Interview with Recess Living

This is a transcript of the podcast I did with Nina from Recess Living. You can listen to the episode here.

Nina: Hi everyone. I'm Nina. I'm the founder of recess living, which is a creative wellness brand, which empowers you to slow down and take some time to reconnect with yourself. So I kind of do it in various different ways, but I suppose the thing I'm known for at the moment is helping you reconnect with creative play and use it in a way that's pressure free helps you de-stress and unwind. And for me, it's kind of also helping you experience mindfulness. So I like to call it like meditation for doers in a sense, because how I came to using creativity, like in this way, and as like one of my main methods of self care was I was going through like different periods of like my mental health and kind of hitting some other like lower seasons. And I was finding that actually the thought of like talk therapy, again, quite daunting, or even start looking at like, I suppose more like simpler practices in terms of like traditional meditation, as you see where it's more like static.

Nina: I was just like, I'm just not ready to kind of be like sat and left alone with my own thoughts or let them pass through me. But you obviously know all the like amazing benefits that comes from it and the mindfulness you can experience. So I was finding that actually more like a natural maker, like always like played around, like my mom's a seamstres. So I basically just like grew up at like the foot for sew machine, like pain for scraps of fabrics and buttons. Like I see to like land on the floor, but through like making with my hands, it's kind of helping me find the stillness I needed, the mindfulness that I needed. And also just kind of helped me like re-channel I suppose my energy cuz sometimes I think as well, you are so used to constantly like being on a go and having like quite frantic energy within you, especially myself.

Nina: Like my, I suppose my first career background was in TV production and it's one of those industries that is like constantly on from the moment you like wake up in the morning, like something will interrupt you or like inbox your WhatsApp, your sometimes just like a phone call and that energy kind of still stays with you, especially if you're filming like through to like the dead of night. And it's a bit like, well, where does that go? When you wanna find your mindfulness? So making me really helps me like channel that like energy into a space, like a place of stillness.

AH Club: Amazing. Thank you so much for sharing. So, what does hustle mean to you?

Nina: Oh yeah. It's, it's, it's a bit like the word, like self-care, it's like one of those like loaded like words, hustle is been one of those words it's kind of come like in and out of, I suppose my world and the sense that when I was like younger, I was like very driven was kind of used to like constantly being on, I worked in an industry that like feeds that like, I suppose, like hustle mentality, but then it kinda, I suppose, depending on where you're working can kind of get like taken away from you in a sense where certain industries can kind of look at like, I suppose your natural apps for like that drive that you've got. And it kind of goes the other way and like the burnout side of like hustle. Yeah. I suppose, like this last year kind of like really journeying in terms of like working for myself full time, it's been interesting because part of me needs and loves like the hustle because that's like, like gets my spark going sometimes and can help me find like my flow, but it's doing in a way that it's not, I suppose like harming myself.

Nina: So looking at how I can like reclaim hustle and take it away from when it was in the hands of like other people and other industries and <laugh> consumerism and patriarchy and actually bring it back in terms of like what it means for me and if like a peer to hustle, I kind of need, if I've like say at the moment, basically work working on like a new event series. So I kind, I need some of that fire within me and for me that comes from that hustle to bring it out into the world, but just doing it in a way that's like mindful for me and align to, for like my values and my beliefs. So yeah, it, it changes. <Laugh>

AH Club:  Definitely. So when you mentioned that you worked in TV, like how, what was that shift for you? Like how was that change going from hustling for someone else to kind of hustling for yourself?

Nina: So in TV I've always been freelancer, I suppose like part of your, like your hustle kinda like stays with you, but it's when it's put in someone else's hands in terms of like the schedules that you're working and sometimes it's not even about schedules, it's about like the lack of boundaries that go on within your working day or when your day's not quite a day. And just into like the night, the weekend,

AH Club: My boyfriend's in TV as well. <Laugh> I see it from the other side.

