Advertise on podcast: The Kay Manby Podcast - Guided Meditations and Gentle Conversations

Send us Fan Mail As we arrive at the Autumn Equinox, nature offers us a beautiful reminder that balance doesn't mean standing still. Everything changes. The light changes, leaves begin to fall, the earth prepares for a new season, and nature seems to know instinctively when to grow, when to rest and when to let go. In this guided visualisation, I invite you to slow down and find your own sense of equilibrium. Inspired by the changing season and a beautiful woodland wedding I'm preparing to lead in Northumberland, we'll explore our connection with nature, with love and with the quiet wisdom of the heart. Together, we'll imagine the heart as the meeting place between earth and sky. A place where body meets spirit, instinct meets intuition, doing meets being, and giving meets receiving. There will be space to consider what you might be ready to release, to gently bring a decision or question to your heart, and to reconnect with that little spark within you that reminds you that you are truly alive. Because perhaps balance isn't something we achieve once and then hold onto. Perhaps it's something living and changing, just like the seasons. A continual returning to ourselves. So find somewhere comfortable, allow yourself to become still, and join me for a few quiet moments of connection, reflection and love. As Rumi said: "Love is the bridge between you and everything." May you find your centre, listen to your heart and move gently with the rhythm of life. Namaste. If you enjoy my podcasts, please do subscribe and share. Feel free to comment as feedback is always welcome. Finally I would really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee using THIS LINK. This helps me fund the podcast and keep it going 🙏

Send us Fan Mail Some conversations are interviews. Others feel like coming home to an old friend. In this deeply personal episode, I'm joined by Bishop Arun Arora, Bishop of Kirkstall, someone whose place in my life goes back many years and to one of the most difficult chapters my family has ever faced. When my husband Jim was dying from cancer, Arun was a curate at St Mark's Church in Harrogate. He came into our home and became an extraordinary source of friendship, laughter, comfort and support. Jim wasn't a man of strong religious faith. In fact, when I first suggested Arun might visit, he reluctantly agreed that he could come once. Two hours later, after conversations about life, football and almost everything except religion, Jim simply said: "That lad can come again." And he did. In this episode, Arun and I remember those precious times together and the extraordinary moment, just two days before Jim died, when the three of us held hands and said the Lord's Prayer together. But I also wanted to discover more about the man I've known for all these years. Arun shares his remarkable journey from growing up in the Midlands in a Hindu and Sikh family to finding Christianity in perhaps the most unexpected of places: Villa Park. He talks about becoming a lawyer before eventually answering a call to ministry, the people who shaped his faith, his mother's initial reaction to his decision, and his own feelings that he didn't look or sound like the other people considering ordination. Our conversation explores faith, doubt, race, inclusion, belonging, grief and what it really means to meet another human being exactly where they are. We also talk about why doubt can be a healthy part of faith, the difference between optimism and hope, the Church as a "field hospital", and Arun's belief in the extraordinary power of knowing that we are loved. Above all, this is a conversation about people. The people who shape us. The people who sit beside us when life becomes difficult. And the people who are willing to walk with us for a while without expecting us to have everything figured out. Arun did that for Jim. He did it for me. And I will always be grateful. This conversation is filled with faith, humour, memories, hope and love, including the reassuring belief that however difficult the world may sometimes appear, love ultimately wins. Or, as one of my favourite Rumi quotes reminds us: "We're all walking each other home." I hope you'll enjoy walking alongside us for this very special conversation. If you enjoy my podcasts, please do subscribe and share. Feel free to comment as feedback is always welcome. Finally I would really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee using THIS LINK. This helps me fund the podcast and keep it going 🙏

Send us Fan Mail I recently had the absolute pleasure of being a guest on Ali Mortimer's Joy Broadcast, and I wanted to share our conversation here with you too. Ali and I have known each other for many years, and this became a wonderfully open and personal conversation about the many chapters of my life, including some I could never have predicted. We talk about love and profound loss, finding yoga later in life, training to teach when I was approaching 70, discovering Qigong, becoming a celebrant, returning to amateur dramatics and continually finding the courage to step towards something new. We also explore grief and what it can teach us, why fear doesn't always have to stop us, the importance of community and belonging, and why I believe we should be thinking less about simply adding years to our lives and much more about adding life to our years. One of the questions Ali asks me is what, after all these years and experiences, I would most want people to know. My answer was simple: Notice beauty everywhere. Love generously. Live gently. And laugh often. Because joy doesn't only belong to the easy chapters. It can walk beside us through grief, uncertainty, change and everything else life places in our path. Sometimes we simply have to stop long enough to notice it. We also talk about what might come next for me, the seeds I'm planting for a new chapter, and why, even in my late seventies, I remain fascinated by what there is still to learn, experience and share. If you're navigating change, wondering what your next chapter might look like, or have ever caught yourself thinking you're "too old" to begin something new, I hope there's something in this conversation for you. With huge thanks to the wonderful Ali Mortimer for inviting me onto The Joy Broadcast and allowing me to share this conversation with you here. Go gently. If you enjoy my podcasts, please do subscribe and share. Feel free to comment as feedback is always welcome. Finally I would really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee using THIS LINK. This helps me fund the podcast and keep it going 🙏

