Healthy-ish

Do you know how to squeeze a zit so it actually reduces in size, gets the gunk out and heals without leaving a massive crater or scar? Body+Soul beauty editor Kelsey Ferencak does, and she’s going to share her expert tips. Because pimple popping is one of the easiest things to overdo, and seriously injure your skin. Listen and learn…  Something Old/Something New: Kelsey: My Glow 2 Glove $34.95, at...

Actor, model, son of a famed politician… you might assume that Nick Bracks has led a charmed life, and is enjoying the fruits of his labour. But this passionate mental health advocate has triumphed over some pretty dark things in his short 32 years, and is on a mission to educate more Australians about the need to speak up when it comes to living with mental health issues. And his own experience w...

Zara McDonald and Michelle Andrews are no strangers to the backlash that often comes with working and, to a point, living your life online. Their pop culture podcast Shameless consistently tops the Australian podcast charts, but it’s when they speak openly about their personal struggles with topics that are often kept quiet - like endometriosis, vaginismus and mental health - that they receive the...

Zara McDonald and Michelle Andrews are something of a two-woman media empire. After leaving their roles at a mass digital publishing company, the journalist friends decided to go it alone and launch a podcast that their ex-employee didn’t want. The fact that said podcast, called Shameless, is one of the most downloaded in Australia - and has gone on to spawn merchandise, live events and now a book...

If you struggle to climax during sex, you’re far from alone. Certified Australian sex coach Georgia Grace sees this problem so often in her Sydney practise, and she has one firm piece of advice: stop trying to orgasm. Sounds counter-intuitive, but she’s adamant that this is the first step to taking back your pleasure - and fully enjoying intimacy, whether you’re alone or with a partner. She explai...

Turns out slapping collagen on your face will NOT help to keep your skin looking youthful… but there are a slew of ingestible beauty supplements on the market that are promising to help boost collagen production from the inside. We dig into the science to see if a collagen powder really is the elixir of youth, and when it might not be worth your time (or money).  Something Old/Something New: Kelse...

Nicole Singh knows what it feels like to be a round peg in a square hole. At the age of 24, the Sydney-based journalist was diagnosed with a chronic illness that meant she had to quite quickly reevaluate her job, her finances and even her friends. The experience was brutal, but it inspired her to create Real Talk TV, an online space for real conversations about how women approach their lives - and...

Lillian Ahenkan is DJ, TV presenter, writer and advocate and if you haven’t listened to at least one of her podcasts, you really should. The Sydney-based media star is launching yet another podcast - called Flex’s Semi-Factual History Lessons, which aims to shine a light on many of the dangerous societal constructs that we don’t have the time, energy or research up our sleeves to question.  You ca...

Dietitian Lyndi Cohen knows the power food can hold over us. Her own struggles with disordered eating started when she was just 11 years old, but after educating herself, and losing 20kg in the process, she’s come to see food as fuel - for the soul as well as for the body. She explains how attaching guilt to what we eat can affect us in more ways than we may know.  You can find Lyndi on Instagram...

Jazz Thornton tried to end her own life many times before her final attempt, at age 19. Her story is a tragic one - but the way in which this New Zealand native overcame her mental health battles is one of pure inspiration. Jazz is now a passionate mental health advocate, and author, with a feature film based on her experiences titled The Girl on the Bridge coming out soon.  You can find Jazz on I...

Heard of Milky Foot? Instagram, and the internet generally, seems to love the spectacle of the foot exfoliating mask. But why? Do they work? And is shedding THAT much skin even healthy? Kelsey puts her feet on the line to test this viral beauty treatment… with unexpected results.  Kelsey tried the Milky Foot Intense Exfoliating Foot Pad, $29.95, at Chemist Warehouse Something Old/Something New: Ke...

Kathryn Nicolai has a special gift. She can put you to sleep… just with her voice. The US-based meditation and yoga teacher has turned that special gift into a globally successful podcast, with millions of downloads world-wide. Kathryn has recently turned her audio tales into a real-life book, and she has some fascinating reasons why bedtime stories work just as well as adults as they do on childr...

This former TV presenter swapped the bright city lights for a quieter existence in Byron Bay, but that doesn’t mean her life is idyllic. Magdalena suffered from a little-known but widely experienced thing called postnatal depletion and it inspired her to get back to basics when it came to many things - but mostly food. She shares why our culture doesn’t give new mums the time and space they need,...

