A smiling woman with short, blonde hair sitting on a light-colored chair, holding a colorful teacup with a matching saucer, in a cozy, well-decorated room with white brick walls, bookshelves, large green plants, and a vase of pink flowers.

Welcome to my little corner of the world.

I am a mid life woman, a life long learner, avid bookworm and the creator of The Seasonal Woman.

You’ll usually find me me with a cup of tea, a journal nearby, or being creative and a pile of books waiting to be read. Or moving my body through exercise or making rustic sourdough loaves.

I live in Wellington, New Zealand, with my husband Mike and our cat Bubbles.

If you want to connect I’d love to hear from you. You can find me on Substack.

Hey, I’M JANINE

How The Seasonal Woman Began


I’ve lived enough seasons to know that life changes us. Roles shift. Priorities evolve. And our sense of self changes too. Perhaps you have felt this too?

Rather than see myself as a problem to fix, I embraced curiosity and took a year off with no plan in mind. During this time, I realised we are not meant to live at the same pace all year.

Life moves in seasons - and when we honour those seasons, we live with greater ease and clarity.

  • Rest is not something that has to be earned

  • Slowing down is not the same as falling behind

  • Our needs change across the seasons of life

  • Listening to ourselves is a form of wisdom.

At the end of the year I felt different, and I wanted to share the lessons and ahas with other women through my writing and through this The Seasonal Woman was birthed.

A wooden tray with a white mug of frothy coffee or latte on a bed with white bedding.

I used to believe that being capable meant always being available. That strength meant pushing through and that rest had to be earned.

Now, I honour the seasons within me and who I have been,
and I make space for who I am becoming.

Not the expectations I inherited.
Not the pressures I absorbed.
Not the versions of myself I outgrew.

My needs matter.
My desires matter.
My energy matters.

I embrace simplicity.
I slow down enough to hear my own knowing.
I give myself permission to rest, to breathe, to take up space.

It took me years to understand this simple truth:

We’re not machines.
Our energy and lives have seasons.
And we’re allowed to move at a pace that actually supports us.

What I Believe:

close up of hands collaging magazine images

What I’m Exploring

“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire. It is the time for home.”
— Edith Sitwel

This Winter, I have felt myself slowing down.

I found myself drawn to less screen time and picking up more tactile and slower activities, such as latch hooking, collaging and more gentle movement with yin yoga.

Around the home, there has been more slow cooking recipes soups and rustic sourdough loaves being made.

A question that keeps coming up for me is “what am being invited to let go of over winter?” I know some of it is around letting go of outdated beliefs of who I am if I am nor producing and striving.

I am finding ways to find moments of rest into my weekly routines and changing up a ritual for winter and I found myself diffusing uplifting essential oils in the last few weeks.

What does winter look like for you?