Before You Bloom

In this powerful episode, I speak with Helene Hill, the Co-founder and Owner of The Spoonie Society and Slug Lounger. A warrior in her own right, Helene shares her courageous journey through multiple chronic illnesses, including Endometriosis, Adenomyosis, PCOS, IBS, and GERD. In a deeply personal conversation, we explore Helene's resilience in facing numerous laparoscopies, procedures, and th...

In this eye-opening conversation with Hollie, she shares her extraordinary journey living with a range of chronic illnesses. Hollie's resilience shines as she opens up about her daily battles with gastroparesis - needing a feeding tube, and the challenges posed by respiratory conditions and a rare chest wall deformity known as Pectus Excavatum. Hollie's explains that she had a diaphragmati...

In this powerful episode, I sit down with Phoebe as she candidly opens up about her journey through mental health struggles, including anxiety, depression, and an eating disorder. Phoebe shares her experiences and the specific strategies that have become crucial in maintaining her mental well-being during challenging times. As Phoebe reflects on the lessons learned over her 20s and into her 30s, y...

In this inspiring episode, I speak to Ebonie, who shares her incredible journey with a systemic auto-inflammatory disorder that has drastically altered her life. It all began in July 2018 with her first seizure, leading to hospitalisation and an initial misdiagnosis. Ebonie takes us through the pivotal moment in March 2021 when she noticed a black spot in her right eye. What followed was a whirlwi...

In this powerful episode, we delve into Ali's remarkable journey, starting with her unexpected battle against Autoimmune Hepatitis at the age of 17. A former full-time competitive swimmer, Ali's life took a drastic turn when she woke up with yellow skin and eyes, and pain signaling the onset of a severe health condition. Ali takes us through the initial hospitalization, her diagnosis, and...

In this episode, we're joined by Michelle, an amazing person who faced stage 3 and stage 4 melanoma at just 32 years old. She shares her tough journey through biopsies, surgeries, and treatments, shedding light on the challenges she's faced both physically and mentally. Despite these struggles, Michelle bravely raises awareness about skin cancer, offering support to others going through si...

In today's special episode, I speak with the wonderful Hugo Toovey, a truly inspiring individual who faced not one, but two battles with cancer. Hugo was diagnosed with testicular cancer at the young age of 21 while working in the Army. He thought the worst was over when he got the all-clear. However, life had more challenges in store for him, as he later battled bowel cancer at just 26 years...

In this heartfelt and emotional episode, I speak to Melissa Synnott, who bravely shares her deeply personal journey through grief after losing both her parents at separate times all before the age of 30, including her beautiful dad earlier this year. Mel courageously expresses that even in the darkest times, "storms run out of rain," reminding us that difficult moments eventually pass. S...

In this insightful episode, I sit down with Bec Stewart, the brilliant mind behind the Habit Tracker. Bec shares the secrets to improving habits through tracking and the transformative journey she embarked on to become her next-level self through this process. Bec's Habit Tracker was created based on studies she found, suggesting habits form in 66 days of continuous repetition. Throughout the...

In this episode, our guest Maddy shares her inspiring journey of resilience and hope, navigating life with two challenging Chronic Illnesses: Gastroparesis and Systemic Mastocytosis. Diagnosed in 2020 after enduring extensive testing and hospital stays, Maddy sheds light on the complexities of gastroparesis—a condition that paralyses the stomach, affecting both digestion and her large intestine. B...

In this episode, the beautiful Tegan opens up about the unexpected devastation her family faced when their home in Lismore fell victim to the 2022 floods. Despite living in an area in Lismore deemed safe from floods, Tegan, her partner Anthony, their toddler Rome, and their animals found themselves racing against rising waters that eventually took over their home. The experience shattered not only...

In this insightful episode, I speak to Urmi, a fascinating individual who proudly embodies both Bengali and Italian heritage while living in Canada. Urmi shares her journey of creating her own identity, and the importance of not forcing yourself to fit into a box. The episode explores the beauty of embracing diverse cultures, highlighting the power that comes from being different. This conversatio...

