THE CONVERSATION
WITH
GISELLE LA POMPE MORE
The Art of Witnessing
Multidisciplinary storyteller, cultural strategist, and international speaker
Photo Credit by Nadia Meli
WHY NOTICING THE SMALL STUFF IS THE ULTIMATE WELLBEING HACK
By: Giselle La Pompe-Moore
We’ve become familiar with gratitude lists that burst with names of people we love and moments that season our days with such feeling; we’re moved to write our thanks. What about all of the things we witnessed? Many of which may not feel worthy of being elevated to the status of being included in our journals. The things we notice and observe throughout the day often feel microscopic when compared to the highlights and big stuff that grab our attention. Culturally, we don’t hear many love songs devoted to a toddler smiling at us on the train all jammy-fingered and gummy-smiled. We don’t always rush to our group chats to excitedly tell our friends about the ladybird that made a hotel on our nail bed before flying away. Where are the adorned tote bags that make a statement about the sea-breeze kissing your cheek? We increasingly prioritise the big and bold, the moments worth making a mini photoshoot out of on socials, but what are we not seeing?
It can often feel like we’re sleepwalking through our days, what with the relentlessness that adulting can bring. The never-ending lists of things to do, people to text back, supplements to take and endless rumination on what to have for dinner. Who knew our brains would have to spend such a vast amount of time deciding what to eat. While it might feel like yet another thing to do, prioritising presence and bringing more witnessing into your days, is a daily dose of magic-making.
We do it naturally when we’re on holiday or on a retreat. We allow our senses to be our tour guides as we move through unfamiliar streets. We can’t help but take everything in. There’s often a separation between who we are at home and who we are when we’re away. We let the busyness cease and let our hearts split open a little more. Just like our parents who’d tell us, “we have that at home” when we wanted a treat from the supermarket, we truly have so much of what we label as spectacular when we’re away, right with us back at home. It’s the feeling, not just the things.
It’s the cats decorating each corner in Greece that become the mainstay in your camera roll, but the neighbourhood cat you see every day is yet to make the hall of iPhone-fame. The gelato dripping down your arm on a flaming-hot island, become committed to memory, yet you speed past award-winning ice-cream shops on your local high-street. When we become accustomed to what is familiar, we no longer see its inherent beauty.When our lives are filled with things to do, we can’t always create the space to feel more deeply into them.
Enter the art of witnessing. The ultimate perspective-shift that isn’t all marketing fluff and the “next wellbeing trend”, but a way to live. To live simply, abundantly and joyfully without needing anything beyond an open mind, attention, and the senses you have available to you. All it takes is one question to get you there, “if today was my first day on Earth, what would I notice?”
Really, what would you notice? Would you walk past the most incredible perfume of all-time, also known as a bakery with cinnamon rolls freshly emerging from the oven? Absolutely not, it’s your first day here, you would be mesmerised and curious. You’d marvel at the colour of the radicchio you’re shredding for dinner and lose yourself in the flickering dance of a candle’s flame. The flowers on your dining table wouldn’t go straight from alive to dead.
You’d notice all the moments in-between. The beauty in their transitory state and the little by littleness of their decay, all droopy and crepe-like. You’d walk down the streets your feet know ever so intimately and witness the details that previously escaped you. Simply put, you’d fall in love with life again. We’re here to savour our stay here, every sip of it. On the days that feel like you can’t catch your breath, there’s always a stranger’s smile to drink it.
You don’t have to do anything apart from witness it. Savour it. See how it makes you feel. When you’re travelling and begin to feel like yourself again, notice what it is that makes you feel more like you. It’s rarely in the grand gestures, but in the small ones. The moments in-between where we’re so hypnotised by what’s here that we remember what it means to be alive. The wonderful.
Photo Credit by Nadia Meli
THE CONVERSATION-Muses, Inspiration & Reflections
CLAIRE VERO
After building the award-winning skincare brand Aurelia, Claire Vero found herself burnt out and craving space to breathe. A life-changing retreat helped her reset — and inspired her to create The Collective: a series of transformative wellness retreats designed for brilliantly busy women.
SUSANNAH TAYLOR
Since forever, Susannah Taylor has been a guiding and trusted voice in the world of beauty and wellbeing. We absolutely love her soulful newsletter, The Glow Gazette, and her inspiring podcast series, Ways to Feel More Human-a journey into discovering what helps us thrive as human beings. physically, mentally, creatively, socially, and spiritually.
TARA LEE
Meet the exceptional first guest teacher of The Collective—the wonderful Tara. Beyond being an incredible teacher, it’s Tara’s energy and presence that instantly create connection. She has guided hundreds of students over the years, bringing deep care and expertise to every practice.
CLARE RICHARDSON
One of the most respected and sought after names in the fashion industry, Clare Richardson has had a long and successful career as a stylist and tastemaker working with brands such as Hermes, Balenciaga and Calvin Klein.
RHIAN TRUMAN
At The Collective, our retreats are all about pressing pause—reviving the body, rebalancing the mind, and reigniting the soul.
Having recently served as resident facialist at SOHO farmhouse and set to start her next residency at Marbella Club, we are in for a treat as Rhian joins our Menorcan retreat 22nd-25th October.
GABRIELLE ANAND
We asked Gabrielle Anand, a gifted sound practitioner based in Mallorca, to share her insights on sound therapy and the modalities she teaches.
Gabrielle will guide us through deeply intuitive sessions that combine somatic therapy, EFT tapping, quantum healing, meditation, and sound during our Menorcan retreat
