This message was originally sent out on the June 2022 Holly Stoppit Workshops newsletter. I've edited it slightly for this blog.

Dearest Reader,

It is nearly time for me to bid you a fond farewell for now. After 16 years of running my own courses, I'm taking a much needed break and immersing myself in community, nature and meditation for 9-12 months from the beginning of July. If you'd like to know some of the reasons why I'm doing this, check out this blog.

An Unexpected Windfall

Thanks to the support of my union, Equity, we have finally received the money paid by our online workshop participants for events we ran between September 2020 and April 2021. The ticketing company, Brown Paper Tickets (BPT) has been withholding these funds, along with millions of dollars belonging to event organisers and customers around the world and have not been available for any correspondence. At first I thought I should just add this sizeable lump of cash to all the other things I’ve been attempting to let go of in the last few years, but my friends badgered me until I asked my union to support me to begin court proceedings. After several months, BPT finally paid! My co-facilitator, Robyn hit the nail on the head when she described this as “the most stressful 0 interest savings account ever!”

This money means that I can let this year be what it needs to be. I can grieve, heal and discover who I am when I’m not working all the time. I was 27 when I started offering spaces for adults to play, explore, experiment and witness each other's glorious humanity. The passion and fascination has kept me continuously creating and delivering new iterations of the work. I can't quite believe I'm 43 now, but here I am; slightly dumpier with a lot more grey hair and with permanently etched laughter lines.

Thank You All

I'd like to thank everyone who attended my workshops and supported the development of my work over the years. Thank you for allowing me to guide you through endlessly awesome, continuously surprising, deeply joyful, life-affirming processes. Your presence, generosity, courage and vulnerability have shaped me into who I am and I'm forever grateful to you for putting your trust in me and my process.

If you'd like to follow my adventures into meditation retreat land and find out who I’ve become and what I’ll be offering on the other side, we’ll be sending out  newsletters sporadically (you can sign up at the bottom of this page), or you can trundle back over to my blog any time.

Big love,

Holly x

One last ding

Anyone who has done one of my courses will know the little hand bells that I chime to mark the beginning and ending of games and exercises. Here is one last ding, for old times sake. 

Filmed by Beccy Golding at Holly's final Bristol Inner Voice Outer Voice weekend, May 2022