Under the Moonlight with Penelope Willis

Penelope willis
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A gentle children's and family podcast by author Penelope Willis, featuring bedtime stories, read-alouds and calming emotional support. About love, family and the small moments that help us feel close, even when we’re far apart. Stories, soft parenting ideas and comforting reflections to settle the heart. If you’re looking for calm connection and warmth, you’re welcome here. We’re under the same moon. Hosted by children's author Penelope Willis, creator of 'Calming Stories for Little People.'

  1. 1d ago

    Who Tucks the Grown Ups In? | Under the Moonlight with Penelope Willis 🌛

    Who Tucks the Grown Ups In? Under the Moonlight with Penelope Willis When we were little, there was something wonderfully comforting about knowing somebody was still downstairs. The quiet footsteps, the clink of a cup, the familiar sounds of someone taking care of the everyday, so that we could simply close our eyes and sleep. But somewhere along the way, we become the person downstairs. In this gentle, comforting podcast episode, author Penelope Willis reflects on the invisible mental load of everyday life, the emotional responsibilities of caring for others, and the small acts of kindness that remind us we deserve to feel loved, noticed and looked after too. From an unexpected cup of tea to a thoughtful message arriving at just the right moment, this heartfelt reflection explores family relationships, emotional wellbeing, the quiet exhaustion of always being dependable, and the importance of feeling appreciated. For parents, grandparents, carers, and anyone who spends much of their life looking after everybody else, Who Tucks the Grown Ups In? is a warm and reassuring conversation about love, connection, everyday kindness and the comfort of knowing somebody is thinking of you. A soothing, reflective podcast episode to listen to at bedtime, during a quiet evening, or whenever you need a little comfort and reassurance. About Penelope Willis Penelope Willis is the author of comforting stories for children, reassuring quotes and gentle reflections for grown ups. Through her children's books, reflective writing and Under the Moonlight podcast, she shares words of kindness, emotional comfort, love and connection for little hearts and grown-up hearts alike. Discover Gentle Words Gentle Words is a beautifully illustrated collection of comforting quotes and gentle reflections on childhood, motherhood, family, love and the little moments that stay with us. Discover Gentle Words, children's books and more comforting writing by Penelope Willis: https://www.booksbypenelopewillis.co.uk/

  2. Oct 6

    What If We Stop Worrying What People Think? With Penelope Willis

    What if we stopped editing ourselves for people who may not even be thinking about us at all? In this gentle, conversational episode of Under the Moonlight, children’s author Penelope Willis explores something so many of us do without even realising it, worrying about what other people might think before we have even given ourselves the chance to decide what we think. We hold back an idea. We change what we were going to wear. We talk ourselves out of trying something new, sharing something we have made, going somewhere alone or admitting that we really want to do something, because somewhere in the background is that little question: But what will people think? Penelope reflects on the quiet ways we can make ourselves smaller for an imagined audience, and how strange it is that somebody else may see one tiny moment of our life while we are the ones who have to live the whole thing. There is room here for the messy, absent minded, thirty tabs open parts of us too, alongside the thoughtful, creative, serious ones. We do not have to become a tidier version of ourselves before we are allowed to take up space. In this episode, you’ll hear reflections on: • Why we sometimes judge ourselves before anyone else has had the chance • The things we quietly stop ourselves from wearing, saying, making or trying • How other people only ever see fragments of who we are • Giving ourselves permission to be beginners, change our minds and follow the things that interest us • What might happen if we kept a little more of ourselves instead of editing bits away 📖 Gentle Words If you enjoy Penelope’s gentle reflections on childhood, family, love and the ordinary moments that stay with us, you may also enjoy Gentle Words: Comforting Quotes on Childhood and Love by Penelope Willis. Explore Gentle Words on Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/03w8RA5N Or discover more about the book here: https://www.booksbypenelopewillis.co.uk/gentle-words-comforting-quotes-on-childhood-love 🌙 About Penelope Willis Penelope Willis is the author of comforting children’s books, gentle quotes and reflections for children and grown ups. Her work explores childhood, family, love and the ordinary moments we remember long after they have passed. Discover Penelope’s books, Under the Moonlight podcast and more at: www.booksbypenelopewillis.co.uk 🌙💛 Music by Andrii Hroza from Pixabay

    What If We Stop Worrying What People Think? With Penelope Willis

  3. Sep 22

    A Small Museum of Childhood | The Little Things We Keep and the Memories They Hold

