Spandex & Wine
Spandex & Wine is a podcast for finding balance between being healthy & living a happy life. Hosted by Robin Hackney, a 23-year veteran in the fitness industry & wine consultant, this is a place to be our authentic selves as we have real conversations exploring wellness and all things wine! Subscribe now so you don’t miss an episode.
Spandex & Wine
The Art of Wine: A Conversation with Helena Nicklin
Helena Nicklin takes us through a journey of reinvention and rediscovery as she shares her path from prominent wine writer to founder of a community exploring "the art of living." As a fixture in the UK wine industry for over two decades, her story reveals both the glamour and challenges of a career where alcohol constantly arrives at your doorstep.
With refreshing candor, Helena describes her "midlife breakthrough" – the moment she and her husband decided to escape burnout by completely reimagining their lives. Their bold move to the Isle of Wight created space for something new: Flock and Hive, a podcast and e-magazine exploring five pillars of the good life: food and drink, artistry and culture, travel and adventure, sensory science, and spirituality and energy.
What makes Helena's perspective so valuable is her commitment to accessibility in a field often plagued by pretension. "Wine is joyous," she reminds us, advocating that people should simply drink what they enjoy without judgment. Her approach to both wine and wellness feels liberating – honest about the challenges of moderation when surrounded by your passion, yet practical about finding balance.
The conversation weaves through fascinating territory: how women have helped demystify wine culture, the struggles of maintaining physical wellness while building a new venture, and the joy of creating community around shared curiosity. Helena's journey serves as a reminder that at any stage of life, we can rewrite our story while still honoring what we love.
Whether you're a wine enthusiast seeking a more balanced approach or someone contemplating your own reinvention, this episode offers wisdom, warmth, and a refreshing perspective on building a life that pours from a place of passion rather than obligation. What areas of your life might benefit from a similar breakthrough?
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Hey guys, welcome back to the Spanx and Wine podcast. Today I am in Dallas, texas, for the Plexus Convention. I am so excited to be here. It reminds me so much of being at Harvest, with Traveling Vineyard, that we finally called Wine Camp. Just so many wonderful memories and I didn't have time to do an episode today, so I thought I would just pick out one from the past that I really enjoyed and it happens to be wine related, since it gives me memories of harvest. So take a listen to Helena Nicklin. She was so much fun to talk to and I think you'll enjoy this episode again.
Speaker 1:Hello and welcome to the Spandex and Wine podcast. I'm your host, robin Hackney, and I'm so happy that you're here. This podcast is a place for conversations about balancing a healthy lifestyle and being happy more specifically, happy hour. Together we'll explore all things wellness and wine. I hope you learn a little, laugh a lot and, along the way, know you're not alone on this balanced wellness journey. Ready to jump in, pour something in your glass that makes you happy, because it's time for Spandex and Wine. Hello and welcome to the Spandex and Wine podcast. I'm your host, robin Hackney, and I'm so grateful that you're here. When I started this podcast I was excited to explore all things wellness and all things wine and finding that balance and helping everyone find that balance, not just for you but for me as well. And I feel like I've been a little heavy on the spandex side with wellness and health topics and I've even stretched that, just like spandex stretches, and I've covered and will cover an assortment of topics around health and wellness and fitness. But today's episode is geared more on the wine side.
Speaker 1:My guest is Helena Nicklin. She is the founder of Flock and Hive, but a wine and spirits writer and broadcaster by trade. She writes for two of the biggest newspapers in the UK as well as a smattering of luxury magazines. She also judges for international wine competitions and has her own show on Amazon Prime and is a regular on TV and radio as the drinks expert. Her dream is to do all of this for her new business, flock and Hive, a podcast and magazine for curious humans exploring what the art of living means in this modern age. Without further ado, I give you, helena Well, hello and welcome to the Spandex and Wine podcast. Helena, I'm so excited that you're here, thank you so much for having me, robin.
Speaker 2:It's great to be here, oh gosh, yes.
Speaker 1:And as I was going through your site and listening to your podcast, I'm like, okay, did I just meet my new mentor or my new best friend? Oh, that's nice. I love everything that you're about. And ultimately, today I want to talk about what you're doing right now. I like how you described your life in three different acts, so we can't jump to act three before we talk about one and two. So if you don't mind, let's start with your act one.
