Rest and Recreation

Kate Ottavio Kent is a mother, wife and the founder of KOK PR in Connecticut USA. Kate is also a volunteer at Ridgebury Farm . Ridgebury Farm provides equine based therapy that supports individuals of all backgrounds and abilities in working to become the best version of themselves. A similar organisation in the UK is Riding for the Disabled . In 1975 the BBC Children’s TV show Blue Peter annual a...

Parody often includes adult language. Please use headphones if listening in a public place. Dee Pelisser, also known as Lady Laquelle is a musical parodist and drag performer. In this episode of the Abeceder work life balance podcast Rest and Recreation Dee tells host Michael Millward about how they came to accept their gender fluidity discovered their passion for performance and creating parodies...

Michelle Clifton is a writer who created Taryn O’Kelly, a 26-year-old party planner who has a habit of getting involved in investigating murders. In this episode of the Abeceder work life balance podcast Rest and Recreation host Michael Millward meets author Michelle Clifton. In a wide-ranging conversation Michelle explains to Michael why she started to write and how she found Taryn O’Kelly the pr...

Dan Swift is a successful IT professional with a serious career with a large organisation. When Dan goes home, in addition to being a committed family man Dan is also the host of the hit podcast Time to Discuss. In this episode of the Abeceder work life balance podcast Rest and Recreation Dan Swift explains to host Michael Millward how the podcast Time to Discuss was created. Dan explains how the...

Connor Treacy has been a player in the entertainment industry since, aged 19, he hosted a party. Video of the party went viral and was covered by mainstream TV news channels. He went on to become the man A-list celebrities asked to get them into the hottest clubs and organise the parties to launch their latest product or marketing collaboration, Connor’s own star rose quickly in the nightlife and...

Holiday makers are travelling with the intention of having more than just a break from work. Holiday Fixer Gemma Perry is seeing more people who want to feel rejuvenated, physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. In this episode of the Abeceder work life balance podcast Rest and Recreation Gemma Perry, the Holiday Fixer explains to host Michael Millward how holiday makers can ensure that...

Zac Russell is a life coach with a completely different approach to coaching. In this episode of the Abeceder work life balance podcast Rest and Recreation Zac Russell explains to host Michael Millward how his approach to coaching is different. You will be as enthralled as Michael by how Zac explains his approach. Zac explains how the problems that his clients seek help resolving are created. The...

Martin Pytela is the founder of Life Enthusiast, a manufacturer of natural health and well-being products. Martin describes himself as a health engineer who promotes traditional medical and health care techniques. In this episode of the Abeceder work life balance podcast Rest and Recreation Martin tells Michael Millward what inspired him to set-up a health-related company. Martin describes how he...

Aaron Ryan is the author of more than thirty books covering numerous genres including business, performance, poetry and fantasy novels. His first experience of being recognised as a creative person was as an 8-year-old school boy. In this episode of the Abeceder work life balance podcast Rest and Recreation Aaron explains to Michael Millward how he created a way of life that is focused on expressi...

Rick DellaRatta , is a New York based jazz pianist, vocalist and composer. On the morning of September 9th 2001, he witnessed the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre from the roof of the five-storey walk-up apartment building that he lived in. Rick felt compelled to commit his thoughts to paper in the form of a poem entitled Jazz for Peace . Since that day Rick has focused on trying to live...

Caroline Sposto , is the author of Savvy Survival… for women starting over alone later in life. It is a fast-moving inspirational playbook to empower and inspire women who find themselves suddenly single. It is the book that Caroline wished she had been able to read when her husband left, and she found herself suddenly single. In this episode of the Abeceder work life balance podcast Rest and Recr...

Dr. Roxanne Daleo is a renowned clinician, leader, and pioneer in Health Psychology, is passionate about helping children discover their inner resources and realize their own self-worth. A specialist in Paediatric Stress Management, specializing in working experiencing anxious situations, and coaching their parents. In this episode of the Abeceder work life balance podcast Rest and Recreation Dr D...

