Emerge with Fini Cooper

Do you ever feel like you should be happier than you are?

Like, on paper, things might be okay. Maybe even good.

But there’s still this quiet feeling of, “Why don’t I feel how I thought I would?”

Maybe you’ve been waiting for the next thing to change everything.

The relationship.

The move.

The job.

The achievement.

The version of yourself that finally feels successful, settled, or enough.

And maybe part of you really believed that once you got there, happiness would arrive too.

In this episode, I’m exploring why that doesn’t always happen.

Why we can chase the things we think will fulfil us, only to find ourselves still reaching for something else.

Why the life that looks good from the outside doesn’t always feel nourishing on the inside.

And what actually helps us come back to ourselves, our bodies, our lives, and the present moment.

This is for you if you’ve been feeling a little disconnected, a little restless, or like you’re constantly moving the goalpost of when you’ll finally feel okay.

A grounded conversation on happiness, fulfilment, external validation, the nervous system, and learning how to actually feel the life you’re living.

In this episode of Emerge, I sit down with the brilliant Ada Ooi — London’s most sought after wellness practitioner and aesthetician — for one of the most genuinely eye-opening conversations I've had on this podcast.

Ada has nearly two decades of experience working out of her renowned Harley Street clinic in London, and her approach is unlike anything conventional Western medicine offers. She doesn't just treat symptoms — she finds the root.

And in this episode, she completely reframes the way I think about hormones, sleep, food, and even the way I start my morning.

Fair warning: by the end of this episode, I was questioning my iced matcha habit, my cold breakfasts, and my approach to perimenopause... in the best possible way.

DISCLAIMER: All case studies discussed are fictionalised and anonymised composites derived from clinical experiences. Any resemblance to specific individuals is coincidental, details have been altered to protect privacy.

⁠⁠DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE 16-MINUTE GUIDED BREATHWORK AUDIO HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Where to Find Ada Ooi:

• Instagram: ⁠@ada.ooi
• ⁠Website: www.adaooi.com
• Clinic: www.001london.co.uk

Connect with Fini Cooper:

• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thebreathway ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠& ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emerge.podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠thebreathway.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In this episode, we talk about:

• Ada’s background in Chinese medicine, aesthetics, and neuropsychology
• What “treating from within” really means
• Why Chinese medicine looks at the body as one interconnected system
• How symptoms like low mood, hot flushes, body aches, digestion issues, and skin problems can sometimes be connected
• The role of the nervous system in healing and regulation
• How Eastern and Western medicine can complement each other
• Why consultation time and truly listening to patients matters
• Ada’s perspective on perimenopause and menopause
• When hormone therapy may be helpful, and why it is important to have a longer-term plan
• Why sleep is one of the most important foundations for health
• Why Ada often prioritises sleep even above food
• The problem with scrolling before bed
• Why Chinese medicine generally recommends avoiding cold drinks and cold breakfasts
• How warm breakfasts can support digestion and nervous system safety
• Matcha, coffee, caffeine, and the cooling nature of green tea
• Why foot baths can be a powerful evening ritual
• Ada’s thoughts on cold plunges and ice baths
• How seasonal changes in the UK can affect the body
• Simple practices to help the body feel warmer, safer, and more regulated

DISCLAIMER: All case studies discussed are fictionalised and anonymised composites derived from clinical experiences. Any resemblance to specific individuals is coincidental, details have been altered to protect privacy.

What becomes possible when the noise softens and there is finally space to listen?

This episode explores how silence can bring us face to face with the thoughts, fears, and patterns that quietly shape our lives.

It touches on self-judgment, the search for belonging, the habit of looking outside ourselves for answers, and the deeper knowing that can emerge when we slow down enough to hear it.

⁠⁠DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE 16-MINUTE GUIDED BREATHWORK AUDIO HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Fini Cooper:

• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thebreathway ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠& ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emerge.podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠thebreathway.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

For anyone feeling disconnected, overwhelmed, or unsure of what they truly need, this is a gentle reflection on presence, inner trust, and the quiet truths that are often waiting beneath the surface.

