Take A Breath

On today’s Thursday Thoughts, Lucy and I talk about journaling. We discuss our own journaling practices, some of the benefits of journaling, as well as different types of journaling. We hope you’ll find something useful in here. Love, Polly & Lucy x Download 15 Breaths to Calm Anxiety - a FREE 5 minute audio to calm you down in real time. Download The Breath Check-Up - your FREE guide to under...

Do you find you often run out of time for the things that YOU want to do? Perhaps you skip yoga because you've got to finish off that email or you're breathwork/meditation practice goes out the window because there's a pile of laundry that needs folding.   Maybe you cancel that massage you've been looking forward to because your teenager has forgotten to take the dog for a walk...

On today’s Thursday Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking about learning and growth mindset. Having a growth mindset means that we understand that our abilities can be developed, and that we can actually get smarter. Unlike a fixed mindset that keeps us stuck, believing that our level of intelligence and capability is set in stone from birth, and determines what we can or cannot do. More than anything,...

This week I chat to Caroline Kopp, a master Pilates trainer and health coach, about her personal story of overcoming chronic fatigue and pain through Pilates.  Pilates literally changed Caroline’s life as it allowed her to move in a way that maintained and and even increased her energy levels without the burnout associated with high-intensity workouts.  It also helped her to become pain free. In t...

On today’s Monday Motivation, Lucy and I are talking about strength training. It’s important as we age that we’re incorporating some strength training into our exercise routines, not least to protect ourselves against osteoporosis. Polly and I talk about our own strength training routines, and Polly shares some useful tips on how we can add it into our every day lives. We hope you’ll find this hel...

Have you ever considered how something as automatic as breathing can hold the key to a healthier, happier you?  In this episode, we'll  continue to dive deep into the world of optimal and efficient breathing, revealing the secrets to transforming your relationship with your breath. I unveil 4 simple techniques you can easily integrate into your daily routine. By the end of this episode, you&a...

On this week’s Monday Motivation, Lucy and I are talking about why investing both time and money in yourself is so powerful. We also discuss how often the transformation is in the transaction, and how investing in ourselves has created amazing new friendships. Enjoy! Love Polly & Lucy xx Download 15 Breaths to Calm Anxiety - a FREE 5 minute audio to calm you down in real time. Download The Bre...

Have you ever stopped to think about how you breathe? It's something we do unconsciously, around 23,000 times a day! But what if you're not doing it right? It's thought that over 50% of us are breathing dysfunctionally and studies suggest that up to 75% of people with anxiety also have dysfunctional breathing patterns. And the truth is,  even without a diagnosis, most of us could br...

On today’s Thursday Thoughts, Lucy & I are talking about complaining. We all love a good moan, but there’s a difference between getting something off your chest, and constantly complaining. We all have a choice as to whether we want to be a ‘drain’ or a ‘radiator’; whether we set the thermostat in the room, or shift our state of being to the temperature of those around us. We also have a choic...

We all have those things we want to do, but fear often holds us back.  Maybe it's a trip you've always dreamed of taking alone, a new skill you've been wanting to learn, or simply striking up a conversation with someone new. In this episode, I explore the idea of stepping outside your comfort zone and taking on challenges even when they feel scary.  You'll hear about the fear I...

On today’s Thursday Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking about social media. We discuss how it influences our lives (both positively and negatively), how much time we spend on it, and how to prevent it from taking over our lives. We hope you’ll find something useful in here! Love, Polly & Lucy x Download 15 Breaths to Calm Anxiety - a FREE 5 minute audio to calm you down in real time. Download The...

Did you know that heart disease is the leading cause of death globally with more women being affected than men?  In the UK, one in eight men and one in 14 women die from coronary heart disease, with more women dying from it than breast cancer.  Falling estrogen levels at menopause,  weight gain, high cholesterol, and increased blood pressure can all affect our heart health but the good news is tha...

