Ep 58 - Claire Venus Tackles the Summer Holidays
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Hannah: [00:00:00] Welcome to Happily Ever After the podcast where we talk about life's big stories from breakups and breakdowns to icky secrets and happy endings. It's the stuff that makes us human. I'm your host Hannah Harvey. I'm a writer and a parenting blogger at mumsdays.com. That's M.U.M.S.D.A.Y.S dot com.. I'd be really grateful if you could subscribe in new review because it basically means more people can find the podcast.
And I also really love hearing from you. So please do contact me through Instagram @mumsdays with any of your stories really, and, and you know how you relate to the episode, or even questions that you may want answering. You can find all the details from this episode in the show notes.
Hello and welcome back to another episode of Happily Ever After.
It's me, Hannah, and today I am joined by my lovely Claire. Hi Claire.
Claire: Hi.
[00:01:00] Good morning. A good summery morning as well. This morning. Thank goodness. Summer's returned.
Hannah: I know,
I can't tell 'cause I'm sat in the studio and it's like a little cupboard, but equally, I was in the sun this morning 'cause I saw the sunrise.
Claire: Oh, beautiful, beautiful Northeast coast forever. I love it.
Hannah: Yeah, and it's nice. It's getting a bit later, so I didn't, I think it didn't come up till five 15, so it felt like that extra 15 minutes was quite spacious. Yeah,
Claire: spacious. 15 minutes. That's so nice.
Hannah: Oh, so Claire Venus was on the podcast a few weeks ago and we were catching up on like, Well our entire lives because we'd never met before.
Um, but you were sharing things about like how you met your husband and your kind of manifesting journey and all of the interesting, like millions of different projects that you work on. Um, but I just thought it would be fun to reconnect because like we have never stopped [00:02:00] being in touch ever since. But just, I know you've got a whole bunch of new projects going on, but you're also managing.
Like the summer holidays.
Claire: Yeah. Yeah. We're definitely, it's that juggle space, isn't it? And I had a really clear intent from, for the summer and the balance of it all, and it all went out the window because I missed one of my own deadlines. The kids were both ill on the last week of term. They had a really nasty virus, so like missed days of nursery and.
School and then it just all spilled into summer. So it feels like even nine summers into being a mum, I'm still like doing this thing of going, yes, we're on track, it's all gonna work. And then it's still slightly chaotic and slightly, you know, there's opportunities like there is with all, you know, all seasons in your business.
But it's made me kind of go, okay, every week's a new week, like, Today's Monday, what's happening this week? Rather than think it's all ruined and I need to start again next year. So yeah, very much leading with that intent. What's happening this week? What are we doing when, how can I fit in [00:03:00] grocery shops, all that sort of mum stuff.
Hannah: Yeah. So in my head when we were starting this summer, I was like, right, Claire's got the whole summer off. Was that your intention?
Claire: Yeah. So it was my
Hannah: Or are you super busy.
Claire: Yeah. So it was my intention to have the whole summer off, but I booked, I think it was six days of nursery and holiday club for the kids.
So me and Dave could go to the spa we could have some writing time together. Like I don't necessarily class writing as work because it's just like my heart centered path. I just like love to show up and write. So I was like, I'll do some writing, I'll sort the house out, you know, all of that sort of thing.
And then I, I, I just had this calling really to take up more space following a call with an amazing coach who I know, you know, and I was like, oh wait, like. Putting everything down is not what I need to do right now in this season, because I'm such a summer baby. Like I was born in August, so every summer.
Basically like, you know, in the lead up to solstace, I'm full of [00:04:00] energy and after solstace I'm full of energy up until about sort of October time, and then it, I just kind of go very wintery and hibernate and all of that sort of stuff. So I just had this calling to set up this new space on sub stack and to make more space, more expansion for what I was talking about and teaching about on there.
So I kind of jumped, jumped into that and it was like, it was a bit of a thrill to be honest, because I was breaking all of my own rules. But you know, when you feel so aligned to do something, none of that matters. You're like, okay, I've just, I've got to do this. I'll find a way. So it was like the early mornings and weaving it all in.
And Dave, my husband, being an amazing cheerleader for all that. And I actually have outsourced some stuff for the first time, so, I was working on a big funding deadline for the, like the end of the school term. I missed it because of the kids being ill, but I also got some amazing feedback from a professional fundraiser that does it full-time.
