In this episode of the Know Thyself Podcast, I sit down with my friend Tom Harper from Dragonstone Bakes to talk honestly about midlife, self-worth, mental health and the cycles of change that life seems determined to walk us through.

We explore what happens when life as you know it falls apart, the initiations that come with turning 40, and the conflict between your big dreams and your deepest beliefs about what you deserve. We talk about people-pleasing, money patterns, nervous system chaos, emotional highs and lows, and the difference between accepting what is and tolerating the unacceptable.

From a blend of spiritual and psychological perspectives, we chat about:

• Self-worth, identity and “who are you when everything falls away?”

• Midlife cycles, initiations and the spirals of personal growth

• Emotional states as frequencies & bouncing between despair and passion

• People-pleasing, burnout and the fear of being “too different”

• Money stories, chaos comfort zones & subconscious self-sabotage

• The importance of real support, safe spaces & men’s mental health

• Why “doing the work” doesn’t have to feel like punishment

If you’re navigating a big life transition, questioning your purpose, or feeling like you “should be further along by now”, this conversation is for you. You’re not broken, you’re in a cycle – and you don’t have to do it alone. 💛

🧁 Find Tom / Dragonstone Bakes

Instagram / Facebook / YouTube: @dragonstonebakes

🌙 Connect with me & Know Thyself

Website: freedomrisibg.co.uk

Instagram/Facebook/Tiktok: @freedom_is_rising

Podcast: Know Thyself Podcast

⚠️ Content note: We talk about mental health, breakdowns, money stress and big life changes, always with care, compassion and a focus on support.

If anything in this episode resonated, activated or landed for you, I’d love to hear in the comments. And if you know someone going through their own midlife initiation, feel free to share this with them.

✨ Remember: if all you can manage today is one tiny moment of joy or one honest conversation, you’re doing brilliantly.

#choosingyourself #creativespirituality #empathhealing #KnowThyselfPodcast

#MidlifeAwakening

#SelfWorthJourney

#MentalHealthMatters

#MensMentalHealth

#SpiritualGrowth

#BreakingCycles

#InnerWork

#KnowThyself

#DragonstoneBakes

Hello loves 💛

Thank you for being here.

This episode is a riff — a moving, breathing, unfolding moment in real time. I’ve been on a three-month pause from social media… not a disappearance, not a breakdown, not a failure — a choice. A calling inward. A re-rooting.

And yet, what I’m now meeting is the fear beneath the quiet:

What if I never want to return?

What if choosing myself so deeply means I don’t fit back into the world I stepped out of?

What if the life I was building… no longer feels like mine?

In this conversation, I explore:

•Taking a break from being “seen”

•Learning to trust the inner pull without external validation

•The discomfort of being in the void / liminal space

•The fear of choosing ourselves so fully we might not need others

•The recovering people-pleaser identity dissolving

•Letting life re-form itself without forcing

If you’re in a season of pause, cocoon, wintering, void, or deep self-reclamation — this will likely speak directly to your bones.

✨ Let me know what this stirs for you

What whispers came alive inside you?

Big love,

Jenny 🤍

#spiritualawakening #selfrediscovery #voidseason #wintering #choosingyourself

#hermitseason #selftrustjourney #creativespirituality #healingjourney #soulgrowth

♡ Freedom Rising ♡

For the ones reclaiming their voice, their power, their wild.

Website:

www.freedomrising.co.uk

Instagram Spaces:

@freedom_is_rising — personal expression & storytelling

@creative_muse_oracle — creative channeling & oracle deck creation

@shamanic_practitioner — shamanic work, healing, ceremony, space holding

In this vlog/podcast, I share heartfelt reflections on time, presence, and gratitude — inspired by films, family moments, and the reminder to slow down.

I talk about:

🌿 The importance of being present with loved ones (and why cuddles still matter, even with teenagers).

🌿 How films and stories can help us process emotions and reflect on life.

🌿 The way time passes — through parenting, loss, and change — and how to honour it instead of fearing it.

🌿 Why we need to pause the hustle, put down our phones, and truly live in the moment.

This is your gentle invitation to slow down, reflect on how far you’ve come, and reconnect with what really matters.

If you’re exploring mindfulness, parenting reflections, grief, gratitude, presence, or slowing down in a busy world, this share is for you.

✨ Take stock of your journey.

✨ Be in the now.

✨ Let life seize you.

Big love,

Jenny 💛