Whilst many parts of the world experience a climate of winter, how many of us allow ourselves to 'winter' during this season? Or anytime? What does it mean to 'winter' - to follow nature's rhythms and allow things to slow down, to fall away, to be still, quiet. What does it mean to sit in the dark (literally and metaphorically) - how might this be allowing us to grow on a much deeper level? And what is happening in our cultures that prevents this? What does it mean to be living in a culture of 'perpetual summer' where slowness and quiet are not part of the status-quo?

In this episode, we dive into the literal and metaphorical resonance of wintering; thinking about how the feeling in the atmosphere can give us clues for how to behave, discussing what some of the inner emotions around 'wintering' may bring up and exploring some of the different ways to tether more of our lives to living in balance with the rest of nature - from how we eat, sleep and act to simply being more in tune with our own needs and rhythms.

We reference the following:

• Wintering - Katharine May (book)
• How Wintering Replenishes - On Being podcast with Katherine May (podcast)
• Reconnection Retreat - ThoughtBox (event)

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When the world feels overwhelmingly complex, it is often hard to know where to put our energy; which 'crisis' to give our attention to as it were. You may have come across the term 'polycrisis' as it's fast becoming part of the public lexicon. It's not a particularly cheery term, but it is helpful in making sense of the many interconnected and overwhelming crises that we are facing in our lives. The polycrisis is characterised by feedback loops where one crisis exacerbates another, making simple, isolated solutions ineffective. Which is the greatest inconvenience we face when trying to address them. And yet diagnosing the crisis is the first step to addressing it - and this term is useful in doing just that.

In this episode, we wrangle with the complexity of the times we're living in through the frame of the polycrisis; tapping into what we can appreciate from the framing of a 'metacrisis' at the same time, and how looking at changing our perspective on the world is a powerful way to focus on meeting the symptoms and addressing the root cause of a world in crisis.

We reference the following during the conversation:

• Reconnection Retreat - ThoughtBox & Hawkwood College (in-person gathering)
• The Story of Triple WellBeing - Rachel Musson (free PDF)
• The Metacrisis is a crisis of meaning - Ernesto van Peborgh (article)
• Triple WellBeing Practitioner Course (online training course)
• Tasting the Pickle: Ten Flavours of Metacrisis and the Appetite for a New Civilisation - Jonathan Rowson (essay)

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For many in the world - those following the Gregorian calendar - January 1st marks the beginning of a new year. Midst the celebrations, revelry and resolutions is often an unspoken expectation of 'newness'. Pressures exist to have "resolutions" that make us somehow a better, fitter, happier, healthier version of ourself. But to what extent do we need this? To what extent do we want this? And to what extent is now the time for 'a fresh new world' anyway?

In this week's episode of Two Inconvenient Women, we explore some of the different cultural celebrations for new year, thinking about how they map to the seasons, nature's rhythms or stories that other influences. We discuss the difference between having resolutions and intentions and how one can be a real support and guide, whilst the other can often feel like a burden or self-inflicted prison. We unpack some of the ways that new year has been coopted by a consumer culture fixated on 'bigger, better, shinier' and what this may be doing to our sense of ease. We think about what it means to be a 'new you' and whether a process of growth and becoming is a wiser step into a new year, rather than setting ourselves a goal to arrive at which has ever-moving goalposts.

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By Matt Goodfellow

Something’s moving in,

I hear the weather in the wind,

sense the tension of a sheep-field

and the pilgrimage of fins.

Something’s not the same,

I taste the sap and feel the grain,

hear the rolling of the rowan

ringing, singing in a change.

Something’s set to start,

there’s meadow-music in the dark

and the clouds that shroud the mountain

slowly, softly start to part.

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We're taking a break over the holidays and are not recording a new episode of Two Inconvenient Women today. Instead, we're sharing a gift - a whole range of stories of inspiring people from across the world working to create a healthier future for people and planet. From educators in Uganda focused on self-care in leadership to teachers challenging the mainstream to communities focused on nature connection at the heart of learning, our Triple WellBeing Fellows are ordinary people with extraordinary stories.

Dive into the whole community and begin your listening journey: https://thoughtboxeducation.com/stories

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We begin each podcast episode with a moment of gratitude. But why so? Much more than a 'nice thing to do', the practice of gratitude is ancient - part of wisdom traditions across the world and deeply embedded into spiritual and religious practice. It is a way of strengthening our own sense of resilience and presence, finding meaning in the world and feeling more grounded, connected and present in the world. But what does it actually mean to be grateful and how can this practice shape the very structure of our brains?

In this week's episode we explore the topic of gratitude, asking the question: Why is gratitude so powerful? In this episode we reference the following:

• Healing begins with gratitude - Joanna Macy (Article)
• Grateful Living (website)

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Why don't we talk to our neighbours? This question is asked not to be provocative but more to reflect on what has shifted in our cultures to mean that we can inhabit the same space as people we don't quite know. For some cultures around the world, community and neighbourhoods remain a vital - and vitalising part of daily life, yet for many living in the culture of modernity, our move into hyper-individualism has been at the detriment of our community. We may not have ever met the person or people who live above, below or beside us - and we may not know anything about them - not even their name.

In this week's episode we explore some of the changes across time that have led to the erosion of gathering spaces; the impact of a culture of fear and distrust on how we respond to strangers and some of the blocks, challenges and opportunities that surround us when it comes to finding connection with those in our neighbourhood.

In this conversation we reference the following:

• Love Thy Neighbour - World Values Survey (PDF)
• Everyone wants a village but no-one wants to be a villager - Cassie McCure (article)
• 36 questions - how to fall in love - New York Times (website)

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Are you successful yet? When do you know you've "made it"? And - more importantly - is it a place that we actually want to be 'arriving'? Many of us are living in cultures that have a dominant story of success - often associated with wealth, prosperity, career-ladders and progress. Our mainstream education systems teach us how to jump through the hoops on the journey towards success, and our media is filled with advertising and stories of what success looks like (normally glossy, shiny and always slightly out of reach). But who gets to decide when we've become successful, and is it worth it?

In this week's episode we explore the notion of success, thinking about what it means, who grants us the title and what the possibilities are to look beyond the mainstream story and carve out a different approach to life. We explore questions such as: What happens when we don't fit the story or mould of what success looks like? What might it mean to carve out our own version of 'success'? What can we learn from failure? And what if, rather than a destination we arrive at, success is simply a way of living well?

In this episode we reference the following:

• Steve Cutts - illustrator, satirist (website)
• Life & Music - Alan Watts (cartoon)

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