Polly Warren
Take A Breath
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...
Be sure to visit the podcast's website and support the creator: takeabreath.buzzsprout.com
Author
Polly Warren
Category
Podcast website
Latest episode
Oct 22, 2026
Where to listen?
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Episodes
#112: The Hidden Reason You're Struggling to Lose Weight (and How to Fix It!) 25.02.2025 44:07
Ever feel like you're doing everything right—eating healthily, working out—but the scale won't budge? You might be missing a hidden piece of the puzzle: stress. Here's the thing—when you're constantly stressed, your body thinks you're in danger. And when that happens, it holds onto fat (especially around your belly) and slows your metabolism. But the good news? In this epi...
Thursday Thoughts - The Stories We Tell Ourselves 20.02.2025 31:03
On this week’s Thursday's Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking about the stories we tell ourselves - the ones that shape our beliefs, actions, and ultimately, our lives. Many of these narratives stem from childhood experiences, societal expectations, or past failures. While some empower us, others hold us back. But when we take a step back and challenge these stories, we often realise they’re not...
#111 Tapping into Your Intuition and Inner Wisdom with Nicola McCarthy 18.02.2025 59:39
In this week's episode, I chat to Nicola McCarthy—an Intuitive, Healer, Natural Health Advocate, Angel Messenger, and so much more! Nicola shares her incredible personal journey, revealing how her heightened sensitivities as a child evolved into powerful spiritual gifts. She opens up about the challenges of being an empath, the importance of setting energetic boundaries, and how embracing her...
Thursday Thoughts - What Makes You Come Alive? 13.02.2025 31:23
On today’s Thursday Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking about a quote by Howard Thurman which says: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” It may feel like the world is going to hell in a handbasket, but rather than focusing on all the negativity, we can help the world far more by focusing on feeling...
#110 Roots and Wings: How to Handle Their Freedom—and Yours 11.02.2025 31:04
In this episode, I'm diving into the emotional rollercoaster of watching our children take flight and venture out into the world without us! I’m sharing the tear-jerking moment when my middle son left for Asia— a time filled with immense pride and joy, and also a little heartache. If you’re in this stage of life (or soon will be), this episode is definitely for you! Here’s What You Can Expect...
Thursday's Thoughts - Memento Mori 06.02.2025 31:37
On this week’s Thursday's Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking about the powerful philosophy of “memento mori” - the reminder that one day, we will die. Far from being morbid, this ancient wisdom encourages us to embrace life more fully. When we acknowledge how short life actually is, we gain a clearer perspective on what truly matters. We also delve into the biggest regrets of the dying and how...
#109: The Secret to Effortless Running With Alla Shashkina 04.02.2025 50:16
If you’re a seasoned runner, a casual jogger, or someone looking to get into running, this episode is a must-listen. I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with running—but one simple shift completely transformed my experience: how I breathe. It’s something most of us overlook, yet it has a huge impact on endurance, energy, and overall performance. And this is what I dive into with this week&apo...
Thursday Thoughts - Consciously Creating Our Lives 30.01.2025 35:10
On this week's Thursday's Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking about intentionally creating our lives. We have more agency over our lives than we realise, but most of us our unconsciously creating our realities, rather than consciously creating them. So…we need to make a decision to get intentional about what we want our life to look like, and we need to get conscious about how we’re thinkin...
#108: Planning For End Of Life Care With Clare Fuller 28.01.2025 48:10
What if you could ensure your healthcare wishes are honored, no matter what life throws your way? In this essential and practical episode, I chat to Claire Fuller, an expert in advanced care planning, to tackle a topic that’s crucial for all of us—not just for aging parents or relatives but for ourselves, too. We dive into the often-overlooked process of preparing for end-of-life care. While it ma...
Thursday Thoughts - Grit 23.01.2025 31:09
This week on Monday Motivation, Lucy and I are diving into the topic of grit. As Angela Duckworth explains in her TED Talk and book, grit requires a combination of passion and perseverance to achieve long-term goals. We’ll explore why grit is such a vital ingredient for success and share how we both need lots of it to grow our businesses! We also give some practical tips on how to cultivate more o...
#107: Grief, Design & Midlife with DIY SOS's Gabby Blackman 21.01.2025 52:19
In this episode, I’m joined by my very good friend and talented designer Gabby Blackman, best known for her incredible work on BBC One’s DIY SOS. As well as talking about her experience and brilliant work on DIY SOS, Gabby also shares her deeply personal story, including the devastating loss of her son and how this life-altering experience continues to shape her perspective on both life and work....
Thursday Thoughts - Routines & Accountability 16.01.2025 30:33
On today’s Monday Motivation, Lucy and I are talking about routines and accountability. The science shows that when we get accountability in place, we are 96% more likely to do the goddam thing. NINETY SIX PERCENT!!! In this conversation, Lucy and I share a little about our own experiences of accountability, including how I’ve had - for several years now - an accountability buddy who I phone (or...