    What if the smallest things we save are the ones that carry the most? In this warm storytelling episode of Under the Moonlight, children’s author Penelope Willis opens the door to an imaginary museum filled with the ordinary pieces of childhood that families cannot quite bring themselves to throw away. A small red welly. A drawing with somebody’s name written backwards. A first curl tucked carefully into an envelope. The tiny things may look unimportant to anyone else, but to the person who kept them, they hold an entire afternoon, a familiar little voice and a child who once fitted into the shoes. Along the way, you may hear childhood passing softly through the museum. Floorboards creaking. Small feet running along a hallway. Bathwater splashing onto the floor. A child laughing until the laugh becomes a hiccup. One question arriving before the last one has even been answered. This episode is for anyone who has ever opened a drawer and found something small that brought a whole part of their life rushing back. Because parents do not only keep things. They keep the child who once held them. In this episode, you’ll hear reflections on: • The little pieces of childhood we cannot part with • Why ordinary objects can hold such vivid memories • The familiar sounds that disappear as children grow • The strange and wonderful things parents save • Remembering the versions of our children who once filled our homes 📖 Gentle Words This episode shares its heart with Gentle Words: Comforting Quotes on Childhood and Love by Penelope Willis. Filled with illustrated reflections on childhood, motherhood, family and the small moments that stay with us, Gentle Words is a book to dip into whenever you feel like remembering, smiling or having a tiny cry into your cup of tea. Explore Gentle Words on Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/03w8RA5N Or discover more about the book here: https://www.booksbypenelopewillis.co.uk/gentle-words-comforting-quotes-on-childhood-love 🌙 About Penelope Willis Penelope Willis is the author of comforting children’s books, gentle quotes and reflections for children and grown ups. Her work explores childhood, family, love and the ordinary moments we remember long after they have passed. Discover Penelope’s books, Under the Moonlight podcast and more at: www.booksbypenelopewillis.co.uk 🌙💛

    A Small Museum of Childhood | The Little Things We Keep and the Memories They Hold

  4. Sep 9

    The Quiet Courage of Staying Soft

    What does it mean to stay gentle in a world that sometimes gives us every reason to become harder? In this warm and reflective episode of Under the Moonlight, children’s author Penelope Willis talks about kindness, boundaries and the quiet courage it can take to remain soft after disappointment, hurt or difficult seasons in our lives. We can sometimes mistake strength for toughness. We build walls, expect less and convince ourselves that caring deeply leaves us vulnerable. But staying soft does not mean accepting poor treatment or allowing other people to disturb our peace. You can say no. You can step away. You can protect your heart. And you can still choose to be kind. Penelope reflects on the people we remember because of how they made us feel, the small kindnesses whose impact we may never see, and why protecting our peace and keeping our gentleness can exist side by side. There is also space for the ordinary things that bring us back to ourselves. The sea. A favourite book. Fresh sheets. Rain against the window. A warm lamp on a dark evening. Small pieces of life that don't fix what hurts, but remind us that difficult things are never the whole picture. This episode is for anyone who has ever wondered whether caring less might make life easier, or whether it is possible to protect yourself without becoming someone you don't recognise. Because staying soft isn't weakness. Sometimes, it takes courage. In this episode, you'll hear reflections on: • Why softness and strength can belong together • Staying kind after disappointment or hurt • Protecting your peace without closing your heart • Setting boundaries while remaining true to yourself • Finding beauty in ordinary moments • The small acts of kindness we may never know mattered 🌙 About Penelope Willis Penelope Willis is the author of comforting children's books, reassuring quotes and reflections for children and grown ups. Her work explores childhood, kindness, family, emotional connection and the ordinary moments we so often remember most. Discover Penelope's books, Under the Moonlight podcast and more at: www.booksbypenelopewillis.co.uk⁠ 🌙💛

