A Thought I Kept

Claire Fitzsimmons
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A Thought I Kept is a podcast about the ideas that stay with us, long after we’ve forgotten the rest. In each episode, a guest shares the one thought that shaped their life — the one they couldn’t let go of, and maybe you won’t either.

  1. When You’re Here and Not Quite Here with Cathy Rentzenbrink

    5일 전

    When You’re Here and Not Quite Here with Cathy Rentzenbrink

    There are days when you’re here, fully in your life, in your conversations, in the small, ordinary moments, and days when part of you feels somewhere else entirely. That's what I get into with Cathy Rentzenbrink this week. We explore what it means to live a life that feels both grounded and slightly unreal at the same time. We explore the tension between being present and being pulled elsewhere and how easy it is to lose sight of what’s right in front of us. We talk about anxiety and emotional overwhelm, about the loud pressures of modern life, and the small things that can tip us over the edge. We explore creativity as a way back to ourselves, reading as a kind of refuge, and the idea of “selfing” — trying to be who you are without turning that into another thing to get right. At the heart of the conversation is the thought Cathy has kept since childhood: that moment of realising how easily our attention can be pulled away from the people and lives we love, and how, in hindsight, we wish we had stayed closer to what mattered. Cathy Rentzenbrink is an amiable bookworm, a writer of fiction and non-fiction who chairs literary events and speaks on life, death, love, and literature. She is best known for her memoir The Last Act of Love, as well as Dear Reader and Write It All Down. Unusually extravert for a writer, she likes talking to strangers, is a lover not a fighter, and is determined to cling onto her faith in humanity. Twice divorced, she lives in Cornwall with her son and cat. She has been extremely keen on Agatha Christie since she was nine years old and her next book The Agatha Christie Cure will be out in September.  Instagram | Website | Cathy's Sunday Sessions: A monthly work-out for your writing self | Books by Cathy | Also mentioned: Dr Gavin Francis: The Unfragile Mind Support the show This is A Thought I Kept — Weekly conversations about the ideas that stay. Listen every Monday morning for a new thought to hold onto this week, especially when the world feels overwhelming. About Claire Fitzsimmons Claire is the host of A Thought I Kept, a wellbeing writer and the co-founder of If Lost Start Here, a company on a mission to get people to a better place, sometimes literally. As an ICF Associate Certified Coach and a certified Emotions Coach Practitioner, Claire helps women navigate the everyday lost moments of their lives and all the feelings, from anxiety to grief, overwhelm to loneliness. For personal coaching, reach out to Claire here. Like what you heard? Subscribe, rate or review this podcast. Follow on Instagram. Sign up for our newsletter. Shop Season 1 poster For full video episodes become a member on Substack at MoreGoodDays. Made with Descript & ...

