In this episode, we revive a much-loved segment of the podcast: the Reading Corner.

After a long pause filled with life changes, travel, and new chapters, we return to books as a source of reflection, grounding, and growth.

This conversation isn’t about book reviews or recommendations in the traditional sense, but about how stories shape us, challenge us, and gently guide us back to ourselves.

Natalie shares her deep immersion into three books by Peruvian author Ailton Krenak (The Time of the Black Jaguar, Dear and Thunder, and The Spirit of the Glacier Speaks), which explore Indigenous wisdom, connection to Mother Earth, and living from the heart rather than the head.

These books resonate strongly with her current life in South Africa and her vision of living off-grid, self-sufficient, and in harmony with the land.

She reflects on themes of colonial history, ancestral knowledge, food, ceremony, balance between masculine and feminine energies, and the importance of compassion over blame. 

Rather than offering practical “how-to” steps, these books invite her to let go of checklists and trust intuition, presence, and relationship with nature.

Lenka then shares two very different yet surprisingly aligned reads: I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest With You by Miranda Hart and Dying to Be Me by Anita Moorjani.

Both books tell deeply personal stories of illness, breakdown, healing, and transformation. Lenka reflects on how these narratives reinforce the importance of self-acceptance, authenticity, and releasing societal expectations.

Through humour, vulnerability, and profound life events, both authors model what it looks like to stop people-pleasing, honour one’s truth, and choose a life that feels aligned, even when it looks unconventional.

Together, we explore how very different books can carry the same core message: healing, fulfilment, and peace often begin when we allow ourselves to be fully who we are.

We discuss how reading personal stories can be more powerful than prescriptive self-help, offering inspiration through lived experience rather than rigid frameworks.

The episode closes with an invitation to listeners to reconnect with reading in a meaningful way, to share books that have inspired or challenged them, and to approach learning with curiosity rather than judgment.

This Reading Corner is less about finishing books, and more about letting them open new questions, paths, and ways of being.

Life rarely changes all at once.

More often, it shifts quietly. Our roles evolve, identities loosen, and the things that once defined you no longer quite fit.

In this episode, we explore what happens when you find yourself asking: “Who am I now?”

Whether through personal change, professional transitions, healing journeys, or moments of awakening that don’t come with a clear roadmap.

Together with our guest Dr. Katie T. Larson, Ph.D., a Hypnotherapist, Growth Coach, and Somatic Practitioner who works with Highly Sensitive People, Empaths, and Intuitives, this conversation weaves together lived experience, science, and spirituality to unpack how identity forms, why change can feel so destabilising, and how growth isn’t about fixing yourself, but remembering who you are beneath the layers.

You’ll hear reflections on:

• Why change can feel uncomfortable even when it’s necessary

• The difference between growth and constant self-improvement

• How the body, mind, and nervous system respond to transition

• Letting go of old labels, roles, and expectations

• Learning to trust inner knowing during uncertain chapters

This episode is an invitation to meet yourself where you are — not who you used to be, or who you think you should be — and to move through life’s transitions with more compassion, curiosity, and trust.

Dr. Katie T. Larson, Ph.D. is a Hypnotherapist, Growth Coach and Somatic Practitioner who works with Highly Sensitive People, Empaths, and Intuitives. 

She has helped initiate meaningful personal Growth in thousands of individuals, but she is best-known for guiding clients through “Quests”—inner journeys—that offer opportunities to explore your life from deeper perspectives, bringing more purpose, meaning and joy.

You can find out more and connect with Katie online at:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkatiegrowthquests
• Website: https://www.growthquests.com/

Why are we still here?

After 200 episodes full of curiosity, learning, healing, growth, happiness and many lessons learnt!

In this special 200th episode of Into Your Life Podcast, we pause to celebrate a milestone that represents far more than a number.

After nearly four years of weekly conversations, we reflect on what it truly takes to keep showing up - with curiosity, openness, and a willingness to grow.

This episode is a heartfelt look back at the lessons woven through hundreds of conversations with inspiring guests, from healing and resilience to self-trust, intuition, and living in alignment with who you really are.

We share how the podcast has shaped our own journeys - from embracing nature as a guide, to softening rigid beliefs, questioning “shoulds,” and allowing science and spirituality to exist side by side.

