Episodes

  • Elizabeth Gilbert’s black volcanic sands of Costa Rica

    Elizabeth Gilbert’s black volcanic sands of Costa Rica
    Oct 19 2026
    Most of you will need no introduction to Elizabeth Gilbert. The international best-selling author of Eat Pray Love and Big Magic has sold a staggering 25 million books worldwide and is very much ‘a phenomenon’.In this truly special episode Elizabeth speaks to Katherine fresh from a six month sabbatical. A sabbatical taken after she lived through, and then wrote about, one of the most difficult periods of her life. The resulting memoir - All the Way to the River - has become the centre of much debate and critique and the toll it’s taken on Elizabeth is clear.With raw honesty, Elizabeth describes why she had to go away, feeling like she’d been ‘dragged through’ the process of writing her memoir and its resulting publication. She took herself to a very real Clearing - where she banned herself from working, doing or making. She contrasts it with her imaginary version, set along the volcanic beaches of Costa Rica, sea to the right, jungle to the left.Katherine and Elizabeth also talk about why women over fifty are quitting everything, the power of covens, being an introvert in an extrovert’s body and why collective housing (in Elizabeth’s case) or the nunnery (in Katherine’s case) would be the ultimate female fantasy lifestyle. With a shared post-break resistance to re-entering the world via the medium of podcast recording, they do it anyway. The result is an intimate and powerful episode full of the kinds of insight only Elizabeth Gilbert can offer.Links from the episode:Elizabeth’s website where you can find her books https://www.elizabethgilbert.com/Elizabeth’s InstagramThe Sabbath by Abraham Joshua HeschelThe Shiva NatarajaKatherine’s new book, Tending: How Care Binds the World is out in March and you can pre-order it here https://katherine-may.co.uk/tendingVisit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript, to discover how to enjoy our bonus episodes, our ad free episodes and if you subscribe, how to submit your own idea for a dream retreat.Buy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / USFollow Katherine on InstagramVisit Katherine’s WebsiteProduction CreditsGuest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan HutchinsSubstack Manager - Rebecca ArmstrongProducer - Alice LloydMusic - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr
  • Kathryn Nicolai’s mysterious houses of Lake Michigan

    Kathryn Nicolai’s mysterious houses of Lake Michigan
    Oct 12 2026
    This week’s guest is someone Katherine has wanted on The Clearing since the very beginning. Sleep whisperer and ‘architect of coziness’, Kathryn Nicolai is the talent behind one of Katherine’s very favourite podcasts - Nothing Much Happens. Described as ‘bedtime stories for everyone’ it’s a show that combines Kathryn’s skill for storytelling with one of the most soothing voices in the business. The result is the aural equivalent of being rocked to sleep. Mutual fans, their conversation meanders gently as Katherine explores the craft behind the podcast. Kathryn’s childhood of wanting to feel safe, her ability to lift the cognitive load of those attending her yoga classes and skill in observing small moments in everyday life all led to the creation of her shows. That and an understanding that it’s not just children who need safety and to be held, but adults too. And no more than now. Kathryn also imagines a brilliantly dreamlike and mischievous getaway, that once again involves the idea of rummaging through other people’s belongings, and delights Katherine no end. The only thing to do is sit back and relax. If you’re lucky you will achieve Kathryn’s peak state of ‘so much time and nothing to accomplish’. Links from the episode: Kathryn’s websiteKathryn’s podcast, Nothing Much HappensKathryn’s bookNothing Much Happens InstagramJalaluddin Rumi https://www.oxcis.ac.uk/publication/rumi Bashō https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/bashoKamo Chōmei https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kamo-ChomeiRenee and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog after the War by Paul Simon here The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas AdamsThe Secret Diary of Adrian Mole by Sue TownsendUlysses by James JoyceMoby Dick by Herman Melville The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan AikenOne Summer America 1927 by Bill BrysonThe Land and its People by David SedarisFind out more about The Petoskey Stone Katherine’s new book, Tending: How Care Binds the World is out in March and you can pre-order it here https://katherine-may.co.uk/tendingVisit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript, to discover how to enjoy our bonus episodes, our ad free episodes and if you subscribe, how to submit your own idea for a dream retreat.Buy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / USFollow Katherine on InstagramVisit Katherine’s WebsiteProduction CreditsGuest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan HutchinsSubstack Manager - Rebecca ArmstrongProducer - Alice LloydMusic - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    59 mins
  • Sarah Wilson’s nomadic, desert dream

