You’re welcome

Growing up, I had a cubby in the plum tree in our back garden. 

A simple platform, similar to a shipping pallet, propped in the fork of the tree with a basic step ladder and handrail.  

Made by my handy Dad, it was an original, minimalist design and wouldn't have met the strict child safety standards of todays standards. 

But it was perfect. 

One, maybe two friends, could squeeze up there with me. 

It was a retreat, a place where my imagination could take over, and I could select who'd enter. 

Given I didn't have any siblings my age, and my parents and any visiting adults had no intention of climbing up the ladder, it was my private, fun space. 

With no furnishings, roof or walls for that matter, visits were short and the intention was to use it as a base to play.

There was no option or need to lock anyone out, unlike the cubby houses you see in movies.  

I don't like the idea of excluding people or leaving people on the outside.  

It's one of the reasons I was cautious about getting involved in the new, invitation-only audio talk app, Clubhouse. To get access to the Clubhouse platform, you need to get an invite from someone on the inside.  

To knock on the ‘Members only’ door felt icky and desperate.  

Instead I waited and the door was opened by a sister.  

It turns out this online club IS welcoming, fun and inclusive.  

If you haven't heard about it, it's like an interactive podcast with features of Zoom, talk-back radio and social media apps like Houseparty. The app is in beta (development phase) so it's only available on iPhones (except iPhones 6 and earlier as its not compatible with the recent iOS 13 updates). 

You can search and find topics, discover like-minded people across the globe, and join ‘rooms’ to have conversations, share knowledge, connect and co-create. 

Turns out it's my kinda place.  

It's simple with an element of the unknown. It makes it exciting. Much like my old cubby house! 

If you're a part of Clubhouse, you might like to become a member of the Wild Beauty & Pleasure Clubhouse that I've co-created with my dear friends and Sister Goddesses, Nicola Belcher and Jennifer Annette.  

We're hosting rooms a couple of times a week and would love you to be a part of the conversations. Follow me @pennyvds, I'll invite you into the Club, and you'll be notified of the details of rooms we schedule. Our next one is this Monday at 12pm AEST. They're like an online circle, a safe space to be heard and witnessed without fear of judgement. 

If you're not on Clubhouse and this sounds like a place you'd like to come and play (and you have an iPhone with the latest update), you're welcome to be a part of it. Let me know as I'd love to share an invite with you. 

So I've opened the door, will you walk through it? 

If you can't because you have an Android or old iPhone, or you're not interested in a new app, you can be a part of interesting conversations by listening to my new podcast episodes. All the details are below.  

I've also got some new face-to-face events coming up.  

Two one-day urban day retreats at the Fairfield Park Boathouse (15th May & 19th June), a Book Swap with Special Guest Author Anna George (her podcast with me is detailed below) date TBC in late May/early June, and an online Circle fortnightly on Monday nights. Send me an email if you're interested and would like me to save you a spot!

Have a gorgeous day.