The WellyWalk Podcast

I'm back. Three months off, one enormous project, and a lot of learning about why movement is so much more than exercise. This episode is about the magic I felt the first time I did Pilates in an attic with a reformer and a friend who was training to teach it — the clouds parting, the gremlins going quiet, something transcendental happening in my body that I couldn't explain but couldn&#39...

We have unfinished business, you and I. Continuing from A Vision of the Future Part 1 — where we discovered the necessary steps to solving a life crisis (quarter, third, half, three-quarter) — I realise there's one step I keep skipping. The root of it. The thing underneath everything else: We need to heal our trauma. But how? In this episode I journey to London to find myself — and find my body re...

I had a moment, just before my surgery, when the doctor told me I'd need four to six weeks in bed. And I thought — oh thank the Lord. I'm Jennifer Palmer. Screenwriter, actor, Pilates teacher, mother of two. And for a long time — a person who had completely ground herself into the ground and called it fine. This podcast is about the year I spent figuring that out. The neuroscience, the anc...

It started with a birthday party. It ended with me realising I should not have driven my son anywhere that morning. Which reminded me that I never told you something really important. Matthew Walker has a phrase for what to do after a night of terrible sleep: Do Nothing. Counterintuitive, slightly torturous, and genuinely effective. In this bonus episode we cover: what not to do when you're sl...

This is a big one — the episode I’ve been building toward since the very beginning. In it we start exploring how to navigate a quarter-life, third-life, or midlife crisis successfully … so you don’t end up repeating the grade. And yes — there does appear to be an order to the process. In this episode we begin unpacking a concept called “Loss of the Future Dimension” and what it can mean for people...

Welcome back to the WellyWalk — this is the third and final episode in our little sleep odyssey. We made it! In Part 1 (Got Sleep?) we explored what sleep actually is and why it matters so much — because, quite simply, sleep is the bedrock of our health and affects almost everything. In Part 2 (An Orthosomniac in the Garden) we looked at how our behaviours during the day shape our ability to sleep...

How is January treating you all? I’ve had a bit of a January surprise myself — a hiccup, an unexpected event — and in this short check-in episode I wanted to let you know what’s been going on. There’s a little boob report , and also a bit of a January Welly-ness check-in . January can be a strange month — a little bleak, a little heavy, and often harder than we expect. So I wanted to share some of...

Hello all — This is Part 2 of my little triptych on sleep and sleep hygiene. In the previous episode we talked about why sleep matters (hint: it’s the bedrock of your health), what’s actually happening in the brain during sleep, and how to tell whether your sleep is truly restorative. In this episode we move into the practical side of things: sleep hygiene . We start with the big picture of the 24...

This is the first in a two-part series on something I am absolutely obsessed with. Sleep. It’s the most powerful tool for performance, the most potent medicine for your health, and the quiet foundation for learning, creativity, emotional stability, and even spiritual growth. So the question is simple: Got sleep? In this first episode I introduce my psychopomps of sleep and explore the basics: • wh...

In this episode we travel back to October 2024 — a time of giddiness, desperation, and secrets. We meet one of my favourite psychopomps, Dr K (Healthy Gamer) , and explore what he has to say about modern love and the surprisingly physical nature of our emotions. I also give you a quick crash course on dopamine — what it is, how it works, and why understanding it might change your behaviour. And fi...

A quick check-in episode — a little hej and hejdå — to let you know where I’ve been for the past few months. It’s been a stretch of challenges, but also a time that brought a few unexpected insights about what happens when the going gets rougher. In this short update I touch on ideas from: • TJ Power – The Dose Effect • Julia Cameron – The Artist’s Way • Ethan Kross – Chatter • Kate Bradley (@nurt...

In this episode of the WellyWalk Podcast, we return to the wisdom of David Epstein and his book Range , exploring how we learn better, how to find your “match fit,” and why we should embrace the idea of wicked learning . These might all be clues to unearthing the mystical idea of purpose . Along the way we connect a few dots — with Dr Tara Swart and her book The Source on the science of manifestat...

In this episode, I sail away from Sardinia in a new and promising direction. But can my excitement survive the maelstrom that awaits it back home? We meet a new Psychopomp, David Epstein , exploring how we focus better. We talk about the wonder of flow state and what is happening to our brain when we are in it. Science! Finally, what exactly is a virtue trap masochist ? (It could be you, and you a...

I've had a little mystery on my mind, one that has brought out the inner Nancy Drew-- I want to crack the case of the possible cancer cluster, affecting people close to me. But more importantly, I want desperately to break down the barriers standing in the way of my amazing, brilliant, courageous friend getting the treatment she needs and deserves. When someone you love is facing cancer, you disco...

After not succeeding in my three month mission to find purpose, I attempt to slow my free fall, grabbing tight to the Artist's Way. But then something miraculous happened... Enter the Psychopomps, pointing, like neon signs in the direction I need to go. --- In this episode we travel to Sardinia, touch again upon Abundant v Lack Thinking , the chemicals fuelling them, and our need for Safety &a...

It's the Easter Holidays here in the UK, which means nary a second to podcast-- But -- I wanted to share with you the lesson of The Country Bunny and the Little Golden Shoes , by Du Bose Heywood; a book that inspired me to make some little changes, which led to some awfully big rewards, and not just for me. We also discuss insights from David Epstein and his book Range, touch on the relationship o...

This episode leads us through the highs and lows of major surgery, via the race to find my 'Soul Purpose', to the top of the cliffs of confusion and dismay, but, do not fear, the universe is waiting in the wings with a new flight plan. We discuss The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron and The Source by Dr Tara Swart, beginning an exploration into neuroscience and Abundant v Lack Thinking. A...

Our story begins here. On a dark and stormy night, mid-life, when a little shell of a person found herself facing a diagnosis. But she would not go quietly... Nor would she go back to the way things had been. She wanted change. She wanted something better. Not just surviving but eating it all up and exploding with some form of other worldly potentiality. But how? Come with me and I promise laughte...