Nina: It's it's so it's bad, isn't it? When you like end up, I know so many people and I suppose definitely people have been in relationships with have ended up being like a TV widow because of it, but at some points in my life I've been like that, like I'm out doing what I need to be doing. I'm absolutely loving it and enjoying it. And would it have it in any other way? And then yes, for me, like a shift kind of comes you kind of relook at like some of your priorities or the way you're working. And I used to re I towards the end as well, was really like struggling with looking at, to kind of like align with everything that like I worked at my life to be and what I was putting out there. And there's a lot you can do within your, I suppose, your, the ecosystem of your particular team that you're working within. Yeah. But the way like the wider industry I wanna say was constructed because they start to break down things a lot more, which is like amazing for like my friends who are like at the forefront of it and those like the next gen, like working in it. So yeah, it's getting, it's getting better out there, but there's a long way to go.

AH Club: Do you think there is a shift more broadly, you seeing that with like corporates that you're doing workshops with and things like that, is there that shift to being more mindful and, and moving away from the hustle?

Nina:  Yeah, I think definitely. I think when we kinda look back at the last, like two and a half, like three years and we I'm definitely one of these people who you totally appreciate that the hardship that came from this past time for people, but there's also been a lot of like silver linings. Yeah. And looking at the way that I suppose just like unnatural pace in life, looking at how we speak about like mental health. Like these are all things that have the changes comes like a catalyst from the like pandemic, which is a, which is a great thing. Like we're being so much more mindful about how much we're demanding the people. But also when we're asking those questions of them being like, are you okay? It's actually set of a lot more of a deeper, meaningful yeah. List behind it. And if the answer's like, no, I'm not okay.

Nina: It’s like, okay, well what can I do? Do you just need me to sit and listen to you so you can like release it? Or is there some like action steps that we can put into place, whether it's like within the workplace kind of looking at like your team structure or things like that. So I feel like it it's great, the sense there's a lot more like open conversations coming out and it feels like it's not just a box ticking exercise and it doesn't feel like it's gonna be trend. I feel like when naturally gonna see like a better shift in the way that we like live and work.

AH Club:  Yeah. I really do hope so. And I know that like with the, are they calling it the great resignation that obviously <laugh> lot people Have had this kind of epiphany through lockdown that it's not working for them and they want to kind of go and work in a job where they feel more fulfilled and aren't working 15 hour days and things like that. But I do, I, I do hope that that shift continues and that we don't see like a regression back to pre pandemic. That's I think that would be a, a shame really.

Nina: Yeah. Such a shame. I think what I'm noticing a lot about like my friends, my peers, and like the amazing people I get to like host like workshops with is that no one seems to have the, the energy we used to have for it, which I think is like, great. There's like a natural thing being like, I, you know, just even like simple things where you kind of be like, oh, but like 10 o'clock, I would've done like a two hour workout. I would've gone a three hour commute. <Laugh> I would've like stopped doing breakfast here, dropped my kids off there. Like, everyone's just a bit like, I don't understand why you to, how I used to all those things before 11 o'clock in the morning. And actually I can't do it anymore. I'm not physically got the energy.

AH Club: Like even like going out in evening, like I like to be home before 10 and like in bed asleep, like I would never have better than I would if I was I going out at 10, I think it has changed like our behaviours, I guess. Hopefully for the, for the good.

Nina:  Yeah. <Laugh> or just in a way that kind space brings more like alignment to like what you need as a person in terms of in that like time. Cause I'm definitely about looking at like, not just like the seasons in terms of like mother natures, but kind of like your own internal seasons and where you are sitting with like your wellbeing, your mental health, and kind of making sure that you are like feeding those avenues as you need to.

AH Club:  Definitely. And I think for the, for a lot of the pandemic we had, no, it was the choice was taken away from us for a lot of people that we had to slow down and stop. And I think having that enforced to some degree was helpful because we then had to question, is this working for me? Is this right? Am I happy? Whereas I know I, before the pandemic was running around like a headless chicken. Yeah. Just trying to get to the next thing and the next thing and the next thing. 