Speaker 2:Sure thing. Okay, so I grew up in a family where they didn't really appreciate creative pursuits, shall we say. So it was quite a normal beginning, and then suddenly I discovered that actually it was all about languages and acting and wine, and so Act 2 became me launching myself into the world as a wine communicator and someone who's absolutely passionate about wine, and then later spirits as well, and I just love that world because it brought in everything from geography to anthropology, to people and, of course, food and drink and all the things I absolutely love Poetry, even literature, all of that. And I've been doing that for a long time and I always wanted to do things a little differently, and very happily I was able to sort of help the wine trade, I think, get to a place that was a bit more female friendly, and Instagram certainly really helped that. But now, in part three, I feel like it's time to do something a little different.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely yes. And before we move to part three, I want to know about everything that you have done, because I know that you said that you write for a lot of publications. It looks like you do wine tastings. You can do all things.
Speaker 2:Yes, so I do. My day-to-day these days is writing for the UK's biggest newspaper, so the Daily Mail and the Sun, but also sometimes other ones. I'm freelance Also luxury magazines but it can be anything from like terrible 90s Alco Pops through to 4,000 pound of bottle wines. It's really really varied and I love that writing side. But throughout my career I've also done a lot of TV and radio. I have my own Amazon show as well, called the Three Drinkers, and it's always been about communicating with people who are actually drinking the stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah, right, yeah, and you have had to seen so many changes over the last couple of decades. With writing in newspapers and magazines, I mean some of that. A lot of it's online now, so I'm sure you've seen a lot of changes in the industry.
Speaker 2:Yes, it's huge. In fact, when I started I knew that I wanted to be a communicator but there wasn't anyone doing that. We're talking like way back in like 2008. Now it was before Twitter oh my gosh, I'm so sounding really old now. Before Twitter, way before Instagram, and not much going on YouTube. That wasn't just people swirling glasses and pontificating and giving waffly tasting notes and, you know, just being really geeky. And so I did it very differently Started a YouTube channel back in 2009.
Speaker 2:I don't think the world was ready for it. You know, I dress up my dog in bad fancy dress as different grape varieties to try and make it really visual and a bit sort of silly well, not silly more irreverent, you know, just to be accessible for people who actually drank wine and to be a face for women in the wine industry. And you know, for many years that was tough. I've been a wine buyer where people have just completely ignored me because a man started standing next to me, even though that man's got nothing to do with the industry at all, and yet I'm the person that could bring in all their wine and import their wine. And the people, the person they are there to meet and, of course, the sexism and, of course, people trying to tear you down. Yeah, it's been a rough ride as a woman in wine.
Speaker 1:Sure I bet. Oh gosh, I can't even imagine and it's just so much fun, everything that you do so with your act three. I love what this is about because when I started the podcast I'm like I want to talk about balancing life between exercise, between the libations, and that's what you're doing, but in like magnified in different areas of life and you're exploring so many different avenues. So share a little bit about Flock and Hive.
Speaker 2:Thank you, I will. So yes, I'm still in the wine industry very much. I feel like it's a much better place. There has been a lot of change. It's much more female friendly and have a lot of friends there now.
Speaker 2:But some might call it a midlife crisis. I prefer to look at it like a midlife breakthrough. So my family, or my husband and I, just really did a lot of evaluating stuff when we both found ourselves last year in a position of complete burnout just trying to chase our tails, spending too much time on work that we didn't love and looking at huge mortgages along the way, and I'm grateful for the fact it got so bad that one of us turned out to be me had to put the handbrake on and we just did a lot of thinking and where that came out was we have an opportunity here, just before we get too old, to rip up the rule book and start again. So it was quite extreme, but we did that. We moved a whole family to the Isle of Wight, which not if many people in England knows where that is.
Speaker 1:I don't know where that is.
