Episode 136 - Coping with Stress, Anxiety and Grief as a Single Parent with Abby McLachlan

The Jōrni Podcast

December 26, 2023
The Jōrni Podcast
Episode 136 - Coping with Stress, Anxiety and Grief as a Single Parent with Abby McLachlan
This episode contains adult subject matter and some listeners may be triggered by this content.
In this heartfelt episode, we delve into the world of single parenthood, stress, anxiety, and the journey of healing and growth. Our guest, a remarkable individual, shares her deeply personal story of navigating the challenges of single parenthood while simultaneously coping with the profound loss of her parents. Her inspiring journey also touches on the pursuit of her dream, the establishment of a yoga and arts space, a testament to her resilience and determination.
Through our engaging conversation, we hope to shed light on the incredible strength and courage it takes to face life's tribulations. By embracing vulnerability and harnessing the power of healing practices, our guest exemplifies the transformative potential that lies within all of us, offering valuable insights and inspiration to anyone navigating similar challenges.
ABBY MCLACHLAN
Abby McLachlan is the founder of East of Eden and has lived in Walthamstow since 2011. Before opening the studios, she’d been in the music/media industries for 15+ years. When she became unexpectedly pregnant, that career was no longer viable long term, not as a completely solo parent, and she started to dream of opening her own yoga and arts space in Walthamstow and naming it after her favorite book, East of Eden by John Steinbeck.
In 2014, she met a yoga teacher who was up for giving it a go, and the first one-room mat studio opened in Hatherley Mews in 2015. After crowdfunding on Seedrs in Autumn 2015, they took a neighboring studio and opened a bigger mat studio plus reformer Pilates in 2016. Her business partner left that year, then in 2019, after 2 years of negotiating, Abby signed a new lease with Waltham Forest Council in October 2019 to add better facilities, a cafe and new studios downstairs.
Despite a build riddled with difficulties, finally in March 2020 everything was finished, and life looked good, except for the news about a new virus called Covid-19 circulating around Europe. A week after the grand opening, the brand new studios closed as it became clear a national lockdown was coming, and everything shifted online. The studios managed to fully reopen, and then in July 2022, expanded to open a new reformer Pilates studio plus a barre and hot yoga space. A year on, the next expansion will add spin and better therapy rooms, to open in January 2024.

RESOURCES
https://instagram.com/eastofeden17
https://eastofeden.uk
THE JORNI RESOURCES
https://thejornipodcast.com for show notes
https://thejorniblog.com for more holistic healing and mental health resources
https://thejorni.com
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