Michaela Thomas

Pause Purpose Play

Health EN ↓ 267 episodes

A psychology podcast for ambitious professionals interested in finding balance over burnout, by embracing imperfection and finding pause, purpose and play.

Author

Michaela Thomas

Category

Health

Latest episode

Jul 8, 2026

Where to listen?

Podcasts in the app Replaio Radio Coming soon

Podcasts are coming to the app soon. Install now and be the first to see a whole new take on podcasts

Get it on Google Play Install for free Android 5M+ downloads · 4.8 rating iOS soon

Episodes

Stormy Seas for Couples - Health Issues 26.08.2021

Are you or your partner going through challenges to do with your physical or mental health? Odds are that this will also put a strain on your relationship, perhaps altering the balance of giving and receiving care. If either of you is experiencing physical or mental health issues, your relationship is more likely to be distressed. This brief solo episode of Pause Purpose Play is based on chapter 2...

Coping with Grief, with Marianne Trent 18.08.2021

Have you lost someone you loved? Someone dear to you passed away, and you are dealing with the loss and grief afterwards? Or you are grieving things which never got to be, due to the pandemic? The loss you experienced can even be linked to something traumatic.  In this episode I speak to Dr Marianne Trent about grief, loss and trauma, and how to cope with it in a way which gives you the permission...

Stormy seas for couples - parenting 12.08.2021

Have you and your partner argued more since you became parents? Is it hard to juggle it all, making you feel resentful about who does what in your home? Perhaps you are less satisfied with your relationship now that you are also managing the needs of a baby or several children? This brief solo episode of Pause Purpose Play is based on chapter 21 of my new book, The Lasting Connection, about develo...

From anxiety to confidence, with Chloe Brotheridge 04.08.2021

Do you feel anxious when you do new things, not feeling confident? Are you hard on yourself, thinking that you're not good enough if it isn't perfect? Perhaps old beliefs hold you back in life.   Then this episode of the Pause Purpose Play podcast is for you. Chloe Brotheridge is hypnotherapist, mentor and coach at www.calmer-you.com and the host of The Calmer You Podcast. She’s the author of The...

Stormy seas for couples - infidelity 29.07.2021

Have you been on the receiving end of an infidelity, having been cheated on by a current or previous partner? Perhaps you yourself have been unfaithful to someone you loved?   Then you know how the trust gets shattered and how it leaves you feeling a full range of emotions, from sadness, anger and anxiety, to guilt and shame.    If you haven’t experienced infidelity, tune into this episode to unde...

On How to Be Human, with Dr Sophie Mort 21.07.2021

Why do we feel so bad at times? Why can’t we just be happy all the time?   Because we haven’t been taught how to understand ourselves, and what it means to be human, and instead chase constant happiness and think we have failed when things aren’t ‘perfect’.    In this podcast episode, Dr Soph, Clinical Psychologist and Author of ‘A Manual for Being Human’, talks about how we can understand ourselv...

Turning up the heat 14.07.2021

Do you struggle to be in the present moment with your partner when it comes to sexual intimacy? Do you find it difficult to talk about your desires, fears or needs when it comes to sex?   In this episode, I explore the physical intimacy, not just through sex, and explain why quality not quantity is key to a lasting connection.   This episode of Pause Purpose Play is based on chapter 20 of my new b...

The power of ADHD, with Michelle Minnikin 07.07.2021

Does your brain run a million miles an hour, and it's hard to stop? Do you have cycles of either procrastinating or being hyperfocused on a task, to the point of burnout? In this episode, I talk to Michelle Minnikin about her experience of the ups and downs of living with ADHD. Michelle Minnikin is a Chartered Psychologist and Coach. She’s the Captain of Work Pirates and Co-Founder of Inspiration...

Surviving and thriving as a couple 30.06.2021

If we want to both survive and thrive in our relationships, we need to allow the time and space to heal from hard times, as well as take the time to turn up the fun and build intimacy together in the good times. In this episode, I explain the balancing act between enjoying your time together through shared activities and repairing your relationship when things have been tough. This episode of Paus...

Imperfect parenting, with Catherine Hallissey 23.06.2021

Catherine Hallissey is a chartered psychologist, parenting coach and mother-of-five young kids. She's the founder of Reclaim Parenthood, an online parenting membership. She helps parents use the power of relationship and connection to address parenting challenges, create more peace and harmony at home and help children become more confident and resilient.   8:00 Restraint collapse and comparing ho...

Turning down the heat 16.06.2021

Have you ever tried to have a date night that turned into a disaster? An attempt to do something you once enjoyed together that ended up with an argument instead?  Without reducing the negatives in our relationships, it can be hard to increase the positives.  In this episode I explore turning a mirror on ourselves, to find the things that we are doing too much of, not enough of, and those things w...

Balancing emotions and nutrition, with Bec Milligan 09.06.2021

In this episode, I talk to Bec Milligan about combining EFT and good nutrition to rebalance your busy life.  Bec is a Nutritional Therapist and EFT (emotional freedom) practitioner with a special interest in guiding busy women from borderline burn-out back into balance, supporting both the physical symptoms and emotional triggers that the pressures of a fast paced, juggling it all life can have on...