Speaker 2:Well, it's just south of the, it's part of England but it's just south of Southampton and Portsmouth on the coast, sort of Hampshire kind of area. But you have to cross the water to get there. But what moving there did was it allowed us to get rid of a big part of the mortgage just to make it more manageable. So we had choice again. So my husband can take some time to let his cortisol levels reduce and really think about what he wants to do next. And that's where he is, and for me it was what can I do? That builds on my passion for wine and spirits and the writing side and the communication side, but that actually lets me have a little bit more balance in my life Balance, work-life balance because of my young family, but also balance from alcohol Because, being a wine writer who's been in the industry for 20, 23 years now, it just turns up in my house.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, during COVID it was a hundred bottles a week and it hasn't slowed down that much. Well, it has because I've made it so, but it's still a hell of a lot of wine. It turns up and it's always there and never run out, and we are very sociable beings. So, yeah, there's always something on the go and I just thought, no, I've got to change this up. So Flock and Hive. That was a long introduction. Flock and Hive was my way of going right. This is my icky guy project. You know that concept of finding your life's purpose, what the world needs and just what you are absolutely passionate about, and hopefully, we'll pay you something in the future.
Speaker 2:So Flockenheim builds on wine and spirits, but it brings in the elements of the art of living that the stoic philosophers were talking about back in Greek times, that the French took the concept for a little bit later and I've really tried to distill it down to what that means in 2024 and beyond. And it's food and drink, but it's also artistry and culture. It's travel and adventure, but it's sensory science as well, but there's a big whack of spirituality and energy in there. It's basically an excuse for me just to do a little deep dive into all these things I've always wanted to know more about and bring it all together on one platform.
Speaker 1:Oh, I love it. I love it. And going through your podcast so far that I've listened to, I mean there's so many diverse conversations and I'm learning so much from listening and I know others will as well. Would you explain just a little bit how you came up with Flock and Hive, Because I did like that little tidbit that I read about how you came up with that.
Speaker 2:Oh, yes, sure, Thank you. Well, it took me a long time to work out what to call it because I didn't want it to be about me. I have my wine brand, which is Helena Sips, and that's my handle, and that's me, me, me, me.
Speaker 2:Flock and Hive is about building a community, bringing people together, hence flocking a flock of birds not sheep, but a flock of birds coming together.
Speaker 2:And the Hive bit was the idea to. The Hive bit was so that everybody could share their passions and their expertise with this community, and that's what I aim for it to do, which is why I've got a different guest on every single week, which is why the subject matter is so varied as well. And, you know, I want other people to share it, because I know that that's a great way to grow as well. And I just know my gut, just knew that if there is something that really takes, takes a passion for me, then it's gonna, it's gonna be the same for other people around the world. And, yes, it's really varied, but it's all under the, it all comes under the umbrella of the wonder of world, of the world, and how wonderful our human bodies are and how wonderful nature is, and we just learn something along the way yes, yes, absolutely Well, I think you nailed it with the name, because the flock obviously, like you said, that's the community and the bees.
Speaker 1:I like how you mentioned the bees, because with the bees, everyone has a little job and a purpose. So everyone comes together in this community and it's like you described it Everyone has a part.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's exactly it, and it's not about me. It's about it's kind of the brand, as it were, and I'm just hoping that people will join me on that journey. You know I'm always looking for experts in all sorts of areas related to those five pillars that I mentioned before.
Speaker 1:Yes, and I love the pillars. I think that's fantastic, and you drew your sister in with this as well.
Speaker 2:I did, you know, because I was going to work with somebody else and it fell through and I started to think you know, can I do this by myself? And you're much like you are. It's totally, totally possible just to interview people and have it by yourself. But I just thought you know what? My sister is on a very similar life journey. She's four years younger than me but we're both in our 40s with kids. She's got very young kids.
Speaker 2:Our father was a GP, our mother was a nurse and there was never any room for much else, certainly nothing spiritual, nothing holistic on the medical front, particularly at all front, particularly at all. And so we are, we're learning together and actually it's turned out to be really lovely because we know each other so well and there's always a story there about about our shared past, because we're very different as well, but we do come together on this and just the way that we want to ask questions it's. We can be skeptical, but we want to believe in a lot of these things, like talking to psychic mediums and how does energy healing work over Zoom. We want to know this stuff and it's just nice to do it with somebody I trust.