    The Quiet Courage of Staying Soft

  5. Aug 24

    The Things Our Worried Minds Can Say | Overthinking, Worry & Self Compassion

    Have you ever walked away from a perfectly ordinary conversation and then spent far too long wondering if you said the wrong thing? In this gentle and relatable episode of Under the Moonlight, children’s author Penelope Willis talks about overthinking, worried thoughts and the things our minds can tell us when we don’t quite know the whole story. Perhaps someone seemed a little quieter than usual. A message felt different somehow. We remember something we said and wonder whether it came out the way we meant it. Before long, our minds have begun filling in all the gaps for us. But how much of what we are worrying about do we actually know to be true? “Is that really true? Do I actually know that it is?” Sometimes the answer is yes. But very often, we simply don’t know. Penelope reflects on how easily we can replay conversations, second guess other people’s words and worry about what somebody might be thinking. For those of us with particularly thoughtful or worried minds, it can be surprisingly easy to assume the worst and somehow cast ourselves in the starring role of Person Who Has Definitely Done Something Wrong. And yet the story our mind creates is not necessarily the story that is actually happening. This episode explores the difference between what we know and what we have imagined, and how one small question can sometimes stop an uncertain thought from becoming something much bigger. It is not about never worrying, never reflecting or simply telling ourselves not to think about things. Sometimes reflection is useful. Sometimes conversations do need revisiting. It is simply about being a little gentler with ourselves when we don’t have all the answers. Because perhaps we don’t need to solve every silence, decipher every message or know exactly what somebody else is thinking. Sometimes we can allow what we know to be enough. In this episode, you’ll discover: • Why our minds fill in the gaps when we don’t have all the information • How easily we can replay and overanalyse conversations • Why worried minds can be quick to assume the worst • The difference between something we know and something we fear might be true • Gentle ways to step back from overthinking and worried thoughts • How self compassion can help when your mind won’t let something go • One simple question to remember: “Is that really true? Do I actually know that it is?” The Things Our Worried Minds Can Say is a warm, comforting podcast episode about overthinking, anxious thoughts, uncertainty, emotional wellbeing and self compassion. It is for anyone who has ever replayed a conversation, worried they have said the wrong thing or found themselves filling in the gaps when they don’t really know what somebody else is thinking. Because sometimes the kindest thing we can do for a worried mind is remind it that it doesn’t have to fill in every gap. About Penelope Willis Penelope Willis is the author of comforting children’s books, reassuring quotes and gentle reflections for families. Her stories celebrate childhood, emotional connection, kindness and the moments that matter most, helping children navigate life’s challenges with warmth and hope. Discover Penelope’s books, free resources, the Under the Moonlight podcast and more at: www.booksbypenelopewillis.co.uk 🌙💛 Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/patrick-rundblad/remember-this-moment License code: 4E9XO8L19CS9I08R

    The Things Our Worried Minds Can Say | Overthinking, Worry & Self Compassion

  6. Aug 10

    The Quiet Power of Kindness | What Would Kindness Do? Under the Moonlight with Penelope Willis

    What difference could a little more kindness make? In this gentle and heartfelt episode of Under the Moonlight, children’s author Penelope Willis reflects on the quiet power of kindness and the simple question she returns to whenever life feels difficult: “What would kindness do?” Kindness cannot remove every sadness, cure every illness or make every disagreement disappear. But it can soften the way difficult moments are carried. It can help somebody feel seen, make a painful conversation less hurtful and remind us that we do not have to face everything alone. Penelope explores how kindness often lives in the smallest choices: a softer voice, a thoughtful word, a moment of patience or the decision to look beyond someone’s behaviour and wonder what they may be feeling underneath. Drawing on her many years of working with young children, she reflects on the importance of meeting overwhelming feelings with compassion while still holding safe and loving boundaries. This episode also considers self kindness and why being compassionate does not mean accepting poor treatment or abandoning our own needs. Sometimes kindness comforts. Sometimes it tells the truth. Sometimes it gently steps away. Penelope shares how kindness towards animals, nature and the environment is woven through her comforting children’s stories, encouraging children to understand that every living thing deserves care. She also remembers the quiet generosity of her grandparents and the kindnesses revealed by others after they passed away. Their shared epitaph reads: “Ever generous, ever loving, ever thoughtful, ever kind.” A beautiful reminder that the kindness we leave behind may be remembered long after the moment itself has passed. In this episode, you’ll discover: • How kindness can soften difficult interactions • Why compassion and boundaries can exist together • The importance of kindness towards ourselves • How children learn kindness through the way we treat people, animals and nature • Why small acts of kindness can create a lasting difference • A gentle question to carry into everyday life: “What would kindness do?” The Quiet Power of Kindness is a soothing podcast episode about compassion, emotional wellbeing, gentle parenting, self kindness and the small choices that help us bring a little more warmth into the world. Because kindness may not always make everything right, but there is almost nothing it cannot make a little better. About Penelope Willis Penelope Willis is the author of comforting children’s books, reassuring quotes and gentle reflections for families. Her stories celebrate childhood, emotional connection, kindness and the moments that matter most, helping children navigate life’s challenges with warmth and hope. Discover Penelope’s books, free resources, the Under the Moonlight podcast and more at: www.booksbypenelopewillis.co.uk 🌙💛 Music: Romantic life Music by Pavel Bekirov from Pixabay Link: https://pixabay.com/music/romantic-life-164819/

  7. Jul 28

    The Little Grey Feather Comforting Read-Aloud Story for Starting School, Nursery and New Beginnings

