Milk & Coffee

As I have entered a new phase of personal growth, I started to feel that the name Milk & Coffee is too safe, too tame. It is beautiful, but it felt like it is too small of a container for what I try to bring into this world and all the things I want to be inspired by and inspire in return.So in this episode - let me introduce to you MILK & BONE and what my hopes are for this new format. In light,Evayou can support this podcast through signing up to my newsletter on substack,AND we are now booking for the new Pause retreatAs always, you can find me onwww.evamariasmith.com and on Instagram @eva.maria.smith

You are a poet, mother. A gentle conversation with poet Kat Farrell Davis on poetry, motherhood and how to integrate the two. You can find Kat's beautiful work on Instagram @katfarrelldavison Substack “Tending the Depths”https://katfarrelldavis.comIf you would like to support my work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber on substack

This episode is meant to be a gentle reminder for you to lean deeply into your moons this year. To honor your menstrual cycles as much as the seasons outside. To know when to rest and when to play.To lean into the seasons with grace and awareness.Every season of life and every season in nature has its magic. Every month the moon grows fuller and hangs heavy in the air, before it slowly disappears once more. Everything in nature is cyclical, and we are nature, and we are cyclical beings, too. To live linear lives is constantly creating resistance against ease and flow. So embrace living with your moon seasons. If you want to support my work as a mother artist you can become a free or paid supporter of my substack newsletter “milk”. or join me on instagram@eva.maria.smith

In the last episode of 2023 I want to send you off with an invitation to deeply rest. To hibernate. To take a true winter. What would this season be like for you if you allowed yourself to winter? A time of prioritizing rest, to shed what is dead and to prepare our hearts for the new growth. A time to release your jaw, release the grip and trust that stillness is nothing to fear. Nothing to feel guilty of. Amongst reminders of how to slow down during Christmas I'm sharing ways to reflect on what was and to invite what is to come in the New Year ahead. Instagram @eva.maria.smithSubstack

In todays episode I share a bit about what I do in my house to infuse my days with Christmas time hygge. A beautiful reminder to relish the little moments, versus waiting for the big magic of the season to knock on your doorstep and then feeling disappointment when it never arrives. so grab a cup of something warm and comforting and get cozy with me. Listen:My Christmas Spotify playlist “Hygge Jul”Read:Milk & Coffee yearsmy substack advent calendar Winter papersOne Day in DecemberWatch:3 wishes for Cinderella Hjem til Jul / Home for ChristmasOver ChristmasHoliday Secrets THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR MOTHERS“Milk & Coffee Years” book

In this episode, I'm reading a brief chapter from my motherhood memoir of poetry and prose called “Milk & Coffee Years”.The chapter title “gratitude” is the perfect easy listen on today's Thanksgiving day.I am so grateful to you for listening.You can find my book here

In this episode I'm inviting you to grab a cup of coffee and listen to me talk about my favorite ways to make the kitchen a cozy place. After all, it is the heart of the home in many ways. From art, to lighting and more I'm sharing easy ways to bring more hygge into your kitchen. Cozy decor doesn't have to involve big changes, or expensive items. Head over to my substack if you can't get enough of everything cozyhttp://evamariasmith.substack.comor find me on Instagram@eva.maria.smithMy book “Milk & Coffee Years” is available at www.evamariasmith.com - perfect gift for the holidays

In this episode I have invited my first ever interview guest. Friend and business partner at “the Pause Retreats” Rachael Hollinger and I talk about why women suppress their hunger, both literally and metaphorically and how to eat with joy through the holidays and beyond.We talk about which winter foods we particularly love and want to encourage you to experience food without constant restriction. Food not just as nourishment, but also as pure joy in our lives. A cozy and very delicious episode just in time for the big food-holidays ahead. you can find Rachael @nourisherdoula on Instagram, or www.nourisherdoula.com Together, we host lovely bespoke retreats for mothers - www.the-pause.comYou can find me on Instagram @eva.maria.smith or www.evamariasmith.comI would love for you to subscribe to my Substack newsletter Milk that is the perfect addition to this podcast In this episode we talk about this book:Nigel Slater - The Christmas Chronicles

