Interview: Tamzin Outhwaite

From soap icon to wellness advocate, Tamzin’s channelled her own healing journey into We Free Women, a non-profit retreat giving women space to rest and reconnect. Here, she shares how ethics and a touch of spirituality have reshaped her approach to wellness and work.

What inspired you to create We Free Women? 

“It was born during a retreat in Italy, when I received shamanic healing that was a monumental point in my own healing journey and personal evolution. I shared a post on Instagram thanking Healing Holidays alongside a photo taken in the Dolomites. I must have looked so peaceful because the response was overwhelming, with women saying how much they needed something like this but couldn’t afford it. From NHS workers to women going through menopause, so many were crying out for rest, connection, and healing.”

What came next?

“I realised we needed to create a free, full- funded space for women to access self-care therapies like meditation, mindfulness, yoga, breathwork, walking in nature, and cold-water therapy. From there, myself, two close friends and three women I met online became the six co-founders. From that same Instagram post, therapists also began reaching out, offering to help for free. Within six weeks, we held our first retreat at my home in the Cotswolds and since then, we’ve run eight more.”

What makes a retreat truly ethical?

“It begins with the people who run it – the therapists and those who hold the space. If they create a calm, open, and comfortable environment people feel safe enough to share, and that goes both ways. When I think back to the most memorable retreats I’ve attended, it’s always the people who made me feel seen and never judged who stayed with me. Privacy is also essential, creating a retreat where women feel protected and can truly relax. That’s the foundation of an ethical experience.”

Are there any retreats you’ve visited that really changed things for you? 

“I’ve become a bit of a retreat connoisseur!. One that really stands out is The Body Holiday in St Lucia. It’s not technically a retreat, but more of a wellness resort, but their motto is ‘Give us your body for a week, and we’ll give you back your mind’. It taught me the art of being able to enjoy life while taking care of yourself. You could take part in yoga, meditation, and every kind of exercise during the day, then relax with a sauna, steam, or spa treatment, knowing you could still have a glass of rosé in the evening if you wanted.”

What do you do in your spare time to wind down? 

“I’ve invested in a tiny two-person sauna that lives in my spare room! Once I learned about how it supports detoxification, reduces stress, and lowers the risk of strokes and heart disease, I became slightly obsessed! I’ll do a sauna session, then a cold shower, then back in again. Otherwise, I walk: dog walks, stairs over lifts, and I’ll even choose the broken escalator just to get the steps in.”

How do you balance theatre life with general life? 

“Because acting work comes in such fits and starts, my schedule is never steady. You can be working eight shows a weekend, then suddenly have a stretch of downtime. I’ve learned to just go with the flow rather than trying to force a strict wellness routine during a run. My current production in Entertaining Mr Sloane finishes on 8 November, and I know I’ll reconnect with my spirituality when it ends.”

You’ve spoken about navigating perimenopause. What advice can you pass on you wish you known?

“We are sold that it’s the end of your fun and your life, and it’s all downhill from there. You have to look to the beginning of a new chapter, opposed to it seeming like the end. It’s not. I’ve never felt more in my own power, more authentic and to be honest, never felt happier!”

So what’s the next chapter for We Free Women?

“To own a property that becomes the permanent home for the retreats. That way, instead of constantly raising money to rent venues, we could simply cover travel costs for women coming from across the UK and hopefully, one day, from abroad. Whatever happens, the retreats will always remain fully funded: keeping them accessible to all women is central to what we do.