The Spiral, Not The Ladder episode artwork

EPISODE · Oct 31, 2025 · 15 MIN

The Spiral, Not The Ladder

from Murmuration · host Sarah Matlock and Debbie Beharrell

We’ve been taught to see growth as linear. A ladder to climb, a list to tick off, a destination to reach. But real transformation doesn’t work like that. It’s a spiral.In this episode, Sarah and Debbie explore what it means to circle back to familiar patterns. The arguments, fears, and feelings we thought we’d already outgrown... and how revisiting them isn’t failure, but evolution.Because each time we return, we do so with more awareness, more compassion and more capacity to stay present.This is a conversation about letting go of perfection, honouring the descent and trusting that what looks like repetition is actually deepening.You’ll hear:✨ Why growth isn’t a straight line and how the spiral reveals true integration✨ How to meet recurring patterns with awareness rather than judgment✨ The difference between regression and deepening✨ Why descent is an essential part of the maturation process✨ How being witnessed in community helps us see our own evolutionThe spiral is how life unfolds... one layer, one breath, one return at a time.🌿 Reflections to Sit WithWhere in your life do you feel like you’re circling something familiar?What might be different this time - in how you’re seeing, feeling or responding?Can you soften your judgment of the return, and honour it as deepening instead of failure?What becomes possible when you move with life, rather than measure yourself by it?You don’t need to fix or answer anything here... just notice what stirs.✨ InvitationIf this conversation brought your awareness to your own spiral, and you feel ready to explore it with more support, that’s what Embrace is here for.It’s a living field where each woman’s spiral contributes to the collective, where circling back becomes a deeper coming home.In this space, edges, breakthroughs and the quiet in-between are all welcome... because nothing is separate.And if you’d like to stay close to what’s unfolding next, we’d love to have you with us.There’s a new programme emerging from this field, still finding its shape and we’ll be sharing more soon.Follow us on Instagram @sarahmatlockcoaching and @debbiebeharrellcoaching to be the first to hear when it arrives.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Oct 31, 2025

We’ve been taught to see growth as linear. A ladder to climb, a list to tick off, a destination to reach. But real transformation doesn’t work like that. It’s a spiral.In this episode, Sarah and Debbie explore what it means to circle back to familiar patterns. The arguments, fears, and feelings we thought we’d already outgrown... and how revisiting them isn’t failure, but evolution.Because each time we return, we do so with more awareness, more compassion and more capacity to stay present.This is a conversation about letting go of perfection, honouring the descent and trusting that what looks like repetition is actually deepening.You’ll hear:✨ Why growth isn’t a straight line and how the spiral reveals true integration✨ How to meet recurring patterns with awareness rather than judgment✨ The difference between regression and deepening✨ Why descent is an essential part of the maturation process✨ How being witnessed in community helps us see our own evolutionThe spiral is how life unfolds... one layer, one breath, one return at a time.🌿 Reflections to Sit WithWhere in your life do you feel like you’re circling something familiar?What might be different this time - in how you’re seeing, feeling or responding?Can you soften your judgment of the return, and honour it as deepening instead of failure?What becomes possible when you move with life, rather than measure yourself by it?You don’t need to fix or answer anything here... just notice what stirs.✨ InvitationIf this conversation brought your awareness to your own spiral, and you feel ready to explore it with more support, that’s what Embrace is here for.It’s a living field where each woman’s spiral contributes to the collective, where circling back becomes a deeper coming home.In this space, edges, breakthroughs and the quiet in-between are all welcome... because nothing is separate.And if you’d like to stay close to what’s unfolding next, we’d love to have you with us.There’s a new programme emerging from this field, still finding its shape and we’ll be sharing more soon.Follow us on Instagram @sarahmatlockcoaching and @debbiebeharrellcoaching to be the first to hear when it arrives.

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Midlife Murmurings Chris Gates Midlife Murmurings is a companion for those navigating the in-between—not quite young, not yet old, but deeply alive. Like a murmuration of starlings, each voice adds wisdom, challenges and questions which together create something beautiful, joyful and wonderous. Through life stories, career adventures, and soulful reflections, this podcast explores purpose, renewal, grief, and the quiet rebellion of midlife, as we shed the clothes that no longer fit, and rediscover our true selves. Join the conversation - https://linktr.ee/midlife.murmuringsCreated by Christopher Gates. Beyond Should: women reinventing their lives, careers & owning their power Lucy Reynolds Beyond Should is a podcast about breaking down the barriers of our “shoulds.”“I should stay in this job… I should take that meeting… I shouldn’t say how I really feel… I should, I should, I should.” Sound familiar?But what if everything powerful, beautiful, true, and authentic lives on the other side of should?Hosted by Lucy Reynolds, certified coach and founder of The Murmuration Collective, Beyond Should invites listeners to stop living in their “shoulds” and start naming, claiming, and pursuing what they deeply want. Through stories, wisdom, and candid conversations with inspiring guests — thought leaders, creative minds, advocates, artists, entrepreneurs, and storytellers — each episode explores courage, self-trust, asking for help, embracing failure, and stepping into a more vibrant, authentic way of living.Expect laughter, honesty, vulnerability, and the occasional f-bomb as we challenge cultural conditioning, shed inherited expectations, and reclaim personal power.Becau MURMURATIONS - Un podcast Biocoop pour inspirer un futur bio Biocoop Agriculture, alimentation, commerce, mode de vie… où en serons-nous en 2040 ? A travers unesérie d’interviews d’experts, Biocoop interroge l’avenir que la coopérative rêve toujours plus bio. Dans chaque épisode de Murmurations, nous leur demandons d'imaginer un lieu, un objet du futur et denous décrire sa photographie.  L’exercice permet de mieux comprendre le présent et de se projeter dans de nouveaux récits pourbâtir dès maintenant un avenir désirable.  Murmurations, pourquoi ? Pour les Anglais, le mot désigne un nuage d’oiseaux. Un vol d’étourneaux par exemple. Par leur comportement collectif, ils se coordonnent dans des mouvements complexes sans qu'il y ait de chef d'orchestre.   La philosophe française Isabelle Stengers évoque la “murmuration collective” dans la société deceux qui sont impatients de voir un autre monde émerger.   Nous avons aussi choisi ce mot pour l’image et la beauté. Pour que les murmures de la terre finissent par faire force.  Hébergé par Ausha. Visite L'écriture ne tombe pas du ciel Collectif Murmuration Un podcast présenté par le collectif Murmuration, qui rassemble dix drôles d’oiseaux passionnés d’écriture. On y parle donc d’écriture, de création, de nous et de nous en tant que collectif. Les épisodes seront animés par deux d’entre nous et ponctués de notes vocales enregistrées par d’autres membres du collectif.

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This episode is 15 minutes long.

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This episode was published on October 31, 2025.

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We’ve been taught to see growth as linear. A ladder to climb, a list to tick off, a destination to reach. But real transformation doesn’t work like that. It’s a spiral.In this episode, Sarah and Debbie explore what it means to circle back to...

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