Speaker 1:Yes, yeah, and I feel like with both of you then you're going to cover all the questions, you're going to be able to dig a little bit deeper, because you come from the same family, but then you have so many different interests as well. Yeah, I think that's really cool, and I do love how you guys do your intros as well, because I feel like with every intro I get to know you a little bit more oh, thank you.
Speaker 2:Good, that's the idea. Obviously we were a little bit worried that, like, do people care? You know who are we blah? But actually I think the more I listen to other podcasts, the more you want to know who's behind them, and I love how you did that with yours as well.
Speaker 1:There was a couple of a couple of episodes ago just about you, which is what we need yeah, I know it's so funny because that's the hardest part for me like I would rather just sit here and listen to you and have a conversation and I you know, I'm the same way. I'm like who wants to know about me? And my husband keeps telling me you need to do that more, you need to do it more. People want to know more about you. I'm like really me?
Speaker 2:No, absolutely it does. It does bring it alive.
Speaker 1:And it's go back just a little bit. So you were talking about life balance and being surrounded by wine and alcohol and spirits all of the time. I've had this conversation with my youngest son he's a firefighter and then on his off shift he works at a local brewery or distillery and he said he said you know what? It is kind of challenging because you are always surrounded by alcohol, everything you do is around alcohol and you know we were talking about how that would be an interesting podcast, talking to different bartenders and restaurant owners, because you're always around it. So how did you find your balance?
Speaker 2:well, I'm not sure if I have yet to be perfect. Yeah, no, but I'm but flockenhive is me trying to do that because it's me, um, it's me, uh, just making sure that I've got lots of other things to do. It's cutting down on the wine stuff. So I used to go to so many, so many events because I'm a proper wine geek. I find it really interesting and I want to know.
Speaker 2:And then, invariably, I would be beating myself up because now I've got to write it up somewhere and it's not going to pay me to do that.
Speaker 2:And why did I do it in the first place? That and saying yes to samples without knowing what I was going to write them up for and them just pouring through the door, yeah, it was too much. So I basically I've cut out 80% of the work that I do and I'm very intentional about work I take on. So it's either got to be something that is really good for the profile as well as, or something that's going to be paid basically those two things really, which sounds a little bit you know, it doesn't sound like wine is my passion when I put it like that, but I've been doing this a very, very long time and if I have to choose two things, it's going to have to be those.
Speaker 2:And so, yeah, to answer your question, I do a lot less of that because when I do do it it's quite intense. So the sun will say can you write about this in the next three days? So I'll have to get in like 25 samples and I will have to open them and taste them all. Oh my gosh, I mean, it doesn't mean, doesn't have to mean swallowing them, but you know, invariably there's going to be one that's quite nice that you might keep in the fridge and just have a glass or two of it that evening, et cetera, you know.
Speaker 1:So, doing less, doing less, doing less but better is my plan and it's working, just about yeah, I mean, I can't imagine opening that many bottles of wine knowing that you're probably just going to pour most of it out well it's been a very good way to meet my neighbors.
Speaker 2:I must say okay, okay, yeah. Now they know me, they, you know, they're not surprised to find three or four bottles on their doorsteps with just a little bit taken out of them.
Speaker 2:And just like please help me drink this. And they love it, you know, because I get stuff back Fresh lemon, lemon tarts that have been made with local lemons, for example, rhubarb crumble, all of these things, honey. It's like a currency, I really, and it's been so good for everybody and it means I can help at events too. So, you know, there's some local chefs around here who do pop-ups and if they need wine and I've got it, they can have it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, wow, that is so cool. It would be like Christmas every day on your doorstep or every week.
Speaker 2:It is yeah, again, it's the moderation, isn't it?
Speaker 1:Oh gosh, yeah, I can't imagine that would be so hard. Your wine cellar must be ginormous. Do you know what?
Speaker 2:It's not because a lot of the wine that comes into my life is the sort of it's a relatively inexpensive supermarket stuff that I try and give away and we don't collect wine. We don't buy it because we don't need to to and therefore it doesn't sort of stay at home, if you know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah so tell me what you're sipping in your glass right now so I've been talking about moderating, right?
Speaker 2:um, this is actually a non-alcoholic wine, but it's interestingly, it's the world's first non-alcoholic sparkling wine to pass the 100 pounds a bottle mark. My goodness, super premium yeah.