In this episode I'm talking about how to simplify gift giving around the holidays. You can have a cozy Christmas with a very minimal amount of thoughtful presents and I'm sharing how we do gifts in our home and why. In addition I am answering one of my most received question “How can I avoid unwanted things coming into my home?”.Grab a cup of something steamy and comforting and enjoy this episode that invites you to approach gifting very cozily.If you are looking for slow and cozy gift ideas listen until the end, where I share 5 hyggelige ideas with you.Speaking of gifts, my motherhood memoir of poetry & prose makes a great gift for all mothers and is available worldwide here: www.evamariamsith.comIf you enjoy this podcast please subscribe to my substack to receive weekly newsletters for freehttps://evamariasmith.substack.comWant to buy me a cup of coffee or become a supporter of my work - there is paid option on my substack for you to do that!You can also find me on Instagram @eva.maria.smith Stay cozy,Eva

In this episode I'm sharing 5 books that I highly recommend this season. Light comes later in the morning now, darkness arrives more quickly in the evening. The days days rapidly grow shorter, and the air gets crisper, the notion of spending time curled up with a good book and a cup of tea sounds increasingly perfect. I'm talking in depth about:“ON OUR BEST BEHAVIOR - The seven deadly sins and the price women pay to be good” by Elise LoehnenTHE “MISTS OF AVALON” by Marion Zimmer Bradley“THE RACHEL INCIDENT” by Caroline O'Donoghue“CACOPHONY OF BONE” by Kerri ni Dochartaigh“THE DREAM WE CARRY” by Olaf H Hauge“MILK & COFFEE YEARS” by me, Eva-Maria Smith, which you can order here:www.evamariasmith.comInstagram: @eva.maria.smithPlease consider following me on substack and subscribe to my letter “MILK”https://evamariasmith.substack.comA free subscription gives you bones writing to all episodes, as well as other pieces on motherhood, slowing down, simplifying, softening into this world and the creative life.I am so grateful for all paid subscribers, who make it possible to continue to show up here! I appreciate you so very much.

As I was watching my almost two year old pull an espresso shot almost entirely by himself, this episode came through me. The moment I realized with heaviness and quiet despair, how easy it is for me to embrace him and speak kindness over him and how hard it is to extend the same to myself. So today, I want us to reflect on 3 wonderful things we tell our children, that we should also really be telling ourselves and the mothers around us. Substackhttps://evamariasmith.substack.comInstagram: @eva.maria.smithhello.evamariasmith@gmail.comwww.evamariasmith.com

In this episode I talk about the spaces we make and the spaces that make us. Something I call the “embodied home”, which implies that in a literal sense, our homes are places of shelter, comfort and belonging, but in a metaphorical sense, there is a deep emotional connection between our spaces and ourselves and our homes can influence how we “feel”. A cozy home is not determined by how good it looks, but how good it makes us feel, because every home should be a lived-in vision board of how we want our lives within the home to unfold. article mentioned: https://katriver.substack.com/p/calling-in-your-dream-homeJoin me on substack where I talk intimately about motherhood, marriage, and slow living and share poetry and art. I'm hoping to start regular coffee chats soon!https://evamariasmith.substack.com@eva.maria.smith (instagram)www.evamariasmith.comYou can find my motherhood memoire MILK & COFFEE YEARS on my webpage. It makes for a very cozy christmas present for all mothers.

Last week I returned from a beautiful retreat week in Maine. Struck by the coziness of Maine I felt called to share my observations, my inspirations from this magical place with you today. There are so many amazing things about Maine, but today I wanted to bring up 5 hygge inspirations that I brought home from Maine and how you can also incorporate them into your life. Grab a cup and get cozy!For more Maine hygge and all things cozy, motherhood, art, life, relationships and poetry head over & support my substackwww.evamariasmith.substack.comMILK & COFFEE YEARS book available atwww.evamariasmith.comInstagram: @eva.maria.smithInterested in the next retreat? www.the-pause.comMentioned in this episode:http://nomadicgoat.comhttps://www.kmfarrelldavis.comhttps://taprootmag.com

Grab your favorite warm beverage, cozy up and let's talk about my perfect autumn wardrobe, while also taking a step away from fast fashion.In this episode I'm sharing about what mindset helps me to slowly turn my back on fast fashion for good, which staples I have in my autumn wardrobe & which pieces I am looking to source this fall. I talk share a sentiment on what I feel makes pieces TRULY cozy and intentional and you will also get an idea of my personal style and my autumn inspiration, which reads something like…“laid back scandi-style mom goes off to write at a british cottage and can't be bothered”Thank you for hyggeing with me. Instagram @eva.maria.smith & @thepauseretreatswww.evamariasmith.com www.the-pause.comwww.evamariasmith.substack.com

In this episode I want to invite you to step into my kitchen, where I use a few simple, but high quality ingredients to make any meal cozy. I want to share a few pantry staples that really make my heart warm and my soul content, and maybe you can discover them for yourself, because it does not take an elaborate list of ingredients or complicated recipes to make amazing home cooked meals. Quite the opposite in fact. Subscribe for my substack newsletter and receive all my favorite autumn ingredients straight to your inbox. www.evamariasmith.substack.comor follow me on instagram @eva.maria.smithIf you like my work please share with a few close friends today! Leave a comment or some stars. It takes a village!