Nina: Yeah, totally. It kind of really just like slowed everything down. I think it's quite interesting actually, cuz I was thinking so in the pandemic and again, you know, we're saying like when things get like stripped away from you, so one of the things I used to do, especially cuz also you only had like your daily one to go out and have like a walk and then it kind of started easing up is I used to start my day, like a commute round the block and discovered, and I've lived in this area for like 15 years plus discovered like on my doorstep, like the most beautiful canal walk, which I just didn't know it was there because I jumping on the train heading straight into like central London. So I used to start the day, like this morning, like commute down the canal and then I used to end the day as well. And I was just, I remember being like, okay, what, when, when it goes back to normal, I'm gonna make sure that that always stays in. And then when I was on a walk last week, I was like, I haven't done this walk for like over a month. And I was just, like. why is that? So it really does make you kind of question about the things that period of life like brought us. Yeah. And also kind of being like there's bits of it. That for me, like I need to go back to like keeping like that, that little sprinkle.

AH Club:  I know you said you've had positive experiences when you need to hustle to get things done, but has there been any negative impacts around hustle with starting the business and what has that looked like for you?

Nina:  Yeah, I think it this year and like carry on like need to like to do so, which I think is also good is like sign of like growth and evolution is unlearn a lot of working practices that are instilled within me from my first profession. So, you know, just even having like autonomy over your day or your week, I should say, because I naturally will have more energy on a Sunday than I would on Monday. So just even just looking at flipping that around and be like, it's okay for me to work on a Sunday because I'm gonna take Monday off. Yeah. But go through your schedule and crafting the schedule and making sure that you're putting in those pockets of time that you need, especially when it's something that you're so passionate about and you love and enjoy. So you do just wanna keep on going with it.

One of the things I'm doing at the moment have been like the last month or so is really looking at like tracking my energy and what work I do well at different times of the day where, how it sits within my weekly schedule, my like monthly and like maturation cycles as well. And kind of really tuning into like my energy. Yeah. And I suppose the seasons within my body and how that, then I can then apply my work to it and what I do. So that's been an interesting discovery so far.

AH Club: What advice would you give people if they wanted to tap into that mindfulness side more and couldn't necessarily come straight to a workshop with you?

Nina: Find mindfulness and look at different ways that that can incorporate self care within, into their schedule. Always say to start small mm-hmm <affirmative> to kind of look at what's naturally like sparking your joy and it can be the smallest of things. And I think there's a lot to be said for appreciating those small moments and, and things like your favourite sense that you have, like burning or your favourite, like tea that you drink in the morning to like start off your day and look at building in those like rituals within your movements throughout the day to give you that, that space that you need, that explanation, that release, and then slowly just start to like stack them up. And the reason why I kind of love looking at like self care practices and self care rituals is for me, they become like bigger markers in terms of my wellbeing.

Nina: So with a self care practice, for instance, how often you do it will change in terms of how much time you've got, how much money you've got, where you are in the world. And some of them, you might only kind of like do like once a week, once a day, once a month. And then you have like your self care rituals, which become like your non-negotiables that will never change in terms of how much money you've got, how much time you've got, where in the world you do it. So if I look at like going for walk, for instance yep. As one of your like rituals, you can start off like completely like really small and be like, okay, I'm gonna make sure that at three o'clock I'm gonna down towards and go for a walk around the block every day, just to like reset myself.

AH Club: If, if people kind of came to you and said that I haven't even got a clue where to start figuring out what my non-negotiable are, like, what would you say to them?

Nina: To start in like a journal? It’s absolutely the first thing that goes for me because I find it, I can find it like really confronting, like putting those words, like out onto a page mm-hmm <affirmative>, but just doing like a line journal or just writing down, like I'm doing like an energy one at the moment. So I just like, even if I can't write a whole, like three lines of what done that day, how I felt I can just go, my energy level was on a scale of one to 10, six, and I can use that to like monitoring it. So just make a little note of, I suppose, like your energy and what gives you energy and what takes energy away from you is a really like nice place to start. Because when you then start noticing the things that are giving you energy, then you can kind of look to build those into becoming your self care practices and your rituals.

