When were you last bored ?

It’s Sunday. All my hats are hanging of the

hatstand.

No shops were open when I grew up.

We had a chance to be bored and let the mind

wonder and let the mind be stretched which

would lead into creativity.

No distractions.

No errands.

Just the gentle hum of time slowing down.

In the stillness, we met ourselves—

not the productive self,

not the rushing self,

but the wondering one.

The one who stares at the ceiling and

remembers dreams and was creating dreams.

The one who notices birds and sees the

clouds move by.

The one who feels the weight of quiet.

And maybe,

just maybe,

that was the most healing thing we didn’t plan.

I still try to have those Sundays. I don’t

manage every week, but most weeks.

And maybe

Just maybe

That is actually the most healing thing I do plan all week.

Start the day with yourself

In my busy lives I have found finally the balance of not letting the day overwhelm me. Such starts already the night before when I go to bed early.

Before the world rushes in, I take a moment to arrive. The ‚mindful Hat‘ is all I wear in this moment .

 you also can begin your day with stillness. A slow breath. A stretch. A moment to say: “I am here.”

 Step outside—let the morning light find your face.

Feel the air. Smell the trees. Even a few minutes with nature calms the nervous system and reminds you: you’re part of something larger.

 Move your body—not to punish, but to care.

Walk, stretch, dance, or breathe deeply. Movement makes space inside us.

 Take time alone. This isn’t loneliness—it’s tuning in.

Let silence help you hear what matters most.

 Then, do one thing with purpose.

Something meaningful. Something you’re proud to build.

It could be work. A project. A conversation.

Purpose steadies the mind.

And don’t forget: make art.

Draw, write, sing, stitch, dance.

Not for perfection, but for expression at some point during the day.

Creativity connects you to feeling. Feeling connects you to life.

And through it all, breathe. Pause.

This day doesn’t need to be perfect. This day will not come again

All the day needs is your presence.

Welcome to the Hat Reflection Series

by now you would have noticed I started sharing more how I see hats in the mental health world . As over the last 15 years I started getting more and more into therapy, so also I have learned to weave all of this together.

My life and my aim has always been a creative invitation to explore who you are—one hat at a time.

We all wear hats.

Not just the ones made of felt, straw, or wool.

Many of you would have heard me say so. I’m talking about the invisible hats—the ones woven from roles, reactions, beliefs, and emotions.

The Helper Hat that gives until it’s empty.I know that one well.

The Blame Hat that deflects also was very much present in my life.

The Courage Hat that shakes but still steps forward.

The Mirror Hat that dares to look inward.

This blog series is a gentle guide and offering of mine to weave a thread through those hats.

Each post offers a short reflection designed to:

• Spark awareness

• Invite emotional honesty

• Support creative healing

• Encourage self-compassion

Think of it like a walk-in wardrobe for your inner world.

You get to pause, hold each hat in your hands, try it on, feel its weight.

Some will feel right. Some might pinch and scratch. Some might be ready to retire.

You don’t have to fix anything here.

Just notice. Reflect. Choose.

Because when we name what we’re wearing, we begin to understand who we are—

and who we are becoming.

Welcome to the weave.

You are the chooser and the weaver of your story.

The Blame Hat and the Mirror Hat

Reflections on growth and accountability

It’s easy to reach for the Blame Hat.

It’s familiar. It shields us from discomfort.

It says:

“It wasn’t me.”

“They made me do it.”

“If only they hadn’t…”

And sometimes, yes—others do hurt us.

Systems do fail us.

Circumstances are hard.

Neve the less growth begins when we learn to set the Blame Hat down and try on another:

The Mirror Hat.

It’s less flashy. Less comfortable. But honest. Looking at ourselves can be confronting and revealing. We might not like what we see.

It invites us to ask:

• What part of this is mine to own?

• How did I respond?

• What can I choose differently next time?

• Are really the others to blame?

Owning our actions isn’t about guilt.

It’s about freedom.

Because when we take responsibility, we take back our power.

We stop waiting for others to change and begin changing the only thing we truly can:

ourselves.