    1시간 7분
  2. How We Learn to Trust Things Will Be OK with Tanya Lynch

    4월 20일

    How We Learn to Trust Things Will Be OK with Tanya Lynch

    In this episode, I talk to Tanya Lynch about hope, resilience, and the ways we hold ourselves through change. We explore what it means to believe that things will be OK, not as a forced positive mindset, but as something lived and felt over time. Through stories of heartbreak, midlife, motherhood, and starting again, Tanya shares how this trust has been shaped not just by ease, but by everything she’s had to move through. We talk about the emotional reality of life’s harder seasons—grief, uncertainty, anxiety—and how those experiences can sit alongside beauty, connection, and even moments of calm. There’s something here about being in nature, about looking up instead of down, about the small, everyday ways we find steadiness again. We also explore journaling, creativity, and the spaces Tanya creates through her retreats, where women can feel held, seen, and a little lighter. Tanya Lynch is a mother, a ridgeback owner and the founder of Ease Retreats. Tanya collaborates with authors and creatives, hosting retreats in beautiful venues across the UK. A year ago she became a certified bibliotherapist offering book prescriptions and launched The Bibliotherapists podcast with her co-host Toni Jones. Tanya is also a therapeutic journalling coach and through her programme ‘Rage on a Page’, she helps midlife women channel their emotions into something more positive and creative in less than 60 days. Each Thursday Tanya hosts an online journalling club ‘Journal with Ease’. She’s usually near a beach walking the dogs, hosting retreats, writing in her journal or hanging out on Substack. Website | Instagram at Ease Retreats and Tanya Lynch If you’re in a moment that feels uncertain, or you’re learning how to trust yourself again, this is a great episode for you. Support the show This is A Thought I Kept — Weekly conversations about the ideas that stay. Listen every Monday morning for a new thought to hold onto this week, especially when the world feels overwhelming. About Claire Fitzsimmons Claire is the host of A Thought I Kept, a wellbeing writer and the co-founder of If Lost Start Here, a company on a mission to get people to a better place, sometimes literally. As an ICF Associate Certified Coach and a certified Emotions Coach Practitioner, Claire helps women navigate the everyday lost moments of their lives and all the feelings, from anxiety to grief, overwhelm to loneliness. For personal coaching, reach out to Claire here. Like what you heard? Subscribe, rate or review this podcast. Follow on Instagram. Sign up for our newsletter. Shop Season 1 poster For full video episodes become a member on Substack at MoreGoodDays. Made with Descript & ...

    1시간
  3. When Trying is Enough with Imogen Partridge

    4월 13일

    When Trying is Enough with Imogen Partridge

    What if trying — in your work, your parenting, your creativity — was already enough? There are time when it can feel like you’re doing everything you can, and still wondering if it’s enough. The days where you’re holding work, parenting, and life all at once, trying to build something, care for others, and look after your own mental health in the middle of it all. In this episode, I talk to Imogen Partridge about what it means to try, and how we begin to recognise that effort as enough. We explore the emotional weight of trying — how it can go unseen in busy lives, especially in motherhood, business, and everyday wellbeing — and how powerful it can be to pause and give ourselves credit for it. We talk about creativity as a practical wellbeing tool rather than something reserved for artists — a way to regulate emotions, ease anxiety, and reconnect with yourself. Imogen shares what she’s seen in her creative workshops, where people often arrive believing they’re “not creative,” and what shifts when they allow themselves to begin anyway. We also explore how creativity can sit alongside other mental health practices — from walking and journaling to community and conversation — as part of a more personal, flexible approach to wellbeing. This conversation is for anyone who is looking for more ways to support your mental health, reconnect with creativity, or navigate the overlap between work, parenting, and wellbeing. Imogen Partridge is a watercolour illustrator and creative workshop host based in the UK. Before illustration, she spent over a decade as an interior designer, a background that shaped her belief that creativity is a tool for storytelling, connection, and meaning. She now works with both individuals and businesses, running workshops for corporate teams and events, and creating live illustration and bespoke commissions. She's also a mum of two, keen (but chaotic) allotmenteer and currently training for the London Marathon in aid of Mind. Website | Instagram | Linkedin | Substack | Photo of Imogen was taken by Support the show This is A Thought I Kept — Weekly conversations about the ideas that stay. Listen every Monday morning for a new thought to hold onto this week, especially when the world feels overwhelming. About Claire Fitzsimmons Claire is the host of A Thought I Kept, a wellbeing writer and the co-founder of If Lost Start Here, a company on a mission to get people to a better place, sometimes literally. As an ICF Associate Certified Coach and a certified Emotions Coach Practitioner, Claire helps women navigate the everyday lost moments of their lives and all the feelings, from anxiety to grief, overwhelm to loneliness. For personal coaching, reach out to Claire here. Like what you heard? Subscribe, rate or review this podcast. Follow on Instagram. Sign up for our newsletter. Shop Season 1 poster For full video episodes become a member on Substack at MoreGoodDays. Made with Descript & ...

