Routes and Bloom with Sarah Lusack

Episode 5 is all about rejecting the culture of improvement that keeps us in a constant state of feeling like we need to optimise - our bodies, our mental health, our work, our relationships, how good we are as people. Sometimes, just existing is enough.  Work featured: A Nikkita Gill poem from her YA poetry collection, These Are The Words As ever, if you're enjoying the podcast make sure to rate, review and share it. It really does help other people find the goodness in this corner of the podcastsphere. You can follow the podcast on Instagram: @routesandbloom. And you can follow me on Instagram or X, formerly known as Twitter. See you next week!

Hi friends, thank you for bearing with me after not uploading last week. I hope this week's episode gets your imaginative juices flowing. The imagination is often seen as less important and less 'serious' than the real world. Drawing on the works of musician, Solange, and the writer and poet, Gwendolyn Brooks, I explore why the imagination is more important than we give credit for, why we need to build the capacity to dream, and why dreams aren't always about the destination, but the fuel they give us along the way. Happy listening! As ever, it would mean the world if you could like, share and review the podcast wherever you listen. Or good old word of mouth will do :) You can follow Routes and Bloom on Instagram for inspiration and reflection prompts: @routesandbloom. And you can follow me on Instagram or X (formerly known as Twitter).

In this episode, I explore losing the art of play as adults, why play is important and how children can help us to tap into more playful ways of living. I hope this episode encourages you to make a playdate with your friends, family, partner or with yourself!  If you can think of one person that would benefit from listening, why not share it with them? I hear word of mouth is the most trusted source these days…  You can follow Routes and Bloom on IG for more reflection prompts, inspiration and vibes: @routesandbloom. You can follow me on Instagram or Twitter @sarahlusack. See you next week! 

Hi friends! This week’s episode is about finding peace, ease and living in the present moment.  I talk about:  Listening to and trusting the wisdom of your body and mind bell hooks on worrying, knowing your value, and creating new ways to live Thich Nhat Hanh on mindfulness, and why the present moment is the perfect moment  If you’re enjoying Routes and Bloom, why not spread the love? Share the episode and leave a rating or review - it really makes a difference!  Follow Routes and Bloom on IG for more reflection prompts, inspiration and vibes: @routesandbloom  See you next week - Sarah x

Hi friends! It’s been a while but I’m so happy to say Routes and Bloom is back for Season Two. The theme of this season is ‘Release’ and this week’s episode is all about letting go. I talk about:  Identifying, accepting and letting go of traits that no longer benefit us  How to deal with feelings of loss and nerves about what comes next Beyoncé, Renaissance and Virgos letting loose!  If you’re enjoying Routes and Bloom, why not spread the love? Share the episode, leave a rating or a review - it really does help!  Follow Routes and Bloom on IG for more reflection prompts, inspiration and vibes: @routesandbloom.  See you next week - Sarah x

For the Season 1 Finale, it would only be appropriate to end with a hearty topic and thanks to a listener suggestion, we're doing just that. bell hooks'  All About Love is a seminal book exploring what exactly 'love' means. 'Love' is a word that gets used so freely, and seems to mean so many things, that it can be difficult to recognise love or to truly know how to love.  Thank you for listening to The Routes and Bloom Podcast this season. We're going on a little break and hope to bring you more nuggets of reflection when we return. If you have enjoyed listening, it would be great if you could leave a rating or review, and to stay in touch, follow @routesandbloom on Instagram.  Until Season Two, stay safe and big love - Sarah 

What does it mean to come back to yourself, after you’ve felt lost in some way? This week’s episode is inspired by Derek Walcott’s soul stretching poem, Love After Love.

We're often told not to sit in our emotions - probably because the emotions we're most likely to sit in are the negative ones. As humans we're primed for seeing the negative and, in this age of the 24 hour news cycle and social media, we're often bombarded with it. This episode flips the advice: what if we were to try sitting in joy? How can we empower ourselves to find joy, and be vulnerable enough to sit in it for long enough, that it makes us see our lives a little differently?  CW: There are a couple of brief mentions of loss.  Further Resources Dr Brené Brown on Joy (in conversation with Oprah) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKV0BWSPfOw Zadie Smith's essay, 'Joy' - https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2013/01/10/joy/

Maintaining friendships as an adult is hard. Time, energy, finances, geography and being at different stages of our lives all factor into how successfully we are able to maintain these special relationships. And that's not including the strains the pandemic has put on our friendships either! In this episode, Sarah explores some of these difficulties, the different types of friends we have and the importance of finding new ways to show up in our friendships.  To submit a topic for the Season 1 finale or share your thoughts, send an email to [email protected] or a DM on Instagram @routesandbloom. Don't be shy!  If you enjoyed the podcast, I’d really appreciate it if you could leave a rating or review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Thanks for listening and see you next week - Sarah x     Further resources:  https://www.vice.com/en/article/akgym8/women https://www.ted.com/podcasts/am-i-normal-how-many-friends-do-i-need-transcript https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/151735/all-my-friends-are-finding-new-beliefs

How often do you spend time with your shadow? The place where anxieties, insecurities and fears hide. In this episode, Sarah explores the idea of what it means to be 'healed,' how our shadow selves can show up in our interactions with others, and what true connection with others takes, even when we are struggling with our own internal battles.