This voiceover is unedited, so may have some stutters, imperfections, and background noise. I hope you enjoy listening to it anyway!
March 8th has always coincided with pivotal moments in my life — creative projects, personal shifts, professional transitions. So when I saw the Sirens Song invitation for International Women’s Day 2025 I knew I had to participate, even if I didn’t know yet what I wanted to write.
Then, I read
’s words about the Siren, along with a note she shared a few days ago:“No matter what you ultimately present, it’s the deep dive within yourself, the deconstruction of external expectation and societal conditions and the shedding of old identities to arrive at your core that truly counts.”
That sentence stayed with me. It wasn’t just about writing — it was about transformation. About peeling away old definitions, questioning the roles we’ve been assigned, and making space for who we truly are.
Suddenly, I saw the connection between the theme, my own journey, and Corsica.
The untold stories of Corsican women
In January, I stumbled upon Femmes Corses by historian Robert Colonna d’Istria at the public library of Bastia. The book paints the portraits of a hundred Corsican women who shaped history, challenging the stereotype that Corsican women have only ever been confined to subordinate roles. The author writes:
“Contrary to many common misconceptions, Corsica has always given women a significant place. […] They have not always been confined to subordinate social roles — merely as daughters of, sisters of, wives of, or mothers of — nor condemned to the most thankless and arduous tasks in society. Women hold a prominent place in the myths revered by Corsicans, in the legends that give meaning to their community. Throughout all eras, in every sphere, and on all sides, they have been respected actors in history.”
— Robert Colonna d’Istria
I’ll have the occasion to talk more about this book, but these sentences resonated deeply. Not just because I’ve always been drawn to women’s stories, but because it mirrored my own struggle with identity and the ones I’ve witnessed in so many women.
My own reframing
Long before Sip of Corsica, I was immersed in the wine world — through my freelance communication work but also as a wine blogger. Through that creative outlet, I had the opportunity to put women at the forefront — writing about several Corsican female winemakers, exploring the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated industry, and even helping create an association to amplify women’s voices in the wine business. The association no longer exists, but the experience showed me firsthand the struggles women face — not just in their professions, but in defining themselves outside of imposed roles.
Though life progressively led me away from the wine world, the desire to write about women never left. Nor did the urge to explore the complexities of identity.
Becoming a mother added another layer of complexity. Don’t get me wrong — I had longed for motherhood, and my daughter is the most precious part of my life. Yet when she arrived, I felt lost. The sleep deprivation, the constant demands, the shift in priorities, the lack of alone time — I struggled to recognize myself. My creative self felt utterly absent. Though I still accessed creativity in my work for clients, I couldn’t write in my own voice. This disconnect lasted through much of early motherhood — my daughter will be six in July.
Then, in early January last year, personal challenges led me back to creativity as a means of reconnection. Journaling became a refuge. I also sought out online communities and met other women navigating the same questions. And I realized — this isn’t just my story. So many of us are trying to reconcile the different parts of ourselves, to find a way to be multiple things at once.
recently wrote about motherhood and beautifully captured what many creative mothers feel:“My heart feels torn in two directions. To my babies and to my creative work… I can’t choose one or the other, and yet right now I feel forced to in some ways.
But of course I can’t. And with that brings turmoil and over thinking — the opposite of what actually keeps me connected to my truest decisions.” —
I feel that pull every day. Even defining myself in my author bio feels like a struggle. Am I a creative first? A writer first? A mother first? And does it even matter?
For a long time, I resisted letting "mother" be part of my creative identity. I didn’t want it to define me — I’ve always hated being put in a box. But I also know that, though it doesn’t define my creativity, motherhood fuels my inspiration and has changed me in ways I can’t ignore.
That brings me back to another struggle I started exploring in When I stopped seeing my own light: the feeling of being tied to my past while fighting to not let it define me.
