Rooted In Presence

What if the thing stopping your midlife growth isn't lack of effort, but a pattern you haven't noticed yet? In this episode of Rooted in Presence, we explore the hidden trap that keeps high-achieving midlife women stuck in cycles of burnout: growing faster than your nervous system can handle. Host Carly Killen shares her own pattern of constant forward motion, always reaching for the nex...

January often arrives with loud messages about fixing, pushing, and starting over.  This episode offers something quieter. In this episode of Rooted in Presence , we explore what it means to recommit to yourself in midlife without pressure, urgency, or all-or-nothing thinking. Rather than setting rigid resolutions, this is an invitation to reflect on: how you want to relate to your life what no lo...

January often comes with pressure to start fresh, set goals, and transform overnight. But what if this moment isn’t about pushing forward… it’s about pausing first? In this New Year’s Day episode of Rooted in Presence , Carly invites you into a gentler, more honest way of beginning the year. One that recognises we’re still in winter, still integrating, and still allowed time. You’ll explore why ma...

Take a quiet moment for yourself with this gentle, 10-minute breath meditation designed to help you soften into stillness, whether today feels joyful, overwhelming, lonely, or simply full. With two gentle Breathwork styles, this guided practice helps calm your nervous system, ease tension, and bring you back home to yourself. Perfect for Christmas Day, the festive season, or any moment when life f...

As the Winter Solstice arrives, the turning point of deepest darkness and the slow return of light; this episode offers a gentle reframe on why habits feel hard, why change takes time, and why there’s nothing “wrong” with you if December isn’t the month you magically transform your life. Carly explores the truth most midlife women were never told:   you don’t struggle with habits because you lack...

In this week’s episode of Rooted in Presence , we explore how to find calm, grounding, and inner steadiness during the festive season, even when life feels loud, busy, or overstimulating. Inspired by my Breathwork studio, Still Space Hull, this conversation is about the kind of stillness you can carry , not the kind you escape to. We’ll talk about how to regulate your nervous system in real-time,...

The Gift of Enough: Releasing the Pressure to Do It All  A gentle, practical episode for anyone who feels overwhelmed by the pace of December. Whether your routines have been disrupted by festive events, family needs, illness, or simply the shift in energy at this time of year, Carly offers a grounded way to stay connected to yourself without perfectionism or pressure . Inside, you’ll learn how to...

Feeling overwhelmed by festive plans, full diaries, or the pressure to be everything to everyone?  In this episode, Carly shares simple, nervous-system-friendly grounding tools to help you feel calmer, steadier, and more centred as December begins. You’ll learn practical breathwork techniques, discreet grounding exercises for busy moments, and gentle ways to stay connected to yourself; even if the...

We’ve all heard the saying, “life doesn’t get easier, you get stronger.”  But what does that really mean in midlife, when your body, hormones, and energy are shifting? In this episode, Carly explores the real meaning of strength, beyond muscle, beyond mindset.  She shares how resistance training builds confidence, resilience, and presence (and why the science backs it up), while also unpacking wha...

As the year speeds up and festive demands grow louder, it’s easy to slip into over-giving and overwhelm.  In this week’s episode, Carly explores the real meaning of loving boundaries; not walls that shut people out, but limits that protect your nervous system, energy, and sense of self. Discover why saying “no” can actually be one of the most caring things you do, how to navigate the guilt that co...

In this week’s episode of Rooted in Presence, Carly explores a question that quietly shapes so many of our midlife experiences “When an old pattern resurfaces; is it a relapse, or a revisit?” From burnout and busyness to the emotional loops that show up during perimenopause, Carly shares how these revisits aren’t signs of failure, they’re proof of integration. She talks about her own turning point...

In this reflective episode, Carly explores what the trees, and the rhythm of autumn can teach us about navigating change in midlife and menopause. Drawing from personal stories of burnout, breathwork, and renewal, she explores how the natural cycles of nourishment, release, and rest mirror our own seasons of transition; especially through menopause and other midlife shifts. You’ll hear about:  🍂...

