Bits and Boobs

BONUS EP for BCAM <3

Today I’m joined by the lovely Vicki from Breast Cancer Network Australia, an organisation that does some incredible work supporting and advocating for Australians affected by breast cancer.

Vicki works in policy and advocacy, helping push for better care, better access to treatment and making sure the voices of people affected by breast cancer are actually being heard.

We're getting everything from  advocating for yourself, to metastatic breast cancer, treatment access and what really needs to change and what Breast Cancer Network Australia are doing.

Because awareness is one thing, but turning that awareness into action is where we can make a difference.

Breast Cancer Network Australia

Follow along on Instagram

Donate Here <3

💄 Our October Partner: Eye of Horus Cosmetics

This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Bits & Boobs is proud to partner with Australian-owned beauty brand Eye of Horus Cosmetics.

As part of our October collaboration, Eye of Horus is offering our community $25 off sitewide throughout the month of October.

✨ Use code: bits+boobs | Offer valid during October 2026.

Explore the brand and its community initiatives:

Eye of Horus x Cancer Chicks

Eye of Horus Instagram

Thank you for supporting the brands that support Bits & Boobs and the conversations we're so passionate about having 🎀

Follow along: @bitsandboobs.podcast

New episodes available wherever you get your podcasts. 

Get in touch with us!

🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast
✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

Who takes care of Mum when she gets cancer? 🎀

Sarah Gale was used to being the strong one. A mum of two, a women's and pelvic health physiotherapist, and someone who had just taken the leap into starting her own business.

Then, in November 2025, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

This week on Bits & Boobs, Bianca sits down with Sarah for an honest conversation about what happens when the person who has always looked after everyone else suddenly needs looking after herself.

From navigating motherhood through chemotherapy, a bilateral mastectomy and radiation to putting her career plans on hold, Sarah shares the realities of a diagnosis that changed far more than her health.

Together, they explore the emotional weight of being the strong one, the impact of cancer on identity and body image, and the uncomfortable but important lesson of learning to ask for help.

As part of our Breast Cancer Awareness Month series, this episode is a reminder that behind every diagnosis is an entire life already in motion. Children to raise, careers to build and plans for a future that suddenly looks very different. 💗

🎧 Mentioned in this episode

Cold Therapy Mittens & Socks for Chemotherapy — The hand and foot cooling products Sarah referenced during the episode.

Cold therapy may help reduce chemotherapy-related peripheral neuropathy for some patients. Always check with your oncology team before using cooling products during treatment.

💄 Our October Partner: Eye of Horus Cosmetics

This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Bits & Boobs is proud to partner with Australian-owned beauty brand Eye of Horus Cosmetics.

As part of our October collaboration, Eye of Horus is offering our community $25 off sitewide throughout the month of October.

✨ Use code: bits+boobs

Explore the brand and its community initiatives:

Eye of Horus x Cancer Chicks

Eye of Horus Instagram

Offer valid during October 2026.

Thank you for supporting the brands that support Bits & Boobs and the conversations we're so passionate about having. 🎀

Follow along: @bitsandboobs.podcast

New episodes available wherever you get your podcasts. 💗

Get in touch with us!

🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast
✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

What happens when you know something isn’t right with your body… but you keep being told you’re fine?

This week, Dakota sits down with Liz (@breastlizzismore), who was just 30 and three months postpartum when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, after almost a year of pushing for answers.

Liz shares how her diagnosis went from being told she was overreacting to Stage 0, and eventually Stage 2B breast cancer. We talk about advocating for yourself when something doesn’t feel right, navigating chemo while caring for a new baby, fertility and the mum guilt that came with treatment.

We also get into Liz’s decision to have a double mastectomy and stay flat and why she ultimately realised reconstruction would have been a decision she was making for everyone else... not herself.

And then there’s what comes after cancer: scan anxiety, losing your “medical innocence”, survivorship, identity and the strange expectation to simply go back to normal when you don’t feel like the person you were before.

Liz Instagram

Eye of Horus x Cancer Chicks 

Eye of Horus Instagram 

 $25 off sitewide - Eye of Horus for the month of October use the code word: bits+boobs

Get in touch with us!

🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast
✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

What does struggling actually look like when, from the outside, everything seems fine?

This week, Dakota sits down with Elliott Hagen for a really honest conversation about men’s mental health and the things that can be incredibly hard to say out loud.

We talk about what struggling looked like for him and the role drugs and alcohol played during some of the darker periods of his life.

Elliott is on a mission to change suicide numbers, he explains that everyone has awareness, but what type of action needs to happen to lower these stats.

