What happens when the life you’ve built no longer fits the person you’re becoming?
For Carolyn Durrant, this question became impossible to ignore. Her story is a powerful example of what it means to break free from societal expectations, religious conditioning, and the fear of judgment — all in pursuit of personal truth, deep love, and spiritual freedom.
In this intimate conversation on Life, Health & The Universe, Carolyn shares her journey from a life immersed in evangelical Christianity to a soul-led path shaped by authenticity, inquiry, and midlife transformation.
When Following Your Heart Means Rebuilding Your Life
Over twenty years ago, Carolyn made a life-altering decision. While actively involved in her church, she fell in love with Neil — then an Anglican minister. Both were married to other people at the time, and their connection was undeniable yet deeply disruptive.
Choosing to honour that connection came at a high cost:
Loss of jobs, community, and religious identity
Complete social isolation from former friends and church members
A full restructuring of family life, including shared parenting and new home arrangements
As Carolyn reflects, “There’s no one from that period of time that I’m still in contact with.” The fallout was real — but so was the growth.
The Emotional Complexity of Leaving Religion
Carolyn’s story is not a simple narrative of right or wrong. It’s a deeply human story of choosing inner truth over external approval. Despite the pain of separation, she and her ex-husband prioritised stability for their children — keeping them in the same home, schools, and church community. This conscious co-parenting created a vital thread of continuity during a time of profound upheaval.
As the years passed, Carolyn noticed her once-rigid belief system beginning to soften. Without the weekly rhythm of church reinforcing dogma, suppressed questions rose to the surface:
Why are women still excluded from spiritual leadership?
Are same-sex relationships really incompatible with love?
Is eternal damnation truly part of a loving God’s plan?
This spiritual unravelling opened her to a broader, more embodied exploration of what it means to live in alignment.
Embracing a New Spiritual Path: Tantra, Tarot & Human Design
Rather than abandoning spirituality, Carolyn expanded it. She explored modalities like tantra, tarot, energy healing, and Human Design — not as trends, but as deeply resonant practices. Through these tools, she began connecting to spirit through inner knowing rather than external rules.
Tantra, in particular, became a gateway to a more inclusive, conscious, and compassionate worldview — one rooted in awareness, presence, and embodied wisdom.
A New Chapter: Moving from City to Countryside
More recently, Carolyn and Neil made another big move — this time from city life to a rural setting. The transition unfolded effortlessly: jobs aligned, the perfect home appeared, and a new community welcomed them. For Carolyn, it felt like life offering a gentle “yes.”
This shift reflects not just a change in scenery, but a return to alignment — living with greater intention, clarity, and peace.
The Ongoing Dance of Meaning
At the heart of Carolyn’s story is a profound redefinition of meaning itself. It’s not something to be found in doctrine or dogma, but something that arises moment by moment — in joy, in relationship, and in choosing to live truthfully.
As she beautifully puts it:
“Meaning emerges in that dance between your own joy and the life you uniquely live… but it’s in community. It’s for each other.”
You might also like:
Authentic Living: The Pursuit of Well-Being
Letting Go of the Rock: Resistance, Flow, and the Midlife Ego with Patty Sage