Send us Fan Mail What if getting older wasn't about making life smaller, but opening yourself to even more possibility? In this reflective episode, I'm speaking to you from the beautiful Cornish coast, surrounded by blue skies, clear seas and those extraordinary views that somehow make everyday worries feel a little less important. A visit to the Minack Theatre to see Anything Goes got me thinking about what it really means to keep living forward at 78. Not recklessly. Not by trying to prove that age doesn't matter. But by remaining curious, leaving room for the unexpected and being willing to say yes to life. I've been thinking about the comfort zones we create as we get older, the routines that make us feel safe, and whether sometimes that comfort can quietly make our world a little smaller. I also reflect on my recent broken foot, being forced to slow down, and what I've learned from having to take life quite literally one step at a time. In this episode, I explore: What it means to keep living forward as we get olderWhy curiosity may matter more than achievementAllowing ourselves to become beginners againThe joy of leaving space for the unexpectedWhy we don't need to know what's around the next cornerFinding extraordinary richness in very ordinary momentsThe difference between comfort and becoming too comfortableLearning to appreciate the life we already haveSaying yes before everything feels perfectly in placePerhaps living forward isn't about knowing exactly where you're going. Perhaps it's simply being willing to walk towards the next headland and trusting there will be something there to discover. So, wherever you are in life right now, I have a question for you: What might happen if you said yes? Maybe it's somewhere you'd like to go, someone you'd like to call, something you'd love to learn, or something you've quietly convinced yourself you're too old to do. Or perhaps it's simply saying yes to the life you already have and allowing yourself to enjoy it a little more. As for me, I'm heading towards the next headland. And I'm rather enjoying not knowing what's around the corner. Go gently. If you enjoy my podcasts, please do subscribe and share. Feel free to comment as feedback is always welcome. Finally I would really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee using THIS LINK. This helps me fund the podcast and keep it going 🙏

Send us Fan Mail Sometimes life doesn't whisper. Sometimes it asks us to stop completely. In this deeply personal solo episode, Kay shares the unexpected journey that began with a fractured foot during a restorative stay at the beautiful Kilmokea Country Manor and Gardens in County Wexford. What first seemed like an unfortunate accident gradually revealed itself to be something much greater: an invitation to slow down, receive help, reflect and rediscover what truly matters.  With warmth, honesty and gentle humour, Kay explores the profound lessons hidden within unexpected interruptions and asks whether some of life's greatest gifts arrive disguised as inconvenience. In this episode, Kay reflects on:  The healing power of kindness, friendship and community  Why receiving can be harder than giving  Learning to honour the season you're in  Letting go of constant busyness and embracing spaciousness  Redefining success beyond achievement and productivity  Finding joy in life's simplest moments  Why slowing down can reconnect us with ourselves  How unexpected setbacks can quietly change the direction of our lives Drawing on the wisdom of Marcel Proust, Thích Nhất Hạnh and Wayne Dyer, this episode is a heartfelt invitation to pause, breathe and look at life's challenges through new eyes. Rather than asking, "Why has this happened?" Perhaps we can gently ask, "What is life trying to teach me?" If you've ever felt forced to slow down through illness, injury, grief or unexpected change, this episode offers reassurance that healing is often about far more than the body. Sometimes our greatest teachers arrive wrapped in the experiences we would never have chosen. And sometimes... those unexpected gifts quietly change everything. If you enjoy my podcasts, please do subscribe and share. Feel free to comment as feedback is always welcome. Finally I would really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee using THIS LINK. This helps me fund the podcast and keep it going 🙏