Elliot talks about what actually helped him start getting himself into a better place, and why so many men wait until things feel “bad enough” before admitting they’re not okay. We also talk about suicide, vulnerability, substance use and what he’s learnt through his own journey. 

This one is heavier than some of our usual chats, but it’s an important one. Because you don’t have to wait until you’re at breaking point to ask for help.

Content warning: This episode discusses suicide, mental health, drugs, alcohol. Please take care while listening and skip this episode if these topics feel difficult for you right now. If this conversation brings anything up for you, please reach out to someone you trust or seek professional support. Australian support resources are included below:

Lifeline: 13 11 14 ----  Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 

Mind Your Head Instagram

Mind Your Head Podcast

Get in touch with us!

🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast
✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

What if knowing your risk could change the course of your life? 🧬💗

This week on Bits & Boobs, Bianca sits down with health activist, author and Humanise Health founder Krystal Barter for a conversation that feels particularly full circle.

After growing up in a family profoundly impacted by breast and ovarian cancer, Krystal discovered in her early twenties that she carried a BRCA1 gene mutation. At just 25, she made the decision to undergo a preventative double mastectomy and publicly shared her experience with Australia on 60 Minutes.

But what followed became much bigger than her own story.

From founding Pink Hope from her hospital bed to becoming one of Australia's leading voices in preventative health and patient-led advocacy, Krystal has spent more than two decades challenging the way we think about risk, prevention and the role patients should have in shaping healthcare.

Together, Bianca and Krystal unpack what it really means to know your genetic risk, the reality of preventative surgery and the grief that can exist alongside empowerment. They talk surgical menopause, genomics, genetic discrimination, motherhood, identity and why lived experience deserves a genuine seat at the table.

For Bianca, this conversation is also deeply personal. In 2017, at 20 years old and in the middle of breast cancer treatment, she appeared in Pink Hope's Know Your Risk campaign. Almost nine years later, she sits across from the woman who backed her early in her advocacy work to talk about just how far that ripple effect can travel. 💗

This episode is about prevention, purpose and knowing your own body.

But more than anything, it's about agency and what can happen when women are given the information, support and confidence to advocate for their own health.

🎧 Hit play for a conversation we hope leaves you feeling informed, empowered and a little more confident in asking questions about your own health.

✨ CONNECT WITH KRYSTAL

📱 Krystal Barter on Instagram

🌐 Krystal Barter — Official Website

💗 HUMANISE HEALTH

📱 Humanise Health on Instagram

🌐 Humanise Health — Official Website

📖 READ KRYSTAL'S BOOK

The Lucky One — Krystal Barter

Krystal's memoir explores her family history, discovering her BRCA1 mutation, preventative surgery and the beginnings of Pink Hope.

📺 KRYSTAL'S 60 MINUTES STORY

Krystal publicly documented her preventative double mastectomy with 60 Minutes, helping bring conversations around BRCA, hereditary cancer risk and preventative surgery into Australian homes.

🎥 Explore Krystal's media and story

🧬 KNOW YOUR RISK

If you're concerned about your family history or hereditary cancer risk, speak with your GP or a qualified genetic counsellor about what may be appropriate for you.

🎙️ BITS & BOOBS

📱 Instagram — @bitsandboobs.podcast

📱 TikTok — @bitsandboobs.podcast

Get in touch with us!

🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast
✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

What actually is naturopathy? And are all those things we’ve been told are “normal” actually… normal?

This week, Dakota sits down with degree-qualified naturopath Kenzie from Naturally Vibrant to talk all things hormones, periods, gut health and understanding what our bodies are trying to tell us.

We get into what a naturopath actually does, finding the root cause and the symptoms women might be brushing off.

Plus, we talk about nervous system regulation and Kenzie’s viral “products I wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole” series, including skincare, body wash and how “natural” on a label can be NOT so natural.

Basically, a big chat about knowing your body, asking more questions and understanding your health a little better.

Come sit with us. x

Mackenzie - BHSc Naturopath - https://www.instagram.com/naturallyvibrant_/

Mackenzie - Naturally Vibrant Naturopathy - https://bio.site/naturallyvibrant

Get in touch with us!

🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast
✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

Why can your best friend drink three coffees and feel fine, while one has you questioning your entire existence? And how much of your future health is actually written in your DNA?

This week, Bianca sits down with Genetic Health Strategist and Epigenetic Coach Chris Barnes to unpack the fascinating world of genetics, epigenetics and why there really is no one-size-fits-all approach to health.