    59분
  4. Why Life Feels Better When We Do It Together with Laurence McCahill

    4월 6일

    Why Life Feels Better When We Do It Together with Laurence McCahill

    There’s something that changes when we stop doing life on our own. Maybe that's an idea that only makes sense once it’s shared, a feeling that softens when someone else is there to hear it, or the magic that comes from being a room of likeminded people singing Queen. In this episode, I talk to Laurence McCahill about connection in its most everyday form and what it means to gather, to listen, and to create spaces where people can be themselves. We explore why life can feel lighter, clearer, and more alive when we do it together, and why so many of us are quietly craving that kind of connection now. We talk about friendship across decades, the difference between being around people and truly connecting with them, and the subtle shift from doing things alone to letting other people in. There’s something here too about midlife — about reaching a point where success or productivity matter less, and being with the right people matters more. Laurence shares the thought he has kept: that he is the glue that brings people together. Not by being the loudest voice in the room, but by listening, noticing, and helping others feel at ease. It opens up a wider question of how we each bring people together in our own lives, often without even realising it. This episode is for anyone wanting more connection in their lives and hoping for places where it might be found. Laurence McCahill is co-founder of The Happy Startup School, an alternative business school and thriving community of purpose-driven entrepreneurs and leaders. He's a designer, coach and community builder, and the creative force behind their legendary gatherings Summercamp and Alptitude. He spends much of year mentoring founders towards a more fulfilling path on their flagship Happy MBA program. The Happy Startup School | Summercamp | Alptitude | Happy MBA LinkedIn Laurence also mentioned How To Know a Person by David Brooks and we talk about Support the show This is A Thought I Kept — Weekly conversations about the ideas that stay. Listen every Monday morning for a new thought to hold onto this week, especially when the world feels overwhelming. About Claire Fitzsimmons Claire is the host of A Thought I Kept, a wellbeing writer and the co-founder of If Lost Start Here, a company on a mission to get people to a better place, sometimes literally. As an ICF Associate Certified Coach and a certified Emotions Coach Practitioner, Claire helps women navigate the everyday lost moments of their lives and all the feelings, from anxiety to grief, overwhelm to loneliness. For personal coaching, reach out to Claire here. Like what you heard? Subscribe, rate or review this podcast. Follow on Instagram. Sign up for our newsletter. Shop Season 1 poster For full video episodes become a member on Substack at MoreGoodDays. Made with Descript & ...

    55분
  5. When Grief Changes You But Doesn’t Define You with Rachel Hart-Phillips

    3월 30일

    When Grief Changes You But Doesn’t Define You with Rachel Hart-Phillips

    In this episode, I talk to Rachel Hart-Phillips about grief, suicide, and what it means to be there for someone in the hardest moments of their life. We explore that quiet, often uncomfortable space where words feel inadequate and yet, where they can matter most. We talk about the fear of saying the wrong thing, the silence that can grow around loss and mental health, and how even the simplest gestures — a message, a card, a “love you mate” — can open a door. Rachel shares her experience of losing her first husband to suicide, and the thought she has carried with her since: don’t let it define you. Together, we explore what that looks like in real life and over time. This is a conversation about the many emotions that sit inside grief — anger, guilt, love, even moments of joy — and how they move through the body. We touch on how we support each other when someone is struggling, what it means to stay rather than fix, and how we begin to trust that life can hold both loss and aliveness at once. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering what to say, or how to show up for someone you love, this episode is for you. Rachel Hart-Phillips is the Co-Founder of LoveLossDiscoballs, a vibrant greetings card company creating colourful, honest messages of comfort for people navigating grief and all of life's moments. She is also the founder of Afterglow Grief Coaching, where she supports people through loss, including those impacted by suicide loss, and the complex realities of grief with compassion and lived experience. Rachel is passionate about suicide prevention, open conversations, and firmly believes that even in the darkest moments, life can still hold colour and light.  Instagram at @lovelossdiscoballs and @theafterglowspace Support the show This is A Thought I Kept — Weekly conversations about the ideas that stay. Listen every Monday morning for a new thought to hold onto this week, especially when the world feels overwhelming. About Claire Fitzsimmons Claire is the host of A Thought I Kept, a wellbeing writer and the co-founder of If Lost Start Here, a company on a mission to get people to a better place, sometimes literally. As an ICF Associate Certified Coach and a certified Emotions Coach Practitioner, Claire helps women navigate the everyday lost moments of their lives and all the feelings, from anxiety to grief, overwhelm to loneliness. For personal coaching, reach out to Claire here. Like what you heard? Subscribe, rate or review this podcast. Follow on Instagram. Sign up for our newsletter. Shop Season 1 poster For full video episodes become a member on Substack at MoreGoodDays. Made with Descript & ...