Today on the podcast, I’m joined by Sarah Yudkin, founder of You Love and You Learn.

Sarah is a relationship coach and breathwork facilitator who helps people connect more deeply to themselves and others, so they can feel more fulfilled in their lives and relationships.

Her work focuses on helping people move from anxiety and self-doubt into greater inner confidence, self-trust and emotional steadiness.

⁠⁠⁠DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE 16-MINUTE GUIDED BREATHWORK AUDIO HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Where to Find Sarah Yudkin:

• Instagram: @youloveandyoulearn
• Website: ⁠www.youloveandyoulearn.com

Connect with Fini Cooper:

• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thebreathway ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠& ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emerge.podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠thebreathway.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In this episode, we explore relationship anxiety, something so many women experience, but often don’t fully understand or know how to manage.

Sarah shares her own personal experience of relationship anxiety, including how it showed up in her relationship with her now-husband, and the moment she realised that the fear she was feeling might not actually be about him, but about the pressure, perfectionism and self-doubt she was carrying.

We talk about the difference between intuition and anxiety, why advice like “trust your gut” can feel confusing when you’re already anxious, and how relationship anxiety can make even a loving, healthy partnership feel uncertain or unsafe.

Sarah also shares why the idea of “when you know, you know” can sometimes be unhelpful, especially for people who naturally question, analyse or struggle with self-trust.

We also discuss the power of breathwork, how it can help us come back into our bodies, regulate our nervous systems, and connect with what Sarah beautifully calls our “wise self”.

This is such a helpful conversation for anyone who has ever found themselves overthinking their relationship, questioning whether their doubts mean something deeper, or wondering how to feel more secure within themselves.

In this episode, we cover:

• What relationship anxiety actually is
• Why normal relationship doubts can become overwhelming
• The difference between anxiety and intuition
• Why “trust your gut” can feel confusing for anxious people
• The myth of “when you know, you know”
• Sarah’s personal experience of relationship anxiety
• How perfectionism and comparison can affect relationships
• Why social media can make relationship anxiety worse
• How self-doubt can show up in love
• What it means to make relationship decisions from your grounded self, not your triggered self
• How breathwork can help you reconnect with your body and your wise self
• Simple ways to manage anxious thoughts and sensations when they arise

What happens when the life you’re living looks good on the outside, but something inside you knows, “this isn’t it”?

In this episode, I’m joined by the lovely Susanna Soma, a somatic mentor, embodied movement guide and long-time yoga teacher.

Susanna’s story begins with a feeling so many of us know, the quiet sense that the path in front of you might not actually be yours.

From Melbourne to South America, Costa Rica and eventually Mallorca, her journey has been shaped by freedom, travel, yoga, grief, embodiment and learning to listen to the wisdom of the body.

⁠⁠DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE 16-MINUTE GUIDED BREATHWORK AUDIO HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Where to Find Susanna Soma:

• Instagram: @susannasoma_
• Website: ⁠www.susannasoma.com

Connect with Fini Cooper:

• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thebreathway ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠& ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emerge.podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠thebreathway.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This is a conversation about the moments that ask us to be honest with ourselves. The moments when we realise something no longer fits. The moments when starting over feels exciting, but also asks deeper questions. The moments when the mind has understood something, but the body is still holding on.

Susanna shares so beautifully about what it means to feel at home in yourself, to live closer to your truth, and to meet the parts of you that have been trying to keep you safe.

We also touch on relationships, self-abandonment, nervous system patterns, authenticity, and the kind of freedom that is not just about where you live or what you do, but how deeply you are able to be yourself.

This is such a rich, honest and grounding episode, and I hope it gives you something to feel into.

In this episode, I’m joined by Nikki Heyder, a trauma-informed psychotherapist, business mentor, and author of Good Enough: A Roadmap for Compassionate Self-Acceptance.

This was such a rich conversation, and one I think will really land for anyone who feels stuck in patterns they can’t quite explain, or who has achieved a lot on paper but still doesn’t feel how they thought they would.