In this week’s episode of Rooted in Presence , Carly is joined by Laura Starky , a trauma-informed integrative somatic therapist, yoga and meditation teacher, and someone who’s walked the messy, beautiful path of healing herself. Together they explore what it really means to come home to the body after years of disconnection. From alcohol and overworking to people-pleasing and emotional eating, La...

We hear a lot about midlife transformation; reinvention, breakthroughs, new beginnings.  But what no one tells you is that the real transformation often happens quietly, between the breaths. In this week’s episode of Rooted in Presence , Carly shares her personal story of burnout, perimenopause, and rediscovering her grounding through breathwork.  It wasn’t a dramatic moment that changed her life,...

What does it really mean to feel grounded? In this week’s episode of Rooted in Presence , Carly explores the science and soul of grounding and why it matters so much in midlife. From hormone changes in perimenopause and menopause to the emotional shifts of parenting, caregiving, and career transitions, many of us lose our sense of stability. Carly shares her own journey from feeling completely ung...

Who are you when the roles shift? In midlife, so many of us feel the ground move beneath us. Children grow, parents age, careers evolve, bodies change. And suddenly, the roles we’ve been living inside: mother, partner, achiever, caregiver, don’t define us in the same way. This episode is an invitation to explore what lies beneath those shifting identities. I share personal stories of how my relati...

We’ve been told to focus on “eating right”... counting calories, tracking macros, following the perfect plan. Nutrition matters, yes. But nourishment? Nourishment changes everything. In this episode of Rooted in Presence , I explore how midlife calls us to move beyond food rules and into a deeper, kinder relationship with eating. As a dietitian for over 15 years, I know the science... but I'm...

Change, even the good kind, can leave us feeling wobbly, disoriented, or untethered. In this episode, I share a story about repotting plants for my new Breathwork studio, Still Space Hull , and how it mirrors the experience of midlife change. Just like plants, we can experience our own kind of “repotting shock” when we step into something new. Old roots are disrupted. Familiar ground feels shaky....

Two years ago, I pressed record on the very first episode of this podcast. Back then, it was The Strong Bones Coach Podcast,  a space dedicated to building stronger bodies and stronger bones. But as the conversations deepened, so did the calling. This milestone episode marks the beginning of a new chapter: Rooted in Presence. In today’s conversation, I share:  🌿 Why I started the podcast in the f...

Midlife isn’t a restart, it’s a remembering. This episode is an invitation to call back the parts of you that have been quiet for too long, the ones hidden under survival, pleasing, and performing.  We’ll explore the realms of reclamation , inspired by Women Who Run With the Wolves and the Bodies of Breath: creativity, sensuality, healing, sexuality, timelines, magic, and the wisdom beyond endings...

We’ve been told for years that consistency is the golden ticket to success. Wake up early, hit your steps, stick to the plan, no matter what.  And sure, that works… until it doesn’t. Especially in midlife, when your body, hormones, energy, and nervous system all play by new rules. In this episode, I’m reframing consistency... shifting it from rigid repetition to something I call compassionate cons...

You’ve heard menopause is “natural.” But natural doesn’t mean effortless... and it certainly doesn’t mean support isn’t needed. In this expansive and empowering episode, we reframe menopause not as something to fix, but as a profound rite of passage. A threshold. A second spring. Join me as we explore: What’s really happening with your hormones: oestrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, and how t...

Do you find yourself reaching for food when what you really need is a pause… a break… or just a little care? In this gentle and grounding episode, I explore the deeper layers beneath emotional eating—why we turn to food when we’re overwhelmed, bored, or craving connection, and how we can soften our patterns without shame. You’ll learn: The difference between physical and emotional hunger How habit...

In this episode, we explore how your body holds subtle (and not-so-subtle) clues about your needs, history, and healing. From nervous system whispers to tension patterns, your body carries messages that your mind might overlook. We talk about: The difference between intellectual insight and somatic knowing How emotions, memories, and unmet needs can be held in the body The power of Breathwork in g...

If you’ve ever believed strength training was all about sweat, speed, and pushing hard, this episode is here to gently challenge that idea. In this soulful solo episode, Carly shares her personal shift from high-intensity workouts to intentional lifting and the unexpected gift that came with it: a quiet mind. You’ll learn:  🧠 Why strength training can be a powerful tool for calming anxiety  🫁 Ho...