Speaker 1:Nope, In January I was trying to do a dry January. It started out pretty darn good, and so I sampled a couple of the non-alcoholic wines and I just thought I'm just going to drink water.
Speaker 2:To be honest, that's normally my thought as well. With non-alcoholic wines, they're moving forward pretty quickly, to be honest. Yeah, I've never found one I've really loved, apart from one brand, but it is expensive. I mean, it's the same brand that does this super premium one, but they start at 30 pounds, which is about $30 anyway these days, isn't it, which is expensive for non-alcoholic wine right, yes, absolutely yeah.
Speaker 1:So this might be one of the hardest questions, but I'm sure that you get asked all the time. Um, so I know right now you're having non-alcoholic wine, but what do you typically pour in your glass to make you happy?
Speaker 2:very good question. That is like choosing children. It is, and I named both my children after wine because I'm that sad Red wise. If I'm allowed two choices, it would probably be anything from Tuscany. I love Italian reds more than life, and if it's white I just love a cheeky Viognier, something really aromatic, really fruity and creamy and bold.
Speaker 1:I love it. I love it it.
Speaker 2:Now I have to ask what your kids's names are um, ivy ornalia, so super tuscan, because that's what we were drinking when we got engaged. Um, and her sister is cora salia, because I didn't want them fighting. It's like the sister wine. Oh, super tuscan, oh gosh, that's great yeah, it will take a while how old are they? Well, there are 10 and 12. Okay, we all could just about do it.
Speaker 1:There are a lot of l's and a lot of a's, a lot of eyes well, you're in an interesting phase then in your life with them, because they're going to get so active here very soon I'm sure they probably already are and then you're going to have teenagers soon. So going through this change then with your business and, you know, being a mom, that's quite the balance in itself.
Speaker 2:That's huge, and that's another reason for setting up Flock and Hive, so we don't have so much wine in the house and that we don't have alcohol on show open and drinking as much as we used to, because, yeah, it's probably too late, I think the damage is probably done, but I think if they're not seeing it as something you do every day, that's probably a good thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, so that, and also I need to have the energy to be getting up in the morning to drive them all over the place and not be hung over, and I just, yeah, need to be a better role model for the for them both, to be honest that's awesome, that's really nice so for like eight years I did um direct sales for traveling vineyard and one of the things that I tried to do with that is to take the stuffiness out of a wine tasting and make people feel comfortable with wine, and I feel like a lot of the trend is going that way. Now would you say that that's true, like some of the stuffiness is taken out or the snobs are always going to be there?
Speaker 2:The snobs will always be there. But you're right, it's changed a lot. And I think, without wanting to appear sexist, I really don't mean to do that, but I think women are particularly good at de-snobbifying wine. De-mystifying wine continues, because wine is a passion subject, isn't it? And it can be so easily over intellectualized and people made to be feel bad, and I think people assume that they're supposed to know more than they do because they drink it often. But you don't learn through osmosis with wine, unfortunately, otherwise we'd be very, very good at it. But yeah, I think, yeah, I'm glad to hear that that's your the way that you like to approach wine too, because it's joyous. It is joyous.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. And if someone enjoys a sweet wine, then they enjoy a sweet wine. And if they are into big, bold reds, good for them. Who am I to say? Oh well, your palate will evolve eventually and you'll get to here, you'll get to there.
Speaker 2:Just drink what you like to drink. That's so true. I've heard so many people talk about wine like that Just making people feel bad because they love that beefsteak club juicy, quite sweet, lots of residual sugar, but just in your face wine and guess what? Sometimes I do as well. It's a real guilty pleasure.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, oh goodness. So tell me then, since this is spandex and wine, do you have a workout regimen?
Speaker 2:I do, but I would be lying if I said I stuck to it. And again, the plan is to do more. Yes, I do. I now go to classes a couple of times a week and I have recently downloaded Asana Rebel Okay, good, because just so I can start, slowly, you know, because you can do from five minutes up to however long you want, just to get back into it. Because for the last year I've been setting up the business, I've been moving house and I haven't been prioritizing my health. That is coming back now, slowly, very, very slowly, but it is. But the plan is I know that my body really responds well to yoga and I think that is the way forward, especially with the flexibility. And then, you know, as the weather gets nicer over here in the UK, a little bit of running along the seafront, for, yeah, that can be a thing that sounds marvelous.
