Growth in letting go.
Overcoming Struggles with Daily Rituals: Marian Boswall’s kind wisdom.
Marian Boswall on Brave New Girls: Daily Struggles, Gentle Strategies, and the Practice of Growth
On this week’s Brave New Girls podcast, I spoke with Marian Boswall—leading landscape architect, horticulturist, agroecology coach, land energy healer, and author of The Kindest Garden. While her credentials and projects are impressive, it’s her honesty about the quieter, harder moments that stayed with me most.
When I asked Marian how she looks after her own wellbeing, she shares a mix of practical routine and intuitive, nature-led wisdom. She’s someone who knows what it means to carry grief, to juggle responsibilities, and to still show up every day with purpose and softness. Her growth hasn’t been linear or always easy—but it’s deeply rooted in listening to herself and honouring the cycles of life.
Marian told me that her good days are simple: an hour of yoga or Qigong, a long walk with her dog, some time in the garden. She loves watching the sunrise (though she admits not always catching the early ones in summer!), and grounding herself with trees and soil. These small rituals aren’t about perfection—they’re about presence.
What struck me most is how Marian treats growth like she treats gardens. Not as something to force, but something to nurture. Growth, like soil, needs the right conditions: compassion, patience, boundaries, curiosity, and rest. She isn’t striving to “fix” herself—she’s learning to live in tune with herself.
That’s something we can all take into our own lives. In a world that pushes productivity, Marian’s model is regenerative. It's not about pushing through, but sinking in. And through her work, she now creates spaces—gardens, conversations, books—that help others do the same.
Marian’s story reminds us that growth doesn’t always look like expansion. Sometimes it looks like pausing. Sometimes it looks like letting go.
Do you want to join our next Brave New Girls Wellbeing Growth Retreat? Find out more.
Talk to Lou Hamilton- Your Wellbeing Coach
Ten Actionable Steps for Building Wellbeing
Begin the day with stillness – Even five quiet minutes in the morning can help you root into your day.
Get outside daily – Walk, breathe, touch a tree. Nature resets the nervous system like nothing else.
Move gently – Qigong, yoga, or stretching can reconnect you to your body’s rhythm.
Honour the seasons – Your energy will ebb and flow. Allow it. You’re not meant to be in constant bloom.
Say no with kindness – Boundaries are not barriers. They are containers for your wellbeing.
Make space for grief – Whether big or small, honour the losses in your life. Let them move through you.
Trust your intuition – Tune into your gut. It often knows the truth before the mind does.
Let go of perfection – A messy garden still feeds the bees. You are allowed to be in progress.
Be in community – Share your journey. Growth is richer when it’s witnessed.
Create beauty – Paint, plant, write, sing. Creative expression is a powerful tool for healing and connection.
Marian Boswall teaches us that real growth begins with presence, compassion, and tuning in to the rhythms of the natural world—and ourselves.
If you have worries around life’s juggles & health challenges, and want to grow a healthier, happier life, work with your Wellbeing Coach Lou Hamilton who will guide you through the steps you need to take, to get to where you want to be- living well on a well planet.
See which bespoke coaching programme works for you & we can tailor them further to your growth needs.