So today, you might like to ask yourself:

Am I hiding beneath the Blame Hat?

Or am I brave enough to wear the Mirror?

One frees you.

The other repeats you.

The Invisible Hat We All Wear

Short blog for gentle reflection

Every day, we wake up and reach—sometimes unconsciously—for a hat. Not always the felt kind or the sun-shielding straw one. I’m talking about the invisible hat: the role, the mood, the mask.

Some days it’s the “I’ve got it all together” hat. Other days, it’s the “don’t look too closely” hat.

Some hats feel safe. Some feel heavy. Some we inherited without noticing.

The art is not in throwing them all away, but in learning to pause and ask:

“Is this the hat I want to wear today?”

I got news for you. Took me a long time to understand that I am allowed to switch.

You’re allowed to rest bare-headed.

You’re allowed to make a new one entirely.

Check in with yourself

What hat did you wear today?

Did it fit you?

Would you like to try on another tomorrow?

Celebrating women series

I often find that we know a lot about people who are famous and have been around for a long time. Over the years I have found that there are a lot of talented people out there in this big wide world of ours. Every time I travel in the Hatmobile into the country I encounter a lot of talented women, doing all sorts of things. They are unsung humans. With COVID I learned a lot of things about the online space and setting up a filming studio as additional space in my workroom I also started talking to people around the globe.
On the first Monday in the month, we just chat as a group about life. You can join us if you like.
Almost weekly we celebrate a woman and speak about her life, how she got to hat-making and why she makes hats. See some of the chats we have had so far below.

Monika Neuhauser is Austrian born and lives in NZ. Runs her own business

It is St Patrick's day and we are celebrating a woman in Dubai who has lived there for many years. She loves the races and makes hats apart from other things.

Evelyn Mcdermott born in Ireland came to Dubai a long time ago and has found hats through flying and horses.

Judith Mishler has been a millinery supplier in the USA for a long time and has seen changes. Now in the age of 71 she is changing hats.

Speaking to Linda Asalu in 🇬🇭 Ghana

I had a wonderful long conversation with Linda as part of our ‘celebrating women ‘ all over the world. We do this chats in the form of a webinar which means you need to register for free and you can watch and ask questions through the Q&A

We had a lot of people interested and the once who could not make it got sent a recording.

Here you can hear a few minutes of the delightful woman. I felt enriched and elevated after our long conversation which took us from hats and traditional headwear to domestic violence, religion and back agaIn to hats.

Linda Asalu and Waltraud Reiner in conversation 

Here Linda speaks a little about fabrics, politics, youth and the time we live in

Linda Asalu

What did 1987 look like?

My training happened mainly in London . Even so my true beginnings were in Melbourne. Magda Urban in 241 Hawthorn Rd . Caulfield took me in as an assistant in August 1984. It was love with the hat at first sight. In 1986 I started up my training in London with Rose Cory who showed me all I wanted to know .

Esparterie brims which were covered in cotton and silk

I learned how to make hand bags and soon added such to every hat I made.

She taught me how to handle leather using patterns at first.

Esparterie beim and felt crown

Soon I made hats blocked in leather in different foundations. This inspired me to go and find glove making workshops and every hat got the matching gloves .

28 wedding anniversary

When we got married Rose of course helped. I found all our cloth in the thrift stores in London for all up 30 pounds. We had very little money and just like all the hatmaking was old hats so we made something new from what we had. It has proofed of great value throughout the years to be able to improvise.

1990

Invention of spraying

As all material I bought were old hats many had stains and this made me creative of hour to cover up and the technique of spraying and creating patterns was born

Philipp Somerville design

In 1997 I started work at Philip Somerville who was the milliner at the time to princess Diane and I was so exited. I learned a great deal in that workshop too. The design on top I made as I thought it was so amazing back than. Also I had no idea about if it was right to copy something I did in the workroom or not. There was little guidance and a lot of secrets.

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“A hat is not just a hat, it is the expression of a woman’s soul”

— Lilly Dache’

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Found fabrics on sale

I made cloth myself at that time to safe money and to feed my soul

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“Hats are the Art of the HeArT”

— Waltraud Reiner