Deborah Craig

Two authors + aperitivo 🇮🇹 + a sunny Oxford garden = 0 small talk!

Gilly Mulford

So I’m down to the final four weeks of a three-month stay here in Oxford and honestly, the conversations I’ve had here have been my favourite parts of it

Life, change, books, business, fear, starting again, what’s next… all the big stuff

And somewhere in amongst all of that, I read Gilly’s book, a best seller ‘Where Dandelions Grow’

A fantastic read. Self help with a unique twist

Her way of sharing techniques and perspective shifts was refreshing - so many interesting metaphors! Made the tools easy to remember

If you’re looking for your next book to guide you further along you’re own healing journey, I highly recommend Gillys

I’ll pop the link in the comments

I’ve felt so supported by Gilly’s generosity and kindness over the last couple of months and I’ll always be grateful for how she opened her home and her life to me while I was figuring out what came next

Four weeks left in Oxford… then another change of scenery is coming 🇮🇹



P.S. my book link is in the comments too 🫶🏻

PPS stay tuned… I’m heading back to Italy in September and there’s definitely more change on the way ❤️

The simple life 🥰

My cup runneth over with all the animals I get to take care of

Do something today to fill up your cup 🫶🏻

Happy Saturday folks

Photo 1: How people think I spend my days

Photo 2: Also me 😂
(probably 75% of the time)

People see the freedom

Living 6 months of the year abroad

Floating around Oxford pet sitting

But they don’t always see the fear that comes with it

Building a life on your own terms means making decisions before you know they’ll work

Backing yourself when there’s no guarantee

Living with uncertainty instead of waiting for guarantees

The irony?

The more I’ve learned to embrace fear, the more peace I’ve found

And the more happiness I’ve created

Doing what I love ❤️

Happy Saturday folks 🫶🏻

My guilty pleasure 👀

I’m a hard core consumer of tarot readings on YouTube 🙈

Honestly I can lose far too much time watching them 😂

So last week, when someone gifted me my own set of cards I thought I should actually learn how to read them myself

I’ve always wanted to learn but now seems a good time because I need a hobby that takes me away from always thinking about business or travel plans!

What’s a hobby you’ve got that can pull you out of the daily grind?

PS I take tarot with a pinch of salt though - if it says something good I run with it

If it says something I don’t like I just ignore it - free will and all that 🤣

PPS pulled 9 of swords 🗡️ this morning so I’d say I’ve got a gift since I’ve been stuck in overthinking for a few days 🤪

There’s something really special about spending time with people who inspire you

I had such a lovely night at the 02 catching up with Karen Farrell

🍻 celebrating HER incredible success on her recent awards

🍵 spending time earlier that day with Darren Barden The Conversation Starter - what you’re building is fantastic

(thanks for rescuing my missing AirPods, absolute legend 🙏🏻)

Hanging out with my friends in London for a couple of days - priceless

Everyone is building something they’re passionate about - career, business, a life they love

I always come away from days like this with fresh ideas, loads of energy and a head full of things I want to do next 🥳

A little reminder that who you spend time with really does matter. The right conversations and the right energy have a way of giving you a fresh perspective and reminding you what’s possible

Happy Friday, folks❤️

Me: write a meaningful post

Also me: nah, spend time planning my return to Italy ☺️🇮🇹

So I’m keeping this one short and sweet

Life’s busy in the best way at the moment

Early stages of travel planning

Stepping in for pet sits

Building YouTube

Researching villas for a retreat

Supporting my lovely clients

Seeing what’s next 🤷‍♀️

Social media hasn’t been top of my list lately, but I just wanted to pop on and say hi

I hope life’s being kind to you and your summer is off to a great start

Oxford is as warm as Italy some days so I squint my eyes, look at the blue sky, feel the heat and occasionally pretend I’m in Monopoli 🇮🇹☺️

Last few episodes of Sofa Chats left, Tuesday 7pm live on YouTube

Or watch on catch up - all deets below

PS just some of the fur babies I’ve been taking care of 👇🏻

A year ago I didn’t have “professional dog auntie” on my bingo card 🤪

Yet here I am

Living in a gorgeous house in Oxford with two fabulous mutts for the next week

One dog casts so much hair I’m like a walking mohair cardigan!

People don’t always understand my decisions, like pet sitting for a season, but thankfully I don’t need to explain myself to anyone 🙏🏻

Right now, this paid experience is giving me exactly what I need

Time
Space
Money
A change of scenery

I need to be in the UK to build my days back up to return to Italy (visa still in progress)

Pet sitting side hustle gives me the freedom to build what’s next without feeling like I need to force anything

Because behind the scenes I’m turning my business on its head

Trying things I’ve never fully committed to before

Giving myself the space to go all in on a completely different way of working

And for once, I’m not overthinking it 🥳

I owe it to myself to find out what’s possible

The way I see it, sometimes you have to step sideways for a while to create space for the biggest leap forward - that’s at least been my experience

Meantime, I’ll be over here walking dogs, making connections, building something new and hoovering enough fur to create a third dog 🤣

Watch this space 👀

Who else has side stepped to take a big leap forward? I need the inspiring stories to keep me going 💪🏻

PS thanks to Gilly Mulford - FInstAM for trusting me to be part of her community and pet sitting experiences 🫶🏻

PPS in Oxford for 2-3 months so reach out and connect if you’re local ☺️

01/26 Portugal 🇵🇹
No clue what I was doing

02/26 London 🇬🇧
Still no clue

03/26 Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Trying to figure out my next move

03-05/26 back to Italy 🇮🇹
No idea what was about to unfold

06/26 Oxford 🇬🇧
Surrender some more

09 or 10/26 back to Italy 🇮🇹

Oxford:

Dogs
New people
A business pivot
Another new chapter
Breakdowns & breakthroughs

My life is constantly changing and moving

I often think I need certainty or
More answers or
More control

But none of the biggest shifts came from having a fixed plan

They came from saying yes

Getting on the plane
Taking the next step
Trusting myself
Moving through the uncertainty

And meeting people I never could have planned for

Some of those people changed me just by knowing them

Some reminded me who I was

Some showed me parts of myself I’d forgotten

Some challenge me

Some inspire me

And some will stay with me long after the chapter itself has ended

Life isn’t about having everything figured out

It’s about letting the people, places and experiences shape you as you go

Because sometimes the things you never saw coming end up changing you the most 🫶🏻🇮🇹

PS I talk about these shifts in my book and every week on YouTube - deets below if you’re curious

PPS Wee pic of my dogs for the next 7 days 🥰