    Sarah Wilson’s nomadic, desert dream
    Oct 5 2026
    A friend of Sarah Wilson’s once told her she was always ‘looking for trouble’. It is clear from this episode that the best-selling Australian author, podcaster and TV presenter is hard-wired for restlessness. A self-confessed ‘edge-seeker’, constantly pushing boundaries in a flirtation with life, she proves a fascinating guest to discuss ideas of rest with Katherine.Finding the pressures of a small cabin or ‘being good at rest’ too claustrophobic and restrictive, Sarah instead finds ultimate peace being out in the ancient, Australian desert. The dry heat, crunchy dirt underfoot and minimal distractions in a monotonous landscape are where she feels truly alive. It’s the great equaliser. A place to feel what Oliver Burkeman calls ‘cosmic insignificance’. It’s also just one of the many extraordinary and often surprising places she has perfected the ultimate tent-life; much to Katherine’s horror who practically shudders at just the word tent! A truly original vision of rest from someone who has learnt to integrate work and leisure to such an extent that rest has been rendered meaningless. Links from the episode:Sarah’s website https://sarahwilson.com/ Sarah’s book I Eat the StarsSarah’s podcast Wild with Sarah WilsonSarah’s Substack https://substack.com/@sarahwilson Katherine’s new book, Tending: How Care Binds the World is out in March and you can pre-order it here https://katherine-may.co.uk/tendingVisit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript, to discover how to enjoy our bonus episodes, our ad free episodes and if you subscribe, how to submit your own idea for a dream retreat.Buy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / USFollow Katherine on InstagramVisit Katherine’s WebsiteProduction CreditsGuest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan HutchinsSubstack Manager - Rebecca ArmstrongProducer - Alice LloydMusic - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr
  • Barbara Carrellas’ enchanted theatre

    Barbara Carrellas’ enchanted theatre
    Sep 28 2026
    Barbara Carrellas believes we can find the truest rest in moments of awe. The author of ‘The Book of Ecstasy’ says even in life’s darkest moments, ecstasy is possible. It’s something seeded in her practice of ‘Urban Tantra’ - a non-touch sexual practice rooted in her experience of working with the people and communities affected by New York’s AIDS crisis in the 1980s.As Katherine and Barbara delve more deeply into this concept of ecstasy, they marvel at the capacity of human lives for surprise and why sometimes we just need to step out of our own way. Barbara also explains why Tantra isn’t what we think it is and we get to hear the most beautifully unique vision of rest as Barbara transports us to a flamboyant theatre, replete with horses, Hollywood legends and an ever-changing array of favourite theatrical shows. A deeply joyous and uplifting episode where Barbara’s bottomless well of compassion, love and yes, ecstasy, is deeply present. Links from the episode:Barbara’s book The Book of Ecstasy Barbara’s website https://barbaracarrellas.com/Katherine’s new book, Tending: How Care Binds the World is out in March and you can pre-order it here https://katherine-may.co.uk/tendingVisit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript, to discover how to enjoy our bonus episodes, our ad free episodes and if you subscribe, how to submit your own idea for a dream retreat.Buy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / USFollow Katherine on InstagramVisit Katherine’s WebsiteProduction CreditsGuest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan HutchinsSubstack Manager - Rebecca ArmstrongProducer - Alice LloydMusic - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr
  • Pierre Novellie’s Big Book of Hands

    Pierre Novellie’s Big Book of Hands
    Sep 21 2026
    Comedian, podcaster, radio presenter and bona fide history nerd Pierre Novellie joins Katherine in The Clearing for this week’s episode. A geekfest of language and ideas, they launch straight into the etymology of the word ‘dork’, why you can’t choose your own clown as a stand-up, and the politics around the changing language of autism. Like Katherine, Pierre received a late neurodivergence diagnosis. Unlike Katherine, his came after a heckler suggested he might be autistic during a live stand-up show. A lovely, chewy episode for the brain, with Katherine bidding for them to be the hosts of ‘The Rest is Neurodivergence’ and Pierre sprinkling his imagined getaway with some Orkney magic. Katherine’s new book, Tending: How Care Binds the World is out in March and you can pre-order it here https://katherine-may.co.uk/tendingLinks from the episode:Pierre’s website https://www.pierrenovellie.com/ Pierre’s book Why Can't I Just Enjoy Things Pierre’s BBC Radio 4 show https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002pfbr Pierre’s gaming podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/button-boys/id1827054353 Baldur’s Gate 3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldur%27s_Gate_3 Kingdom Come: Deliverance II https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_Come:_Deliverance_II Portugese writer Antonio Lobo Antunes Night Watch by Rembrandt at the Rijksmuseum Visit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript, to discover how to enjoy our bonus episodes, our ad free episodes and if you subscribe, how to submit your own idea for a dream retreat.Buy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / USFollow Katherine on InstagramVisit Katherine’s WebsiteProduction CreditsGuest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan HutchinsSubstack Manager - Rebecca ArmstrongProducer - Alice LloydMusic - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • Caitlin Moran’s ‘greatest building humans have ever come up with’

    Caitlin Moran’s ‘greatest building humans have ever come up with’
    Sep 14 2026

    Caitlin Moran is somewhat of an icon in the UK. Growing up as the eldest of eight kids in a three bed council flat, home-educated from the age of 11, she became a published author at just 16 and a TV presenter not long after that. A long-time columnist for The Times, she has a well-deserved reputation for being one of the UK’s funniest writers. She is also a massive fan of Wintering - so much so her new book contains an entire chapter devoted to it.


