Shauna Gilligan - The importance of finding wonder

Today's guest is Shauna Gilligan - Shauna is a novelist and short story writer and teaches in Higher and Further Education. Her fiction has been widely published and she has received awards for her writing including a Creative Ireland Arts Act Grant (Kildare Co. Co.). Her latest publication is Mantles (Arlen House, 2021), a collaboration with visual artist Margo McNulty which reflects on the importance of Brigit/Brigid and the sacred feminine in contemporary Ireland. In today's episode, we talk about her journey and experience of living authentically the importance of slowing down and following joy how authenticity is not set in stone and is constantly evolving the need to come back to a sense of wonder You can find Shauna on her website ⁠https://shaunagilliganwriter.com/ A book we mention in the episode is 'Women Who Run With The Wolves: Contacting the Power of the Wild Woman' by Clarissa Pinkola Estes Shauna talks about slowing down and being kind, and cites watching a kettle boil or going for a walk/getting some air as a way into a space where you might touch off the authentic self.  She acknowledges that this advice is from her own experience/perspective and thus reflects her privileges and abilities. It is not meant to be prescriptive, only suggestive.