“Who would I be as a mother, if I had never opened an Instagram account”A question that crosses my mind every once in a while and something I felt was worthy softening into a bit.In this episode I want to explore Inspiration and being inspired versus Influence and being influenced. What is the difference between the two? Is influence a bad thing? How can I limit the negative effects of social media? What is positive influence?The episode is an open exploration of all this and more, because life is really too precious to spend it trying to live someone else's life. If you liked this episode please subscribe and share with friends! It takes a village.Instagram: @eva.mariasmithBuy my motherhood memoir “Milk & Coffee Years”: www.evamariasmith.comCome on retreat with me! @thepauseretreats www.the-pause.com subscribe to my substack space www.evamariasmith.substack.com Thank you for being here

Creating a community for yourself as a mother is a vulnerable thing. It is hard to find and build nourishing friendships. So what can we do to build a sacred community for ourselves?What do I even mean when I say sacred community? I'm talking about truly meaningful relationships. Deep friendships that feel aligned and give us the safe space to show up as our whole selves. The good bits and the hard parts. Join me as I explore some ways to build your village.If you are looking to make some meaningful friendships while also getting all the rest you need, want and deserve check out www.the-pause.com or @thepauseretreats to join me in Maine this September.instagram: @eva.maria.smithwww.evamariasmith.comYou can also find my motherhood memoir “Milk & Coffee Years” on my webpage

August is well underway and before you know it we will bid farewell to the sun-drenched days of summer. Autumn, is upon us and while I am looking forward to return to slow rhythms and a cozy fall homes, I am also trying to mindfully enjoy the end of summer.Todays episode is a bit of a bridge between summer and autumn. A very cozy episode about the feeling of end of summer hygge and how to invite in the art of Danish coziness this month. I talk about how to make picnics extra cozy, how I love berry picking and why wild swimming has my heart. In the end I invite you to hygge with me in Maine this September. To find out more checkout www.the-pause.com, or go to Instagram @thepauseretreatsIf you like my work please subscribe and leave me a review or get in touch with me via Instagram. I am so grateful to you.

I dont know if you know this already, but me and my friend and business partner Rachael Hollinger from noursiher doula have started doing retreats for tired mothers last year. The Pause retreats are grounded, yet elevated bespoke retreats where we really try to honor mothers by mothering them through colorful, seasonal, nourishing foods, as well as balmy meditations and heart openers and breathwork and yoga and wild swimming and cold plunging and hot herbal baths and honest conversations and sitting in sacred circle with each other and and and. I am simply so passionate about these retreats. And at the first one that we did this past February Rachael lead us through an earthy, connected forest bathing workshop and to open it up for her and get everyone into a sense of warmth and safety and state of softening I did a guided meditation that I wrote just for that event. And it has been requested by several of the attendees that if I follow through and release this podcast I MUST share this meditation for the mothers of the world to listen to again and again. So today I am doing just that. If you are in your car, just switch off and come back to it later. This is an invitation for you to relax and get grounded. Enjoy this very first gentle motherhood meditation on the Milk & Coffee podcast. If this meditation got you curious about meditating with me in real time, as well as coaching, and breathwork and sharing meals and jumping into the ocean then go to www.the-pause.com and book one of the last couple of slots for my upcoming end-of-summer retreat in Maine.Dont forget to follow me on Instagram @eva.maria.smith and subscribe to this podcast.

As I am about to embark on a road trip to the beach I am exploring the question, why we feel compelled to update our wardrobe before our vacation and why I think a minimal wardrobe is the way to go for the planet and our mental health. If you liked this episode please follow me on instagram @eva.maria.smith and subscribe to this podcast! Also, check out my upcoming retreat at www.the-pause.com