They get into stress, sleep, anxiety, women’s health, inherited disease risk and longevity, plus what your genes can actually tell you about your body and what they can’t.

Chris also helps us cut through the wellness noise. From supplements and biohacking to the expensive tests and health trends we’re constantly being sold, what actually moves the needle when it comes to living a longer, healthier life?

If you’ve ever wondered why your body responds the way it does, this one might make you look at yourself a little differently.

Find Chris:

Instagram: @chrisbarneswellness

https://www.instagram.com/chrisbarneswellness/

Website:

https://chrisbarneswellness.com.au

Get in touch with us!

🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast
✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

What does being “healthy” actually look like when the internet is constantly telling us we need to be smaller, fitter, more productive and somehow doing more?

This week, Dakota sits down with women’s health and fitness coach Liv Rose for a very real conversation about health beyond the before-and-after photos.

Liv opens up about her own ADHD diagnosis, the impact medication had on her appetite and training, and the injury that forced her to rethink everything she thought she knew about fuelling her body.

They unpack the rise of “skinny” culture and weight-loss drugs, losing your period, PMDD, body image, overtraining and why eating less isn't always the answer. But, as always, the conversation goes well beyond where it started.

From adult friendships and loneliness to dating, celibacy, sobriety, self-worth, social media addiction and the slightly terrifying amount of our lives we're spending staring at our phones, this one really is about all the bits in between.

Because looking after yourself isn't just what you eat or how you train. Sometimes it's eating more. Putting your phone down. Finding the right healthcare professional. Letting go of people who don't feel right. Or simply asking yourself: is the life I'm chasing actually mine?

An honest, funny and incredibly refreshing conversation about our bodies, our brains and learning to look after both.

🎧 Find Liv: @livrose - https://www.instagram.com/thelivrose_/?hl=en
🏋🏼‍♀️ Coaching:  https://www.instagram.com/limitlesssociety.co/?hl=en 

Love,
Bits & Boobs x

Get in touch with us!

🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast
✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

This week, we’re back together to chat about the next chapter of Bits & Boobs!

Why we’re moving to weekly episodes, taking on our own guests, AND opening the pod up to bigger conversations beyond cancer and giving B&B a little glow-up along the way.

But obviously, we couldn’t just stay on topic. We catch up on life lately, what’s been going on with both of us, our current skincare favourites, the products we’re loving and probably a few things nobody asked to know.

Same D&B. Same oversharing. Just a whole lot more to talk about.

Come sit with us. This next chapter is going to be a good one!!

Products talked about on the episode: 

Fuca Repair Oil 

https://fucaorganic.com/products/the-power-of-ten-ceramide-repair-oil

La Roche Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+

https://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/buy/122041/la-roche-posay-cicaplast-baume-b5-40ml 

Medicube Zero Pore Cream

https://www.adorebeauty.com.au/p/medicube/medicube-zero-pore-cream.html

SUNSCREENS

Mecca

https://www.mecca.com/en-au/mecca-cosmetica/to-save-face-spf50-superscreen-75ml-I-081591

Fuca 

https://fucaorganic.com/products/spf-50-mineral-sunscreen

Airyday 

https://www.sephora.com.au/products/airyday-golden-glow-dreamscreen-spf-50-plus/v/75ml

Get in touch with us!

🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast
✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes

This week, Dakota is joined by Isiah McKimmie, one of Australia's leading couples therapists and sexologists.

With nearly 20 years of experience, Isiah has helped thousands of individuals and couples build stronger relationships, navigate intimacy, improve communication and better understand desire. 

In this episode, we dive into the conversations so many of us avoid from body confidence to intimacy after illness, communication, relationships and the myths we've all grown up believing. Whether you're single, partnered, navigating a health journey or simply curious, this is an honest, empowering conversation full of practical takeaways.

You can find more of Isiah's work through her books, podcast, online courses and educational resources, where she's on a mission to make conversations about sex and relationships feel less awkward and a whole lot more human!

Resources & Links

https://isiah-mckimmie.com/ “Most couples therapists never ask about intimacy. Most sex therapists never address communication. We provide relationship counselling, couples therapy and sexology so your relationship can thrive. Welcome to Relationship Harmony by Isiah McKimmie.”

https://isiah-mckimmie.com/ - Get a copy of the couples therapy playbook!

https://www.instagram.com/isiahmckimmie.sexologist/?hl=en

Get in touch with us!

🎧 Follow the journey on Instagram & TikTok: @bitsandboobs.podcast
✨ Connect with us: @dakotamiddleby & @biancainnes