Send us Fan Mail What if your wardrobe could change more than your appearance? What if it could change the way you feel about yourself? In this inspiring and uplifting episode, I am joined by image consultant and personal stylist Jackie Crawford for a conversation that goes far beyond fashion. Together we explore how the clothes we wear can influence confidence, wellbeing, identity and the way we move through the world.  After spending years living in comfortable yoga clothes, I decided it was time to simplify my wardrobe and reconnect with my personal style. What I discovered through working with Jackie was not simply a new way of dressing, but a fresh perspective on confidence, self-expression and embracing the next chapter of life. If you enjoy my podcasts, please do subscribe and share. Feel free to comment as feedback is always welcome. Finally I would really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee using THIS LINK. This helps me fund the podcast and keep it going 🙏

Send us Fan Mail As the days stretch longer and the world bursts into bloom, June offers us a quiet invitation: slow down, breathe deeply, and remember that life unfolds in its own perfect rhythm.  In this gentle guided meditation, Kay invites you into a beautiful June garden where roses blossom, birds sing, ancient trees stand rooted in wisdom, and every flower opens exactly when it is ready. Together, you'll explore the difference between the hurried pace of modern life and the deeper rhythm of nature, discovering how presence, gratitude and trust can help us release the pressure to constantly strive and simply be. If you enjoy my podcasts, please do subscribe and share. Feel free to comment as feedback is always welcome. Finally I would really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee using THIS LINK. This helps me fund the podcast and keep it going 🙏

Send us Fan Mail What if ceremony could help us move through life with more grace, meaning and connection? In this deeply thoughtful and moving episode, Kay is joined by Reverend Veronika Robinson - author, celebrant, celebrant trainer, retreat host and community minister - for a rich conversation about heart-led celebrancy, storytelling, ritual, grief, creativity and the sacredness woven through everyday life.  Kay shares how discovering Veronika’s Heart-Led Celebrant Training during the pandemic completely changed the direction of her life, opening the door to a new path of service, creativity and profound human connection. Together, they explore the beauty and complexity of ceremonies that honour life’s biggest transitions - weddings, funerals, endings, beginnings and everything in between. If you enjoy my podcasts, please do subscribe and share. Feel free to comment as feedback is always welcome. Finally I would really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee using THIS LINK. This helps me fund the podcast and keep it going 🙏

Send us Fan Mail What happens when stepping onto a stage becomes the first step back to yourself? In this heartfelt and deeply uplifting episode, Kay is joined by actor, director and producer Pippa Bogle for a beautiful conversation about the life-changing power of amateur dramatics, community, creativity and human connection.  Following the loss of her husband, Kay shares how joining the Woodlands Drama Group helped her rediscover confidence, friendship and joy again. Together, Kay and Pippa explore the extraordinary world of amateur theatre and the unexpected ways it can transform lives. Whether you have always loved theatre, have secretly wondered about joining a drama group, or simply need reminding of the importance of connection and creativity, this conversation is full of warmth, wisdom and encouragement. As Pippa says so beautifully:  “The water will never be cold.” A moving episode about rediscovering yourself, finding your people, and saying yes to something new. Find out more about the group here : https://www.woodlandsdramagroup.com/ If you enjoy my podcasts, please do subscribe and share. Feel free to comment as feedback is always welcome. Finally I would really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee using THIS LINK. This helps me fund the podcast and keep it going 🙏

Send us Fan Mail There are moments in life when everything feels uncertain. Old chapters are ending, new ones have not fully arrived, and we find ourselves standing somewhere in between. In this deeply calming guided meditation, Kay invites you to slow down, breathe, and reconnect with the quiet wisdom already within you. Inspired by the beautiful reflections of Big Panda and Tiny Dragon by James Norbury, this episode explores the natural cycles of life, the changing seasons within us, and the gentle truth that growth is often happening beneath the surface long before we can see it.  Through soothing visualisation, grounding breathwork, and heartfelt reflection, you’ll be guided to release pressure, soften uncertainty, and trust the unfolding of your own path. This is a meditation for anyone navigating change, healing from difficult seasons, or longing to feel hopeful again. You are allowed to awaken slowly.  You are allowed to change.  And you are always allowed to begin again. Find a quiet space, wrap yourself in comfort, and let this meditation carry you gently towards renewal. Om Shanti. If you enjoy my podcasts, please do subscribe and share. Feel free to comment as feedback is always welcome. Finally I would really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee using THIS LINK. This helps me fund the podcast and keep it going 🙏

