Adventures in a (mainly) Wonderful World

March 2025 - Saving Your Life | Women & Weight | Shit into Superpower | & only two places remaining on my May Adventure Retreat

Dear Fabulous Friends

I hope you’ve been adventuring. I have – of course! I’ve recently got back from a week on Lanzarote. And – fanfare – I can now officially announce that I am a certified BEACH LIFEGUARD! This means that if you come on one of my new Adventure Retreats, I can LITERALLY ‘save you from the waves’ – if you need me to. Pamela Anderson eat your heart out!

Check out the insta reel of me and my life-saving training buddies here:

jessica_hepburn_

A post shared by @jessica_hepburn_

Sadly though I am not Pamela Anderson (even in her make-up-free fifties – and doesn’t she look amazing?!) And although I’m proud of my achievement – I have to say the training and assessment was tough and brought up a lot of demons for me. My Big & Brave Substack Family already know because I wrote about it candidly last Sunday in one of my ‘Something Raw & Vulnerable Posts’ – which I keep behind paywall. I had such a remarkable response to the piece that it’s jumped to the top of the leader board of my most popular posts. So if you want to know ‘my truth’ become a member of my B&B family over the next 48 hours with this 75% discount offer (that’s just £12.50 a year / £1.25 a month with the discount) – it’s where you’ll find all the treasure on my island-on-the-internet.

Suffice to say - the photo above begins to sum it up. Me in a pink swimsuit aged 18 (in Indonesia on my gap year). Me in a pink swimsuit aged 54 (in Lanzarote in 2025). To be honest I didn’t like my body back then so on one level nothing’s really changed. And the remarkable response I’ve had to last week’s post has made me think I’ve got to write more about the shit that women feel about their weight and fitness – even when they live amazingly big & brave adventurous lives like I do. And even when food is their joy and joy is their priority, as it is for me. In fact, since I wrote my book 21 Miles many people have said to me: why did so few of the women you met with eat with you? (the premise of the book is me writing to 21 famous women to ask them to meet and eat with me, to help me get fat to swim the English Channel, and answer the question – does motherhood make you happy?) My simple answer to that has always been – well, that’s women and their relationship with food for you. But I think the time might have come to try and unpack my own schizophrenic relationship with it a little bit more.

In fact, we will start to touch on this at the next ‘Shit Into Superpower (SIS) Session’ which takes place on Zoom this coming Wednesday 26 March at 8pm UK Time. Everyone who is part of my paid Substack community are also invited to become part of my action learning group of fabulous people who are working with me and my dear friend Dr Tara Lal on a new book / workshop programme / movement called ‘Your Shit is Your Superpower’. We are really getting shit done now, and I’m loving it! This coming week we’ll be stepping onto ‘The Shape of Change’ starting with the most important transition - see and be seen! (Join my B&B Family now and I’ll send you Wednesday’s sign up details!) It’s never too late to begin working with us, and you’ll also get all the previous posts and session links.

I’ve had some extraordinary emails over the last month from people who are starting to feel that they really are turning their shit into superpower in all sorts of ways, as well as going on adventures they’d never dreamed of taking. It makes me feel we’re all on a journey together that’s going somewhere good so if you’re going through any sort of stuff right now, or want to really explore the stuff you’ve been through in the past and work out ‘the shits that shaped you’ – come over and join us.

Two Places Left for The Adventure Retreat in Formentera this May!

And talking of adventures – there are just two places remaining for Save Me From The Waves: The Adventure Retreat in Formentera in May. Come join me and a wonderful group of women (we have people coming in their 30s, 40s, 50s & 60s) who have been through shits of all shapes and sizes, and believe in the transformational power of the arts and nature. We’ll be adventuring on land and water and exploring our inner worlds too. It’s a glorious chance to make yourself the hero of your own life’s adventure (because frankly who the f*** else will?)

And meet my gorgeous Retreat Co-hosts – if you haven’t already:

Alice Todd – Co-Founder of SwimQuest Holidays – mum of twin toddler boys, and twin husky girls. Swimmer, runner, cyclist. DJ, colour-obsessed-artist and brilliant writer of the Substack ‘Adventures in Wonderland’ In fact there’s basically no end to this wonder-woman’s talents. We were in Lanzarote together – read her beautiful version of the experience here as well as her piece on our inaugural Adventure Retreat in Scotland last December.

Caroline Stafford – Founder of The Kitsch Hen biscuit bakery which she established during her (unrequited) pursuit of motherhood. We’re ‘Fertility Family’ – read Caroline’s story in a guest post she wrote for the broadcaster Emma Barnett’s Substack newsletter. She’s also a Health Coach and Yoga Teacher and writes a beautiful Substack too called ‘Seeking Silver Linings’ . In fact do check out her latest post about how ‘An adventure is always a good idea’ including details of how she joined the Adventure Retreat team with me and Alice. Caroline is one of the most thoughtful and thought-full people I know, and her sunrise stretch and restorative yin yoga sessions will be beachside bliss I can promise you!

Caroline on the left, Alice on the right

Both Alice and Caroline are younger than me, fitter than me (and, yes, thinner than me too although I bet I can stay in the water longer in skins - that’s the benefit of a bit of human padding for you!). But they are my SOUL SISTERS. Right now we’re on this journey of life together – in all its joy and all its sorrow. So come and join us in Formentera for a unique and unforgettable adventure which might just be the magic you need. Last two places remaining!

Me in the middle, which I’ve learnt is the slimmest place to have your photo taken - hahaha - but true!

That’s it for this month - see you in April when I hope to have not just one but TWO very exciting announcements to make! Stay tuned!

PS. It hasn’t escaped me that the name of my Substack account ‘With Love from Jessica Hepburn’ is the same as Meghan Markle’s Netflix series. I figure I was here first so it’s ok to keep it. I haven’t watched ‘With love, Meghan’ but I hear that it isn’t universally liked. Tbh I do feel for her because so many of us just want our work in the world to be valued and validated, and it’s hard when it feels like it isn’t. So if you’ve read down to here and liked it, it would mean a lot to me if you could give this post a heart, a comment or send me a message because it’s always lovely to hear from you and, in the words of a man who has been lucky enough to have his work in the world largely lauded (winning a Nobel prize even!) - it ‘makes me feel your love’!