AH Club: Amazing. And do you think there's kind of a correlation around, you know, the, the different levels of your energy around like when you can maybe hustle a little bit? Or is it like, I know you talked about like the, the good side of hustle, but do you think that's a time when you want, you've kind of recognise the, the kind of peaks and troughs of what your month looks like, like then you can tap into that kind of thing, do you think?

Nina:  Yeah, totally. So it'd be just looking, I suppose it's like as a woman and kind of looking at like your menstrual cycle. So that's one of the things I've been like learning about a lot at the moment. Okay. And looking so I'm not okay. Right. If I'm launching a new thing, ideally I kind of need to even launch it in when I'm in my summer season or any groundwork I need to do for any like writing I need to do or video okay. Videos. I might need to recall, like if I can align them up with like summer when I've got like my Optima energy. Yeah. And it's just gonna help me like deliver it better, but do it in a way that also cuz you it's one of those things, isn't it like there's other out, outside influences that will always affect in terms of like her work or who needs this in my life and things. So I suppose I'm just trying to look at like what things I can like bank or like put on automation that if my energy isn't completely there, there's certain things that either still ticking in my business or in like my life without me having to give like my full energy, if it's not there to give.

AH Club: What other things do you do to make life easier? To give you less stress, feel a little bit calmer and get more peace?

Nina: So one way <laugh> one of my big things to do is to put some of my self care in someone else's hands. So. Oh, okay. So you like make it, you basically make date with someone else who gives you your time and back that you need. So for me it could be, I'm an absolute workshop junkie. So I love going to, I've always loved going to workshops and like learning. So Becking like a workshop or this year I wanna start like trying some more like cooking classes because it's like an area that I basically wanna experiment in a bit more and I kind of add a bit more playfulness to it, but have no idea how to do it. And I like think it's gonna be relaxing for me, but we'll see <laugh> yeah. Making a day. Even if you're gonna meet a friend for a coffee or go for a walk, it's someone else kind of helping you, I suppose, hold that accountability to yourself to have that reset time for you. Because I think it's a lot of like, sometimes people think like self-care always needs to be done like in isolation, but there's also a lot of it can be done when you're doing it with others and in groups and the energy that you get from them and from the room, the activity is just another element of self-care.

AH Club: Definitely. And like you said before, like self care can be, so the word can be so loaded and like what it means for different people, but it is about understanding what brings you joy and what lights you up. And a lot of people kind of think, well, I don't like bubble baths or like face masks. So I can't do self care. I'm like, like self-care can literally be getting early night.

Nina: It can be like tidying your drawers out. So you just feel like everything's like in order like that decluttering is a form of like self care and it's yeah. Really looking at like what like high highlighting, I suppose the word like self in those two words and what it means to you. And I think another thing I always find that sometimes people find using the word, like self-care just like even load just like a little bit like icky as well. So thankful it self care, just call it like self development. Cause that's essentially what you're doing. You are giving yourself the time that you need to develop and recharge and Reno yourself. So if you need to reframe what the word is, so it will use a completely different word. Just so it resonates better with you then do it. Like who cares?

AH Club: Yeah. And, and I think it is like for a lot of people, it is baby steps. It's a new thing for people mm-hmm <affirmative> so I love like how before you were talking about kind of building on those kind of non negotiables in, but I think the most important thing is for people to just start doing something.

Nina: I always say it's a practice. It's not like a destination it's it takes work and continuous work. And I always have to constantly remind myself. So I'm never gonna be sort person to kind of sit in a para and say like, yeah, I've got this. Self-care now like you need to X, Y or Z because different seasons of life will come along and like will slay everything. I thought I knew was self-care to me or the best way to look after myself and my body and my mind. I'm like, okay, right. I need to reset and find a different way to still get that outcome. So it is about that continuous like learning and unlearning that we need to go on.

AH Club: Definitely. And also like around, you know, as, as our values change, as we grow, as we interact with new people, it's like, you know, you might have gone out for a walk every morning for the last four years as your self care. But for some reason now it's not, you can't drug yourself out of bed. Like there's a reason that's not happening that maybe you don't find value in that anymore. And mm-hmm <affirmative> that's okay. It's just kind of recognising it is time for kind of a reset and a shift.