In this episode, I talk to flower grower, photographer, writer and consultant clinical psychologist Grace Alexander. I’ve been following Grace for a while because she has a beautiful way of drawing us into her idyllic world of thatched cottages, dusty tones of chestnut, coral, linen and artisan-made objects. These stolen moments of beauty can be sipped at from her Gather community, the seeds that she sells, her newsletter and her new book ‘Grow and Gather: A gardeners Guide to a year of cut flowers’ .It’s a deep conversation about how childhood experience builds us into the people we are today, about slowing down our lives, how to be present, her writing process, her day job as a senior psychologist, how she fits it all in, how she avoids burnout, her guiding sense of social justice, the overriding quality of warmth and how healing that is and the difficulty with nurturing ourselves in our culture of toxic productivity, Plus an excellent top tip for a wonderful inner life.I highly recommend her newsletter, where she can promise flowers and dogs. You can find all the yumminess at gracealexanderflowers.co.uk What did you learn from listening to Grace? I'd love to hear from you over on Instagram  Don't forget to have a look at my website where you'll find a wealth of free resources.You will find the podcast on Spotify, iTunes and all major platforms, just search for 'Life - An Inside Job'.  If you enjoyed the episode yourself, then it would be fab if you shared it with a friend or with your community on social media.MusicTrust Me (instrumental) by RYYZNCreative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0Free Download / StreamMusic promoted by Audio LibraryArtworkPortrait by Lori FitzdoodlesMore information about Katehttps://www.katecodrington.co.uk/Instagram @kate_codringtonSecond Spring: the self-care guide to menopause is available from your favourite bookshopMusicTrust Me (instrumental) by RYYZNCreative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0Free Download / StreamMusic promoted by Audio LibraryArtworkKate's portrait by Lori Fitzdoodles