    53분
  6. Making Space for All That We Feel with Dr MaryCatherine McDonald

    3월 23일

    Making Space for All That We Feel with Dr MaryCatherine McDonald

    In this episode, I talk to Dr MaryCatherine McDonald about what it means to make space for all that we feel, especially the emotions we’ve been taught to push away. We explore anxiety, grief, joy, and all the ways our nervous system tries to protect us, even when it leaves us bracing against life rather than living it. MaryCatherine shares how her understanding of emotions shifted from something to manage or control, to something to sit with and relate to. We talk about anticipated loss, the way fear can interrupt connection, and why joy isn’t something we reach after the hard parts, but something that often arrives in the middle of them. We mention The Guest House by Rumi, Leslie Jamison’s The Empathy Exams, and MaryCatherine’s books The Joy Reset and Unbroken. Dr. MaryCatherine McDonald is a trauma researcher, author, and educator who has spent nearly two decades helping people reframe the way they understand grief, resilience, and joy. With a PhD in philosophy and a knack for turning complex neurobiological concepts into practical tools (and surprisingly good metaphors), she’s made it her mission to help people find light in the darkest moments. Dr. McDonald has written four books, many academic papers, delivered countless workshops, and created an online community where members geek out about trauma and joy.   Website | Tik Tok | Support the show This is A Thought I Kept — Weekly conversations about the ideas that stay. Listen every Monday morning for a new thought to hold onto this week, especially when the world feels overwhelming. About Claire Fitzsimmons Claire is the host of A Thought I Kept, a wellbeing writer and the co-founder of If Lost Start Here, a company on a mission to get people to a better place, sometimes literally. As an ICF Associate Certified Coach and a certified Emotions Coach Practitioner, Claire helps women navigate the everyday lost moments of their lives and all the feelings, from anxiety to grief, overwhelm to loneliness. For personal coaching, reach out to Claire here. Like what you heard? Subscribe, rate or review this podcast. Follow on Instagram. Sign up for our newsletter. Shop Season 1 poster For full video episodes become a member on Substack at MoreGoodDays. Made with Descript & ...

    52분
  7. How We Break Free from Alcohol with Ellie Nova

    3월 16일

    How We Break Free from Alcohol with Ellie Nova

    Sometimes the things we reach for to cope slowly become the things we feel trapped by. A glass of wine at the end of a long day. Something to take the edge off anxiety. Something that promises connection, relaxation, or a moment of relief from the noise of everyday life. In this week’s episode of A Thought I Kept, I talk to sober coach, sober mentor, and writer Ellie Nova about our relationship with alcohol, emotions, and the stories many of us carry about coping. Ellie shares the thought that changed everything for her: there is nothing wrong with you. For years she believed that struggling with alcohol meant she was broken. But through a different way of understanding addiction, emotions, and self-compassion, she began to see something else entirely. Not a personal failure, but a human response to pain, loneliness, and the ways many of us learn to numb what we feel. Together we explore why alcohol can become intertwined with everyday emotional life from anxiety and overwhelm to loneliness, shame, and the longing to belong. We talk about the cultural stories that tell us drinking helps us relax, connect, and cope, and what happens when those stories start to feel less true. About Ellie Nova: Ellie is a sober coach, sober mentor, writer and mother who lives in Lewes, East Sussex. In 2018, after more than a decade feeling trapped by alcohol and full of shame, she discovered a radical new approach to recovery that changed her life. Now six years free from alcohol - with no desire to drink - Ellie supports courageous women to reclaim their power and break free from alcohol for good.  Website | Substack | Instagram | Women's sobriety support circle  Show notes: This Naked Mind — by Annie Grace The Little Book of Big Change — by Amy Johnson Alcohol Explained — by William Porter The Biology of Desire — by Marc Lewis Support the show This is A Thought I Kept — Weekly conversations about the ideas that stay. Listen every Monday morning for a new thought to hold onto this week, especially when the world feels overwhelming. About Claire Fitzsimmons Claire is the host of A Thought I Kept, a wellbeing writer and the co-founder of If Lost Start Here, a company on a mission to get people to a better place, sometimes literally. As an ICF Associate Certified Coach and a certified Emotions Coach Practitioner, Claire helps women navigate the everyday lost moments of their lives and all the feelings, from anxiety to grief, overwhelm to loneliness. For personal coaching, reach out to Claire here. Like what you heard? Subscribe, rate or review this podcast. Follow on Instagram. Sign up for our newsletter. Shop Season 1 poster For full video episodes become a member on Substack at MoreGoodDays. Made with Descript & ...