Patrick Boylan is a professional pianist and a founder of Muselow an App that promises to get people playing piano in seven minutes. In this episode of the Abeceder work life balance podcast Rest and Recreation Patrick tells host Michael Millward about being a professional pianist in Los Angeles California USA. That freelance career was only possible because of the unconventional way in which Patr...

For many people outside the Middle East the Israel Defence Force (IDF) is just the name of Israel’s army, that they hear on the TV News. But the IDF is a very different army to those of other western countries. Whilst other armies have permanent troops, Israel has an army that is staffed by people like Noam Markose. As well as being an officer in the IDF, Noam is also a company director and a fath...

Everyone has a book in them. For some people it is a novel, but for an increasing number of professionals it is a non-fiction book. It is not just independent professional consultants, increasing numbers of in-house professionals are writing a book. Whilst the idea may sound very appealing, the reality is far from easy. The list of challenges that must be addressed before the presses start rolling...

Paul Tyer was a hobby modeller who turned a hobby into a living when he founded Peedie Models. He now lives in Orkney. In this episode of Rest and Recreation Paul explains to Michael Millward the managing director of Abeceder and host of Rest and Recreation how he became a professional modeller. They discuss how other people can get involved. For more information about Paul Tyer and Peedie Models...

One of the growing trends in leisure travel is the increasing interest in slow travel. In this episode of the Rest and Recreation, the work life balance podcast produced by Abeceder host Michael Millward meets Gemma Perry, the Holiday Fixer . Gemma explains that the term slow travel can be interpreted in different ways by different parts of the travel industry. They discuss what has created the in...

For every aspect of the way any and every organisation large or small operates there is a system. A way of doing things properly so that standards can be maintained, objectives achieved, and customers satisfied. They are the result of lots of big brains and spending big budgets on lots of research and testing. So, what would happen if you transferred those systems out of the world of work and impl...

Milan Schwarzkopf was a hard-working IT project manager who applied his professional skills to planning his retirement. The outcome is his Amazon bestselling book, How to Live Your Best Third Act. In this episode of the Abeceder work life balance podcast Rest and Recreation Milan Schwarzkopf explains to host Michael Millward the four essential elements of a successful retirement. During his conver...

Carl Klein has the travel bug. Rather than simply collecting destinations Carl is an adventurer who spends time living off the usual tourist routes, immersing himself in local communities and cultures As those communities developed confidence in him, they started to share their joys and fears with Carl. Carl learnt that one of the fears of local crafts people was that they worried that they would...

This episode of Rest and Recreation is ideal listening for anyone who is interested in learning how to paint or in learning more about the creative process which guest Anjl Rodee describes as ‘Arting’. Anjl Rodee is the founder of Brushcapades an online creative studio that hosts virtual art classes. Anjl tells host Michael Millward that too many people believe that they cannot paint, or draw. Eve...

Joanna Barbollo enjoys wine, not just as an accompaniment to a meal, but exploring wine, learning about the different varieties and production techniques, and sharing what she learns. As Joanna explains to Michael Millward there is much more to a glass wine than simply a great accompaniment to a meal. Wine has history, character and for Joanna wine can evoke memories and emotions that fuel her ima...

Fibre art is any fine art that uses natural or synthetic fibre, fabric or yarn to create an item that can be displayed, used or worn. There are says Sarazen Anyin more than fifty different fibre arts from sewing to Nålebinding. In this episode of podcast Rest and Recreation, Sarazen describes her introduction to fibre arts with embroidery, and how that initial interest became a passion and then a...

Creating Parent and Child Micro-Moments of Joy and Memories – a conversation with author Bitsy Kemper. With over twenty books published Bitsy Kemper is a prolific children’s author. In her latest book, her first for grown-ups, Bitsy has created a five minute a day devotional journal to help mothers create micro moments of joy and happiness. Mommy & Me Micro-Moments: A 5-Minute a Day Devotional...

Finding Common Ground, especially with teenagers – a conversation with author Henrik Wilenus Parenting a teenager can involve walking an emotional tight rope as you try to help them manage the changing times of adolescence. In this episode of the Abeceder work life balance podcast Rest and Recreation Henrik Wilenus the author of the Rise Up trilogy of coming-of-age novels explains using examples f...