Polly Warren

Take A Breath

Health EN ↓ 335 episodes

A podcast for creating practical calm in the messy middle of midlife. This is your space to pause.  Because life in midlife is full-on. Between work, family, menopause, and the mental load, your nervous system can easily end up in constant overdrive — leaving you feeling exhausted, reactive, and overwhelmed by even the smallest things.  Each week, I’ll share my own tools, alongside honest conversations and practical nervous system support —  to help you create more calm, peace, joy, and inner steadiness. Not by escaping your life, because that’s totally unrealistic, but by meeting it different...

Author

Polly Warren

Category

Health

Podcast website

takeabreath.buzzsprout.com

Latest episode

Jul 9, 2026

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Episodes

Thursday Thoughts - Finding The Joy In Life 09.07.2026

On today’s Thursday's Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking about how important it is to find the joy in life, rather than being constantly weighed down by all of the ‘shoulds’. The truth is that life is short, and we sometimes forget to enjoy the ride. Instead of taking it all so seriously, let’s remember that we’re all travelling on a giant sphere hurtling through space - so we might as well enj...

Becoming More Yourself at Midlife, Not Someone New with Jen O'Brien 07.07.2026

Have you ever stopped and wondered, Who am I now? Midlife has a way of prompting those questions. As our lives, priorities and responsibilities change, many of us begin to realise that the identities we've carried for years no longer feel like the right fit. In this week's episode of Take a Breath , I'm joined by Jen O'Brien, who shares her inspiring journey from aeronautical e...

Thursday Thoughts - Sleep 02.07.2026

On this week’s Monday Motivation, Lucy and I are talking all about sleep. Sleep is one of the foundations of good health, yet it's something so many of us struggle to get enough of. In this episode, we chat about some of the simple things we've found really help us sleep better, from creating a healthier sleep environment to small habits that can make a big difference. We hope there&apos...

I've Never Been an Anxious Person... So Why Now? Understanding anxiety, perimenopause and your nervous system 30.06.2026

For years, I never considered myself an anxious person. Then, during perimenopause, something shifted. I found myself worrying in ways I never had before, feeling overwhelmed by things I'd always coped with and wondering why I suddenly didn't feel like myself anymore. In this episode, I'm sharing everything I've learnt about anxiety through my own experience, my work with hundr...

Thursday Thoughts - Boundaries 26.06.2026

On this week's Thursday Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking all about boundaries. Women in particular have been conditioned to believe that they should give OF themselves long before they should give TO themselves. But this can lead to burnout and resentment. And this is where boundaries come in. The truth is that if we don’t implement boundaries, we’ll forever end up saying yes to things we don...

How To Give Your Nervous System A Real Break 23.06.2026

I’ve just returned from Self Love Camp, a retreat where I spent a few days guiding breathwork, listening to inspiring speakers, learning new things, and stepping away from the routines of everyday life. As I drove home, I found myself reflecting on something I always notice after retreats and intentional breaks: I come back feeling different. Clearer. More creative. More connected to myself. And i...

Thursday Thoughts - Mid Year Reset 18.06.2026

On this week’s Monday Motivation, Lucy and I are chatting about the importance of checking in on your goals now that we’re nearly halfway through the year. As always, we wander off into a few interesting tangents along the way! But at its heart, this conversation is a gentle reminder to pause, reflect, and ask yourself: Are you heading in the direction you want to go? And are you getting there in...

Why Your Pelvic Floor Needs Calm, Not Just Strength with Jana Shirley 16.06.2026

Pelvic floor issues are often seen as an inevitable part of getting older, having children, or going through menopause. But what if many of the symptoms women experience are actually signs that the body is asking for support rather than something we simply have to accept? In this episode, I chat to Jana Shirley, a pelvic floor and women's health specialist, Pilates practitioner and founder of...

Thursday Thoughts - What Radio Station Are You Tuning Into? 11.06.2026

On this week's Thursday Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking about radio stations.  More specifically, what metaphorical radio station you are tuning into. Before you tune into a specific radio station, every single station is available to you. And it’s the same with life. Every day, we have a choice about what we want to tune into. It’s all available to us - Joy FM, Anger FM, Hope FM, Hate FM, Z...

My Secret Weapon for Anxiety, ADHD and Life's Biggest Challenges with Lisa Clarke 09.06.2026

In this week's episode of Take a Breath , I'm joined by chef and chocolatier Lisa Clarke, a member of my breathwork community, who shares her honest and inspiring story of how breathwork helped her through one of the most difficult periods of her life. Within the space of just six days, Lisa experienced a series of traumatic events, including a car accident involving her son, the loss of...

Thursday Thoughts - How Well Do You Know Yourself? 04.06.2026

On this week's Thursday's Thoughts, Lucy and I are asking the question ‘How well do you know yourself? So many of us spend our lives reacting to what’s happening around us that we lose touch with what we actually need. We discuss what gives us energy, what drains us and the importance of living a life which is authentic to who we truly are. We hope you find something useful to you in her...