I only do it part-time, and I was like, have you got time to finish this for me? Because I [00:05:00] just feel like it's so heavy and weighty and I just wanna be light and free and you know, like, Be out with the kids and like pick the last of the raspberries and like notice what's going on in the garden. You know?
So I just have to rejig things really and like say outsource and be okay with that. And, Feel held by that, that decision, you know?
Hannah: Mm-hmm. Are we allowed to talk about who you spoke to?
Claire: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Aha. Yeah.
Hannah: Good.
Claire: So it's in, it's interesting, isn't it, because there was, when we were first getting to know each other after the last podcast, there was this affiliate competition going on with a coach that we both love, an Australian person called Leonie Dawson.
They are absolutely amazing. They're an illustrator. They've made kind of millions of pounds in this gorgeous, spacious, Business that they run around homeschool and chronic health and all this sort of stuff. They're just a real character. And yeah, so I jumped into their business school for a year and I said about it to you, didn't I Hannah, and like a few other people.
I was talking about [00:06:00] it online,
Hannah: but I'd already done a whole bunch of their, um, online programs.
Claire: Yes. Yes
Hannah: So particularly things like the things that are sticking out to me about the fact that you went on this call with her and you had one intention and then you went on with her and it was like, okay, I'm gonna have to act on this.
Yeah. Um, Leonie's got, um, one of their, uh, online courses. It's like super short, but it's all about like, just getting stuck in when you've got momentum. Yes. So if you had, had that call with Leonie, got all excited. Then put it down, you know, for the summer because that was your intention. You wouldn't have then done half of the stuff that you needed to do.
Like you have to sometimes just ride the f**king wave when you've got that like
drive.
Claire: Yeah, and I definitely wasn't showing up for myself, like I was playing really small. Um, and I could feel that, you know, and [00:07:00] when I spoke to them, I was like, oh, okay, this is where, this is where I'm tripping myself up. I could see that.
So, so I won the affiliate competition, which enabled me to have this call with Leonie and Hannah was the last person to buy through my affiliate link for the business school, which must have tipped me into the like prize slots. So then there were all of these like pinging, ping, ping pings
Hannah: that happened.
I woke up and I was in the middle of the night and was like, I've forgotten something. What is it if I've forgotten? So I clicked on my phone. Saw Leonie's link and I was like, that's it. That's what I need to do. And I went on and I literally signed up with 30 seconds to go.
Claire: Incredible
Hannah: So that's weird alignment for sure.
Claire: Absolutely incredible. And you
said that to me, didn't you? And then now you can check the names of the people who bought through your affiliate on the dashboard. And obviously it's not, doesn't give like their full names, whatever name they've signed up with. And there's your name as like the last name and I was like, oh, it's so bonkers.
So yes. So [00:08:00] when this call and Leonie only accepts coaching calls at 4:00 AM our time or 9:30 PM our time, So I had a choice, right? So it's either try and like sneak out of the bedroom while Luna's asleep in the morning or do the same in the evening. . Um, but I'm not, I don't know, like my brain isn't as on fire in the evening as I don't feel I'm very articulate.
Like, I just feel very like, okay, I am done for the day. Like I'm productive during the day.
Hannah: Oh, then past
7:00 PM I'm like, I'm done. Yeah,
I'm done.
Claire: It's, that's it. Yeah. And it is enough decision making, like all of that stuff, the, the mental load of motherhood and all of the things. And I was like, okay, so it's the 4:00 AM That's fine.
That's clear. But then that was the, the week the kids got the virus. So I sort of tiptoed outta the bedroom, like about quarter past three. Just started my morning routine like I ordinarily would like getting a coffee, putting the fairy lights on, and then Luna started screaming and I was like, oh no. So went back in, settled her down.
[00:09:00] Her dad had got into bed with her, so she felt really secure. Tiptoed out again, and then literally 20 to four screaming again. And me and David already talked about what if this happens because she's such a little wild woman. You need like a backup plan and then another backup plan after that. . So he'd already said, look, I'll put her in the car, I'll take her to the beach.