    Caitlin joins Katherine for a conversation that was never going to be anything but brilliantly bonkers. They discuss her plan to rid the world of evil billionaires that basically involves being a madam, why she would pay a thousand pounds to hear the sound of a blackbird from Wolverhampton in the 1980s and ask; grottos - the Temu of caves?


    Her unique vision of splendour for her escape to the Clearing, involving ‘the greatest building that humans have ever come up with’, provokes a particularly visceral reaction from Katherine.


    Just to warn you, this being Caitlin, the episode contains a spot of swearing.


    Links from the episode:


    Caitlin’s new book How to Be Hopeful

    Outsiding Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/outsiding/id6782845808

    Caitlin’s Instagram


    Visit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript, to discover how to enjoy our bonus episodes, our ad free episodes and if you subscribe, how to submit your own idea for a dream retreat.


    Katherine’s new book, Tending: How Care Binds the World is out in March and you can pre-order it here https://katherine-may.co.uk/tending


    Buy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / US

    Follow Katherine on Instagram

    Visit Katherine’s Website


    Production Credits

    Guest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan Hutchins

    Substack Manager - Rebecca Armstrong

    Producer - Alice Lloyd

    Music - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 11 mins
  • Joseph Coelho’s art of pottering and rummaging

    Joseph Coelho’s art of pottering and rummaging
    Sep 7 2026

    Step forward our first OBE on the show; former Children’s Laureate, winner of the Carnegie Medal for Writing, poet and prolific children’s author, Joseph Coelho.


    Having both grown up on housing estates where you definitely weren’t pre-conditioned for a life in the creative arts, Joseph and Katherine marvel at the way teachers can shape children’s futures, wonder at the power of brutalist public art and relish the joy of watching people rummage through abandoned homes in post-apocalyptic films.


    A wonderful, and deeply thoughtful, conversation with one of the UK’s most inspiring literary figures.


    Links from the episode:


    Joseph’s website https://www.thepoetryofjosephcoelho.com/

    Joseph’s Instagram

    Munya Chawawa’s Black Boys Theatre Club

    Joseph’s estate he grew up on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alton_Estate

    Lynn Chadwick’s The Watchers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Watchers_(sculpture)


    Visit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript, to discover how to enjoy our bonus episodes, our ad free episodes and if you subscribe, how to submit your own idea for a dream retreat.


    Katherine’s new book, Tending: How Care Binds the World is out in March and you can pre-order it here


    Buy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / US

    Follow Katherine on Instagram

    Visit Katherine’s Website


    Production Credits

    Guest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan Hutchins

    Substack Manager - Rebecca Armstrong

    Producer - Alice Lloyd

    Music - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • Elise Loehnen’s radical candour therapist witch

    Elise Loehnen’s radical candour therapist witch
    Aug 31 2026

    Katherine kicks off Season Three of The Clearing in wild style by chatting to former magazine editor, podcast host and US author Elise Loehnen.


    Menopausal Love Island, lumberjack witches, the potential joy of losing female reproductive organs and animal totems are just some tiny tasters of a brilliant, hilarious, radical conversation that plays with the boundaries of possibility for women everywhere.


    Despite it being her first podcast interview since discovering she had ‘dumb and slow cancer’ (the good kind) and undergoing a double mastectomy, Elise brings unfathomable, infinite amounts of energy and laughter, plus just the right amount of woo, to a joyous episode.


    Links from the episode:


    Elise’s website and podcast Pulling the Thread https://www.eliseloehnen.com/

    Elise’s Instagram

    Mark Rothko, artist page https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/mark-rothko-1875

    Anne Truitt, sculptor https://www.annetruitt.org/

    Hilma af Klint, artist page https://hilmaafklint.se/

    Ithell Colquhoun, artist page https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/ithell-colquhoun-931

    Fulgur press https://www.fulgur.co.uk/


    Visit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript, to discover how to enjoy our bonus episodes, our ad free episodes and if you subscribe, how to submit your own idea for a dream retreat.


    Katherine’s new book, Tending: How Care Binds the World is out in March and you can pre-order it here


    Buy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / US

    Follow Katherine on Instagram

    Visit Katherine’s Website


    Production Credits

    Guest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan Hutchins

    Substack Manager - Rebecca Armstrong

    Producer - Alice Lloyd

    Music - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 12 mins