Maggie Smith is a poet & writer who found overnight fame when her poem, ‘Good Bones’, went viral on social media in 2016. Later on, her life was to take a further change when her husband of 19 years, and the father of her children, announced he wanted a divorce two years later. Her memoir, You Could Make This Place Beautiful, published in April 2023 – explores the connection between these two events, how become a hit writer led to the breakdown of her marriage – and what could be found in the disruption that followed it all. Throughout it all, Maggie’s love of creativity and solitude has been a constant – something she speaks to me about in this episode. We also talk about finding love in middle age, and the joy of a relationship that’s free from the pressure of milestones.

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Takeaways

Alone time can be a positive and restorative experience, especially for creative individuals.
Being in a relationship that is not working can be lonelier than being alone.
Financial independence and self-sufficiency are important for personal empowerment.
There is freedom in choosing a relationship without merging lives and milestones.
Alone time is essential for creativity and self-reflection.

Chapters