So literally two minutes to four, by the time I got her sort of dressed and sorted and tried to get him a cup of tea, so at least he had something. Two minutes to four, the car pulled off, the drive off, they went down to the beach, which is like 10 minute drive from us. That's fine. I mean, slightly bonkers, but the sun was coming up, you know.
Hannah: Exactly.
Claire: Was middle of the night sort of, but sunrise ish. And then I sat back down to my laptop. Turned on Zoom, went online at one minute, past four and I was like, oh, I feel off like one minute late for Leonie. And then obviously got a sight of myself sort of just like in my pajamas I'd pulled the cat.
I hadn't thought about like what to wear or anything 'cause I was just having like a lovely coaching call at like,
Hannah: Leonie wouldn't care.
Claire: She didn't care. [00:10:00] But you know when you just like, oh, oh hi Claire,
Hannah: I'm here. I've made it.
Please give me a medal.
Claire: That's what it was like. So that was our first meeting. But obviously it's weird online, isn't it?
Because I feel like I know them. I know really, really well.
Hannah: Mm-hmm.
Claire: And I don't, you know, I know what is presented, what is presented in the calls, how she shows up. You know, I teach in all that, but I felt like I was speaking to somebody that I knew and it was really quickly clear. This was new like this.
This is a new relationship. Right. So . I always find that so interesting. You know, when you've got to, you feel like you've got to know someone online and then you're like, oh, no, no. Here they are. Like, this is us, like looking at each other, like connecting , um, So, yes, it was, it was lovely. Like I don't feel like there's loads in there where you think afterwards, you know?
'cause at the end she's like, have you got any questions for me? And I sort of had one, but I was like, you, you're so generous in everything that you share. I feel like [00:11:00] I'm just working through like you like. I've had a couple of courses, I've worked through them. I've ticked things off. I've like stalled a bit, you know, gone back to them.
Um, and I feel afterwards, of course, I've got loads more questions, but it's hard in the moment, isn't it? Especially when you're sort of processing information at 4:00 AM and your nervous system's had a bit of a shock. So, yeah, but I mean, it was brilliant. I'm so, so grateful. And then literally as I, as I ended the call, a link to book podcast, um, Sessions where that came through, and so I just jumped straight on and so like booked a podcast session, which we did together last week.
So that was like a massive uplevel, like even six months ago. There's no way I would've clicked that link, you know? I would've been like, oh no, that's not for me. Like I won't be doing that. And I just thought, no, I am.
Hannah: Oh, I really need to join the affiliate for some of these people because I love them so much.
It's like, why would
I not?
Claire: It's so easy to do. Yeah, it's really worth it as well because it's, she's so generous with the affiliate. So it's 50%, [00:12:00] right? So, so a payment of 500 pounds went into my PayPal for sharing my affiliate link twice, and then obviously I won the competition as well. So I won this coaching call, which then,
Hannah: which is worth like a thousand pounds plus.
Claire: And she doesn't, she doesn't even offer coaching sessions. So it's like money can't even buy that. Like it was just the most incredible run of events. And I'm so grateful to you for pressing that button because I was in second place before that. Right? And they kept emailing, saying, oh, you know Venus.
'cause Venus, my last thing,
Hannah: darling.
Claire: I didn't know it was me. And I was like, wait, it's me. It's me. Like I'm Venus, this is that. Me? Like, you know, 'cause you just think this person has. Tens of thousands of people that they plug into that can't possibly be me. And then I think about five emails in, I was like a and it was me.
So yeah, so
good.
Hannah: Amazing. I'm still waiting, waiting for my other gift that you
promised me.
Claire: Oh yes, I know. Which that was second place, so we haven't got it. Hannah? What we gonna do? Well, I Google it now. See where you [00:13:00] get such a thing
Hannah: am I allowed to say
what it was? You were gonna send me?
Claire: Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course.
Yeah.
Hannah: So apparently second prize for um, affiliates was a crystal dildo, and Claire was like, if I get it, it's yours. And I'm like, okay, thank you.
Claire: It was your gift
Hannah: that's the main reason I woke up at 2:00 AM what have I forgotten what? Oh, crystal dildo.
Claire: Coming through the post. I think it was rose quarts. I might have made that up, but I'm, it was a rose.
Hannah: It's very fancy.
Claire: That sounds very beautiful, doesn't it? A beautiful object, I'm sure.
Hannah: Absolutely.