Speaker 1:I'm in kansas. There's no water smack in the middle of the country oh no, but still, that's what's it.
Speaker 2:What do you do? What's your routine?
Speaker 1:um, so I still teach classes. I'm a personal trainer. I have a fitness studio um this, this my home studio here, so I do a few classes here, but I enjoy strength training. I'm yoga certified. I did take most of the yoga classes off of the schedule but I need to add it back in because, like you, I need to get back to, into the flexibility and you don't realize until you take it out how much you really needed it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, certainly after a certain point in time. You know I used to be. I used to get away with a lot because I'm quite slim and I used to be quite sporty, but hit 40 and oh my god, no like, even if I've been sitting down for too long, I can't. It's really problematic getting up. I need to sort it out.
Speaker 1:Yoga is the way oh, I'm sorry to tell you that it doesn't get better. So yeah, do it now once you hit 50.
Speaker 2:Oh, my goodness yes, I need to sort it out now. You're absolutely right, um, but that's partly why I wanted to talk to you today, because I know that you you've got a good balance. You're aiming for such a good balance, and the point of your podcast is to remind people to do both things as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because I think a lot of fitness regimens or programs they completely cut out alcohol and I'm like is that really realistic? I mean, for some people, yes, they can do it and that's not a problem, but for the majority of people they just need to learn how to find that balance majority of people.
Speaker 2:they just need to learn how to find that balance. Yeah, I agree. Yes, I think if someone told me I had to give it up completely, I wouldn't even start on any kind of regime.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but I know that the more that you do work out, the more that you look after your body actually, the less likely you are to drink yourself into oblivion because you don't want to undo all of that good work.
Speaker 1:Absolutely yeah. When you've already done all the burpees and everything and you then calculate how many calories you burned and you realize, oh, that's a quarter glass of wine. Yeah, is it really worth it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly, not to mention how it makes you feel yes, true.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay. So you have to hear funny things that people tell you about wine. Like wine gives me a headache, dah, dah, dah, dah dah. And I want to know what you say to people number one when they say that, because I usually start with hydration and then, oh, histamines, I can't have histamines. It's just funny. What are the things that you hear that you're like? Okay, let me go ahead and put some truth to this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, good point. I mean certain types of wine. Giving you headaches is a really, really big one, and I'm not a chemist or a scientist, but I do know that it's usually because of the alcohol. And so, yes, I'm with you on the hydration message. All the time, like before, during and afterwards, absolutely, people just forget to do that. And eating as well. Let's see, uh, let's see. I mean what? What else I mean?
Speaker 2:There's a um, a lot of misconceptions usually around um what people say they love and say they hate, when it's often the same thing. You know, like Chablis, they will never touch a Chardonnay, but you know they love a good Chablis kind of thing, especially a Grand Cru Chablis, which is an oaked Chardonnay as well. Yes, let me see Lots of other ones. Yes, just I need to, I need to think about that that there are. There are loads from all my tastings. Oh yeah, um, oh yeah. People, people always think that they like. The more you, more you age a wine, the better it's going to be, even if it's like a five dollar sauvignon blanc that you bought yeah, corner shop kind of thing like that. You don't want to lay that down for 20 years, it's not gonna, they're not gonna be much good no, no.
Speaker 1:Well, going back to your podcast, when are your episodes released? Um, and I will talk about your different pillars. Just one more, if you wouldn't mind going through those yes, sure, thank you.
Speaker 2:So, um, our podcast drops every wednesday. At the moment it looks like that's going to continue, but we record them at any time during the week and sometimes back up lots of different conversations. Yes, and so we're just about to finish series one on episode 10, which is coming out this week, that we're recording, and then we're going to take stock to look at what's working, what we could do better, and come straight back in with series two. I've already got a lot of lovely guests lined up for that, for everything from floriography, which is the Victorian language of flowers, to talking to an expert about psilocybin, which is magic mushrooms, and busting some myths there, but all sorts of crazy things contrast therapy and what that does to your health, and how to build a fragrance wardrobe, and these are all part of the. They will fall under the five pillars of Luck and Hype, which again are artistry and culture, food and drink, sensory science, travel and adventure, and energy and spirituality. It could be anything under that.