Bridging differences with compassion 02.06.2021

Do you need to be fully compatible to have a lasting connection in your relationship? Having that 'click' and being a 'perfect match'? No, what's more important than chemistry and compatibility is compassion and connection.  This episode of Pause Purpose Play is based on chapter seventeen of my new book, The Lasting Connection, about developing love and compassion for yourself and your partner.   ...

Overworking and hustle culture, with Lara Sheldrake 26.05.2021

In this episode, I talk to Lara Sheldrake about how overworking and hustle culture has an negative impact on our success, and how accepting imperfection and being kinder to ourselves is more helpful in meeting our goals. Lara is a speaker, mentor and the founder of founder of Found & Flourish, an online membership, media and events platform for women in business. She has been listed as a top influ...

Compromise, not sacrifice 19.05.2021

How do you reach a compromise in your relationship? What are the things you fight about over and over?  All couples have perpetual problems, and feel like you keep going around in circles and not reach productive problem-solving. Rather than seeing the other person as the problem, you need to see yourselves as a team who together solve the problems between you.  In this episode, I talk about how t...

Healing attachment trauma, with Thais Gibson 12.05.2021

How do we heal difficult experiences from our childhood? And how to they impact us as adults, in our relationships? How do painful childhood experiences shape our attachment styles? In this episode of Pause Purpose Play, we get to know more about attachment styles, trauma and the unconscious mind keeping a score of what we've been through, giving rise to protective behaviours, which can ultimately...

Connection not perfection 04.05.2021

The pursuit of perfection gets in the way of connection, both in how you put pressure on yourself to BE the perfect partner and to FIND the perfect relationship.  If you get hooked by the perfect images from social media and romantic films, and compare yourself to that, you will feel disappointed. To compare is unfair and leaves you in despair.  In this episode, I talk about how letting go of perf...

Beauty and perfection, with Amanda Thomas 28.04.2021

Do you feel the pressure to look perfect and or feel bad about the way you look? Perhaps you wish you looked like the perfect models or influencers on social media? Today's guest is Amanda Thomas, a fashion, beauty and portrait photographer shooting for fashion and beauty brands and ambitious big thinkers. She is passionate about how beauty comes from within and radiates out, and believes that rat...

The Compassionate Couple 21.04.2021

What is a compassionate couple, and how do you create an atmosphere of compassion in your relationship?  What would your day-to-day look like, if you could communicate and resolve issues with compassion?  If your partner is reluctant to address problems in your relationship, tune into this episode to understand that all couples have problems, it's human. If you do address them, you can be having a...

Meditation and mindfulness, with Shamash Alidina 14.04.2021

Mindfulness and meditation can feel fluffy, or like something which is "good for you", but you don't have time for in your busy schedule.  In this episode, I chat with Shamash Alidina about what mindfulness actually is, how you can practise it in a way which suits you, and how starting small with everyday simple activities is a great way to create a new habit of everyday mindful moments.   Shamash...

Compassionate Communication 06.04.2021

Do you struggle to get your point across to your loved one? If you don't talk, how will you understand each other?  It's not just what you say to your partner that matters, it's also how you say it. How you listen and speak with your loved one can determine how effective your problem solving and decision making is too.  This episode of Pause Purpose Play is based on chapter fourteen of my new book...

Balance and bold boundaries, with Naketa Ren Thigpen 30.03.2021

Do you say no? Can you set boundaries?  In this episode, I'm talking to Naketa Ren Thigpen, about how setting boundaries helps us create balance in our lives.  Naketa R. Thigpen, LCSW, regarded as the #1 Balance & Relationship Advisor in the World  has become the go-to for fast-scaling married women entrepreneurs and power couples seeking to balance love and success without dimming or apologizing...

Finding purpose through disability, with Heidi Herkes 26.03.2021

How can we survive and thrive after the worst possible happens? How can we reconnect with our purpose, when tragedy strikes and our path is forever altered? Heidi Herkes shares a journey of overcoming paralysis in the hope to inspire and empower. She talks about how challenges are what makes life interesting but overcoming them is what makes life meaningful. In this episode we cover -  4:53 The ph...

Doing what matters 24.03.2021

What matters to you? In your life and in your relationship? Are you acting like the person you want to be? And the partner you want to be? In this episode, based on chapter 13 of my book The Lasting Connection, I discuss values and meaning, and how we can close the gap between our values and our behaviour by making conscious choices to act in line with our values.   Order my book here Join the wai...

Compassion for every part of you 17.03.2021

In this episode, I talk about learning to accept the darker parts of ourselves and our partner, learning to be compassionate towards every part of you.  This episode of Pause Purpose Play is based on chapter twelve of my new book, The Lasting Connection, where we learn about finding compassion for every one of our selves, and write a letter to our partner, expressing that compassion for every part...

Listen to the Pause Purpose Play podcast in Replaio

Radio and podcasts in one app - free, with no sign-up. Install today and do not miss the launch

Get it on Google Play

Replaio is not a podcast publisher; show names, artwork and audio belong to their authors and are distributed through public RSS feeds.