Claire: So funny. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
So, yeah, so, so that's been happening and then obviously there's a whole load of spill out and kind of taking up space in our queen energy, which we talk about a lot.
And then that has meant that I have built this whole new space to take up space, which has felt less terrifying than anything I've ever done. More aligned than anything I've ever done, but still. Has come with some issues and problems. [00:14:00] So, you know, you kind of realize in taking up space sometimes people don't like that.
You know, that's, that's part of it, isn't it? And that's probably what I've been frightened of and probably what I've been holding back
from.
Hannah: Or, that's what you are afraid that people aren't gonna like it when actually probably they're like, oh, great. Claire's shown up to show us how to do, tell us what it is you're doing.
It's something to do with Substack
Claire: yeah, so on my Substack I originally joined Substack to talk about everything that was going on behind the scenes with Dave's Health. So my husband had long covid, but he was sick before he got covid. So there was this whole catalog of things that was going on. Following the trajectory of my daughter's birth.
'cause I had Covid and he had covid the week she was due. So gave birth to her alone. And then this kind of whole spiritual awakening happened because we were just plunged into the dark, you know? So we were like, okay, like. This is really difficult. We were censored on social media, so you couldn't use the word covid, like it just wouldn't be shown to your people, or it would be taken down [00:15:00] from Instagram stories.
So there was this really kind of weird space of like, I need to speak about this, but my friends are sick of hearing about it, really. You know, we've all got our own lives and we've all got our own things going on. I just needed a space to kind of go, this is really intense. And there was like a writery voice, like there was a, there was a poetic beauty in what I wanted to say.
I felt, so I thought, right, I'll just do that on substack. And nobody knew me over there. So it was really just me having a container to write. And then as I spent less time on social media and more time on substack, which is like, if you're not familiar, it's like a blog, mailing list, hybrid. And I'd always had this idea of building up.
More people on my mailing list, but I'd never really succeeded. I think I had about 300 people on my MailChimp mailing list, and I emailed them every month and it was gorgeous. But substack was this other opportunity to build connection and a social network at the same time as building your email address and your email addresses up.
So, It was like, oh, okay, [00:16:00] well that's interesting. That's a nice part of it. I wonder how that works. And so over the last sort of 15, 16 months, I've been experimenting with different types of content. So I do content for paid subscribers, which is like behind the scenes of my business and kind of more personal stuff.
And then I've been showing up and sharing sub stack tips. Just as I learnt them. I realized that people were like, oh, I don't really get how you do this and I'm not sure about this, and can I do this? So it was part about taking up space, which was the journey that I was on part about staying creative and using it in a new way.
So throwing away the social media rule book and just showing up and using it if a, as a blog if you wanted to, as a mailing list tool if you wanted to. Just whatever you wanted. And there's video and podcast on there as well. And then it was part about, okay, like if I can blend and this is what I struggle with as a multi hyphenate.
If I could blend what I do professionally with what I'm really enjoying through my own kind of creative strand, like what [00:17:00] would that look like? And so that's what the sub stack space ended up being. The teaching space. So I sent an email every week called Stay Creative on sub Stack, unpacked some, some tips, shared some other sub stackers that would do beautiful things.
And then in the call with Leonie, they were like, Wait, this, you sound really into this. I was like, I'm so into it. People can just take up so much more space on the internet. Instagram has an algorithm there. Lots of spaces have an algorithm. There's no algorithm on Substack so it means people see the content, people sign up to them.
That feels really nice. There's just so much generosity there. Um, so yeah. A few questions later, and I realized like I was one of the only people teaching about Substack on Substack at that time. . And I was definitely only the only person saying it's for creatives as well as writers. So this imposter syndrome that was showing up around no wait, isn't it just for writers here?
Well, that's how it started. But now there are people who can write and want to write and [00:18:00] want to, you know, enhance the writing craft that are reading here, that are creating here, that are podcasting here, that have things to say. And so it was really my permission slip back to the entire internet to say, You know, you can do this.
Like, I'm doing it and I'm not a writer. Like I can write, but I'm, that's not my profession, you know, I haven't published books in that way. So that was really well received. And then I set up Sparkle on Substack it's called, um, which it was really, it was really obvious what to call it, you know, after the call again.
