Can I dare to live?

+ June 2025 Chat Thread 💬

Hi friend, I’m Sophie, an introverted, coffee-loving creative and your guide here at Finding Simple & Calm, a forest retreat for burnt-out business owners, creative parents, and quietly ambitious souls whose body, brain or life doesn’t allow them to work a typical 9-5.

This is where I share stories of motherhood, neurodivergence, and building a slow, sustainable business in a world that wants me to have a ‘proper job’. If you’re craving a gentler way to work, a business that’s baggy enough to live in, and a life with space to breathe, you’re in the right place. You're so welcome here. Take a seat by the campfire.

Hi friends. How are you?

With William’s health issues, I’ve spent the last 18 months on edge, waiting for the next hospital admission. Winter 2024 was particularly tough as he was unwell A LOT. But recently, dare I say it? Things have been getting better.

He was unwell a few weeks ago with Norovirus, and he didn’t need a hospital admission! 🥳 I can’t tell you how significant this is. He had an illness, and his little body fought it for him and made him better just as it’s supposed to.

Of course, he shared his bug with me and I felt awful, but since I’ve recovered, I’ve been able to wonder and hope. Perhaps this is a turning point for us! Maybe we’ll be able to live a little. Could we dare to take our first holiday abroad? Could I start making space for more clients, or finally create all of the resources I’ve planned for years?

Am I getting ahead of myself? This is always the worry, that it’s too good to be true and that it’s all going to come crashing down again very soon. But that’s no way to live. I want to enjoy the good times when we can, and navigate the bad times should they happen. I don’t want to waste my life worrying about things I can’t control.

I’ve bought passports for us! They’re here and they’re ready for us to use. It’s a big step, and one that I want to take advantage of very soon. Although I’ve only been abroad once when I was 4, and I don’t remember it. I have no idea where would be good to travel to, or even what to do in an airport, especially as we’d have to take William’s controlled drugs with us 😅. That’s a whole load more decisions and research I need to make, but not right now. Right now, I’m enjoying this glorious period that I currently find myself in.

I *think* I’m daring to live.

Update: I originally wrote and scheduled this post last week. Since then, William has become unwell again and we’ve been back to hospital. I swear I jinxed myself by writing this post! 🤦🏼‍♀️

Welcome to this month’s Campfire Chat Thread, free to all of my subscribers! I’m so excited to create this space for conversations with all of you.

Recap on how it works:

Imagine we’re all sitting around the campfire, it’s cosy and relaxed. We have our drinks of choice, and we chat and natter about whatever is on our minds, and the main topics of this community.

• Motherhood

• Creative business

• Neurodiversity

• Mental health

• Slow living

I’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, and experiences. What’s going on for you in these areas right now? Is there something you’re navigating or figuring out? Maybe you have a question, a win to share, or just need a sounding board – this space is here for all of that. This community is here for you.

I’ll be hanging out in the comments, and I can’t wait to see what conversations spark from this! Feel free to reply to each other’s comments too – the more conversation, the better!

Speak soon,