Introducing, The Hermit Diaries

From London to Leros by way of Tarot

Welcome

Down below, the Aegean is calm. Its waves scatter the early morning sunlight. Across the bay, craggy hills rise from the shoreline. There’s a breeze and a sail boat slips out towards open water. Waves lap onto a sliver of crescent beach. A breeze rustles in the olive groves. Birds sing. Cicadas click.

Forty-eight hours ago I left South London in the darkness of an early morning flight. For a month, I’m trading in double deckers and flight paths, crowds and calendar notifications for a cottage on a remote Greek island.

One month. Nothing to do. No one to see. Nowhere to be.

Introductions

If we haven’t met before then hello, I’m Molly and I’ve spent the past two years launching first a podcast and most recently a travel platform.

More on this to come but, for now, it’s enough to say I’ve been running pretty fast for a while now. Burning that proverbial candle at both ends.

Somewhere along the way, the daily joy that used to come easily to me has ever so slightly faded away.

I now find myself living *that* life I dreamed of for so long. And yet, there’s a hollowness that’s hard to pin down and can no longer be blamed on a dead-end job/miserable manager/long hours/crappy culture/insert scapegoat of your choice.

Add the breakdown of my long-term relationship into the mixer and it turns out 2025 had different plans for me than anticipated.

Tarot made me do it

At Christmas my friend gave me a set of tarot cards. A bit of fun. A chance to reflect. A sprinkling of cosmic wisdom.

Fast-forward a couple of months to my first post-breakup hinge date. Turns out, no I’m most definitely not ready to re-enter the dating arena.

The next day, I pull out the cards and ask ‘what does my next romantic chapter look like?’

Past - The Star

Present - Justice

Future - Hermit

Hmm, not immediately encouraging. But on closer inspection, The Star (hope, healing and renewal) takes me back to the calm and clarity I felt after the end of my relationship.

Justice (alignment, accountability and truth) feels incredibly apt right now as I dissect old habits and peel away the shallow sticking plaster of past coping mechanisms.

Finally, The Hermit (solitude, reflection, the search for truth). It doesn’t sound like the old love life is getting a kickstart anytime soon but something about it speaks to me.

A hermit chapter. A whole month. One full moon cycle to read, journal, think and just be.

F*** it and book it

It’s one of those gut-instinct, Nike advert ‘just do it moments’. I open up Airbnb. I’m picturing a small house. Somewhere off-grid. A view of the sea. Close enough to hear the waves. Daily swims.

I find a tiny house on an island in the Dodecanese that I’ve never heard of. Down a dirt track and right on the beach. Simple and solid. Cubist and Cycladic. White walls and blue shutters. A wide terrace overlooking the sea.

The next day, I tell a slightly surprised but supportive group of friends over Easter Dinner. Then I scrape together the last of my savings and book.

Cottage. Flights. Car. The hermit life is calling.

Hermitting

I pack a single carry-on bag. It’s mostly books with clothes crammed into the cracks.

I catch a 7am flight to Kos. Get a boat the next day out to the island. And then, a mere 48h later, here I sit on said terrace, overlooking said sea.

I’m not entirely sure what The Hermit Diaries entails. Maybe thoughts, learnings and reflections from two years of founder life.

Probably more helpful words from wiser writers as I work through my bag of books.

Undoubtedly ABBA. Albeit with fewer flirtations and daddy issues.

Maybe, parts of it might resonate, reassure or even just slightly amuse. Whatever you are here, you are very welcome indeed.

Welcome, to The Hermit Diaries.

Molly x