I was like, what? Oh, okay. Like, I'm allowed to say that. At first I was like, wait, people will be confused. They'll like, they'll be like, what does she mean? And then, I just thought, well, it'll only be confused for a minute. And then they'll be in the inner fold reading all this stuff and they'll know exactly what I mean by sparkle on Substack.
And it's that it's about taking up space and taking up our space in magic and creativity, and at this time in our lives when this opportunity exists away from an algorithm. Really?
Hannah: Hmm. [00:19:00]
And you're going to have a podcast and just all sorts of great stuff.
Claire: Yeah, so I'll do the cadence has been working well with the Friday emails, so I'll do the Friday emails.
I've got my members, so they pay for a little bit more, so we do co-working together and I do like. Um, sharing around how they can get the most from the platform. So I'll do like screen shares with them and I'll do audits for them. And then we have like a little chat group that I'm on four days a week so they can ask questions about Substack and like how to do things.
So I've got them set up already and that's been going well. And then the podcast. Yeah, so Leonie is the. Second podcast in line. I did a little introduction and then I've got one episode to record that's just to put a solo episode and then Leonie's episode will come out. And we just talk about, in that we just talk about taking up space online.
They don't use Substack but it doesn't matter, like they are an amazing example of taking up space. And even that congruence, when I jumped on the call and [00:20:00] said, do you want me to run through the questions I was gonna ask? No, just press record. I'm all good. I was like, alright. Yeah, yeah, it's fine.
Hannah: Oh it's the best way, honestly,
Claire: Got so many beautiful
shares, yeah.
There were so many beautiful shares like that where you realize, Leonie does not second guess herself. Like it's just none of that. Like, and that's, I can learn a lot from that. Like I'll never be Leonie and I don't need to be, but I think there's a craft in just being able to go. Whatever I'm being guided to share is already enough.
I don't have to like overthink it or sit on it for days on end. Like I can just be called to show up, show up, write something, post it, and then that's that. I dunno if that like connects with how you work Hannah and your process.
Hannah: Oh, it's the only way I want to work. Like if I could just be paid to turn up and give my opinion on things.
Tell some stupid stories.
Claire: You heard it right here.
Hannah: 'I'd be all over it
Claire: love that.
Someone will [00:21:00] pay you for that. Surely someone pay you for that. You've got loads to say yeah.
Need that on the vision board.
Hannah: The thing that I
love about that. I really need, this is the thing about substack I love, which the thing that puts me off is that I've already invested in something else.
And I think having had a little sneak peek of what Leonie has to say is that she's already got the blog and she's got like the behind the scenes. Yeah. So I'm like, I love the idea of Substack um, from the idea of it being a better version of Instagram,
but what I think is the best thing about Substack is it's completely accessible to everyone.
Yeah. So friends of mine who have maybe. Lost a child or a husband or, um, are going through recovery or all of these different things that they're trying to share, um, to help them process what they're going through. That's like an amazing place to do it, isn't it?
Claire: I think. I think so. And [00:22:00] also your audience like, come with you.
So I feel like on Instagram, when I pivoted away from, All of the creativity island for mum's stuff in the pandemic. Like I lost a lot of people. So that, for me, that was always a project. Right? It was a time limited project, but I think that's hard for people because they've come on that journey with you.
And then obviously I. Luna grew up, the project finished and I was doing other things, and there was like a disconnect. So I've been really careful on Substack to be like, I do this, but then I've also got this to share. And I think that it's working, you know, it's just a, it's a more spacious place to do that.
and with the podcast element of it, I just do voice notes, so I don't have them professionally produced or anything, but. They were getting a lot of downloads, so rather than looking for comments or likes or anything, I just was looking at those downloads and going, oh, okay. People are listening, like people are curious to listen.
And that again, felt really nice because on Instagram stories, my views had gone right down. Like there used to [00:23:00] be, you know, two, 300 from my like 3000. Followers on there, and then they went down to like 40, 50, and you're going, well, then it's gone. Like I've said, what I wanted to say, and I've taken up time to do it, and then it's gone.
So I think with Substack it feels more evergreen and it feels like you can just craft what you want to say in the time that you want to say it and then take your audience along with you.
Hannah: Mm
oh, I'm always a bit like, oh, do I do it? Do I jump in? I have set one up
since we last spoke.
Claire: And I think, and you know, there's so many ways with it.
