and Katherine talk about the nature of her calling to help, and her experience of racism in the workplace, where she has found herself both on the receiving end, and taking the role as a defender of her Black patients. Underlying it all is a...
2021-02-1936 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayKerri Ni Dochartaigh on healing the trauma of The TroublesWelcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to Kerri Ni Dochartaigh, author of 'Thin Places'.Kerri talks in detail about the aftermath of growing up in Derry at the height of the Troubles, as the daughter of a Protestant father and a Catholic mother. Forced to come to terms with trauma and survivorship guilt, Kerri found healing in the dark magic of the Irish landscape and Celtic mythology.In a wide ranging conversation, she and Katherine cover ground including relationships, names, unidentified and hidden grief...
2021-02-1243 min
The Clearing with Katherine MaySophia Blackwell on a lost time between two lovesIn this episode, I speak to poet, novelist and broadcaster Sophia Blackwell about the time when a relationship brutally ended, leaving her flailing around to find a sense of home. Sophia discusses the experience of relationships when you've known you were gay since childhood, and shares the romantic story of meeting her wife. You can find Sophia on Twitter: @sophiablackwellHer website - including links to her books and radio show - is here: https://www.sophiablackwell.co.uk/ To keep up to date with The Wintering Sessions, follow Katherine on...
2020-09-0137 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayRemona Aly on breaking an engagement and the transformative force of griefIn this final episode of Season One, I speak to journalist and broadcaster Remona Aly about her life-changing decision to call off an engagement, and how it echoed through the years to teach her about forgiveness, faith and empathy. This is such a special one for me - I went to school with Remona, and I think you can hear our joy at reconnecting after a couple of decades, and feeling so at home in the process. We cover all of human life here: buckle in. I'll be back in the autumn with more brilliant...
2020-08-0444 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayRaynor Winn on losing everything and finding homeAuthor Raynor Winn talks to Katherine May about the losing her home when her husband was diagnosed with a terminal illess, and finding new life from having nothingRaynor Winn has captured a multitude of hearts with her book, The Salt Path, which recounts the time she lost her home just as her husband received a terminal diagnosis. With nothing to lose, they set off to walk the South West Coast Path carrying nothing but a tent. Here Raynor reflects on that transformative time that redefined the meaning of home - and gives a welcome...
2020-07-2835 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayRachael Lucas talks about ending her violent & controlling first marriageAuthor Rachael Lucas talks to Katherine May about the realisation that she was in an abusive marriage, and how getting out allowed her to finally flouishOn the outside, it looked like Rachael was living the prefect life, but the reality was very different. It slowly dawned on her that she was subject to coercive control, but that realisation was suddenly accerlated when her husband became violent. In this moving, honest interview, she talks about the hard process of getting out, and falling back on state benefits while she found her feet. But with a...
2020-07-2140 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayHuma Qureshi on the pregnancy that diverted her writing dreamsAuthor Huma Qureshi talks to Katherine May about a wintering period during her third pregnancy When Huma got pregnant for the third time, she expected to flourish: after all, she already had a successful journalism career and was working on her first novel. But extreme sickness floored her, and took her into a dark mental space in which she felt that she might never recover.In her wise and wonderful interview, Huma explains how we can emerge from the deeply miserable moments in our life with a new - more self-compassionate - plan. ...
2020-07-1443 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayJini Reddy on bereavement and finding a way through lifeJini Reddy, author of Wanderland, talks to Katherine May about a dark season in her life.When Jini's father died suddenly, she was still trying to work out what to do with her life. In this moving conversation, she talks about the times when she felt lost and unsure what to do next. But in time, she came to make her career as a writer. I loved talking to Jini - she's a true citizen of the world with roots in Canada, India and South Africa, and a sense of spirituality that emerges from having...
2020-07-0633 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayRebecca Armstrong on giving up alcoholIn this thoughful and incredibly honest converation, journalist Rebecca Armstrong talks to Katherine May about a huge change that she undertook at the end of last year - giving up drinking alcohol. Rebecca discusses her life before she stopped drinking, the process of making the decision to go sober, and her life since. She's warm, frank and funny, offering an account of alcoholism in which there's no rock bottom, just a dawning realisation that something's got to give. In the meantime, she shares the new treasures she's found in sobriety, including an appreciation for the dark months...
2020-06-2945 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayCatherine Cho on postpartum psychosisIn this week's episode, Katherine May talks to Catherine Cho, author of Inferno, a beautifully told account of postpartum psychosis. After the birth of her son Cato, Catherine travelled to the USA, where her mental health declined to the point that she was committed to a secure ward. Her book details the time in which she recovered her sense of self and her bond with her baby, while trying to undersand what happened. After reading it, I was desperate to get Catherine on the show, and she does not disappoint: her account is thoughtful, scintillating, and, best...
2020-06-2241 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayLeah Hazard on changing career after having her first childThis week, I talk to Leah Hazard, NHS midwife extraorinaire and author of Hard Pushed, part memoir of Leah's life on the labour ward, and part exploration of the current state of the profession. Leah is as funny, wise and warm in person as she is in print, and she talks about the life-changing decision to leave her TV career and train to be a midwife, and the moment when the stress became too much during one very busy night on the ward. You can find Leah on Twitter @hazard_leah and Instagram @leahhazard. Hard...
2020-06-1541 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayPenny Wincer on being a carer twice overIn this episode, Katherine May talks to Penny Wincer - photographer, activist and author of Tender: The Imperfect Art of Caring - about the wintering seasons in her life.Penny discusses her time as a young carer for her mother, who suffered from depression and anxiety, and her current role as carer for her autistic son, Arthur. While she never stops advocating for the needs of carers, Penny also draws out the pleasure and intimacy of fulfilling this role, and makes a compelling case for caring as an act of love.TW: this episode contains...
2020-06-0845 min
The Clearing with Katherine MayTrailer: The Wintering Sessions with Katherine MayComing soon: The Wintering Sessions, based on Katherine May's book of the same name. Each episode will feature a conversation with a writer or performer, talking about the times they've fallen through the cracks, felt left out, isolated, rejected or humiliated. Hit subscribe to make sure you catch Episode 1! This is a podcast of real conversations about the tough times in life: no platitudes, and no glossing over the awful bits. But they'll be full of warmth and honesty, and we'll share what we've learned along the way. Follow Katherine on Instagram: @katherinemay_ or Twitter...
2020-06-0101 min