Suzy Reading is the author of over ten non fiction books and a trailblazer when it comes to self-care, wellness and wellbeing.

Chartered Psychologist, yoga teacher and author she has been a steady voice reminding us to slow down, be present and to take care of ourselves.

Last month I was lucky enough to sit down and chat with her and her generosity of spirit shines through the whole conversation.

I’m so pleased to be able to share it with you here, so put on the kettle, pop in your earphones and spend a some time with Suzy.

Earlier this year I had the most incredible privilege to sit down for a chat with the absolute powerhouse that is Jennie Godfrey.

The warmth, honesty, and candid humour that Jennie brings to the conversation make it very easy to see why her first two books have become such runaway, huge success.

In her fifties, Jennie stepped away from a successful career in HR to write The List of Suspicious Things which was published in 2025 and reached number 1 on the Sunday Times Bestsellers List and followed it with The Barbecue at No. 9 which became an instant bestseller.

I loved my conversation with Jennie, I loved her telling me she has never been happier in her life than in her 50’s and her openness, curiosity and generosity is infectious.

I am so happy that I get to share this conversation with you and I hope you enjoy listening half as much as I enjoyed making it.

Much Love,

Jo xx

PS

Next week I’m sharing the conversation I had with Suzy Reading (do I have the best job or what?)

Did you ever read a bed time story as a child?

Or maybe you listen to the radio, or have a comfort TV show that you watch before bed.

The human brain is primed to find stories comforting and relaxing. For millennia we have told tales in the evening in front of a fire. They remind us of safety, of belonging, of being part of a tribe.

A sleep story is an adult bedtime story, specifically picked for their gentle, cosy nature. They are interesting enough to stop your mind wandering but not so interesting you get involved in the plot.

I have wanted to record one for ages but it’s a little bit different to what I normally post so I haven’t had the confidence. So when someone in my zoom studio specifically asked for one, I jumped at the chance.

I have chosen the Wind in the Willows as this was a particular favourite of mine when I was a child, and if people enjoy it I will make it into a series.

So pop it on when you’re dropping off and let me know.

Did you know?

That you can now download substack videos so you can watch them offline. Just click the three dots and choose download so you can then listen without having to be connected to the internet.

That means you can listen without being distracted by other things.

Oh that little green eyed monster.

We all have one, and it can cause so much misery in our own minds and in our relationships.

Jealousy can be a destructive emotion if we let it fester or push it down or use it to lash out, but it can also be a message from our deeper wisdom guiding us on our desires and showing us our path towards a truthful life.For years I struggled to know what I wanted in life, I’d been living in survival mode just trying to be liked and fit in, and when I came out of it I didn’t know who I was or what I wanted.

And it wasn’t until I started turning with curiosity and compassion to the parts of myself that I had tried to push down that I realised they’d been showing me the way the whole time.Tapping into your intuition doesn’t just mean looking for positive signs but also listening the less socially acceptable parts of us too.Yoga teaches us that emotions are morally neutral, they are all part of being human, it’s what we do with them and how we act that matters.

What is your green eyed monster trying to tell you?

Coming up on Monday we have something a little bit different.It’s a bedtime story for helping you drift off to sleep. 💤I’ve recorded the first chapter of Wind in the Willows as a super relaxing sleepy story to make you feel comforted and put you in a slumber.This is an experiment and if people like it I’ll make a series. Look out for it in your inbox on Monday.

Last Thursday as I was teaching Let’s Rest, I felt a little tickle in my throat. I coughed, spluttered and then uttered the dreaded words, “I think I might be coming down with something”.

Well, I was.

By bedtime I was shivering and feverish and in full on poorly mode.

And anyone who knows me knows I am a terrible patient. I can never quite believe that illness has struck me down, ME of all people.

However, if yoga has taught me anything it’s taught me the importance of acceptance, letting go of expectation and rest.

Easier said than done of course. But I’ve spent the weekend in bed eating soup and getting in my cats way.

Why am I telling you this? Well I want some sympathy of course.

And it gave me a chance to test ride this relaxation and you know? It might just be my favourite one I’ve ever recorded.

I can’t wait for you to listen and let your imagination run free.

It’s a cosy autumnal relaxation and I really hope you enjoy it.

Much Love,

Jo xx

PS

I don’t think I’ve ever been more aware of the cultural differences in my audience as when I was recording this. I kept thinking of autumnal things and realising I was sounding like a cross between a Dickens character and a wizard.

I’ve tried to limit my references to ‘bangers and mash’, ‘bobbing for apples’, ‘sparklers’, and ‘penny for the Guy’ but if some slip in please feel free to just make up whatever you think it means 🤣

One of the biggest misconceptions about yoga is that if you practice yoga, you should never feel irritated or angry again. That you should just be able to go through life above it all, removed from the ups and downs of being human.

And this is just not true. Yoga is not there to bypass our very real and valid emotions, it’s there to help us feel steady as we experience them fully.

So instead of feeling like a little boat being rocked and tumbled about, at the mercy of the waves and storms of our mind, we remember that we ARE the ocean and this weather is simply passing through.

Because at the end of the day, we can’t just go and live in a cave by ourselves. And personally I don’t think we should, we are social creatures and life is for living. For me, yoga has always been about living our life in the world rather than distancing yourself from it.

And the world will always include people we don’t get on with, stressful situations, and things that annoy us.

It’s so common to feel guilty for any negative emotion, like they make us a bad person, or mean we are ‘bad’ at yoga. But emotions don’t have any morality attached to them, they are simply data. There to be felt.

It is how you behave, not how you feel, that makes the biggest impact in the world. And yoga can create the space you need to make sure you are behaving in a way that aligns with your morals.

When we react out of anger, this is often when we lose integrity and do something we don’t feel proud of later. So taking a beat, returning back to ourselves and then responding means we are acting from a place of self power, and it usually means we get better results.

This is never about pushing away our emotions or making ourselves okay with other people’s not-okay actions. We are not putting ourselves in ‘time out’ for having a ‘bad’ emotion.

Instead, we are returning our nervous system back to a more steady state so we can decide how to act, and make the changes we need to make, to respond rather than react.

So next time you are activated by someone try this 5 minute session to bring you back.

Don’t forget to save it for when you need it.

Heelllo,

So after a false start I finally went live this afternoon for a lovely soul restore session to celebrate hitting 50k subscribers!

Here is the recording so you can join in if you missed it live, or to return to it if you enjoyed it the first time.

We did a time fold visualisation that I use in my own life to help me learn about and reach my goals.

I hope you enjoy!

Every month in the Zoom Studio we meet up and do a Soul Restore Circle, where we journal, ground ourselves and take time to connect to our inner wisdom.

The Zoom Studio has been closed for a long time to new members as I like to keep the space cosy but we have 3 spaces come up so if you’ve had your eye on joining, now is the time.

Here are the links to the sessions in the library I mentioned in the Q&A