What Does Courage Really Look Like?

This week on Ladies in Pyjamas, we’re catching up and reflecting on our conversations with Abi.We really enjoyed hearing her story and how she found her way through some deeply challenging life moments, drawing on her faith and the support of others.One of our favourite parts of making this podcast is learning how people incorporate spiritual practices into everyday life. These conversations stay with us—and some of our guests’ ideas are finding their way into our own lives, too.We share what stayed with us from Abi’s journey, alongside a little catching up, Holly’s experience of a Julian prayer group and the inevitable conversation about biscuits!🎶 We’re still gathering music recommendations for our Ladies in PJs Spotify playlist. What song or piece of music has meant something on your spiritual journey? Send us the title, artist and what it means to you.💬 Have a question you’d like us to discuss? Whether it’s something a guest said or a question of your own about faith, spirituality or everyday life, we’d love to hear it. Leave a comment here or get in touch through Substack.💌 Read our accompanying newsletter on Substack:https://ladiesinpjs.substack.com/p/a-catch-up-and-reflections-on-abis?r=6gdjha&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=trueHolly & Tre xxContent note: Includes discussion of postnatal depression and difficult church experiences.A little note about our sound: Ladies in Pyjamas is a homemade podcast. We record together in person, usually in Tre’s lounge or our trusty summer house. The sound may occasionally vary, but we hope you’ll enjoy being part of the conversation with us.

Abi's Spiritual Journey, Part Two: Finding God in the EverydayThis week on Ladies in Pyjamas, Holly and Tre welcome Abi back for the second part of her spiritual journey.We follow Abi from Australia back to the UK, through marriage, career changes, motherhood and the many unexpected experiences that have shaped her relationship with God.From challenging jobs and difficult customers to extraordinary acts of kindness and the importance of community, Abi shares how she's learned to recognise faith in the everyday moments of life.We also talk about the challenges of motherhood, her experience of postnatal depression, and the difference that a supportive, non-judgemental community can make.And what about spiritual practices? Abi shares some of the simple things that help her feel connected, including friendship, prayer, nature and music.It's a warm, open conversation about love, vulnerability, finding purpose and discovering that our spiritual journeys don't always unfold quite as we expect.Plus, we're starting a Ladies in PJs Spotify playlist, bringing together music suggested by our guests that has meant something to them along the way. Abi's suggestions include music from The Prince of Egypt.💌 Read our accompanying newsletter on Substack: https://ladiesinpjs.substack.com/p/abis-spiritual-journey-part-two-finding?r=6gdjha&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=trueThank you to Abi for sharing her story with us.Holly & Tre xContent note: This episode includes discussion of postnatal depression and mental health challenges.A little note about our sound: Ladies in Pyjamas is a homemade podcast, recorded together in person rather than in a studio. The sound may occasionally vary, but we hope you'll enjoy being part of the conversation with us.

Abi's Spiritual Journey, Part One: Finding God Along the WayThis week on Ladies in PJs, Holly and Tre welcome Abi, one of our lovely listeners, who joins us to share her own spiritual journey.Growing up with a strong Christian faith, Abi had a very definite understanding of God. But as life unfolded, relationships, difficult experiences and her own curiosity began to challenge some of those early beliefs.What happens when the God you grew up believing in no longer quite fits with your experiences of the world?In Part One, we explore childhood faith, questioning, self-worth, spiritual searching and some rather unexpected moments that helped shape Abi's relationship with God.There's even a fascinating story involving Tre, a dream and a letter!It's an open and thoughtful conversation about how our spiritual journeys can take us in directions we never imagined, and how sometimes questioning what we believe can become part of discovering what faith means to us.A huge thank you to Abi for sharing her story so generously.Read our accompanying reflections on Substack:[Insert Substack link]A little note about our sound: Ladies in Pyjamas is very much a homemade podcast. We record all our conversations together, in person, usually from Tre's lounge or our trusty summer house, rather than remotely or in a studio. This keeps our conversations natural and relaxed, although it does mean the sound can occasionally vary a little. We hope you'll forgive the odd wobble and enjoy being part of the conversation with us.Holly & Tre x

This week our podcast friend Sandy joins Holly and Tre in the summer house to tackle a brilliant listener question from Abby:“When I feel particularly close to God at certain points in my cycle, is that God… or is it my hormones?”And from there comes an even bigger question: have women been given the raw deal?Periods, hormones, childbirth, menopause… is the female body badly designed, or have we perhaps misunderstood some of its rhythms?Our conversation takes us from hormones and the rhythms of women's bodies to the feminine imagery of God, women in scripture, Mary, the Holy Spirit and whether we've inherited an overwhelmingly male picture of a God who is neither male nor female.We don't arrive at a neat theological answer.Instead, three women sit in a summer house and wonder whether our bodies, emotions and spirituality might be rather more connected than we sometimes allow them to be.And perhaps we could all be a little more “blooming kinder to ourselves.”Read our accompanying reflections on Substack:A little note about our sound: Ladies in Pyjamas is very much a homemade podcast. We record all our conversations together, in person, usually from Tre's lounge or our trusty summer house, rather than remotely or in a studio. This keeps our conversations natural and relaxed, although it does mean the sound can occasionally vary a little. We hope you'll forgive the odd wobble and enjoy being part of the conversation with us.

