How To Run Away (& Other Handy Hints for Your Next Bit)

A replay of an Episode where the mic is turned and I am a guest, chatting with Gillian Whitney of Easy Peasy Books podcast. "Monique, author of "A Grown Up's Gap Year: Put YOU in the picture", shares the inspiring story behind her midlife memoir and self-help book. Discover what prompted Monique's "Shirley Valentine moment" of running away from home at 57 to emba...

Another replay of an Episode where the mic is turned and I am a guest. This week chatting with Liz Nable, host of Media Magnet podcast (and Chief all round Media and PR wizz Media Masters Academy). Liz asks me about practical tips for building confidence, pitching, and never taking no for an answer. the impact of a coachable mindset and relentless consistency in becoming the media’s go-to expert (...

A replay of an Episode where the mic is turned and I am a guest of Your 2nd Act host Michelle Parsonage: Imagine reaching midlife and deciding to take a gap year, on your own, without your family, and without all the usual responsibilities. How many times have you thought, "I wish I could just do that," but for some reason, you don’t because you’re scared of change and the unknown? Well,...

This episode is the pivot. It’s not about dismantling your life. It’s about backing yourself for a minute. What if your so-called second act isn’t about waiting for perfect conditions, but about remembering who you are — and showing up for it? The moment we stop dreaming about change — and start living it. On purpose. In real life. Living as if… As if you were already the version of yourself you a...

This week we head to Kyoto for a conversation about wellbeing that isn’t performative — it’s lived. We talk kerbside shrines and small daily reverence, seasonal eating, onsen bathing, and why Japanese approaches to rest, ritual, and nature feel like a balm in mid-life. Director of Wellness for Six Senses Kyoto, Ayako Fukuda, embodies a philosophy that is beautifully simple: wellbeing begins by res...

Feeling stretched thin but not sure a “holiday” will fix it? This episode unpacks what a real retreat looks like—and how to choose one that doesn’t fall apart the second you’re home. We talk best-practice design, how to avoid the Wellness Trap, and why intentional space beats a packed schedule of treatments every time. If you’ve ever wondered whether a retreat could actually help you feel better,...

Anna Manlulo said yes to herself and walked the Camino de Santiago — one step, one day, along hundreds of kilometres of ancient pilgrim paths. We talk about the moment she moved from “one day” to “I’m going,” the logistics around work and family, the day-to-day reality on the trail, and what changed when she came home. You’ll leave with five things: one mindset shift, one planning tip, one safety...

Something significant is happening in midlife. More women over 50 than ever before are booking the trip alone — and coming back changed. Monique unpacks why solo travel after 50 has become a movement, what's driving it, and what midlife women actually report when they go. This isn't backpacker territory or wellness-retreat performance — this is grown-up women, in good hotels, doing what...

If your house is quieter and you aren't quite sure what comes next - this episode is for you. Mid-life reinvigoration, an emptier nest, and the everyday resets that stick. Monique talks with Prue Francis about naming the wobble, choosing small changes that actually work, and rebuilding connection - fun and supportive. Practical, candid, immediately usable. Why not now? Why not you? Plus, an i...

Episode Resources & Links: Ever feel like you're circling the same question — what now? Why not me? — without actually moving forward? This episode hands you the compass you've been missing: your values. In under thirty minutes, Monique walks midlife women through how to uncover the three to five non-negotiables that become the litmus test for every yes, every no, and every not for m...

What if you could start again — not by burning the old life down, but by rewriting it? Monique sits down with author, editor and mentor Melinda Louise Hutchings to talk about The Rewrite — her framework for women in midlife who know something needs to change but don't yet know what. Whether you're navigating divorce, career end, empty nest, or just the quiet sense that the script you&apo...

A Grown Up’s Gap Year starts here — Tiny acts, big shifts: the art of feeling alive again. (no job-quitting or plane ticket required). 📚 Get your copy of A Grown Up’s Gap Year the book, from Amazon , moniquevantulder.com , bookshops and libraries, subscribe to the podcast, and take the first step toward your own A Grown Up’s Gap Year. Monique's LinkedIn Monique's  Instagram

Before the book, before the podcast, before the well-meaning comments about being so lucky — there was a woman who ran away. Not forever. Just far enough to hear herself think. In this episode, Monique shares the real reason she wrote A Grown Up's Gap Year — and how this whole community was born. The financial truths nobody talks about. The invisible workloads. The quiet ache of disappearing...

What happens when you hit your limit - and run away instead of continuing to ‘run on empty?’ In this first episode of A Grown Up’s Gap Year – The Podcast, host Monique van Tulder (author of #1 amazon bestselling A Grown Up’s Gap Year - The Guidebook for mid Lifestyle. Wellbeing. Adventure) shares the real story behind her eight-month escape, why she left, what she discovered, and what it means to...

This is the original launch episode of what was A Grown Up's Gap Year — The Podcast , now How To Run Away (& Other Handy Hints for Your Next Bit) . Same host. Same conversation. Bigger frame. A series of interviews with women — and a few blokes — doing inspiring things in fascinating places. The sorts of journeys, physical and internal, that are courageous, creative, and quietly joyful. W...