We also look ahead, setting intentions for the next chapter of the podcast: more vulnerability, more lived experience, deeper integration, and continued exploration of what it means to create more life in life.

Whether you’ve been listening since episode one or you’re just joining the journey, this episode is an invitation to reflect, reconnect, and remember that growth doesn’t happen overnight.

Growth happens through small, consistent moments of curiosity and courage.

Thank you for being on this journey with us!

In this episode, we’re joined by Alex Galviz, also known as Authentic Alex, a poet, storyteller, and self-described “corporate witch” whose journey has taken her from conventional success to deep self-authorship.

Alex shares how writing became the doorway back to her true self, helping her move from living as a character shaped by expectation to becoming the author of her own life.

We explore the therapeutic power of writing and poetry as tools for healing, grief processing, and soul retrieval. Drawing on Jungian archetypes, myth, and ancestral wisdom, Alex explains how creativity allows us to bypass the thinking mind and access what’s waiting beneath the surface.

She speaks candidly about using poetry to alchemise grief after pregnancy loss, reminding us that when writing is for healing, you can’t do it wrong.

A central thread of the conversation is integration - holding both worlds at once. Alex reflects on maintaining a 9–5 corporate role while embracing her intuitive, spiritual identity, challenging the idea that success and “woo” must sit on opposite sides.

Through myth, ritual, and ceremony - including a powerful upcoming rite of passage - she invites us to honour life’s thresholds and reclaim the parts of ourselves we’ve learned to hide.

This is a conversation about courage, creativity, and remembering who you are beneath the roles you play, and it closes with a poetic reminder: “But first, a spoonful of love.”

Alex Galviz is a speaker who’s not afraid to say what an audience needs to hear. 

It is why thousands know her as Authentic Alex.

A poet, storyteller, and strategist, she achieved a level of corporate success at 24 that many only dream of. Yet, the higher she climbed the corporate ladder, the further she drifted from her true self.

Through grief and loss, Alex realised she was living her life as a character, not the author. So, she picked up the pen and rewrote her own story. Choosing courage over convention, she rebuilt her life into something truer.

Today, Alex is twice-named a LinkedIn Top Voice UK, a LinkedIn Learning Instructor with over half a million learners, and a co-creator of the LinkedIn Local movement, reaching 100+ countries and 1,000 cities. Her impact is bigger than she ever imagined — because it’s hers. 

Alex helps people align their soul with strategy and career with connection through talks unlike any you've heard before. "Speaker" doesn’t capture it. Alex is a storyteller, unravelling your own story alongside hers. 

She creates space for healing and transformation through creativity, mythology, and ancestral wisdom. Together, she leads you to the most powerful place of all: Your heart.

You can find Alex online at:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imauthenticalex/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/authenticalex/

And you can find her newsletter here: https://authenticalex.substack.com/

As 2025 comes to a close, we pause to reflect on a year that was anything but simple.

In this honest and heartfelt conversation, we look back on the lessons learned, the losses faced, and the unexpected growth that came from a year shaped by major life transitions.

From van life and long-term travel to international relocation, uncertainty, overwhelm, and emotional resilience, this episode explores what it really means to live through change - without having all the answers.

Rather than rushing into “new year, new goals,” this episode invites you to slow down, honour the journey, and reflect on what 2025 has asked of you.

We share their guiding words and intentions for 2026, touching on themes of steadiness, calm, self-exploration, and creating space for what comes next.

This episode is for anyone closing out a challenging year, sitting in the in-between, or stepping into a new chapter with equal parts hope and uncertainty.

When Christmas feels heavy, you’re not alone.

In this annual Christmas episode, we explore the unseen pressures of the festive season.

From cultural expectations and family dynamics to the emotional weight of “doing it right.”

Drawing on our lived experiences across different countries and traditions, we provide you with a refreshing permission slip to slow down, set boundaries, and let go of the idea of a perfect Christmas.

This is an honest, compassionate conversation about choosing presence over performance, finding calm amid complexity, and remembering that the true spirit of the season lives in human connection, not obligation.

What if consciousness isn’t confined to the brain and healing isn’t limited to this lifetime?

In this fascinating and wide-ranging episode, we sit down with Craig Meriwether, hypnotherapist and spiritual healer, to explore the science of the soul.

We touch on many topics, from the biology of hypnosis to the transformative power of past life regression.