Feeling Off Balance? A 20-Minute Reset for Calm and Clarity 02.06.2026

Have you been feeling a little out of balance lately? In this special episode of Take a Breath, I'm sharing one of the guided breathwork sessions from my REWIRE programme—a course designed to help you gently retrain your nervous system and create a calmer, steadier baseline. Before we begin, I'll walk you through the structure of the session so you know exactly what to expect. Then, when...

Thursday Thoughts - Mind, Mouth, Mood 28.05.2026

On this week’s Thursday Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking about three little words…mind, mouth, and mood. Ultimately, those three things - our thoughts, our words, and our emotions - are the building blocks of our reality.  But most of us spend our lives trying to change what’s going on in the outside world, instead of prioritising our inner world. And the outer world is simply a reflection of our...

How To Breathe Better So You Feel Calmer, Clearer & Less Overwhelmed 26.05.2026

You breathe more than 20,000 times a day. But if your breathing is shallow, fast, noisy, or stuck high in your chest, your nervous system may be receiving a constant signal that you’re not safe yet. Which means your body can stay stuck in stress mode even when you’re desperately trying to relax. And over time, that can look like: 😮‍💨 Feeling tense, overwhelmed, or constantly “on”  😴 Poor sleep...

Thursday Thoughts - Complaining 21.05.2026

This week on Thursday Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking about complaining. We all love a good vent now and again, and sometimes it’s healthy to let those emotions out. But when we stay stuck there, replaying the same thoughts over and over, it can keep us trapped in a really low-energy state. In this episode, we share our thoughts on the difference between releasing emotions and ruminating, plus so...

The Missing Piece in the Perimenopause Conversation 19.05.2026

In this episode, I’m sharing a big realisation I’ve had recently, one that feels like a real full-circle moment for me. Nearly 10 years ago, I left my teaching career feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, anxious and completely disconnected from myself… although at the time, I had no idea that perimenopause was playing such a huge role in how I was feeling.  Looking back now, I can see that this was the...

Thursday Thoughts - Self Doubt 14.05.2026

On this week's Thursday Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking about something every single one of us experiences at some point…self-doubt. We discuss why it’s so common and why it stops us speaking up, going for things, or trusting ourselves fully. We also share some of the things that have genuinely helped us quiet our inner critic and build more self-trust over time. Because life is far too sho...

Healing, Grief & Trusting Yourself: Carly’s Story 12.05.2026

In this episode of Take a Breath , I’m joined by my lovely friend Carly for a deeply honest conversation about her journey through breast cancer and everything that came with it.   Nearly three years ago, Carly was diagnosed with breast cancer and advised to undergo a mastectomy and radiotherapy. Instead, she chose a very different path,  one that focused on radically changing her lifestyle. And o...

Thursday Thoughts - Small Steps When Noone's Watching 07.05.2026

On this week's Thursday's Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking about the small, unglamorous steps that we take when nobody’s watching, that ultimately get us to where we want to go. For example, I talks about the tiny, seemingly insignificant physio exercises I'm doing every day to help heal from my knee operation - it would be easy to feel like they weren’t doing anything, but I'm...

You Keep Saying You’ll Do Something for You… But You Keep Choosing Everything Else First 05.05.2026

You know the phrases…   “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” “Put your oxygen mask on first.” But here’s the real question… Are you actually doing it? Or are you still giving your time, energy, and attention to everyone else…  and hoping you’ll get a moment for yourself somewhere down the line? In this episode, I’m sharing a very honest reflection, one that’s come from being forced to slow down aft...

Thursday Thoughts - It's All an Inside Job 30.04.2026

On today’s Thursday's Thoughts, Lucy and I are exploring the idea that ‘it’s all an inside job.’ Your inner world shapes how you experience everything around you, and your outer world becomes a reflection of what’s happening within.  When you start to notice your thoughts, and how you’re really feeling, something shifts. You respond to life differently with more awareness and often more calm...

It's Ok to Not Be OK 28.04.2026

In this episode, I open up about how I’ve been navigating the emotional ups and downs of recovery after knee surgery. I share a recent wobble I experienced, and why learning to feel your emotions, rather than push them away, is such an important part of moving through difficult moments. It’s not about getting stuck in how you feel, but allowing those emotions to move through you with awareness and...

Thursday Thoughts - Not Living in the Past 23.04.2026

On this week's Thursday Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking about not living in the past. We all spend time thinking about the past — whether it's reminiscing about a lovely memory, cringing about something we said or did 5 years ago, or thinking about a relationship we're struggling to move on from. The question we want to ask is: how much time am I actually spending in the past? The...

Thursday Thoughts - Brainwash Yourself 16.04.2026

On today’s Thursday's Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking about brainwashing ourselves with beliefs that are actually going to serve us. Whether we know it or not, our lives are quietly being run by the subconscious beliefs that we hold - some of which are helping us, many of which are not. The good news is that we can choose to change our beliefs anytime we like; so if you believe that “life go...

Thursday Thoughts - Trusting the Process 09.04.2026

On this week’s Thursday Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking about trusting the process. I talk about my recent knee operation and how trusting the process has been has been and will be such an important part of my recovery. We explore how having faith, and choosing to believe that things are working out for you, even when it doesn’t feel like it, can really help to keep positive. Because let’s be hon...

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