Bite-Sized Balance Podcast with Wendy McCallum

In this episode, Host Wendy McCallum, Burnout & Balance Coach and guest Angela Fitzgerald, Neonatal ICU Nurse, discuss how the pandemic has impacted the nurses in Angela's unit and more generally, the challenges that come with shift work and being in a caregiving profession during COVID-19. Angela approached Wendy a couple of months ago because she saw a need for this conversation around wellness...

Feeling a little lonely lately? It's been a tough couple of years when it comes to connection. Wendy and Sarah reflect on the role female friendships have played in their lives and how the nature of some of their friendships has changed over the years. They discuss the isolation and loneliness that can come with motherhood and midlife, and how a meaningful connection with a like-minded person can...

Following up on Episode 49: "This Is 50", Wendy provides listeners with an update on her commitment to "trying all the things" and to "filling up her joy bucket" to help smooth the transition to empty nester that is coming soon. She shares the story of how she re-discovered her love of writing and reads a piece that will resonate with many of the busy women who listen to this podcast, about what w...

Following up on Episode 49: "This Is 50", Wendy provides listeners with an update on her commitment to "trying all the things" and to "filling up her joy bucket" to help smooth the transition to empty nester that is coming soon. She shares the story of how she re-discovered her love of writing and reads a piece that will resonate with many of the busy women who listen to this podcast, about what w...

Following up on Episode 49: "This Is 50", Wendy provides listeners with an update on her commitment to "trying all the things" and to "filling up her joy bucket" to help smooth the transition to empty nester that is coming soon. She shares the story of how she re-discovered her love of writing and reads a piece that will resonate with many of the busy women who listen to this podcast, about what w...

Ann Dowsett Johnston is an award-winning journalist and the bestselling author of Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol , a book named one of the top 10 of the year by the  Washington Post. Ann is also now a psychotherapist, and Wendy's mentor and writing coach.   Ann joins Wendy for a discussion about the new face of women's recovery, and the powerful role that writing can pl...

Join host Wendy McCallum as she interviews Kathryn Elliott, a heavy binge drinker for over 20 years and recent breast cancer survivor. Kathryn shares her story of binge drinking including her frequent blackouts and resulting guilt and shame. She explains why binge drinking often goes unchecked for too long. She also shares the breast cancer diagnosis that came on the heels of her decision to go al...

Join host Wendy McCallum as she interviews Kathryn Elliot, a heavy binge drinker for over 20 years and recent breast cancer survivor. Kathryn shares her story of binge drinking including her frequent blackouts and resulting guilt and shame. She explains why binge drinking often goes unchecked for too long. She also shares the breast cancer diagnosis that came on the heels of her decision to go alc...

Wendy and Sarah interview Erika Burger, a pelvic floor physiotherapist with over 25 years of experience. They discuss the role of pelvic floor health for women (men, and children), why we're not talking about it enough, and the surprisingly long list of common midlife women's wellness conditions that this specialized yet rarely discussed branch of physiotherapy can support, including vaginal pain,...

Wendy chats with Mitch Cobb, the Co-Founder and CEO of Upstreet Brewing and Libra Non-Alcoholic Craft Beer about the alcohol-free drink market, the sober curious movement, and their shared mission to normalize socializing without alcohol. Mitch shares how he came to start a craft brewery on Prince Edward Island, Canada, and soon after began exploring his own relationship with alcohol, as well some...

Wendy chats with Mitch Cobb, the Co-Founder and CEO of Upstreet Brewing and Libra Non-Alcoholic Craft Beer about the alcohol-free drink market, the sober curious movement, and their shared mission to normalize socializing without alcohol. Mitch shares how he came to start a craft brewery on Prince Edward Island, Canada, and soon after began exploring his own relationship with alcohol, as well some...

Wendy and Sarah reflect on their recent interview with Dr. Lori Brotto, psychologist, professor, and renowned sexual health researcher about women's desire in midlife. They discuss the difference between spontaneous and responsive desire and the connection between desire and stress. They dig into the challenge that burnt-out, overwhelmed women have when it comes to responsive desire and provide th...