After two fascinating conversations with Sue Elliston, Holly and Tre sit down together to reflect on what they took away from her spiritual practices.Why do ancient practices such as silence, repetition, gratitude, prayer and spending time in nature sound so similar to the grounding and mindfulness techniques we hear about today?Are we constantly searching for new ways to cope with modern life when some of the wisdom we need has been there all along?We talk about why simple practices are not always easy, how spirituality can be explored outside church, and whether creating just a few quiet moments in the day might help us feel more grounded and connected.We also congratulate Sue on completing her Cambridge MSt in Building History, and look ahead to next week, when our podcast friend Sandy Cordy joins us to answer a listener’s question.Read our accompanying reflections on Substack: https://substack.com/@ladiesinpjsA little note about our sound: Ladies in Pyjamas is very much a homemade podcast. We record all our conversations together, in person, usually from Tre’s lounge or our trusty summer house, rather than remotely or in a studio. This keeps our conversations natural and relaxed, although it does mean the sound can occasionally vary a little. We hope you’ll forgive the odd wobble and enjoy being part of the conversation with us.

In Part Two of Sue Elliston’s spiritual journey, we explore what faith looks like in everyday practice.Sue shares how prayer in the woods, Communion, contemplative silence and a regular rhythm of morning and evening prayer help her feel grounded and connected.We talk about whether prayer needs special words or rituals, the power of simply turning up for five minutes, and why Sue returns to love, kindness and compassion whenever faith becomes complicated.Can walking, silence or gratitude become a spiritual practice? And what changes when we make space to listen?Join Holly, Tre and Sue for another warm and thoughtful conversation about spirituality in ordinary life.A little note about our sound: Ladies in Pyjamas is very much a homemade podcast. We record all our conversations together, in person, usually from Tre’s lounge or our trusty summer house, rather than remotely or in a studio. It keeps our conversations natural and relaxed, although it does mean the sound can occasionally vary a little. We hope you’ll forgive the odd wobble and enjoy being part of the conversation with us.Read our accompanying thoughts on Substack:

What happens when you’ve always believed in God, but church hasn’t always been part of the picture?This week, Holly and Tre are joined by Sue Elliston, whose spiritual journey began with a deep connection to nature and has taken her through Eastern spirituality and holistic practice, eventually leading her back towards Christianity, church and a rather unexpected Calling.Now on the Church of England’s discernment path, Sue talks openly about faith, prayer, doubt, nature, interfaith understanding and what happens when life appears to call you somewhere you never imagined going.Another wonderfully unconventional Spiritual Journey of an Ordinary Person.🎧 Listen in, and come and join the conversation.For more thoughts from us about this episode, find us on Substack: https://ladiesinpjs.substack.com/p/a-feral-child-faith-and-an-unexpected?r=6gdjha&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

This week on Ladies in Pyjamas, we're talking about courage... and it turned out to be a much bigger conversation than either of us expected.We began thinking this would be a short episode. Instead, we found ourselves exploring what courage really means, sharing our own experiences, asking difficult questions and realising that courage isn't quite as straightforward as we'd imagined.What actually makes someone courageous?Is courage simply doing something frightening? Is it quietly getting through another day? Can you have courage without faith... or does faith help give us the strength to be courageous in the first place?We also look share some exciting news about our autumn season. This September we'll be welcoming a wonderful new group of guests to share their own Spiritual Journeys of Ordinary People, along with answering some thought-provoking listener questions that we're really looking forward to exploring.Whether you're deeply spiritual, simply curious, or just enjoy listening to two friends wrestle with life's bigger questions, we'd love you to join us.We're not making this podcast because we think we have the answers. We make it because we genuinely love exploring these conversations and hope they leave you with something to reflect on too.🎧 Click here to continue the conversation on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/ladiesinpjs/p/can-you-have-courage-without-faith?r=6gdjha&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=trueIf you enjoy this episode, we'd love it if you shared it with a friend who enjoys thoughtful conversations.

This week on Ladies in Pyjamas, we are joined by a very special guest… Tre’s son Theo!As part of his work experience, Theo joined us behind the scenes to discover what goes into producing a podcast and, rather brilliantly, created a one-off jingle especially for this episode. We absolutely loved having him with us and want to say a huge thank you for his creativity, enthusiasm and thoughtful contributions to the conversation.And what a conversation it was.This episode explores compassion what it means, how we experience it, and whether compassion is perhaps more complex than we first imagine.Before recording, Tre found a formal definition of compassion which sparked plenty of discussion. Is compassion simply responding to suffering and wanting to ease it? Or is there something deeper going on?Holly shares her own reflection on compassion as a way of holding space — especially for people or situations that may feel difficult, painful or unresolved — and how compassion can sometimes feel freeing rather than fixing.Along the way we explore compassion through spirituality, neurodiversity, self-compassion, alongside a few gentle twists and turns that you’ve come to expect from us.We’d love to hear your thoughts too…What does compassion mean to you?And perhaps more importantly… what does compassion look like in real life?(And yes… do listen out for Theo’s special edition jingle for this episode!) 💛Contact us and follow us on our Substack https://open.substack.com/pub/ladiesinpjs/p/compassion-isnt-always-easy?r=6gdjha&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

In Part Two of our conversation with Lee Giles, the questions get bigger… and a little more uncomfortable (in the best possible way).We move beyond the story and into the exploration.Is church or any organised space necessary for a spiritual life?Or can we encounter God (or something beyond ourselves) in other places… on a walk, up a hill, in the quiet moments we don’t always plan for?Lee shares his reflections on navigating faith without certainty, and what it means to hold space for wonder rather than answers. We talk about those seasons where everything feels unclear — and the quiet reassurance that, whether you believe or not, you’re not as alone in it as you might feel.We also explore the realities of church, class, and culture and how to balance different perspectives without losing connection. Because maybe part of the journey is learning how to disagree… agreeably.✨ Thoughtful, honest, and gently challenging this is a conversation about letting go of certainty and leaning into something deeper.👉 Click here to read more and reflect with us on Substack:🎧 Listen to Part One here: