• Daisy Buchanan’s Swiss mountain glamour
    Feb 28 2026
    A deliciously glamorous escape to the snowy setting of a luxury Swiss chalet hotel where 1920s faded English aristocracy meets 1950s Hollywood starlet decadence. Maribou-trimmed silk pajamas and well-stocked libraries with crackling fires abound in this absolute joy of an episode with author Daisy Buchanan. Listen in as Daisy imagines herself preparing for a Grand Ball, with all the pleasure of a day spent wrapped in enormous fluffy white towels and none of the anxiety. She also romps through an array of subjects with Katherine, from her newfound love of reiki to the quest for calm in the neurodivergent brain and why she is so drawn to reading about the strangeness of large families. The most wonderfully realised escape to indulge in at any time. Links from the episode:Daisy’s InstagramDaisy’s books Mortification edited by Robin RobertsonThe Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M. DelafieldThe Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane HowardInvitation to the Waltz by Rosamond LehmannThe Weather in the Streets by Rosamond LehmannThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott FitzgeraldThe Pursuit of Love by Nancy MitfordBallet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild Little Women by Louisa May AlcottRachel's Holiday by Marian KeyesThe Story of Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson Laurie Colwin’s books - Home Cooking, More Home Cooking, Happy All the Time, Family HappinessVisit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript and to discover how to enjoy the episodes ad freeBuy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / USFollow Katherine on InstagramVisit Katherine’s WebsiteProduction CreditsGuest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan HutchinsSubstack Manager - Rebecca ArmstrongProducer - Alice LloydMusic - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Poorna Bell’s New Zealand vista
    Feb 21 2026

    Floor to ceiling windows overlooking a temperate blue ocean off the coast of New Zealand is where this week’s guest, journalist and author Poorna Bell, dreams of rest and retreat.


    Since the death of her husband in 2015, Poorna has become well-versed in making the most of the everyday. As a result this is a conversation filled with the joy of small things. From relishing the prospect of unstructured days, to finding unquantified pleasure in movement. From an appreciation of the smell of toast to being able to say no to picnics. And why she never wants to receive another present again. Ever.


    Links from the episode:


    Poorna’s Substack As I Was Saying


    Poorna’s website


    Poorna’s Instagram


    Banana Yoshimoto’s novel Kitchen


    Lucy M. Boston’s The Children of Green Knowe


    Lottie Hazell’s novel Piglet


    Visit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript and to discover how to enjoy the episodes ad free

    Buy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / US

    Follow Katherine on Instagram

    Visit Katherine’s Website


    Production Credits


    Guest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan Hutchins

    Substack Manager - Rebecca Armstrong

    Producer - Alice Lloyd

    Music - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Emma Gannon’s year of desert rest
    Feb 14 2026

    Prolific author of nine books and writer behind the Substack phenomenon The Hyphen, Emma Gannon takes us away for a whole year to her imaginary retreat in Palm Springs, where she plans to indulge almost solely in her number one favourite pastime - reading.


    Revealing the extent to which she craves alone time, she tells Katherine about her very real experience of burnout, how she went from someone who lived to work to appreciating downtime and why she relates to The Hermit in Tarot.


    An inspiring listen that challenges our ideas of ‘the right way’ to live and embraces the concept of letting go.



    Links in the show:


    Emma’s Substack The Hyphen

    Emma’s website

    Emma’s Instagram

    A link to buy her books including A Year of Nothing


    Find Emma’s conversation with Elizabeth Gilbert about memoir here

    Max Richter’s track On the Nature of Daylight


    Visit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript and to discover how to enjoy the episodes ad free

    Buy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / US

    Follow Katherine on Instagram

    Visit Katherine’s Website


    Production Credits


    Guest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan Hutchins

    Substack Manager - Rebecca Armstrong

    Producer - Alice Lloyd

    Music - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    59 mins
  • Mike Sowden’s island of curiosity
    Feb 7 2026

    Settling in amongst the sparkling sea views and scented coniferous trees of Corfu, writer Mike Sowden tells Katherine why he is ditching the concept of escape to run towards places and people with enthusiasm and curiosity.


    Conjuring up a beautiful stay on the island so beloved by author Gerald Durrell, where people are still viscerally connected to the changing seasons, Mike and Katherine find creativity in discomfort, stories from failed adventures and a shared desire to get out into the world more and embrace the randomness of life.


