Desperately Seeking

This was a particularly low energy episode.. but that was kind of the point. It’s hard to see it in yourself but vlogging every day this month has forced me to see myself in my life every day. The lack of motivation and convincing myself it was just too cold to get ‘dressed’ has to end with February.

I cant control many things but I can force some change…

Parenting is SO hard at the best of times, but when you feel like the decisions you’re making will have a longer impact, when you have no time to fix things.. that’s when it can feel impossible.

Today I’m talking about counselling your kids through the teenage years, choices at school, helping them decide what they want to be when they grow up. We will never know how much or how little our kids need us to push or whether we did the right thing. Going through this from the other side also helped me give my own parents some grace . We’re all just living for the first time, after all.

I want to be clear.. I don’t hate how I look, I’ve always had a pretty healthy body image. I obviously don’t always LOVE how I look, but I' don’t feel awful about myself by any means. That said, sometimes something gets in my psyche and plants a seed. This week, that seed was Sydney Sweeney.

I’m on a bit of a mission this year. From my home to my mind, I want to feel lighter and more organised by the end of it.. so I’m digging through the rubbish. What can stay and what can go? Can I live with this or do I need to move it on?

I have my fair share of undesirable personality traits but a lot of them, I’ve realised, make me who I am.. hopefully balanced out with some more positive elements. Deciding what’s truly a flaw I need to work on can be tricky at 40. I know myself best now and some of the things I would have changed 10 years ago, I quite like now.

Today I’m talking about ‘oversharing’. Very apt for this heart-on-my-sleeve podcast. Is oversharing something I absolutely need to get a handle on or can it actually serve a purpose? Can it help you find your people while weeding out the ones you really don’t want around?

Today’s episode it just for my paid members because it feels a little safer sharing vulnerable, personal stories behind a paywall. That makes absolutely no sense.. but trust me, this is a WHISPER in my mind

Sometimes, when you’re still thinking about something that happened 20 years go, it means the relationship has lasted far longer than it should have.…

The main takeaway from this episode is that ALL THOSE HOURS I spent trying to painstakingly level our voices when we used to remotely record podcasts together was POINTLESS because this was recorded on my phone and we were equidistant from the mic. I am just LOUD!

Second to that, I think it IS true that we care less about perception as we age, but maybe in different ways. And the people pleasing is still something you have to actively decide to work on. Overall, I’m only excited to get older (inside) but am yet to loosen my grasp on that outer youth that I can feel (and see) slipping away from me already.

Thanks to Emma for joining me for this one. She’s recently joined substack so go and follow her to see what she posts - It’s Em Channel

This episode is entirely inspired by a chapter in Amy Poehler’s book, Yes, Please! Call your parents today and ask them to tell you about the day you were born.

Today’s episode is a run through of items I wish I could go back and tell my 30 year old self on my 40th birthday.

I was putting this one off so here’s the off the cuff version.. possibly to be updated when the pressure is off

This episode was wholly inspired by Cass from Clutter Bug - check her out here - and the final nail in my overwhelm coffin. I cannot tell you how much lighter I feel for doing this and, for those of you who I’ve encouraged to watch that documentary - BUY NOW on Netflix - know that there’s a BALANCE to be found!

This episode was inspired by a DM exchange I had with someone who also struggles with ADHD and the emotional dysregulation side of things. She asked how to be better, be more compassionate and be more open (less negative) when her partner does feel like sharing with her. I thought it was a great jumping off point for a chat today.