    The Little Grey Feather | A Comforting Read-Aloud Story for Starting School, Nursery and New Beginnings Starting school is a huge milestone, not just for children, but for the grown-ups who love them too. In this special Under the Moonlight read-aloud, Penelope Willis shares The Little Grey Feather, a gentle, reassuring story written to comfort children as they face new beginnings, whether that's starting school, starting nursery, moving class, making new friends or navigating any of life's little transitions. With its calming storytelling and heartfelt message, The Little Grey Feather reminds children that courage doesn't have to be loud. Sometimes the bravest thing we can do is take one small step forward. Perfect for the summer holidays as families prepare for September, this comforting children's story encourages confidence, resilience and emotional wellbeing while helping little ones feel safe, understood and ready for the adventure ahead. Whether you're listening at bedtime, during a quiet moment together or before a child's first day, this gentle read-aloud is designed to bring comfort, connection and hope. In this episode you'll discover: • A comforting story for starting school or nursery • Gentle reassurance for children facing change • Themes of courage, confidence and resilience • A calming bedtime story for families • Emotional support through storytelling and connection Take gentle care of yourself and the little people you love, and join me Under the Moonlight for this comforting read-aloud of The Little Grey Feather. About Penelope Willis Penelope Willis is the author of comforting children's books, reassuring quotes and gentle reflections for families. Her stories celebrate childhood, emotional connection, kindness and the moments that matter most, helping children navigate life's challenges with warmth and hope. Discover books, free resources, the Under the Moonlight podcast and more at: www.booksbypenelopewillis.co.uk⁠ 🌙💛 Music: Lonely Echoes Music by นายปฏิภาณ อายุคง from Pixabay Link: https://pixabay.com/music/lonely-echoes-252264/

    The Little Grey Feather Comforting Read-Aloud Story for Starting School, Nursery and New Beginnings

  8. Jul 13

    Sometimes Hope Arrives Quietly | A Gentle Reflection on Hope, Parenting and the Future.

    Sometimes Hope Arrives Quietly What if the smallest, most ordinary moments carried the greatest reminders of hope? In this gentle episode of Under the Moonlight, Penelope Willis shares a chance encounter that touched her heart and has stayed with her ever since. What began as a simple conversation with a young woman and her little dog became a powerful reminder that we can never truly know what tomorrow holds. Inspired by a real life moment, this episode reflects on the worries so many parents carry about their children's future, especially those raising children with additional needs. It is a gentle invitation to pause, breathe and remember that today's struggles do not always tell tomorrow's story. Together, we'll explore how hope often arrives quietly, why ordinary moments can leave the deepest impression, and how the future has a remarkable way of surprising us in ways we could never have imagined. Whether you're a parent, grandparent, teacher, carer or simply someone in need of a little reassurance, this episode offers a comforting reminder that even when the path ahead feels uncertain, there is still every reason to hold on to hope. Topics include: • The quiet power of hope • The worries parents carry about the future • Finding comfort in ordinary moments • Why today's struggles don't define tomorrow • A gentle reflection for parents of children with additional needs • The beauty of unexpected encounters • Why kindness leaves a lasting imprint • Remembering that every story is still unfolding Perfect for anyone who enjoys gentle reflections, emotional wellbeing, comforting conversations and peaceful bedtime listening. 🌙 About Penelope Willis Penelope Willis is the author of comforting children's books, the Amazon Top 10 quote book Gentle Words: Comforting Quotes and Reflections on Childhood, and host of the Under the Moonlight Podcast. Through gentle stories and heartfelt reflections, she creates a peaceful space where listeners can pause, feel reassured and find comfort in life's ordinary moments. 📖 Gentle Words: Comforting Quotes and Reflections on Childhood is available now on Amazon. Visit www.booksbypenelopewillis.co.uk⁠ for: 📚 Comforting children's books and Gentle Words 🎙️ Podcast episodes 🖨️ Free printable activities 💖 Gentle reflections and comforting blog articles 🌙 Calming Stories for Little People Thank you for listening beneath the moonlight. 🌙💜

    Sometimes Hope Arrives Quietly | A Gentle Reflection on Hope, Parenting and the Future.
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A gentle children's and family podcast by author Penelope Willis, featuring bedtime stories, read-alouds and calming emotional support. About love, family and the small moments that help us feel close, even when we’re far apart. Stories, soft parenting ideas and comforting reflections to settle the heart. If you’re looking for calm connection and warmth, you’re welcome here. We’re under the same moon. Hosted by children's author Penelope Willis, creator of 'Calming Stories for Little People.'

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