We talk about what it actually takes to create lasting change, beyond quick fixes and surface-level mindset work.

Nikki shares so much insight around limiting beliefs, self-sabotage, the subconscious, and the nervous system, and explains it in a way that feels both grounded and genuinely useful.

One of my favourite parts of this conversation was hearing Nikki speak about manifestation.

She explains it so well, in a way that feels clear, practical, and far removed from the usual vague advice you often hear online.

Rather than framing manifestation as simply attracting what you want, she talks about it through the lens of identity, values, beliefs, and nervous system safety.

We explore how people can end up creating lives that look successful from the outside but don’t actually feel fulfilling, and how often that comes from chasing what they think they should want, rather than what is truly aligned for them.

Nikki speaks about the importance of understanding your deeper why, the impact you want to have, and the version of you that is driving your decisions.

We also get into why the brain is wired for efficiency rather than happiness, how subconscious beliefs get formed, why self-sabotage can actually be protective, and how all of this shows up not just in healing, but in business, visibility, relationships, and the way we build our lives.

This episode felt really honest, thoughtful, and full of those moments that make you stop and reflect. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

⁠DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE 16-MINUTE GUIDED BREATHWORK AUDIO HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Where to Find Nikki Heyder:

• Instagram: @nikki.heyder
• Website: www.the-soul-institute.com
• Podcast: Heart Led Hustle with Nikki
• Book: Good Enough: A Roadmap for Compassionate Self-Acceptance (available on Amazon)

Connect with Fini Cooper:

• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thebreathway ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠& ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emerge.podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠thebreathway.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

There are moments in life when you know something needs to change.

You can feel it.

You’ve probably felt it for a while.

But instead of moving, you stay where you are. Not because you’re lazy, incapable, or confused, but because fear has a way of making the familiar feel safer than the truth.

In this episode, I’m unpacking the deeper mechanics of fear, how it lives in the body, how it shapes the mind, and why it so often keeps us tied to patterns, relationships, and identities we’ve already outgrown.

We explore why your system can interpret honesty, change, and vulnerability as threats, why resisting fear tends to make it stronger, and why building a different relationship with fear is such an important part of growth.

I also share a simple exercise to help you name your fears, challenge the stories around them, and see more clearly what is really at stake, not just if you act, but if you don’t.

Because fear isn’t always a sign that something is wrong.

Very often, it’s a sign that something real is asking for your attention.

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE 16-MINUTE GUIDED BREATHWORK AUDIO HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Fini:

• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thebreathway ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠& ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emerge.podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠thebreathway.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In this episode, I’m joined by Julia Woodford, a human design reader, somatic coach, gym owner and personal trainer.

Julia and I met during our somatic coaching training, and this conversation felt like such an honest reflection of what so many women move through, self-doubt, overthinking, feeling disconnected from themselves, and the quiet desire to come back home to who they really are.

We talk about human design, somatic coaching, spirituality, authentic living, and what it looks like to trust yourself when life no longer feels aligned.

Julia shares her own journey of moving away from a more structured, disciplined way of living and into something more intuitive, body-led, and true to who she is.

This episode is for the woman who is craving more depth, more connection, and more honesty in the way she lives.

The woman who is tired of living in her head, second-guessing herself, and wondering whether she’s allowed to want something different.

We also speak about the very real self-doubt that can come up when you put yourself out there, whether that’s on social media, in your work, in your relationships, or simply in being seen more fully as yourself.

If you’re on a journey of healing, inner work, self-trust, and reconnecting with your body, there will be something in this episode for you.

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE 16-MINUTE GUIDED BREATHWORK AUDIO HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Where to Find Julia Woodford:

• Instagram: @julzjulzjulzz

Connect with Fini Cooper:

• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thebreathway ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠& ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emerge.podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠thebreathway.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

You did everything right.

You worked hard.

You had a plan and you went after it with everything you had.

And yet somehow here you are, wondering where exactly that version of you actually went.

This week on Emerge we're talking to Katherine Ormerod.