Today, Lucy and I talk about healthy eating. We discuss our own experiences of eating healthily, both good and bad and talk about some of the things we eat and  try and include in our daily diets. Enjoy! Polly & Lucy xx Download 15 Breaths to Calm Anxiety - a FREE 5 minute audio to calm you down in real time. Download The Breath Check-Up - your FREE guide to understanding how well you're...

Ever feel stuck in the daily grind, just going through the motions? It's easy to miss out on life's richness when that happens. This week's episode tackles the power of finding joy in the everyday. We'll explore how to transform those "just okay" moments into sparkling bursts of happiness that brighten your day. In this episode, here's what you'll discover:...

Today Lucy and I talk about the impact of having awareness of what we can and can’t control in life. This conversation was inspired by Viktor Frankl’s quote: “We have absolutely no control over what happens to us in life, but what we have paramount control over is how we respond to those events.” We hope you find something useful in here! Love Polly & Lucy xx Download 15 Breaths to Calm Anxiet...

Imagine one day you're living your dream life – balancing a family and a career as a journalist. Then, the next day, everything changes. You find yourself in a wheelchair, your legs seemingly useless. That's the reality Kim Rahir faced. An autoimmune disease, later diagnosed as MS, turned her world upside down. But Kim refused to let it define her. Kim's story is more than overcomin...

On this week's Thursday Thoughts, Lucy & I are talking about patience. We discuss how often it's 'better to travel than arrive', and how the final destination is often so much sweeter having actually gone through the process to get there. We also discuss how to cultivate more patience in your life. We hope you'll find something useful in here! Love, Polly & Lucy x...

This week I chat to Author and founder of Magnificent Midlfe Rachel Lankester. Given an initially devastating early menopause diagnosis at 41, which ended her dreams of a second child, but which she was able for a short while to reverse, Rachel uses her experience to help women thrive through the menopause transition and feel better about getting older. Rachel's mission is to challenge overwh...

On today's Thursday Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking about sleep. We all know how important it is to get 7 - 9 hours a night; but there are many other things to be mindful about when it comes to optimising our sleep. We talk about going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, when to stop drinking caffeine, stopping eating a couple of hours before bedtime, and much more! We hope you&...

It was during midlife and menopause when things started to unravel for photographer,  DJ, and good friend Hannah Sherlock. This week, I’m thrilled to chat openly and candidly with Hannah, who generously shares her experiences about her unhealthy, yet transformative relationship with alcohol. Hannah vulnerably walks us through a rock bottom moment that became a catalyst for seeking the necessary he...

On this week's Thursday Thoughts, Lucy & I are talking about stress. We discuss how stress is very necessary in life to keep us safe, but how it becomes a problem when we get stuck in it and can't turn our stress response off. We also talk about helpful tools to manage and build our capacity to handle stress.  We hope you'll find something useful in here. Love, Polly & Lucy...

“Our ultimate sense of well-being is often found at the place where fulfilment and contribution meet.” This Quote is take from Rachel Lankester’s book ‘Magnificent Midlife’ and sums up brilliantly the story of this week’s podcast guest Kali Hamerton-Stove. In her late forties, Kali and her friend Melissa Murdoch founded the inspiring social enterprise, The Glasshouse, which offers second chances t...

In this week's Thursday's Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking all about manifestation. The term manifestation often gets dismissed as being too ‘woowoo’; but I like to think of it as simply ‘making shit happen. When we decide what we want, believe that it’s possible for us, and start taking small, aligned actions, we will get there…IF we keep moving towards it and don’t quit at the first hu...

Stepping out of your comfort and finding your voice in order to share something you're passionate about can be daunting and damn right terrifying, particularly in midlife. But that's where this week's guest Colette McBeth steps in.  Colette is an Author, ex BBC News Reporter, Storyteller and  Business Owner and is a master at helping women find their voice and tell their stories in...

On this week’s Thursday Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking about trust. We discuss trusting that things always work out for you and trusting the process, even in times of uncertainty. We also talk about the power of unwavering belief and some practical tips on how to cultivate it in your life. We hope you find something useful in here. Love Polly & Lucy x Download 15 Breaths to Calm Anxiety - a...