    Links from the episode:


    Mike’s Everything is Amazing newsletter on Substack


    Where Good Ideas Come From by Stephen Johnson


    Journey into Cyprus by Colin Thubron


    Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert


    Surfacing by Kathleen Jamie


    A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin (and link to website all about her)


    Visit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript and to discover how to enjoy the episodes ad free

    Buy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / US

    Follow Katherine on Instagram

    Visit Katherine’s Website


    Production Credits


    Guest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan Hutchins

    Substack Manager - Rebecca Armstrong

    Producer - Alice Lloyd

    Music - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Season One Interlude
    Jan 31 2026

    Katherine explains why we are heeding our own advice and taking a tiny break this week. She also previews some exciting, listener-led bonus content that will be coming your way next season. We’ll be back next week with another wonderful guest for you. Meanwhile take care everyone.


    Visit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript and to discover how to enjoy the episodes ad free

    Buy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / US

    Follow Katherine on Instagram

    Visit Katherine’s Website


    Production Credits


    Guest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan Hutchins

    Substack Manager - Rebecca Armstrong

    Producer - Alice Lloyd

    Music - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    9 mins
  • Ece Temelkuran’s landscape of belonging
    Jan 24 2026

    A modern sage who forewarned the world of the rise of fascism, writer Ece Temelkuran explains why she ‘put her heart in the freezer’ ten years ago when she fled her country of birth and how finding traces of home all around are helping her to heal.


    From a beloved old cardigan to episodes of Downton Abbey, from being surrounded by Turkish food in Berlin to talking to her three favourite trees in the park; in this moving conversation Ece reveals the power of finding joy in the little things, as we collectively go through what she calls our ‘winter of humanity’.


    A powerful call to arms and a must-listen for those of us searching for hope in difficult times.


    Links from the episode:


    Ece’s Instagram

    Buy her latest book Nation of Strangers here

    Buy How to Lose a Country here


    Visit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript and to discover how to enjoy the episodes ad free

    Buy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / US

    Follow Katherine on Instagram

    Visit Katherine’s Website


    Production Credits


    Guest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan Hutchins

    Substack Manager - Rebecca Armstrong

    Producer - Alice Lloyd

    Music - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Kaitlin Curtice’s sanctuary of the subconscious
    Jan 17 2026

    Author, storyteller and enrolled citizen of the Potawatomi nation, Kaitlin Curtice, shares her beautiful image of the perfect retreat, created by her own consciousness during the Covid pandemic.


    Exploring this space together, Katherine and Kaitlin discuss the little-appreciated power of ageing, looking for stories beneath the stories, the art of listening, feeling the presence of the ancestors and asking permission from the stones and shells before you bring them home.


    A wonderful episode of Indigenous wisdom, stillness and calm - the perfect moment of retreat.

    Kaitlin’s Links


    Kaitlin's website where you can find her books

    Kaitlin's Substack


    Authors mentioned by Kaitlin


    Alastair McIntosh

    Clarissa Pinkola Estés

    John O'Donohue

    Billy Collins


    Musicians’ mentioned by Kaitlin


    Gregory Alan Isakov

    Glen Hansard


    Visit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript and to discover how to enjoy the episodes ad free

    Buy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / US

    Follow Katherine on Instagram

    Visit Katherine’s Website


    Production Credits


    Guest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan Hutchins

    Substack Manager - Rebecca Armstrong

    Producer - Alice Lloyd

    Music - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    55 mins
  • Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan on the magic of communing with every living thing
    Jan 10 2026

    This episode of The Clearing with renowned, Oprah-endorsed American life coach Martha Beck and her wonderful wife and podcast co-host Rowan Mangan skips the small talk and delves right into the mysteries and wonder of life and death.


    From the consciousness of stones to the nonsensical hierarchy of different sentient beings on earth. From the spiritual repression of our age to the societal need for a shaman. From the realities of living in a liminal space as an autistic person, to parenting neurodivergent children to each of their own unique ‘awakenings’.


    With uncannily similar experiences of the world, Martha, Ro and Katherine roll through a dizzying array of mind-expanding subjects and shared interests, resulting in a truly captivating and enriching episode.


    Martha and Rowan’s Links

    Martha’s website where you can find her books

    Rowan’s website

    Martha’s Instagram

    Rowan’s Instagram

    Martha and Rowan’s Bewildered podcast


    Things mentioned in the show

    Poet Andrea Gibson’s website and movie Come See Me in the Good Light

    Nisargadatta Maharaj wiki

    The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis here


    Visit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript and to discover how to enjoy the episodes ad free

    Buy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / US

    Follow Katherine on Instagram

    Visit Katherine’s Website


    Production Credits


    Guest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan Hutchins

    Substack Manager - Rebecca Armstrong

    Producer - Alice Lloyd

    Music - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    1 hr and 11 mins