Luke Zocchi knows what it’s like to want to get rid of stubborn belly fat, but even for the Centr coach and Thor’s personal trainer there is no ~one~ exercise, or ~one~ easy diet fix, that can spot reduce. Instead Luke shares how a more holistic - and sustainable - approach to diet and exercise is the answer, and why abs really are made in the kitchen - even for him.  You can find Luke on Instagra...

Tash Sefton may be better known for our #OOT posts and how-to style videos on Instagram, but the style influencer and artist has a secret passion: she loves to run. And despite not calling herself ‘a runner’ - even now - the mother of two hits the pavement daily.  Tash explains why she turned her back on Pilates, why running works for her better, and how it’s quite literally ‘changed her life’. If...

At-home facials have some a long way since your Ten-O-Six toners and Biore pore strips (although, fun). But even with the best skincare products at home, it’s hard to get that post-facial glow that you get from an in-salon treatment. Renowned Sydney facialist Diandra Pilitano dialled in to share her advice for recreating the magic at home, and her biggest tip, surprisingly, costs exactly zero doll...

Sjarna Elise Earp has an Instagram following that is hard to fathom. 1.6 million people look to her feed for yoga, travel and holistic health inspiration. Sjarna (pronounced See-ar-nah) seems oddly unaffected however by her social media fame, as we found after speaking to her from her on the eve of her first book’s debut, in her childhood home on the central coast of New South Wales.  Sjarna makes...

The Bachelorette will look a little different in 2020, thanks to sister duo Elly and Becky Miles sharing the rose-giving spotlight. And in today’s chat, the down-to-earth duo are surprisingly candid about their body insecurities prior to filming, why they love to work out for their mind as much as for their physique, and share the hilarious hybrid workout that kept them sane during crazy days of f...

Elly Miles and Becky Miles are making Bachelor history, as the first sister duo to be The Bachelorette. Elly has previous experience of the reality TV franchise (having been a contestant on Matt Agnew’s season of The Bachelor), but both women were refreshingly open and positive about their recent experience of getting to dish out those roses. And by sound of things, they’re equally loved-up at the...

Lindy Rama-Ellis is on a crusade of sorts… to empower women to take better care, down there. The model, entrepreneur, and mother of four has recently launched a range of vaginal skincare products, called Fig Femme, to help women to the Australian market… and people are talking about it. Lindy spoke to us from Bali about why we should be celebrating this essential part of the female body, and why i...

Nothing feels like summer like getting walking out the door WITHOUT a jacket. Or wearing sandals. Or heck, both even. But baring skin that has been hidden under winter layers for months has its drawbacks. Which is where a good fake tan comes in. Emphasis on the good. Because there’s a lot of bad fake tan out there.  Today, Ali drills Kelsey on her pro faux-glow getting tips, and learns a LOT about...

Are you in an exercise rut? If you are being diligent about sticking to your workout routine, but have stopped seeing results you may have plateaued. Drew Harrisberg knows all about this. He’s a plant-fuelled, exercise physiologist and has figured out how to keep your body guessing… which in turn means you can continue to chase down those health goals. Whatever they may be!  You can find Drew on I...

Snacks are glorious, snacks are joy-giving, and snacks are a glorious way to procrastinate… If you love snacking, you might want to check in if you’re doing it right. Jacqueline Alwill, accredited nutritionist behind The Brown Paper Bag, knows the difference between a good snack, and a not so good snack. Here, she shares her go-to snack ideas, as well as the snacking schedule that will keep you sa...

Most Australians know Layne Beachley. They know her big smiles and triumphs in the world of professional surfing. But do they know the mental health battles that held her back, even when she was at the top of her game? Layne is now launching her own platform for others to overcome their inner demons, and she speaks about how she’s channelled these negative feelings into a force for good.  You can...

Ever get the feeling that you’re even though you might be physically present, your mind - and energy levels - are somewhere else entirely? This is the premise of ‘presenteeism’ - and thanks to the joys of COVID we’re experiencing something of a pandemic of this, especially ‘e-presenteeism’. Clinical psychologist and CEO of Relationships Australia NSW Elisabeth Shaw joins us to explain why this is...