#106: Thriving in Midlife with Tania Dalton 14.01.2025 48:25
This week, I’m delighted to welcome Tania Dalton—health coach, certified personal trainer, and meditation teacher—to MENOMORPHOSIS! Together, we explore how midlife can be a golden opportunity to redefine ourselves, let go of societal expectations, and embrace the freedom and vitality this transformative phase brings. ✨ In this episode, we discuss: How midlife challenges can become empowering opp...
Thursday Thoughts - Embracing Winter 09.01.2025 26:49
In this week’s Thursday's Thoughts, Lucy and I are diving into the theme of embracing winter. We’re exploring how our mindset shapes how we experience this time of year. Yes, we could spend the cold, dark months of January and February moaning and complaining—which, let’s be honest, only makes us feel worse… OR we can choose to embrace this season, making the most of the shorter days, the cos...
#105 Reinvention, Resilience, and Returning to Menomorphosis 07.01.2025 42:58
After a 9-month break, I’m thrilled to announce that Menomorphosis is back with weekly episodes! To kick things off, I invited my friend Lucy to interview me—yes, on my own podcast! It felt a little strange, but it turned out to be so much fun, and I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed recording. In this episode, I share what I’ve been up to during my time away, the clarity and inspirati...
Thursday Thoughts - Who Do You Want To Be 02.01.2025 31:09
On this week's Thursday Thoughts, Polly and I are asking the question: Who do you want to be? As we begin 2025, rather than focusing on our goals for the year ahead, or the actions we want to take, it can help enormously to think about who we actually want to be. So ask yourself: "What would the future version of me do right now?" "How would the version of me who is successful,...
Thursday Thoughts - Rest 26.12.2024 29:28
On this week's Thursday Thoughts, Lucy and I are diving into the topic of rest. Adequate rest and sleep have incredible benefits for cognition, disease prevention, and overall well-being, yet so many of us aren’t getting enough. We explore why rest can feel so challenging for some of us, share different ways to recharge, and offer practical tips to help improve your sleep. We hope you find so...
Thursday Thoughts - Integrity 19.12.2024 33:24
On today’s Thursday's Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking about integrity. The word integrity means intact, whole, undivided; and the real question is: are we living in integrity, or are we out of integrity, divided from ourselves? In this conversation, Lucy and I talk about the societal conditioning that sends many of us down the ‘conveyor belt’ of life, away from our true nature and the things...
Thursday Thoughts - Perspective 12.12.2024 29:37
On this week’s Thursdays Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking about perspective. Perspective is the way we see and interpret the world around us—it’s like the lens we choose to look through every day. It shapes how we handle challenges, make decisions, and connect with others. When we look through a positive, open perspective, we feel more resilient, grateful, and happy, while a negative one can leave...
Thursday Thoughts - The Final Few Weeks Or 2024 05.12.2024 31:01
On this week's Thursday Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking about making the very most of these last few weeks of 2024. It’s so tempting at this time of year to let all of our routines fly out the window, or to put off starting something until January. But actually, NOW is the time to start, so that we head into 2025 with intention, feeling focused, and on a roll! We hope you’ll find something u...
Thursday Thoughts - The Let Them Theory 28.11.2024 32:10
On this week's Thursday Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking about Mel Robbins' Let Them Theory — a simple idea that's all about letting go of the need to control or change how others think, act, or feel, about you or anything else. The idea is straightforward: when people behave in ways you don't like — whether they doubt you, ignore you, criticise you, laugh at you, disagree with...
Thursday Thoughts - Possibility 21.11.2024 32:14
On today’s Monday Motivation, Lucy and I are talking about possibility… So many of us hold ourselves back in life because we don’t think things are possible for us. We allow our limiting beliefs to convince us that this or that could “never happen for me.” But what if we start to cultivate a mindset that believes in possibility? What if we allow ourselves to dream that the things we truly desire A...
TT - Living with intention 14.11.2024 33:35
On this week's Thursday Thoughts, Lucy & I are talking about living intentionally. Being intentional means cultivating awareness of how you're living and how you're showing up in the world. Without this awareness, it's easy to slip into autopilot, letting life pass us by without feeling like we're the ones in control. But when you choose to live with intention, you bec...
Thursday Thoughts - Embracing Ageing 07.11.2024 30:50
On this week's Thursday's Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking about embracing ageing. It’s time to change the narrative - and let’s face it, we’re talking about women here - that you are ‘past your sell by date’ once you hit 40, 50, 60 etc. The truth is that age brings with it so many wonderful things, not least confidence, wisdom and experience. And can choose to embrace getting older by l...
Thursday Thoughts - Embracing Failure 31.10.2024 32:07
On this week's Thursday Thoughts, Lucy & I are talking about embracing failure. We have been conditioned to see failure as something negative, but in fact failure is an important part of the learning process, and a very necessary step along the pathway to success. Polly & I discuss how failure gives us essential feedback, and how success is more about carrying on after a 'failure...
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