Katherine is a journalist, author and former fashion editor whose work explores the hidden impact of social media, comparison, and modern life on our sense of self.

Through her books and writing, she offers an honest look at identity, burnout, and what it really means to build a life that feels genuinely aligned, not just good on the outside.

And in this conversation she gets really honest about something most high achieving women feel but rarely say out loud.

She was raised in a household where ambition wasn't just encouraged, it was expected.

Slowing down wasn't an option.

Your worth was measured by how far you could go and how fast you could get there.

So she went. Fast. And far.

Until life had other plans.

What followed is something a lot of us will recognise but rarely say out loud.

The moment the identity you've spent years building starts to crack.

When something unexpected stops you in your tracks.

When you're suddenly left asking - "Who am I if I'm not this?"

Nobody tells you what happens when the accolades go quiet.

When the plan falls apart.

When you're standing in a life that looks fine from the outside and feeling completely lost on the inside.

And in this episode, Katherine doesn't dress it up.

She talks about the guilt of wanting more from your career while also wanting to be present.

The myth of having it all.

And what self care actually looks like for a woman who's spent her whole life running.

This one is for every woman who has ever felt the gap between who she was told she could be and who she actually is right now xx

What we cover in this episode:

• Growing up with the silent pressure to be extraordinary and how it follows you into adulthood

• What happens to your identity when life doesn't go to plan
• Can you really have it all and what does that actually mean in practice
• The lean in lean out approach to balancing ambition and motherhood
• What real self-care actually looks like beyond the surface

• Raising children in the age of social media and protecting them online
• Learning to give yourself the same grace you give everyone else

⁠DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE 16-MINUTE GUIDED BREATHWORK AUDIO HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Where to Find Katherine Ormerod:

• Instagram: @katherine_ormerod
• Substack

Connect with Fini Cooper:

• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thebreathway ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠& ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emerge.podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠thebreathway.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

What happens when you spend years suppressing how you really feel?

When every emotion gets pushed down, smoothed over, laughed off?

When being fine becomes so automatic you can't even remember the last time you weren't?

Eventually - something gives.

Maybe it's your body. Maybe it's a relationship. Maybe it's just this quiet, persistent feeling that you've been living slightly outside of yourself for a really long time.

Going through the motions. Functioning perfectly well. But not really there.

This week's guest Paulina Burzynska knows exactly what that feels like. And she's been on the other side of it.

In this conversation she gets completely honest about what it took to stop performing strength and start actually living.

But this isn't your typical healing story.

She's here to tell you the truth.

About anger - and why it's not the enemy you were taught it was.

About nervous system regulation - and why calm was never actually the goal.

About those big loud emotional healing experiences - and why they might be doing a lot less than you think.

By the end of this episode you'll have a completely different way of looking at your emotions.

A new understanding of what your body has been trying to tell you. And a simple practice you can try at home that will reveal more about where you are emotionally than you might expect.

This episode will hit different if you've ever:

• Been the strong one for so long you forgot what it feels like not to be
• Said you're fine so many times you actually stopped knowing if you were
• Gone to a retreat or healing experience and come home feeling more lost than before
• Wondered why all the breathwork and meditation still isn't filling the gap
• Felt like there's a version of you underneath it all that nobody actually knows

What we cover in this episode:

• What growing up as the strong one really costs you in the long run
• How people pleasing quietly disconnects you from your own truth
• Why suppressing emotions doesn't make them go away and where they actually go
• The real truth about anger that the wellness world isn't telling you
• Why releasing emotions and expressing emotions are two very different things
• Why nervous system regulation was never supposed to mean being calm
• The problem with big cathartic healing experiences and what actually creates lasting change
• What trauma-informed healing really looks like when done properly

⁠DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE 16-MINUTE GUIDED BREATHWORK AUDIO HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Where to Find Paulina Burzynska :

• Instagram: @with.paulina
• Website: withpaulina.com

Connect with Fini Cooper:

• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thebreathway ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠& ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emerge.podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠thebreathway.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