In this inspiring podcast episode, we have the privilege of hearing from Naomi, a resilient individual who was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer at the young age of 38, all while being a mother to very young children. Naomi's journey is a testament to her unwavering positivity and incredible strength. Despite her cancer spreading to her lumbar and liver, Naomi's ability to find humour i...

In this enlightening podcast episode, I speak with Sami Rose, a counselor, and coach specialising in anxiety, disordered eating, binge eating, and body image. Sami generously shares her deeply personal journey, providing a window into her own experiences with her body and mental health. What sets this episode apart is that Sami doesn't just discuss the issues; she equips us with very practical...

In this episode, I am joined by Ella Worsley, a dedicated and skilled practitioner in the realm of holistic well-being and mental health. Ella seamlessly integrates holistic healing modalities, from Hypnotherapy to Reiki, and Neuro-linguistic programming, complemented by coaching and counseling practices. Ella shares her journey of overcoming a range of personal traumas, including the loss of her...

In this moving and inspirational episode, I chat with Chloe Geeves, a remarkable individual who is bravely battling stage 4 bowel cancer that has also spread to her lungs. Chloe's story is one of resilience, positivity, hope, and a relentless determination to overcome the most challenging circumstances life has thrown her way. Chloe opens up about her initial diagnosis, sharing the early signs...

In this episode, I speak to Angela Wilson, who is a career coach, specialising in guiding individuals through life's unexpected changes and helping them emerge stronger and more determined than ever to achieve their career goals. Angela has been through a devastating unexpected change herself, losing her house in a horrendous wind storm when a tree destroyed her home while she was inside. This...

In this episode, we speak to the beautiful Brooke who is a Female Empowerment Coach. Brooke talks about the complex world of body image, self-love, and the destructive power of unhealthy obsessions with appearance and negative self-talk. Brooke's aim is to help you rewrite the script of negative self-talk that may be holding you back from embracing your true self. We speak through self-reflect...

In this episode, we hear a beautiful and inspiring story of resilience, healing, and personal growth from Kendall. Kendall has faced two enormous challenges including losing her gorgeous Mum to Motor Neuron Disease (MND) and navigating divorce at the age of 30. Although life has thrown her into the depths of grief and uncertainty, Kendall has an infectious energy and a heart full of positivity and...

In this inspiring and motivating episode, we hear the extraordinary life story of Michael Fortune who faced a challenging upbringing in a dangerous American neighbourhood, witnessing gun violence, drug abuse, and poverty. As a child, Michael spent 10 months of homelessness with his beautiful mother in their car. He has also lost 40 friends to drug abuse and gun violence, even witnessing his best f...

Trigger Warning : Pregnancy Termination In this episode, we engage in a compassionate conversation with a courageous young woman, Ashlee who shares her personal journey with pregnancy termination. As this is a very sensitive subject, it is approached with unwavering respect for her experiences, emotions, and the choices she made. My goal was to create a safe and non judgemental space for her story...

In this episode, I speak with the beautiful Ashlee, who has a number of chronic illnesses, including Adenomyosis, Endometriosis, Gastroparesis, GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease), and IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). Throughout this episode, you will gain insights into her struggles, from the pain of Adenomyosis and Endometriosis to the unpredictability of Gastroparesis, GERD, and IBS. Her jour...

In this episode, I speak with Izzy, a strong individual living with Hashimoto's disease. Hashimoto's is an autoimmune disorder that primarily affects the thyroid gland. In this condition, the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the thyroid tissue. As Hashimotos progresses, the thyroid gland may become less efficient at producing thyroid hormones, leading to a condition known as hyp...

In this episode, I speak with Rhiannon (an absolute supermum) who shares the inspiring story of her challenging pregnancy and an extremely difficult 76-day stay in the Newborn Services and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Both she and her loving partner show unwavering determination, boundless hope, and unbreakable strength throughout this experience. Throughout this episode we hear firsthand...

In this inspiring and captivating episode, I speak with Presley Pritchard, a remarkable powerhouse businesswoman, and mother who courageously turned her life around from rock bottom to incredible success. Presley was unfairly sexually discriminated against and fired from her job which lead to her struggling financially while raising two children on food stamps. Despite these challenging circumstan...