Mental Makeover

From a young age, we're asked what we want to be when we grow up. Then, when we're almost all grown up and about to graduate high school, we're asked again. We feel a pressure to have it all figured out. I need to do well in my exams so that I can graduate with a great grade and get into my preferred university so I can become qualified so I can pursue my dream career so I can be happy. And while that's the path that some people will take, most of us struggle to know what we want to eat for lunch, let alone do for the rest of our lives. I'm one of those people. I've always taken life as it comes (which has thankfully worked well for me so far) and have never been one to plan too far ahead. My life purpose? No idea. Helping people feel good makes me feel good, so perhaps that's what it is, but had I not stumbled onto YouTube in 2011 I probably would have never discovered it. Most of the people in my life have no idea what their purpose is. They don't have one particular passion. If they do, they don't know what to do with it. I honestly believe it's something that 90% of us struggle with, and that's why I wanted to record this episode. I share a different take on what your 'life purpose' might be, and how you can harness that and use it to your advantage. If you enjoyed, please don't forget to subscribe, rate and review :) Thank you!

Hey guys! Today's ep is a fun one. I received lots of very interesting questions from you all about a large range of topics, and I've picked a handful to cover today. Let me know if you enjoy this format! xx

How many times a day do you beat yourself up about the food you eat? Do you eat a meal and then immediately feel guilty for doing so? Do you tell yourself you're not allowed to eat certain foods? I've struggled with this my entire life, and it's only the past few years that I've managed to finally get a grip on it. Whether it be viewing certain foods as 'good' or 'bad', limiting my portion sizes so I don't consume too many calories, making myself feel horrible and ashamed for eating junk food even though I enjoy it, or just going on health-kicks every once in a while because I thought I needed to eat 'cleaner', my relationship with food had been strained since I was young. I got to a point where enough was enough. Reece was sick of hearing me complain ever time I ate a delicious meal, and I was sick of the constant self-inflicted guilt trips. If this all sounds familiar, please give this episode a listen. It might help you see things a little differently.

If you enjoyed, please don't forget to subscribe, rate and review if you haven't already - I appreciate it so much! X

In Australia, racism towards Indigenous Australians is embedded into the fabric of our country. It has become part of our culture. It presents itself in subtle, covert ways that make it difficult to pinpoint, so if you pull someone up on their "innocent joke", you'll be shunned and told to "lighten up". Or better yet, to stop being so "politically correct" because it was "just a joke". In a culture that celebrates lightheartedness and demonises taking things too seriously, how do we evolve as a nation? How do we acknowledge our past for what it truly is, and take accountability for the ways in which we are consciously or subconsciously repeating the toxic behaviour that continues to keep Indigenous Australians oppressed and marginalised? While I still have so much to learn myself, I share my perspective on a few small, foundational steps we can all take to help end the institutional racism PoC face every day. It is our responsibility to educate ourselves, not theirs.

This year has been a mess for most people... myself ~very much~ included. It all started in January and went downhill pretty quickly from there. Reece and I went from our usual happy, optimistic and upbeat selves to feeling defeated, hopeless and pessimistic. It wasn't just one thing that went wrong; it felt like every time we finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel the tunnel was extended and the light disappeared. I do want to mention that a lot of what went wrong wasn't a huge deal in the scheme of things, and we are so grateful to still have our health in times like these, but this episode is less about what went wrong and more about how it made us feel, and how that ties into the deeper meaning behind everything happening the way it did. It really brought it home that what's meant for you will never miss you and what misses you was never meant for you. I won't give too much away, but if you're interested in listening to a little story time and have an hour and a half (yikes) spare, then I hope you enjoy :) x

Reece and I started this business in 2018 after spending years planning and developing it. It was the first big 'thing' I did outside of YouTube, and boy did we both learn a lot throughout the process (good and bad)! Deciding to close it down was not a decision we made lightly, but there are so many factors that came into it; all of which I speak about in depth in this episode. I didn't hold a single thing back - I wanted to be brutally honest in the hopes that it might potentially provide clarity to others looking to start their own business, or those who have already started but aren't sure if they want to continue. If you're enjoying these episodes please subscribe, rate and review - it helps so much! Thank you :) x