So the mentor that I'm gonna chat with who works with professional writers, she reached out and she was like, I love what you're doing with Sparkle on Substack. Can we chat? And I was like, we absolutely can chat and I'm gonna book a call with you, like pay, pay her for a call. She helps people serialise their.
Novels or fiction books, and there's a whole host of writers who she helps that are doing incredible things around [00:24:00] serialization. So taking the audience on a journey either in front of or behind the paywall, and then at the end, They get to like have the novel somehow, so that would be either sent in the post and they'd already paid, like paid for it through paid subscriptions, or they get like a preview of it, like a print proof.
There's all of these really cool ways that she's been helping writers with that, and that's a whole other world that I didn't know about and. I think with writers, you know, there's a, there's a whole load of honesty around how it works, how the publishing industry works on ck, which was a lot of the first stuff that I followed.
So people talking about the money side of it, the process, how it feels to have a book out in the world, how they feel around that. Like writer, agent, publisher. Relationship. And that was what I was really curious about. Not necessarily for now, but just because I've self-published two books, right? So I've self-published two, well, wellbeing and Creativity Journals, and that felt really right to do.
But I've [00:25:00] always been curious around, well maybe after I kind of, I've get to the fifth one, this is something that I wanna pitch to publishers and how does that work? And is it more of a stationary thing? So that's my curiosity, and I'm really enjoying reading about it all. I mean, who knows where it'll go?
Hannah: Well, speaking of journals, the other thing I thought we could kind of end on is because we are moving from summer holidays, um, and all the, the difference in pace of life and then back into like that, do you remember when you used to go and get a new notebook and a new pencil case and just that new year vibe of going back to school?
So nice. Uh, but it's also quite daunting. It's like, oh God, right? September to December. What am I gonna do with my life? How am I gonna make it really count? And I just thought you would be the perfect person to maybe give us some advice about how to sort of approach. Kids going back to [00:26:00] school and getting back into routines and if you've got any little
journal prompt.
Claire: Yeah. And I love that, that intent around that fresh page, like that invitation to a fresh new page, whether it's in January or September or whenever you choose to do it. And with my clients, we always do this. Thing around chapters of the year. So January to March would be a chapter, and then we go on like that in three month blocks.
So this September through to sort of December is like that slightly longer chapter for me because we know December's gonna come and Christmas is gonna have its own energy. So it's like, okay, so September, October, November. Yeah. What does that look like?
Hannah: December's separate
Claire: Yeah. It's sort of separate, isn't it? And I think for me, Luna's birthday is in December.
I'd already made that decision. I'm gonna celebrate it with her a month earlier because it's it, they're just so intense, isn't it? We know it's gonna be like that. So however you organize Christmas, it's like you need to just clock it there because it's either gonna sneak up on you or you one of these that gets everything like sorted [00:27:00] and wrapped by the 1st of November or whatever.
People do different.
Hannah: I've got a friend who's wrapped already. Bought and wrapped. Yeah. She helps me wrap my presents. That's one of the
things I outsource
Claire: does she loved wrapping presents?
Hannah: She loves it,
but she, um, you know, it's like just a bit of extra income. Last year she'd had a knee replacement, so she couldn't do her usual work, and she was like, I'm gonna gift wrap.
And I'm like, oh my God, this is a gift to myself. So it meant by the 1st of December, I'd got everything given it to her and she'd wrapped it all for me. It's like the most organized I've ever been.
Claire: Wow, that must have felt really nice.
Hannah: It was really like a genuine,
Claire: and also quite a, a nice surprise for you.
Like, you know, when you see people open them and you're like, what's that again?
Hannah: What did you get?
Claire: Yeah. Forget. Forget
Hannah: No I took photos
Claire: oh good. Yeah. Um, so aside from Christmasy stuff, I think that energy of autumn, especially here in the uk, it is such a beautiful energy around [00:28:00] everything turning inwards and the colors changing and we're invited to get our wellies on and go out for walks in the woods and just.
Soak up that last bit of energy that from the sunlight that we get before it goes dark. And I think that there are loads of different ways to approach it. I think that for me and Hannah knows this, like I love a big A3 sheet of paper, so taking up space again, that theme of taking up space and getting an A3 pad just from like w h Smith, or Wilkos or somewhere and just get out some felt tips from the kids or some sharpies or whatever you've got and just have a little think about.
