Author: Zoe
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I hate my body but I saved a goat
‘Hate’ is a strong word. My relationship with how my body looks fluctuates with my moods and is complicatedly enmeshed with my sense of self-worth, but at the same time at odds with my rational adult brain. Of course that would have made for a very long blog title. Besides, you’re probably here for the […]
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Adult ADHD: making friends with my scattered mind
Like most people, I always thought attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was for unruly schoolboys who couldn’t sit still. That was until I was tasked with writing a blog post about ADHD for work in 2017, and for the first time ever, everything (and by everything, I mean the whole internally chaotic, isolating experience […]
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How to be a digital nomad without getting back pain
Picture this. You’re sitting in your refurbished camper van (complete with Scandi-wood paneling, LED spotlights and a sheepskin rug you bought for a hilariously huge amount of money at a farmer’s market). Your unrealistically good-looking partner has just brewed up a coffee on the gas stove. You’re sipping it in a earthenware mug, gazing out […]
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A taste of life on Terceira, a Portuguese island in the middle of the Atlantic
Four volcanos make up the island of Terceira in the Azores archipelago where I’ve been living for the past month. One is reassuringly dormant, three are less reassuringly active. Just across the water in Sao Jorge, residents wait with packed rucksacks for instructions to leave in case the thousands of earthquakes they’ve been experiencing this […]
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I was always a bit frightened of my vagina
Or maybe I was frightened of the things that were supposed to come in and out of it, like blood. Other liquids of varying viscosity and colour. Tampons. Penises. Entire babies. For a brief time, I convinced myself I didn’t have a vagina at all. I was 12, attempting to use my first tampon. How […]
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Trying van life in South Florida
I was 15 when I first decided I wanted a camper van. It was the year I read Scar Tissue, the autobiography of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ lead singer Antony Keidis, and I became enchanted by the idea of surf culture: long wavy hair, VW vans, colourful clothes and that hedonistic attitude of fun and […]
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Positive affirmations for body confidence on holiday
At 5am this morning I experienced an impromptu body confidence crisis when I caught a bleary-eyed glimpse of my tummy in the bathroom mirror and wondered for the umpteenth time how, despite being a healthy eater and working out furiously six days a week for the best part of a decade, I still harbour five […]
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At 31 I’m finally fulfilling my travel dream
For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to pack a rucksack, fly off to far-away lands and expand my knowledge of the world, myself and life through the medium of travel. But it turns out adulthood is full of these sticky little complications. Utility bills, for instance. Careers. Responsibilities. Things that you can’t […]
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5 things I learned while doing the Les Mills Stronger challenge
Adoring followers, world tours, huge arena venues, gobal fame, branded merch and a networth of $1 billion…No, I’m not talking about a music megastar. I’m talking about a family-owned fitness brand from New Zealand that started in the ’60s and has now reached almost cult-like levels of success thanks to its unique way of delivering […]
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New job and crop tops
Yesterday was my last day at a company I’ve worked for since I was 25. I’m 31 now. A lot has happened in those years, of course. Over half a decade of life. I got married. Bought a flat. Travelled to dozens of countries. Divorced. I grew as a person, as a writer, as a […]
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