Wendy and Sarah interview Dr. Lori Brotto, psychologist, professor and renowned sexual health researcher about women's desire in midlife. This is a discussion you won't want to miss! Topics include the difference between spontaneous and responsive desire, the impact of midlife hormonal changes on desire, the connection between stress and lowered desire, how to identify your personal "gas pedals v...

What is your "one big thing"? That one area of desired mental or behavioural change that you have been struggling with for years? How would achieving the permanent change you desire in that area make everything else in your life that much easier? In this episode, women's Burnout & Alcohol Coach Wendy McCallum discusses why we struggle with making lasting change and the three keys to approaching yo...

Dr. Salib-Huber and Wendy discuss why most resolutions fail and how women can make change in a way that supports both their mental and physical health without starting another diet. They also discuss the destructive willpower-based diet cycle and how to get out of it for good. Dr. Jenn explains how we can empower ourselves when it comes to making lasting, resonant change around our relationship wi...

Dr. Sarah Baillie, N.D. co-hosts with Wendy as they interview Dr. Ghazvinian, a functional medicine practitioner and change strategist for menopause in the workplace. They review recent survey results from midlife employees, discuss how hormonal issues can negatively impact corporate women in midlife, and the lack of support in most workplaces around perimenopause and menopause. They discuss how t...

Wendy and Sarah celebrate European company Vodaphone's global commitment to supporting its employees through menopause. The company has issued a ground-breaking report and rolled out a training and awareness program to all its employees in relation to hormonal and life stages. Sarah and Wendy review the report's findings and suggestions and provide their two cents on how we can help this inclusion...

Wendy shares some of her best advice around how to make positive change (in any area of your life or wellness) when it feels too hard. Our tendency is to just try harder, but that almost always leads to failure, because we are trying the wrong way. Wendy provides 5 specific strategies for how to "try different, not harder", including how to identify and replace the beliefs that are keeping you stu...

Wendy and Sarah share their favourite strategies and tips for taking back the holidays – after all, you deserve a break and some fun too! The suggestions include setting an intention around what really matters to you about the holidays this year and then taking the steps required to make that happen, including saying no to plans and events that don't serve you, outsourcing and delegation, creating...

Wendy and Sarah discuss the key things women need to know to advocate effectively for themselves and navigate our complex health care system in midlife, particularly with respect to their perimenopause and menopausal symptoms. Sarah explains why women often require a team of caregivers instead of one doctor, your rights as a patient, the difference between conventional pharmaceutical BHRT and comp...

Karolina Rzadkowolska is a certified alcohol-free life coach whose book Euphoric: Ditch Alcohol and Gain a Happier, More Confident You will be out on bookshelves on January 4th. She's the host of Euphoric the Podcast, founder of Euphoric Alcohol-Free, and her work has been featured in the Huffington Post, Authority Magazine, Greatist, and Elite Daily. Karolina shares her personal alcohol story, an...

After marketing top brands like Coca-Cola, Ford and Unilever, Sheri started her 1st business as a new mom on maternity leave. She later bootstrapped her 2nd business into 6-figures while freelancing and raising two young kiddos. She regularly teaches Marketing & Sales for the City of Toronto and has helped 400+ entrepreneurs brand, launch and grow their startup. Wendy and Sheri discuss the amazing...

Wendy chats with Cyndi Sweeney and BriAnna Simons, who are both parents of transgender children and advocates for inclusion awareness. Cyndi is a writer, educator, journalist and consultant for beyond binary thinking, and BriAnna is a clinical social worker who specializes in child and play-based therapies.   Cyndi and BriAnna share the challenges and joys that have come with parenting their child...

Wendy interviews her friend and colleague Pam, who suffered a severe uterine prolapse in October 2018 while at a spin class. Pam shares her story of diagnosis, treatment, and recovery in the hope it might help other women who are struggling with prolapse and feeling alone and unsupported. Wendy and Pam discuss the piecemeal nature of women's health care, the importance of candid conversations arou...

Wendy's soul sister, Megan, joins her as she shares her son's open adoption story. Duncan is now almost 18, so it felt like the right time to publicly share (with permission of Duncan and his birth family) the story of how Wendy and her husband, Rob, came to the decision to adopt and how that process unfolded. Open adoption includes a continuing relationship with the child's birth family, which is...