Send us Fan Mail As the seasons shift and spring begins to unfold, nature gently reminds us of something we often forget… That renewal is always happening. That growth doesn’t need to be rushed. And that beauty exists, even in uncertain times. In this calming guided meditation, Kay invites you to step into a peaceful spring landscape, inspired by the soft blossom-lined paths of North Yorkshire. Through breath, gentle awareness, and imagery, you are guided to slow down, soften, and reconnect with what truly matters.  With reflections inspired by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Lao Tzu, this episode is a gentle invitation to stop searching outside yourself and instead rest in the wisdom within. Because sometimes, nothing needs fixing. Nothing needs chasing. This moment… is already enough. If you enjoy my podcasts, please do subscribe and share. Feel free to comment as feedback is always welcome. Finally I would really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee using THIS LINK. This helps me fund the podcast and keep it going 🙏

Send us Fan Mail When life feels uncertain… what if the answer isn’t to hold tighter, but to gently let go? In this deeply calming guided meditation, Kay invites you into the wild, elemental landscape of Iceland — a place shaped by fire, ice and constant change. Here, you are guided to reconnect with a powerful piece of ancient wisdom: “Þetta reddast” — it will all work out. Through breath, imagery and gentle reflection, you’ll explore what it means to release the need for control and instead meet life with trust, resilience and quiet acceptance. Together, we journey across open land, past waterfalls and steaming earth, into a place where uncertainty is not something to fear, but something to walk alongside. This episode is an invitation to: ✨ Soften your grip on what you cannot control  ✨ Trust in life’s natural unfolding  ✨ Find steadiness within change  ✨ Return to your inner anchor, even when the path is unclear With words inspired by The Quiet Anchor and a closing reflection from Jack Kornfield, this is a meditation for anyone navigating change, doubt, or the unknown. Because sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do…  is trust that you will find your way. If you enjoy my podcasts, please do subscribe and share. Feel free to comment as feedback is always welcome. Finally I would really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee using THIS LINK. This helps me fund the podcast and keep it going 🙏

Send us Fan Mail In this deeply honest and moving conversation, I’m joined by the remarkable Karen Heras Kelly, a woman whose life and work are rooted in truth, resilience, and the courage to face what many of us would rather avoid. Our connection goes back to 2018, to a retreat that didn’t unfold as planned. What happened instead became a defining moment in Karen’s life. A journey marked by loss, fear, and ultimately, transformation.  Karen shares the story of discovering she was carrying twins, losing one baby while fighting to protect the other, and the profound inner strength that emerged in that moment. What unfolds is a powerful exploration of how grief and love can coexist, and how life’s most challenging experiences can open us to something deeper. She also runs community-based group programmes and co-hosts the podcast “Say It Sister”, a bold and honest space that challenges the narratives, taboos, and expectations that keep women small. If you enjoy my podcasts, please do subscribe and share. Feel free to comment as feedback is always welcome. Finally I would really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee using THIS LINK. This helps me fund the podcast and keep it going 🙏

Send us Fan Mail After nine weeks spent in Australia with family, surrounded by ocean air, sunshine, grandchildren and long unhurried days, something quietly revealed itself to Kay. Without the usual pull of social media, emails and constant activity, she rediscovered a word that would shape her intentions for the year ahead: Spaciousness. In this gentle guided meditation, Kay reflects on how easily modern life becomes filled with noise, expectations and endless doing. Inspired by a reading from Lao Tzu, she invites you to pause, breathe and reconnect with the quiet centre of your own being. Together you will explore the quiet power of less. Through breath, imagery and a simple visualisation of walking along a peaceful path in nature, you are guided to set down the invisible “backpack” we all carry. Responsibilities, thoughts, busyness and expectations can soften, creating space for something deeper to emerge. In that spaciousness, calm returns.  Clarity returns.  And the simple joy of being alive in this moment becomes visible again. This episode is an invitation to: • step away from the noise  • reconnect with your breath  • release the weight of constant doing  • remember that simplicity is not emptiness, it is freedom Because sometimes the greatest gift we can give ourselves is the courage to pause. If you enjoy my podcasts, please do subscribe and share. Feel free to comment as feedback is always welcome. Finally I would really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee using THIS LINK. This helps me fund the podcast and keep it going 🙏

Send us Fan Mail This week marks powerful thresholds. The beginning of Lent. The beginning of Ramadan. The Chinese New Year - the Year of the Fire Horse. And for me, a gentle farewell to Sydney after nine precious weeks with family. In this deeply reflective guided meditation, I invite you to pause on the cusp of change and ask yourself: How will I tend my fire this year? If you enjoy my podcasts, please do subscribe and share. Feel free to comment as feedback is always welcome. Finally I would really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee using THIS LINK. This helps me fund the podcast and keep it going 🙏