Show Notes
Show Notes
In this episode of Tell Me Over Tea, I’m sharing something very close to my heart — the very first letter in my Dear Nan series. These letters are written to my beloved Nan, Betty Rae, who was not only my grandmother but one of the most important people in my life. They’re a way for me to hold onto our 50 years of connection, conversations, laughter, and love — and to honour the ordinary but extraordinary life she lived. In this episode, you’ll hear me read:💌 The first “Dear Nan” letter, written two years after she passed✨ Memories of childhood days at her home in Narrabeen🌿 Reflections on the gift of asking questions, listening, and writing things down💛 Why letters are my way of keeping connection alive This series is part remembrance, part storytelling, and part love letter to the power of memory. I hope, as you listen, it inspires you to think about your own family stories — and maybe even start writing them down. Pour yourself a cuppa and settle in at the kitchen table with me. I hope you enjoy this episode. Kim x
PS I would absolutely love it, if you wouldn’t mind leaving a review. It’s the bestest way for us to get these precious stories into the homes of fellow story lovers and memory keepers.
✨ If you’d like to join my 5 Day Challenge: Start Your Story (which begins on the 6th of October, 2025), please make sure you sign up to it here: Start Your Story Challenge ✨I write, on Substack, a weekly newsletter, you can subscribe to that here: Betty Mae Wrote newsletter. It’s the space where I share stories (both mine and other people’s) and it’s also a way of keeping up to date with all things Betty Mae Wrote, Little Life Stories and the podcast. ✨To find out more about my writing membership, Little Life Stories you can do that here: Little Life Stories ✨If you’d like to get back into the gorgeous slow soothe of letter writing, please know you are always welcome to join: The Lovely Letters Project ✨Or if you simply need a good old sticky beak around the place, please head on over here to the website: www.bettymaewrote.com ✨Oh and if you’re an Instagram type, be sure to follow me on Instagram: @bettymaewrote
Music: Kim on the uke😉 Rattling teacups – also KimProduction and Editing: Surprise, surprise, guess who? Yep! Kim again! Art by Lewis Dillon
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bettymaewrote.substack.com
More from Tell Me Over Tea
Perseverance Lane, the road my grandparents lived on just outside of Gulgong. The name of their Lane says so much about them:)
Show Notes Shelley, age 2 in 1972, and Nanna age 72, with Nanna’s precious doggie
Show Notes ***Content note: this episode includes a letter that discusses suicide. Please take care as you listen. This week’s podcast episode is a Kitchen Table Letters one. It is based on a beautiful, heart-led prompt: If you could sit at a park bench and talk to anyone for an hour, who would it be? What would you say to them? What do they mean to you? The letters that came in response to this one are some of the most tender I’ve had the privilege of reading — each written to a loved one who is no longer here, imagining just one more hour together. Penny writes to her father, picturing an ordinary, wandering day together — pelicans, sea lions, old jokes about Coca-Cola and cameras without film, and a shared sunset by the sea. It’s a sweet, funny, beautiful tribute to a dad she clearly adored. Denise writes to her brother, Stewart, who she lost in 2023. This letter touches on suicide, so please take care of yourself while listening, and know it’s completely okay to skip this one if today isn’t the day for it. Denise’s letter is raw and honest, full of childhood memories, unanswered questions, and so much love. Janine writes to her dad, twenty years after losing him — golf games, tennis against the garden wall, scraped knees, and all the small everyday moments that added up to a lifetime of being loved by him. This episode is a reminder that grief and love are so often the same thing, just wearing different clothes — and that writing to the people we’ve lost can be a precious way to keep carrying them with us as well as process our loss. If you’d like to take part in the Kitchen Table Letters, I’d love to hear from you. Simply email me at [email protected] and I’ll send you all the details and the next prompt. If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love it if you would follow Tell Me Over Tea wherever you listen, and if you feel inclined, a little review always helps more story-lovers find their way here:) Kim x Please email me at: [email protected] if you’d like to take part in The Kitchen Table Letters.