This episode wasn't exactly planned, but sort of came to me this week, as a reel that I had made about this got a lot of attention on my Instagram feed and so I wanted to use the podcast to go a little bit deeper into this.There is so much talk about self-care these days, and all the BIG ways (and mind you, capitalist inspired ways) to practice self-care and yet, the daily, sustainable, effortless practices of it, is still something that most of us struggle with.But what is self-care? It is to recognize yourself. It is to feel yourself and to be able to feel into which need is arising for you. It is about taking your needs seriously. It is knowing what feels good. It is knowing, which boundaries to hold. It is being friendly towards yourSELF and it is about doing what feels good.In this episode I explore what 10 min nourishers are, which ones work for me and how they could really transform your everyday. If you liked this episode, please subscribe and share with your friends. And book one of the last couple of beds for the Pause retreat in Maine this September. I would love to retreat with you. www.the-pause.com

A clenched fist cant receive and so it is important to work on that softening within us - very intentionally. A soft heart can give and receive freely and be of service to the world and open to the many wonders of the human experience.Let go of these 3 things today in order to slow down and live more intentionally. 1. Stop using the word “should” to hurt yourself.2. Stop using the very things that nourish you to punish yourself.3. Let go of FOMOVisualizations and meditations to help you along your way.If you liked this episode please subscribe and tell 3 friends about it today! Follow me on instagram @eva.maria.smith or find me on substack.There are still a few tickets left for my retreat in Maine at the end of the summer. You can find all the details here - www.the-pause.com

In this episode I share how I plan out my weekly meals in order to lower my mental load. I share about my kitchen philosophy of keeping things balanced and simple, as well as sharing about my general philosophy on household tasks and how to deal with my picky eaters. If you enjoyed the practical tips in this episode please subscribe and share with your best friends. If you are struggling right now to slow down, simplify and soften into a beautiful everyday please reach out about 1:1 mentoring with me. I would love to help guide you towards a more cozy, intentional motherhood lifestyle.Thank you so much for being here!

I am a huge believer in gentle family rhythms rather than strict routines. I like to let my days and my weeks float gently with some very intentionally chosen anchors.Summer beckons us enjoy a slower pace. Look up. Let the sun guide you. The summer sun has so much to teach you. From slow mornings outside, to midday shelter in the cool of our homes to the long evenings spent together. How are you spending your summer?If you like this episode please subscribe and leave a review. Follow me on instagram @eva.maria.smith or visit www.evamariasmith.comWant to spend the end of summer with me in Maine? Go to www.the-pause.com right now and book your retreat ticket. I would love to have you.

De-cluttering and then living a more simple life in an economy that is built on consumption and a society that values possessions above everything and sees material things as a measure for success is a small revolution. The message “more is better” has been fed to you all your life, whether you are aware of it or it happened subconsciously. So forgive yourself for the clutter that you have accumulated. How wonderful that you are here and open to explore why it feels so hard to get rid of some things, even though they may no longer serve a purpose. Most likely your fear of letting go is rooted in emotions, memories and even your sense of identity. Learning to understand our emotional triggers and acknowledging the emotions behind our clutter can free us from an environment that makes us feel overwhelmed, stressed or even anxious.Taking the time to reflect on why we hold on to certain things leads us to develop a healthier relationship with our possessions. To distinguish between what is bringing us joy and what we have been conditioned to believe is valuable. If you enjoyed this episode please subscribe and leave me a review. you can find me on Instagram @eva.maria.smithand you can retreat with me this summer in Maine - www.the-pause.comLove,Eva

In this episode I talk about what minimalism means to me and why I feel it is so important to embark on this journey with gentleness and compassion. I talk about why minimalism goes beyond de-cluttering and why I feel minimalism is such a nourishing lifestyle. You can find me on Instagram @eva.maria.smithI invite you to subscribe to my substack community to get bonus materials and musings that go alongside with this podcast. www.evamariasmith.substack.comAs part of my community you get exclusive access to virtual events like breathwork sessions. If you would love to connect with me in person, go to www.the-pause.com and retreat with me to beautiful Maine this summer!Love, Eva

If you are here listening, I know that you already have a desire to slow down your life. Maybe, something in the facade of your life has already cracked. Maybe you have been feeling burnt out in a world that sees rest as a weakness.I think, it It is when we crack a bit, that the light shines in. Each time something hard happened in my life it was an invitation to look more closely at my habits, my values, my vision for my life. An invitation to slow down once again, to breathe, to unclench, to loosen the grip on things I can't control. A tightly closed fist can not receive. And To focus on what is imortant to me - to live this life joyfully. Grateful and full of joy to be alive.You can find me on Instagram @eva.maria.smithand subscribe to my substack community to get bonus materials and musings that go alongside with this podcast. www.evamariasmith.substack.comIf you would love to connect with me in person, go to www.the-pause.com and retreat with me to beautiful Maine this summer!Love, Eva