Okay, like. What, what for September to feel really good to me as a mum. What do I need to put in place? So maybe that's some more. Solo days. Some solace, a spa days, like, you know, listing all of the kind of obvious big things, but maybe there's something every day that you can just do like a little ritual for yourself because it is very intense.
Like my son will have a massive wobble the first couple of weeks of term, I'll be in tears. [00:29:00] He'll be in tears. I know that. So there's no good me planning, right? When they get back to school, I'm gonna do X, Y, and z. I could potentially, but I also need to make space for some big emotions in the family. So, I'll be breaking it up like that for September and just making more space for what everybody needs because I think when we do that, it all goes a little bit better.
Like, so we do this Sunday check-in as a family, like, what? What's everyone got on this week? What does everybody need more of? And it's such a simple invitation, but it always works. And I always need more alone time. Always, always. That's what I need more than anything. Um, and I don't think I would've had that before the kids.
I just, you know, I, I was very much a people person. I like to be around people a lot. And now I really like my own company.
Hannah: It's a very different
energy. Being around people is different to being around your children who physically want to be touching you. Like one will want your [00:30:00] attention and as soon as it's that one has got it, the other one can six sense.
They are like, they're in another room. Hang on, she's talking to my brother. . I must go in there and make sure she talks
to me.
Claire: Yeah. Yeah. And I think because Luna's got such a lot to say now, and my son, like, it's, it's different with my son. Like he is very independent, but there's, he's still little, you know?
Yeah. They're, they're just little. So I, I guess making space for that and everything that they need, so I did this. The school uniform shop before the summer holidays, so everybody's sorted for that. Just because, you know, mark and Spencers have that like deal on and it's in all the supermarkets. And I learned this from other mums.
I think, you know, there's this like amazing mum wealth of wisdom that actually we think we need to know it all and learn it all. But if you ask. Like how do you manage that and how do you organize that? Like people are really happy to help, aren't they? So yeah, I learned that tip and it really helps me that everything's [00:31:00] just there and sorted uniform wise.
And then, yeah, I think embracing the rest of the summer and then just taking up more space around what everybody needs so that the family dynamic works and you know, we're not thrown into chaos and stuff. Um, and yeah, I think for me it's quite open work-wise. Like I had a real. Strong plan for the first part of the year, and then I wanted to have this spacious summer, and then I'm really open to see what spacious summer plugs into autumn.
So we'll see. Watch the space, eh?
Hannah: Well, you
created the space for summer and it immediately got filled with Leonie and Sparkle on Substack. And so it just goes to show that if you actually plan to have space, the chances are it'll get filled with something really fucking cool.
Claire: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I love that.
I love that. And I think there's still always work to do around. When you say yes, and when you pause on things like, we organized this [00:32:00] relatively last minute, didn't we? But for me it was like, I absolutely wanna talk to Hannah on the podcast. Like that would be so glorious to do. So just a quick ask of the husband and then here we are.
And it's been so nice.
Hannah: Oh,
well thank you so much, Claire. Really appreciate it.
Claire: You're so welcome.
Hannah: As always, I'll be able to go away in process again. I think last time it took me nearly like the whole day after we spoke to be like,
Claire: I don't think it'll be, I just feel like we were meant to meet at that time.
Right? Like it was just,
Hannah: we really were.
Claire: That was it for us, like in terms of your connection with the ocean and everything else that was going on behind the scenes.
Hannah: It's just starting
Claire: where like the queen stuff, where it was like, oh wait, like are we doing this together? Let's do this together. Yeah.
Hannah: Lush.
Well,
thank you so much.
Claire: You're so welcome. See you next time.
Hannah: Bye-bye.
All right then. Thank you so much for listening and I'll see you again next time for another episode of Happily Ever After With me. Hannah, it would be amazing if you could leave a review and [00:33:00] subscribe, and of course, if you've got a friend who might enjoy this episode, please do pass it on.
For anything else, you can get in touch with me through Instagram @mumsdays or by my website, mumsdays.com and did you know that I've got a newsletter? So it's the best way to stay in touch and to make sure you don't miss any podcasts. Or any freebies or competitions that we're running, and again, you can sign up to that through the website.