    59분
  8. How to Find Beauty in Everyday Life with Josephine Dolan-Dufourd

    3월 9일

    How to Find Beauty in Everyday Life with Josephine Dolan-Dufourd

    What if the way to feel better isn’t about doing more but learning how to notice what’s already here? In this episode, I talk with occupational therapist Josephine Dolan-Dufourd about what it means to find beauty in everyday life, especially when you're not quite where you thought you'd be. We explore burnout, the pressure to keep producing, and the curious way our attention can get pulled away from the lives we are actually living. Josephine reflects on her years working in forensic psychiatry, the moment she realised she was burned out, and the unexpected shift that came from leaving London and rebuilding a life in rural France. Along the way we talk about the neuroscience of attention, why our brains are wired to look for the negative, and how small acts of noticing — a cup of coffee, a walk outside, the quiet satisfaction of meaningful work — can slowly reshape how we experience everyday life. We even get into the limits of happiness culture. Josephine shares why she now thinks more about contentment than constant positivity, and how living with illness, uncertainty, and change can sharpen our appreciation for the ordinary moments we often overlook. If you’ve been feeling the pull to slow down, pay attention, and find a steadier way to live well, this conversation offers a good place to begin. Josephine Dolan-Dufourd is a British-trained and French-registered Occupational Therapist (ergothérapeute)—a profession defined by the use of purposeful activity, or “ the art of meaningful doing,” as a therapeutic tool to helping individuals to live a life of value, meaning and purpose. Based near Pézenas in the south of France, Josephine blends 26 years of eclectic experience to run a local clinic for children and their families, alongside a specialised practice in English providing online support for those navigating Cancer and Parkinson’s. She also serves as the In-house Therapist for heiter magazine and its community, The Heiter Society, where she hosts online workshops helping adults find joy and intentionality in their daily lives. Website  Support the show This is A Thought I Kept — Weekly conversations about the ideas that stay. Listen every Monday morning for a new thought to hold onto this week, especially when the world feels overwhelming. About Claire Fitzsimmons Claire is the host of A Thought I Kept, a wellbeing writer and the co-founder of If Lost Start Here, a company on a mission to get people to a better place, sometimes literally. As an ICF Associate Certified Coach and a certified Emotions Coach Practitioner, Claire helps women navigate the everyday lost moments of their lives and all the feelings, from anxiety to grief, overwhelm to loneliness. For personal coaching, reach out to Claire here. Like what you heard? Subscribe, rate or review this podcast. Follow on Instagram. Sign up for our newsletter. Shop Season 1 poster For full video episodes become a member on Substack at MoreGoodDays. Made with Descript & ...

    55분
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A Thought I Kept is a podcast about the ideas that stay with us, long after we’ve forgotten the rest. In each episode, a guest shares the one thought that shaped their life — the one they couldn’t let go of, and maybe you won’t either.

정보

  • 제작진
    Claire Fitzsimmons
  • 방송 연도
    2025년 - 2026년
  • 에피소드
    39
  • 등급
    무삭제판
  • 저작권
    © 2026 A Thought I Kept
  • 웹사이트 보기
    A Thought I Kept

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