Craig breaks down how hypnotherapy works by guiding the brain into the relaxed alpha brainwave state, allowing access to the subconscious mind where deep healing and resolution can occur. We discuss how this differs from meditation, why everyone can be hypnotised, and what truly happens when the mind “drifts away.”

From there, the conversation opens into the deeper realms of past life regression, non-local consciousness, and the Akashic field. Craig shares compelling research and real-world examples - including CIA-funded remote viewing studies, the pioneering work of Michael Newton and Brian Weiss, and the emerging science around the pineal gland as a possible transducer of consciousness.

We also explore the true purpose of this work: healing. From emotional patterns like anxiety, guilt, and shame to physical pain and unresolved trauma, Craig explains how regression and soul-level work can bring profound insight, release, and integration, even when sessions take place remotely over Zoom.

This episode is an invitation to question what you think you know about memory, time, and the nature of self, and to consider the possibility that learning, growth, and healing extend far beyond a single lifetime.

✨ Pull up a chair, grab a cup of tea, and join us for a deep dive into consciousness, curiosity, and the soul’s journey.

Craig Meriwether provides hypnotherapy for spiritual healing, guiding clients through past life discovery, spirit world exploration, and deeper connections with guides and ancestors.

As the founder of Sacred Mystery, he offers one-on-one past life regression sessions, workshops, and multi-day retreats, both nationally and internationally, helping people unlock transformation and soul wisdom.

He also recently released the Past Lives Guidebook about the science and spirituality of past life regression therapy.

You can find out more about Craig and hiw work online:

Websites:

• https://sacredmysteryhypnotherapy.com/
• https://pastlivesguidebook.com/

Social Media:

• https://www.tiktok.com/@sacred_mystery
• https://www.instagram.com/sacred_mystery_hypnotherapy
• https://www.facebook.com/sacredmysteryhypnotherapy
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-meriwether-44286718b/    
• https://www.youtube.com/@Sacred_Mystery_Hypnotherapy

Amazon

• https://www.amazon.com/Past-Lives-Guidebook-Discover-Regression-ebook/dp/B0FL6X61WF/
• https://amzn.to/4mYXdF8
  

The festive season promises joy, connection and celebration, but for many of us, it also brings a surge of pressure, exhaustion and body shame.

Between shifting hormones, shorter days, family expectations, and the myth of “New Year, New You,” winter can feel like a battle you didn’t sign up for, especially for midlife women.

This episode is a deep, compassionate guide to wintering well. Together with our guest, Sally Duffin, we look at how we can honour our body’s natural rhythms, protect our energy, and navigate the season without sacrificing our well-being.

We explore why the body changes during perimenopause and menopause, especially in winter, and why fighting biology with strict diets, over-giving, or pushing through fatigue only leads to burnout.

You’ll learn how modern holiday culture clashes with ancient winter rhythms, and how understanding this can finally release the guilt around cravings, tiredness, and needing more rest.

Inside this conversation, we cover:

• The real reason winter feels harder for midlife women (it’s not lack of willpower)
• Why weight loss pressure in January is biologically and emotionally counterproductive
• The emotional toll of “being everything to everyone” during the holidays
• How to set strong, unapologetic boundaries, including using “no” as a complete sentence
• Practical nutrition strategies to stabilise energy and mood through the season
• How to enjoy festive food without blood sugar crashes or guilt
• Alcohol habits, portion sizes and the power of a nourishing breakfast
• The role of morning daylight, rest and slow evenings in supporting hormonal balance
• Letting go of perfectionism and sharing the seasonal load instead of carrying it all

This episode is especially for women in perimenopause or menopause who feel overwhelmed, criticised (internally or externally), or pressured to “keep up” at a time when their body is asking for something different.

If you’re craving a calmer, kinder, more grounded festive season, these insights will help you reconnect with yourself, reclaim your energy, and step into winter with confidence, not shame.

Sally Duffin is a health writer, speaker, nutrition practitioner, and author of ‘Natural Nutrition for Perimenopause – What to eat to feel good and stay sane’.

Her friendly, compassionate, and practical approach to nutrition has helped hundreds of peri/menopausal women enjoy life-changing transformations in their health and well-being.

She also writes about nutrition and natural health for wellness brands, supplement companies, and solo practitioners. 

