Mental Makeover

As someone who has had cosmetic enhancements, I find myself in a bit of a pickle. 90% of me says I have no right to comment on anyone else's appearance because it doesn't affect me in any way, but on the other hand, that 10% worries for people who seem to be going overboard. Let's talk about it...

The ego... It tends to shout when we need it to be quiet. It convinces us that we need to be more popular, more attractive, more successful, more stylish and more intelligent, in order to be liked by others. In order to be 'good enough' or worthy. If we try to ignore our ego it shouts even louder. "What do you MEAN all of those things don't matter?! If you don't listen to me I'll show you how wrong you are! Everyone will think you're ugly and unsuccessful and embarrassing and stupid. But if you listen to me, I'll keep you safe." It's like a toxic relationship that we can't seem to escape. Deep down we know it's not good for us, but it can feel scary leaving something familiar, so we stick with it. I had a huge ego flair up recently which is what inspired this episode. I talk through every little detail about what happened, how it made me feel and why, and how I got through it. It's important to note that I believe our egos are important, but only to a certain degree. It's important to receive feedback from outside, more objective sources every once in a while. The issue is that we now seem to rely mainly on what other people think of who we are and the decisions we make, and not enough on what we think of ourselves. We need balance, baby! If you enjoyed today's episode, please leave a rating and a review! It helps this podcast reach other people, which is really cool :) Thank you so much x

This episode has it all! I love Q&A episodes as I get to share my thoughts on lots of different topics. I hope you enjoy :) xxx

It probably sounds like a strange question to ask, but there's a reason I'm asking it. Sure, there's an undeniable sense of fulfilment and accomplishment that comes with achieving a goal you've been working towards for a while, but if we're all being honest, how long did you actually stop and let that win sink in for? Did you even stop at all? Or were you too busy working towards the next big goal? Why are we all so quick to set up a new target once we have reached our old one? Perhaps it's because we think that constantly hitting targets and reaching goals will make us happier, more confident, more valued and respected by others, more successful, more worthy, more fulfilled. Why else would we set goals, right? But if you look back on your life right now, on all that you've achieved, did the accumulation of those achievements culminate in a better quality of life? Or did you kind of forget about them? Were those goals set in the interest of finding happiness, or feeding the ego? All of this is not to say that goals aren't important - quite the opposite - it's to encourage you to reflect on all of these questions, to stop and appreciate all that you have already achieved, to audit your future goals and decipher whether or not they are feeding the soul or the ego, and subsequently whether or not they're worth reaching for.

If you'd like to hear my in-depth thoughts about it all, listen in :) And if you enjoyed the episode, please don't forget to subscribe, rate and review. Thank you x

Body positivity is surprisingly complex. It's not as simple as repeating a self-love mantra to yourself every morning and every night; in fact some days it can be a battle between the negative thoughts and the positive ones. It can feel like a tennis match - a bad thought comes straight for you at speed and you've got to quickly whack it out of your brain with a positive one. Some days those negative thoughts are coming at you non-stop and you feel defeated, other days you're on top of your game and the positive thoughts easily outnumber the negative ones. I always preach how important it is so take care of yourself and appreciate the body you have, but the truth is, sometimes that can be really, really hard, and I never want people to think they've failed if they have a few days, or weeks, where they've felt like they've lost that battle. We're human, and we're going to have days where everything we've learnt and all the progress we've made goes out the window. I've had a few of those days recently, so I wanted to share with you my approach to combatting those thoughts and getting myself back on track. It's important to remember that body positivity is something that most people will probably need to work on for the rest of their lives, as society changes the goal post of what is considered 'beautiful', and we're faced with the reality of whether or not we fit that image. I'm really happy with how this podcast came out, and I encourage you to listen to the end. If you did enjoy, please subscribe, rate and review! :)

Have you ever found yourself looking through old photos or videos and feeling nostalgic about the way you used to look? Feeling sad - or perhaps mourning the loss of - the way you once looked? I found myself feeling this way recently, and it prompted me to dig a little deeper. What was it about my appearance changing that made me so uncomfortable? Had it even changed that much or am I just hyper critical of myself and the way I look? If I feel this way now, will I feel this way again in the future? How do I prevent myself from resenting the inevitable (aging, growing, physical and mental change)? Well, that's what today's podcast is all about; I hope you enjoy. Please rate and review if you did :)

In the world of Instagram filters and Facetune, it's hard to know what anyone actually looks like anymore. Facetune has made it easy to edit our photos, and Instagram story filters have made it easy to edit our videos. A lot of the time, it's harmless. But when influencers start showing up on their stories and feeds with flawless blurred skin, huge eyes, big lips and tiny noses, it kind of makes you wonder... is there a line? Do we have a responsibility to our followers to present ourselves in a way that is realistic and accurate, so that we don't contribute to their insecurities about their appearance and they way they think they "should" look? And is there a moral code around using skin filters when promoting makeup products? Or Facetuning your body when promoting swimwear? Let's chat!

A month or so ago, I uploaded a podcast episode called 'sooo my life has been a bit of a mess this year', and the response really surprised me. So often when we're going through something tough, we feel isolated and alone; as if we're the only ones having a rough time. It wasn't until I uploaded that episode that I realised the sheer volume of other people in the exact same position, all clinging to a glimmer of hope that things will get better. It got me thinking. I managed to get out of my year-long rough patch, which means I can now look back on it in hindsight, and see it for what it was. I've been able to identify the myriad of lessons I learnt along the way, why seemingly bad things just had to happen in order for me to achieve the result I wanted, what I would do differently next time and what I wouldn't change for the world. It was another reminder of the importance of letting go of the 'hows' and trusting in your end result, no matter how bumpy the road to get there might be. This episode talks through all of that. I hope you enjoy! Please don't forget to subscribe, rate and review if you enjoyed :) x