Speaker 1:I love it, I love it, I love it. I feel like it's just. It's so broad but yet you know you can bring everyone into one little level, so you've done a great job capturing all of that.
Speaker 2:Thank you very much. I guess what I've realized about it is it's a great place to come for things you've always wanted to know a little bit more about, but also things you didn't even know that you wanted to know about, and so it's just like a chocolate box of information about life and I'm really enjoying that aspect of it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it satisfies that part of you that loves to do research, because for writing you would have to do a ton of research, so you get that satisfaction as well.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh. Yeah, it's like you become an expert in something different every week. I mean, that really feeds that. You're right. Yeah, part of the reason I love it.
Speaker 1:Yes, I know, I mean it's. It's so amazing I say this all the time, so people are probably tired of getting, you know, hearing me say this but I get to meet amazing people like you and I get to be in this moment. It doesn't matter what's happening anywhere else, that we just get to be right here together and I think that's just so cool and it's such a gift that it's given me to be able to slow down and just learn and listen.
Speaker 2:I mean, I'm with you on that and I love that, talking to new people, you come away feeling really uplifted. I think you always learn something about being human or the world or anything else nutrition, and that is a great thing. I think a big part of the art of living that I've worked out through studying the Stoics and the classic philosophers is that it's all about learning every single day something new and just never losing that need to learn.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's great, that's great. So how can people find you?
Speaker 2:Well, we are on flockenhivecom. The podcast is also hosted there and that's also where all the magazine articles are, because essentially it's an e-magazine. But you can find the podcast the Flock and Hive podcast on all platforms, from Spotify to Apple etc. And so, yeah, we'd love people to have a listen, to rate and review it, to get it up the charts, etc. And on socials we are at Flock and Hive.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, quite easy to find and then I think, yes, yes, and I think I saw that you have a membership as well.
Speaker 2:We will do. Yes, that's the plan. Yes, that's the plan. Yes, we don't at the moment because we're a bit too new. I just I want to get up the listens and the audience, and then we'll be releasing newsletters, and then there'll be sort of paid for subscription stuff for bonus episodes here and there as well, and lots of giveaways and extras, which is really exciting. We're building up to it.
Speaker 1:Oh, I love it. That's great. It's so exciting. I'm going to put all of that in the show notes so people can find you there as well, and thank you again for spending this time with me. This has been wonderful.
Speaker 2:It's been lovely to talk to you. Thank you so much for having me. Thank you.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, that was so much fun. I hope you guys enjoyed that. I caught myself just kind of stopping and staring because she was delightful to talk to, but I also really loved her accent. I don't know what it is, but I'm just mesmerized.
Speaker 1:Anyway, here are a few takeaways. One being a part of the wine and spirits industry is so much more than just wine and spirits. It encompasses geography, literature, food, poetry and much, much more. Two you can have a midlife breakthrough at any time and change your course. Be happy and do something you are passionate about. Rip up the rule book and start again.
Speaker 1:Three if you feel your life is out of balance, see what you can do to cut out those parts that are not as healthy for you, either physically or emotionally, and grow those areas that feed your soul. Four wine is for everyone. It shouldn't feel snobbish, but instead enjoyed and appreciated. Five find balance in your life in all areas. Six learn to listen, to hear the other person and to learn. Being in the moment is a wonderful gift and we are all capable of giving and receiving. Again, thank you for listening.
Speaker 1:I hope you will check out the show notes for all of helena's information and share this episode with a friend. Thank you for listening. If you're enjoying this podcast, be sure to follow Spandex Wine so you don't miss an episode. To do this, just go to the podcast and click subscribe or follow. Wherever you're listening, look for the plus sign or follow button. This is one of the best things that you can do for the podcast. If you'd also be willing to give a five-star review, that would be amazing and much appreciated. Lastly, please share an episode with a friend or five to keep the love going and join the Spandex Wine community in our private Facebook group by searching Spandex Wine. Feel free to reach out to me at any time by emailing info at spandexandwinecom or text me at 913-392-2877. I appreciate you. Thank you.
