What if the feeling of wanting more from life... isn't random at all?

As the seasons shift and everything begins to bloom, many of us feel a change in energy. More restlessness. More desire. A pull towards something new.

In this episode, we explore Beltane - the ancient Celtic festival marking the beginning of summer.

A time of fire, fertility, protection, and connection... where communities came together to celebrate life at its fullest.

From bonfires and maypoles to folklore surrounding fairies, thresholds, and the "otherworld", Beltane wasn't just ritual, it was deeply tied to survival, nature, and the cycles of human life.

But what does that mean for us now?

Why do we still feel these seasonal shifts, even in modern life?

Have we replaced ritual with something else... or simply forgotten how to recognise it?

We also explore how this energy shows up today, in fresh starts, relationships, creativity, and that simple urge to feel more alive.

This is a conversation about nature, belief, and what it really means to reconnect with yourself.

In this episode:

• The origins and meaning of Beltane
• Fire rituals, folklore & symbolism
• The connection between nature and human behaviour
• Modern parallels (whether we realise it or not)
• Why we still crave moments that make us feel alive

Links:

The Wicker Man dvd - https://amzn.to/4drRhm0

Eat Pray Love dvd - https://amzn.to/4cSRD5d

Eat Pray Love book - https://amzn.to/49wE7Sq

- Beltane: A History of Summer | Documentary | Pagan Folklore & Mythology | Celtic Spirituality https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-XT8tgLfN1U&t=136s&pp=2AGIAZACAQ%3D%3D&ra=

Some things you hear… you can explain.
This wasn’t one of them.

In this episode of It’s A Small World!, we go back to a moment we didn’t didn't hear at the time… until we listened back.

A voice.
Clear enough to notice.
Strange enough to question.

Was it something natural we missed in the moment?
A trick of sound?
Our own minds filling in the gaps?
Or something else entirely?

We explore what it means to hear something you can’t quite place - the science, the psychology… and the part of us that still wonders if there’s more going on than we understand.

This isn’t about proving anything.
It’s about sitting with the question.

🎙️ Listen now and decide for yourself…
what, or who, do you think it was?

Links to items and themes spoken about this episode:

Haunted Heritage Paranormal Investigations - https://hauntedheritage.co.uk

Haunted Heritage You Tube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@hauntedheritage729

Professor Cal Cooper - https://www.callumecooper.com

Telephone Calls From The Dead - Prof Callum E. Cooper - https://amzn.to/4mRopH4

We often talk about “reinventing ourselves” as something exciting - a fresh start, a new chapter.

But what if reinvention is actually rooted in something much deeper?

In this episode, we explore both sides of the conversation -
the symbolic “deaths” we go through as we outgrow identities, relationships and versions of ourselves…
and the reality of actual death, loss, and how it reshapes the way we see life.

Because whether it’s the end of a relationship, a version of yourself, or the loss of someone you love -
death, in all its forms, changes you.

We talk about grief, fear, meaning, and what it really means to begin again after something ends.

Is reinvention something we choose…
or is it something we’re forced into through loss?

And how do you rebuild yourself when life doesn’t look the same anymore?

A thoughtful, honest conversation about endings, identity, and the quiet process of becoming someone new.

Link to books by featured artists:

Lucas Jones - https://amzn.to/4csXz36

John O' Donohue:

https://amzn.to/4sKOSau

https://amzn.to/4cKWnIS

https://amzn.to/4eyN5C

https://amzn.to/4tA2Jla

https://amzn.to/4tUJTVO

Jane Goodall:

https://amzn.to/4sKTYDG

https://amzn.to/4vHYndi

Lucas Jones - https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKXijuFozqe/?igsh=MXFwOXMxY3d4dnd5MQ==

Lucas Jones - https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVlXtPGDUsQ/?igsh=MWR5a3VmajdlbWNodw==

How much are we really noticing in the world around us?

In this episode of It’s A Small World!, we take you on a journey through nature, folklore, and the hidden meanings behind the plants we walk past every day.

