Adventures in a (mainly) Wonderful World
February 2025 - 'Hola' from the Dominican Republic - including news of a wedding, a mountain, and a belly full of plantain!
Dear Fabulous Friends
Hola! From Santo Domingo – the capital of the Dominican Republic. And if you’re thinking: where’s that? It’s a country on the island of Hispaniola which shares a land border with Haiti and sits between Cuba and Puerto Rico. It became the first Spanish colony in the Americas – after Christopher Columbus landed here in 1492 – and declared its independence in 1844. But that’s enough history (for me anyway). I’m more excited by the fact that it’s home to the highest mountain in the Caribbean (Pico Duarte); has great cocktails and cuisine (especially if you love plantain) and has just hosted the wedding of the year (FYI, not mine).
Last Saturday, Tracey – my former and much cherished PA and member of my ‘Lyric Family’ , turned dearest friend and B&B Family – got married to Sudeep who she met two years ago whilst travelling round central America. She’s British. He’s Canadian. And in scenes reminiscent of a blockbusting midlife Rom-Com, no less than 70 of their friends and family travelled from all over the world to share the day with them. Check out my insta-reel with my 20 favourite photos if, like me, you’re a sucker for wedding-wonderful:
Of course, me being me, as soon as the wedding location was announced, googled: ‘What’s the highest mountain in the Dominican Republic?’ And after the beach celebrations, I travelled north to the centre of the island to undertake the hike to the top of Pico Duarte which stands at just over 3,000 metres. Not technical but tough, and it proved quite the adventure when on summit night my ‘supposed’ guide disappeared ahead of me on his mule leaving me alone in pitch black rainforest shouting ‘Hola! Hola!’ into the darkness…And if you want to hear more about that tale, then you’ll just have to come over and join my paid community on Substack (AKA my Big & Brave Family) where I’ll be sharing the full story next week…
Once a month I offer a limited-time 75% discount offer on paid subscription. So here it is available until the end of February if you want to join us on the summit!
I’m hugely happy, as well as grateful, that my Big & Brave Substack Family is steadily growing. More and more writers and creatives are making their home on the platform. And by joining my community you will be supporting my work in the world, and will also get access to all the treasure on my island-on-the-internet, including:
Confidential access to my most raw & vulnerable thoughts and writing – such as my recent posts ‘I am Inadequate’ and ‘Miracles Withheld’ – which are currently topping the charts for my most popular posts on Substack. Not just this year but ever. Maybe next week’s post will be one of these? Maybe the time has come to say a little more about machismo / misogyny in the mountains… It's not the first time I've experienced it. Have you read Save Me From The Waves? But it's ok, I'm big and brave, my shit is my superpower. I reached the summit. And Chomolungma - Goddess of the World - looked after me (again).
And on the subject of ‘Shit’, you’ll get invited to The Shit into Superpower Sessions and a chance to become part of my ‘Action Learning Group’ who are working with me on my new and emerging ‘Your Shit is Your Superpower Project’. Throughout this year, I am hosting a series of exclusive monthly online sessions with my key collaborator and friend Dr Tara Lal as we develop a framework for turning struggles into strengths. It’s a way of sharing what you know with us, whilst also benefiting from the wisdom of an amazing collective of people (because I am an official collector of amazing people). And you’ll be contributing to a new cross-generational book / workshop programme / movement. The next session is this coming Wednesday at 8pm UK time (I’ll still be in DR so I’ll flash you some Caribbean beach, maybe even a humpback whale given that I’ll shortly be heading to Cayo Levantado where it’s breeding season). If you subscribe, I’ll send you the link to sign up to this week’s session or receive the recording afterwards as well as all the previous posts and videos we’ve made so you can catch up. Latecomers will always be admitted to this ‘Shit-Show’! So if you’re up for writing your ‘Shit List’, and excavating ‘The Shit that sits within Your Shit’ and shaking your ‘Shit Sensations’ then join us. This week we’ll be discussing ‘The Shift’ (the moment when you finally realise that moving on from your shit is less painful than staying in it) and then we’ll be stepping onto ‘The Shape of Change’ – and all of this will help craft your own ‘Superpower Story’ (because we’ve got to make ourselves the Superhero of our own life in case no one else does it for us). So what are you waiting for? More alliteration?