Whether it be our appearance, our personality or our success, most of us have a core set of beliefs about the person we are, and whether that person is 'good enough' or not. I've struggled with self worth and self doubt for as long as I can remember, to the point where I came to the conclusion that I was just an overly critical person (of myself). But recently, I've been paying close attention to what actually TRIGGERS those beliefs. Why does doing that particular thing make me feel that way? Surely I couldn't have been born with all of these insecurities, so where did they come from? WHO did they come from? How many times did I have to be exposed to whatever created the self-doubt in order for me to believe it and hold on to it? This episode is a deep dive into why we allow other people/society/brands to dictate the way we feel about ourselves (often unknowingly), and how we can do our best to prevent it from happening in the future. If you enjoyed this episode or the podcast in general, please give it a rating and/or review and subscribe if you haven't already! Thank you so much *hug* X

We're all in this habit of saying "one day" or, "I'd love to do that, but -" and we confine ourselves to the bounds of the 'safer' option, not realising what we're giving up in the process. It's so easy to get caught in the routine of wake up, eat, go to work, come home, eat, sleep, wake up, etc, not only because it's what everyone else is doing so it appears normal, but also because we keep ourselves so busy and stressed that we don't even allow ourselves the opportunity to think outside the box and to entertain the idea of a different way of life. With everything happening in the world right now, I've been reflecting on this myself almost daily. How much do I actually need? What do I actually need? What makes me happy? What am I only doing out of obligation and fear? What are my dreams? How do I get there? What's stopping me? Is pursuing them actually as risky and scary as I thought or have I just been conditioned to believe that? We've all got this little voice inside of us that presents us with the idea of an alternate way of life (whatever that might look like for each of us) that we shrug off and disregard because it seems unrealistic and far-fetched. We like the safety, security and false perception of certainty that our current life provides us, so even if we long for a deeper sense of fulfilment and joy, we always go back to the 'safer' option. If coronavirus has taught us anything, it's that absolutely nothing is guaranteed (namely our income and health), so why not listen to that little voice inside of you that wants you to be happy, and do that thing you've always wanted to do but haven't out of fear?

If you listen to one podcast this year it needs to be this one. Yep, I'm backing it that much! Low self worth, high self doubt, feelings of inadequacy, general insecurities about the person I was and what I had to offer... they've all plagued me my entire life. I had resigned myself to thinking "this is just who I am; as if I can change a fundamental part of myself". I'm sure you can relate in one way or another. It's something my mentor Holly Loxton calls the 'not good enough program'. She joins me in this episode to pick apart the entire thing. Why we feel that way, who or what made us feel that way, why it's important that we change our beliefs and HOW we change them. That last bit is the most important because it gives us the power back over our own lives. We no longer have to feel like a victim to our beliefs and insecurities. You can completely transform your life if you take the first step and start believing that you're worthy of change. I love you guys so much and I sincerely hope you enjoy today's episode. If you did, please don't forget to subscribe, rate and review :) You can also find Holly and more info about her course here. xx

We seem to make friends so easily as children, but as we grow up and leave school, things start to get a little more complicated. One friend moves overseas, one friend gets super busy with their career, one friend starts a family and one friend slowly drifts away for whatever reason. Or, perhaps you just never had a lot of friends to begin with. It seems to get harder to establish friendships the older we get, because many lifelong friendship circles have already formed, so you either have to try and penetrate an existing circle or find people that are in the same position as you. It can be pretty intimidating (especially for introverts); so I wanted to speak to an expert about how to go about finding and forming new friendships as adults. Hope Kelaher is a therapist from NYC and the author of 'Here To Make Friends: How to Make Friends as an Adult', and she answers all of your burning questions! We talk about everything to do with finding new friends, introverts vs. extroverts, self-worth, vulnerability, maintaining friendships and even moving past small talk. Hope's book is available from Amazon (.com and .com.au), and Barnes and Noble if you're in the US :) I hope you enjoy!