After taking part in a Wildflowers and Witchcraft walk at Newstead Abbey in Nottingham, we started to look at nature differently, not just as something we pass through, but as something that once held deep meaning, purpose, and even a little magic.

From healing plants and protective trees to rituals, superstition, and seasonal traditions, we explore how people once understood the natural world - and what that says about us today.

Was it belief?
Was it survival?
Or were people simply trying to make sense of an unpredictable world?

We also dive into the psychology behind it all - why humans are drawn to patterns, meaning, and the idea that there might be something more beneath the surface.

And in a modern world where we’re constantly rushing, have we lost that connection entirely?

If you’ve ever felt drawn to nature, folklore, or the idea that there’s more to the world than we can explain… this episode is for you

Is Wuthering Heights really a love story… or have we been romanticising something far darker?

In this episode of It’s A Small World!, Tanya and Mich explore the raw, unsettling world of Emily Brontë’s classic - from an opening that shocked audiences of the latest film adaptation to the deeper psychological themes beneath the surface.

We unpack the intensity of Catherine and Heathcliff’s relationship, the blurred line between love and obsession, and how environment, identity and trauma shape the story.

Along the way, we question unreliable narration, toxic relationships, and why destructive love can feel so powerful.

This isn’t a cosy period romance. It’s something far more human.

Links:

Wuthering Heights Book - https://amzn.to/3OpQ6Kh

Emily DVD - https://amzn.to/41g4PKO

To Walk Invisable DVD - https://amzn.to/4drkyxO

Wuthering Heights (Tom Hardy) - https://amzn.to/4842xST

In a world that expects constant productivity, steady progress, and always moving forward… what happens when your energy doesn’t work that way?

In this episode, we explore what it really means to live cyclically in a linear world - from fluctuating energy levels and emotional rhythms, to the quiet pressure of “keeping up” when your body and mind are asking for something different.

We talk about:

• Honouring your natural cycles instead of fighting them
• Letting go of guilt around rest and slower days
• Navigating work, life, and expectations when your energy shifts
• Finding balance in a world that rarely pauses

This is a conversation about self-awareness, acceptance, and learning to move with your own rhythm - not against it.

If you’ve ever felt out of sync with the pace of everyday life, this one’s for you.

✨ Follow & share if you’re on this journey too
🎧 New episodes weekly

Book mentioned: Sacred Seasons - Kirsty Gallagher - https://amzn.to/3PtTN1I

Last week we explored the cultural idea of curses - how societies across the world have used them to explain misfortune, fear and social control.

But what if the idea of a “family curse” isn’t just folklore?

In this episode of It’s A Small World, Tanya and Mich move from mythology into science, exploring the fascinating field of epigenetics - the study of how trauma and life experiences can influence the way genes are expressed across generations.

Could the struggles of our ancestors shape the emotional and psychological patterns we experience today?

We explore:

• The difference between superstition and inherited trauma
• How epigenetics works
• Studies on famine, war and generational memory
• Why humans create stories about “family curses”
• Whether science might actually explain some of these long-held beliefs

A conversation about biology, psychology and the human need to make sense of the past.

It’s A Small World is the podcast where culture, science and belief meet.

Book mentioned: It Didn't Start With You by Mark Wolynn. Available here

Are curses real - or are they powerful stories humans have told for centuries to explain misfortune?

In this episode of It’s A Small World, Tanya and Mich explore the strange history of curses, from ancient Roman curse tablets and African spiritual traditions to European folklore and modern horror stories.

Why have humans across almost every culture believed that misfortune could be deliberately sent to someone? Is it about magic… revenge… justice… or something deeper in human psychology?

Along the way we look at the difference between curses and superstitions, why humans have such a deep need to create meaning when life feels chaotic, and how belief itself can influence reality through concepts like confirmation bias and the nocebo effect.

We also explore famous stories of cursed objects, unsettling films that seem surrounded by misfortune, and the fascinating ways perception and belief shape what we see and experience.

Because as evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould once said:

Humans are primates that tell stories.

And sometimes those stories are powerful enough to feel real.

Next week: Epigenetic Curses - can trauma really be passed down through generations?