Lia Burge Rogers

What will you remember when you look back on this time? The history books are sure to record the trouble; it’s up to us to keep track of the good times.
It’s come to my attention that a good handful of people have been reading The Diary of Samuel Pepys over the last year. Perhaps to take some comfort in the fact that a grim forecast eventually turned into a brighter future, or remind themselves that life moves in cycles; hopeless to hopeful; darkness to light. Keeping a traditional diary is o...

Are you a perfectionist? Does fear of failure stop you trying new things? Having the courage to suck at something can be a brave and enlightening step forward.
How did you get on with our 30 Day Wellness Challenge ? Drag yourself panting round the park for a pathetic run? Fall over your own feet practicing a plié? Get distracted from your mediation after five seconds? Fail much? I hope so. Failure is a strange concept when you think about it. Of course, it seems normal to most of us – we go t...

I am the proud editor and co-curator of this unique poetry collection.

“Thirty years ago, “just for a laugh”, actor Peter Gordon wrote a poem for his wife Alison, and left it under her pillow. She liked it, and so he carried on, every day for 25 years. To this day, Gordon continues to add to the thousands of poems he had written for Alison, even after her death four years ago.”
The Guardian, Alison Flood

Just outside Vicchio – a village best known for its famous artists – this hilltop home looks out over the rolling Tuscan countryside. In the garden, you’ll find a lovely outdoor dining area under the cover of an arbour, as well as a pool, barbecue, outdoor shower, and a number of spots to relax and take in the view. Watch the sunset with a bottle of Italy’s finest, whip up a pasta dish in the kitchen, and kick back on the terrace. The surrounding villages are laden with art and history to exp...

‘Veganuary’, Dry January, New Year New You Diet – it’s all very well, but perhaps its time to take a more holistic view…
Personally, I’m no stranger to the toxic cycle – pollute and detox, over and over. The cycle itself is toxic. And one of the hardest patterns to break. The diet industry has taught us well, but with the right work and determination we can teach ourselves another way. January is one of the hardest months to get through so, when you think about it, what an absolutely insane p...

Standing in the kitchen, dimly lit by the cooker-hood bulbs, stirring a homemade chilli and breathing in the faint smell of a bonfire through the back door. The radio murmurs; the dulcet tones of Neil Nunes.

A few years ago, this simple Danish word became the latest lifestyle trend. We were sold blankets, slippers and scented-candles galore. But hygge doesn’t need a luxury price-tag; hygge is a feeling.

Hygge is a Feeling

Much like a ritual is a mindful routine, hygge is about taking pleasure...

She came over from The States in 1948, and by the time I was a teenager, had renounced all allegiance. George Bush was the final straw - she flung her passport over the counter at the American embassy and waltzed out, defiantly. The thought of that has always made me chuckle and love her more - a completely impractical compulsion born out of heart, and principle. All that was left of her US identity was the slight twang in her voice and an all-American cookbook (The Joy of Cooking, by Irma Rombauer)...

As things cool down out there, let’s discuss some of the simplest ways you can keep moving through the winter – so we can all stride into spring like a well oiled machine, and not a rusty old banger.
1. SHAKE
Look, I know you want me to – but I’m not going to quote Taylor Swift. Although, she does have a point. We have long been accustomed to the idea of shrugging or shaking something off. If something is bothering us, we can get over it; just ‘shake it off’ (damn, I inadvertently quoted Tayl...

Ballet Basics is an introductory course, designed to open the door to the world of pliés and port de bras, to those that want to try ballet at home – either for the first time as beginners, or to refresh and re-invigorate. And the great thing about this course? (aside from the expert tuiti...

As we blessed a friend’s memory at her Buddhist funeral, rain clattering on the tin roof of the art space she curated, the congregation, eyes closed tight, imagine her bathed in light and shooting up to the heavens. The blessing ends, we open our eyes, and the rain stops abruptly; sunlight exploding through the roof hatch. Eyes prick. Hairs stand on end: Something other-worldly is among us.

But what is ‘other-worldly’ really? Is all this not happening here - in this world? In this world of war and fear and screaming babies and work and a thing called money and sunsets that sometimes make...

WinTRADE Week was formed to sustain and feed the flow of inspiration, energy and enthusiasm to women in business; passionate women who want to be at the cutting edge of new, creative, technological business ideas and global trends.

WinTRADE founder Dr Yvonne Thompson has been running a women in business network for the past 22 years. Since 1996, WinTrade has supported, mentored, celebrated and profiled thousands of women in business from small business owners to women in corporate structures....

Almost half of us are now working from home. This week, we’ll discuss some of the ways in which we can make that all important separation between our jobs – and our home lives; protecting our boundaries, so that we can live better.
If, like me, you’re a work-from-home veteran, you’ll have learnt the hard way how important it is to separate home, and work life. Unfortunately, I have no foolproof strategy for keeping your kids out of your video calls. But, I do have a few top tips I’d like to s...

Colomba is a constellation of wellbeing – a curated space to connect your mind, body and soul; nurturing them through play, creativity and mindfulness.

Colomba is a place you can come to connect to the parts of you that get lost in the rat-race. Although work can be everything to some and ‘just a job’ to others, it is universally true that our habits and hobbies have a ripple effect on every part of our lives.

If you’re feeling bored, unfulfilled, stuck-in-a-rut, or just...

“I have nothing to say. I have nothing to say. Slept ok last night. Got to get eggs today. Maybe vanilla essence? Blah, blah this is dull. I wonder if it will rain? Oh god, who cares. I don’t have anything to write here. Three pages is so long.”

Just a short extract from my journal. Reams and reams of inane rubbish, with the odd thread of inspiration, every so often. I’m telling you this to let you know that journalling does not have to be, and is almost never, brilliant or interesting writin...

They say ‘good things come to those who wait.’ Well, perhaps that depends on the kind of waiting. The old staring-at-the-phone-whilst-furiously-drumming-our-fingers-on-the-desk, probably won’t bring us the abundance we’re looking for. But what if we were to truly inhabit the space between?
The problem is that for most of us, the collective liminal space we are currently occupying can feel extremely unsettling. We are scrabbling around in the uncertainty, looking for the next distraction or...