Again, talking with women — with varied backgrounds and histories — over these past few months made me realize I wasn’t alone in dealing with emotional blocks linked to the past and fighting to let go of them.
The power of reclaiming our story
A passage in an essay for World Book Day I read yesterday resonated deeply:
“In a world that often tries to simplify women’s experiences or reduce them to stereotypes, these writers insist on complexity, contradiction, and the ongoing nature of becoming. They remind me that my stories don’t follow a neat three-act structure with tidy resolution.” —
Reading Tanya’s words while working on this essay made me realize: we get to choose.
We don’t have to be defined by our past or by the roles society expects us to play.
The real challenge is not choosing one identity over another — it’s allowing them all to coexist. Reclaiming who we truly are and shaping our own story.
This idea of shaping my own story, of reclaiming my voice in some way, brings me back to Sip of Corsica.
Reframing Sip of Corsica
Lately, I’ve struggled to define what Sip of Corsica is supposed to be. Is it a travel newsletter? A cultural deep dive? A personal space for reflection?
None of these definitions fully fit.
Corsica is the setting, the inspiration — but it was never my intention to make it the sole subject of this newsletter and let it become a “travel newsletter about Corsica.”
At its core, Sip of Corsica is about self-discovery, identity, and creativity, because it is an extension of myself and a reflection of my own journey. It’s about transformation — the kind that happens when you start questioning the narratives you’ve inherited and choosing to tell your own story instead.
Yet, Corsica matters. Not only because it’s where I live and because its beauty is my everyday inspiration, but also because it mirrors this process.
A place constantly fighting for its identity and freedom.
A land full of contradictions — fiercely independent yet deeply tied to tradition, often oversimplified yet profoundly rich, both religious and mystical…
A place that holds a powerful feminine energy, even if its history is dominated by male figures.
A place that embodies the push and pull of defining oneself, of resisting simplification.
Much like me.
My inner revolution
“The sirens don’t hold their voice but bring transformation and rebirth which demands an inner revolution.” —
So on this International Women’s Day, it’s time I resist simplification and give myself permission to reclaim my authentic voice and be all the things I am — and extend this permission to this newsletter.
To talk about my life in Corsica and share some of its beauty while not becoming a travel guide. To explore the stories of others while also making space for my own voice. To write and talk about creativity, self-discovery, and identity on my own terms, without trying to fit into a box.
Permission also to keep telling my story on my own terms — not as a continuation of my past, but as a declaration of who I am becoming.
Permission to embrace the messiness of transformation and talk about what helped or is helping me in this journey so that it may inspire yours.
As I slowly shed what no longer serves me and alchemize my past and present experiences, my hope is to eventually create something meaningful and helpful for others, leveraging the inspirational and transformational power of Corsica.
In that spirit, I’m going to follow
’s recent suggestion and let my inner artist walk her way into this newsletter and explore the messiness — this “trial and error” idea seems quite a fitting creative approach for the line 3 in my human design profile.Talking about my inner artist, I’ll finish my Siren Song today with a picture of a younger version of me — one I excavated a few months ago that feels fitting to illustrate my “inner revolution.”
This picture embodies the kind of freedom, inner fire, and mystical energy I want to reconnect with and infuse into this newsletter. It’s also a personal reminder that I can do hard and scary things and have the time of my life doing them — as long as I keep trusting myself.
I hope this picture and my words will also inspire you to cultivate your inner warrior and have the courage to fully express yourself and be all the things you are.
So, this is my Siren Song.
What about yours?
If this theme inspired you, I invite you to join us, share your voice, and let your words, images and stories resonate across the world! You’ll find the invitation below the picture.
Brave, Honest and Claiming - your writing is Powerful.. 🌟💜 I am always ‘with you ‘ and walking hand in hand with you when I read it ✨✨
I really enjoyed reading this Maïlys. The evolution of your newsletter as a reflection of your inner transformation and unique experience sounds fresh and very intriguing