And if all that wasn’t enough you’ll also get my current calendly link for an opportunity to meet in person or on zoom for a coffee and a chat, or even go on a micro-adventure together…
And apropos going on adventures with me, there’s still time and space for everyone to book for:
Save Me From The Waves: The Adventure Retreat, Formentera 2025
This May I’ll be heading to Ibizia’s idyllic little island sister to host my first week-long Adventure Retreat – a magical creative journey from sea to summit. We’ve had so much interest in the Retreats and lots of questions too so I thought I’d share some of the most frequently asked ones:
Who’s the Retreat for?
It's for people who've been through stuff - big stuff, little stuff, all the stuff!
It's for people who want to stop getting knocked down by life's waves - or at least learn how to swim in them.
It's for people who are ready to dive into an adventure toward a bigger, braver, more beautiful life on this incredible planet.
Do I need to be a good swimmer? Do I have to climb a mountain?
No! We might encourage you to climb out of your comfort zone (as all great adventures do) but we will never throw you in at the deep end (unless you ask us to!).
Do I need to be creative?
Trust me - everyone’s creative. If you like words and music, you’ll love this. I promise we won’t make you dance or draw – although you might want to!
Will it be emotional?
Well, that’s up to you. But I’m not very good at small talk. I’m good at big and brave talk. At the inaugural retreat there were tears, as well as so much laughter (sometimes at the same time). Personally, I believe a combination of sorrow and joy makes for the most impactful adventure, as well as a wonderful life. I promise you that it will be life-affirming and make you feel truly ALIVE.
If any of this sounds like it could be what you need right now and you want to do something amazing this May– you’ll find all the details here.
And here’s our Retreat Mantra:
An adventure will always change your life for the better. So come as you are. On your own, or with friends. The people who join us are the right people. The time that you choose to come is the right time. Trust your instinct on whether it’s the right time for you. And you’ll be exactly where you need to be, with the right people.
Unique, unforgettable, it could up-end your life (in a good way). Here’s what some of our inaugural retreaters have said:
"I'm realising I've changed inside. Changed into a more confident, powerful person. It was sublime." Annie, Adventure Retreater, Scotland 2024
"Wow, what a journey - I will never ever forget this trip" Jo, Adventure Retreater, Scotland 2024
And Finally, some more Adventure Inspiration!
Last year, I was super proud to be made an official Ambassador for ‘AdventureMind’ founded by the brilliant Belinda Kirk – author of the superb book Adventure Revolution. Our aim is to promote the mental health benefits of all types of adventure – big and small. Because - it’s official - adventure is good for you. There are now over 200 psychological studies exploring its impact. Do watch Belinda’s recently released TED talk on the power of adventure to change your life (see below). And if you know someone who you think would benefit from going on an adventure but needs financial or mentoring support to do so, please check out and share details of The AdventureMind Grant https://www.adventuremind.org/grant Closing date 16th March!
That’s all for this month – time for a Margarita (strong please, lots of salt, not too much ice) with some plantain chips – ah, so so nice!
PS. If you’ve read all the way down to here - thank you! Do leave a comment or message me direct as it’s always lovely to hear that I’m not writing into a void. Or just press the ‘like button’ as that makes this post soar up the Substack charts and helps more people find adventure inspiration.
Always something on offer and all so interesting & inspiring ❤️
Having just watched the Laura Kuenssberg show on BBC one and talk of cutting back spending on mental health and anxiety to support defence spending - it feels even more important for us all to be active in being big and brave and taking on adventures big or small to be more resilient and get the best out of our life. And Jessica lots of inspiration in your piece 💖