You can find her free newsletter - Natural Nutrition for the Midlife Shift - on Substack.

You can find out more about Sally and her work here:

Website: www.nutritioninyork.co.uk

Instagram: @nutritioninyork

LinkedIn:  Sally Duffin

Substack newsletter: Natural Nutrition for the Midlife Shift

In this heart-opening conversation, we explore the powerful world of energy, frequency and subconscious healing with mind whisperer and transformational teacher, Dawna Campbell. 

Together, we journey through the unseen layers of our inner worlds, touching on topics such as the beliefs we carry, the emotions we absorb and the energetic patterns that silently shape our reality.

Dawna shares the remarkable life experiences that pulled her out of a high-pressure corporate career and into the healing arts, including the profound moments that forced her to question everything she knew about health, worthiness and purpose.

She breaks down what “energy work” really means, how quantum principles show up in everyday life and why so many of us struggle to align what we think with what we truly feel.

We explore how frequencies influence everything from our emotional well-being to the media we consume, why certain people or environments drain us and how the path to genuine positivity begins with reprogramming the subconscious, not just repeating affirmations. 

Dawna also offers a simple yet powerful breathing practice to help shift your energy, elevate your frequency and reconnect with your authentic self.

If you’ve ever felt stuck in old patterns, overwhelmed by unseen emotional weight or curious about how your inner world shapes the life you’re living, this episode will open your mind, soften your heart and invite you to explore the energetic blueprint beneath it all.

Come join us for a conversation that vibrates high, invites deep reflection and shows you what’s possible when energy truly speaks.

Dawna Campbell, known as The Mind Whisperer, provides the insights and tools you need to pave your way to abundance, prosperity, and love.

With over 25 years of transformative expertise, Dawna's unique ability to reshape the subconscious mind ensures you achieve happiness and prosperity in all areas of your life.

Her heart-centred healing philosophy enables you to alleviate life’s stresses and live the life of your dreams.

A Los Angeles Tribune Best-Selling Author and dynamic speaker who has appeared alongside notables like Sharon Lechter, Dr. Joe Vitale, and Mark Victor Hansen.

Dawna’s insights have graced major media outlets, including Fox News, NBC, CBS, and Yahoo Finance and she writes as a columnist for Best Holistic Life Magazine.

Working with Dawna isn’t just about consultation; it’s about undergoing a profound transformation that will redefine your future.

You can find out more about Dawna online here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dawnacampbellofficial/

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/dawna.campbell.71

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawnacampbell/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/dawnacampbell

Radical self-love isn’t about perfection; it’s about embracing every version of yourself, even the one that feels messy, uncertain, or “not enough.”

In this vibrant and heart-opening conversation, we explore what it really means to accept who you are right now while still honouring your desire to grow.

In this episode, we’re joined by trauma-informed transformational coach Jillian Pawlowski, whose radiant energy brings both lightness and depth to the topic of self-love.

Together, we unpack the power of releasing the “shoulds”, trusting your inner guidance, and letting yourself be fully human, without judgment or pressure to constantly improve.

During our conversation, we dive into:

✨ How self-acceptance and personal growth can beautifully coexist

✨ The importance of allowing your present emotions without trying to fix them

✨ Why your body is often the key to healing (and practical ways to reconnect with it)

✨ What it looks like to trust yourself and the timing of your life

✨ Reframing resilience and the myth of self-sacrifice—especially for educators

✨ Simple, somatic tools you can use anywhere to regulate your nervous system

✨ The vital role of community in our growth and well-being

This episode is a gentle reminder that you are not alone. You don’t need to be “better” to be worthy, and you don’t need to have it all figured out to be growing. Whether you’re navigating change, tending to your own healing, or simply trying to find more presence in your day, this conversation will leave you feeling grounded, encouraged, and deeply supported.

Tune in and discover how to meet yourself with more love, more compassion, and more trust - right here, right now.

Jillian Pawlowski is a trauma-informed transformation coach, the Program Director and Head Coach in Empowered Educator - a magnetic company that elevates the teaching experience by prioritising educator well-being, resilience, and professional growth to create thriving school communities!

She loves to talk about Metacognition, Radical Self-Love, and Expansive Self-Experience.

You can find out more about Jillian and her work here: https://empowerededucator.com/ 

And connect with her on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/JillianPawlowski