Webinar link: https://www.mikkiwilliden.com/unlocking-fatloss-success

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This week on the podcast Mikki chats to Dr Cliff Harvey about what’s trending in 2026 in the nutrition and health space amongst a host of other topics!

Cliff Harvey, PhD, is New Zealand’s expert on the effects of a ketogenic diet in a healthy population, but so much more than that. He has been  helping people to live healthier, happier lives, and to perform better since starting in clinical practice (way back...) in the late 1990s. Over this time he has been privileged to work with many Olympic, professional, Commonwealth and other high performing athletes. He has also worked with many people to overcome the effects of chronic and debilitating health conditions. Along the way he has founded or co-founded many successful businesses in the health, fitness and wellness space, including  Holistic Performance Institute, NZ’s leading certification and diploma for health, nutrition, health coaching and performance that has many of the world experts teaching on the course, so students are learning from the best.

Cliff has  over 20 years experience as a strength and nutrition coach and, in addition to his PhD research, he is a Registered Clinical Nutritionist, qualified Naturopath (Dip.Nat – NCNZ) and holds a diploma in Fitness Training (AUT) and Health Coaching in Patient Care.

You can find Cliff over at https://cliffharvey.com/

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Artificial sweeteners—especially aspartame—have become one of the most controversial topics in nutrition. Does aspartame spike insulin? Trigger hunger? Disrupt metabolism? Increase diabetes risk?

In this Mini Mikkipedia episode, Mikki breaks down a comprehensive meta-analysis published in Advances in Nutrition reviewing over 100 human randomized controlled trials on aspartame. The findings challenge many of the common narratives circulating online.

You’ll learn what actually happens to blood glucose, insulin, appetite hormones, and calorie intake when people consume aspartame—and why the feared “insulin spike without glucose” mechanism doesn’t hold up physiologically. Mikki also unpacks concerns around methanol and amino acid breakdown products, and explains why observational studies often drive misleading headlines.

If you enjoy a diet drink and worry it’s sabotaging your fat loss or metabolic health, this episode offers clarity grounded in human clinical data—not fear-based speculation.

Highlights

• Why aspartame does not trigger insulin spikes in human trials
• What the research shows about hunger, appetite hormones, and calorie intake
• The difference between observational studies and randomized controlled trials
• Methanol, phenylalanine, and aspartic acid: dose, context, and perspective
• Whether diet drinks interfere with weight loss or metabolic flexibility

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Webinar link: https://www.mikkiwilliden.com/unlocking-fatloss-success

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This week on the podcast Mikki speaks to Sarah Kennedy, cofounder of Calocurb. They discuss the origins of the product and how Amarasate was discovered, how it works, why it’s potentially better than taking a synthetic version of GLP-1 agonist, how it works with your body, and why it’s the only product on the market that has clinical evidence behind its use in this space. They also discuss the efficacy of it, how to use it and what users should expect. This was a great conversation for anyone considering a GLP-1 or coming off a GLP-1, pros and cons all covered.

Listeners of the show can get 10% off their purchase by using the code Mikkipedia10 at www.calocurb.com 

Sarah Kennedy is the Chief Executive Officer of Calocurb and a commercial leader in New Zealand’s biotechnology sector. With a background in health innovation, strategy, and global commercialisation, Sarah has played a central role in bringing Calocurb’s proprietary bitter hops extract, Amarasate®, to international markets as a natural appetite-support supplement grounded in gut–brain axis research.

Prior to leading Calocurb, Sarah built extensive experience across life sciences, nutraceuticals, and technology-driven ventures, working at the intersection of science translation and consumer health. She is known for her ability to bridge rigorous research with practical application, guiding multidisciplinary teams through product development, regulatory pathways, and global distribution.

Under her leadership, Calocurb has expanded internationally, positioning New Zealand-derived functional ingredients at the forefront of evidence-informed metabolic health solutions.

Sarah Kennedy : https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-kennedy-0a840b13/ 

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On this episode of Mikkipedia, Mikki tackles binge eating behaviours and why the traditional “just eat less” approach often fails. She clarifies the difference between occasional overeating and true binge episodes, including the defining feature of loss of control, and outlines the DSM-5 criteria for binge eating disorder (for education, not self-diagnosis). Mikki then unpacks the physiology and psychology driving the restriction–binge cycle: dopamine and reward circuitry, cortisol and stress, shifts in ghrelin and leptin during calorie deficits, and the classic “what-the-hell effect” described in restraint theory. Most importantly, she offers practical strategies — predictable meals, adequate protein and energy, flexibility over rigidity, understanding whether you’re a moderator or abstainer, and building alternative coping tools — so you can decide whether fat loss is appropriate now or if foundational work comes first.

Highlights

• Binge eating vs overeating: the critical difference
• DSM-5 criteria explained clearly and practically
• Why calorie restriction increases biological pressure to overeat
• Restraint theory and the “what-the-hell” effect
• Practical steps to break the restriction–binge cycle

Contact Mikki:
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Save 20% on all Nuzest Products WORLDWIDE with the code MIKKI at www.nuzest.co.nz, www.nuzest.com.au or www.nuzest.com
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Webinar link: https://www.mikkiwilliden.com/unlocking-fatloss-success

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This week on the podcast, Mikki speaks with Ashley Borden, an award-winning personal trainer and long-time fitness industry leader with decades of experience. This is a wide-ranging conversation about fitness and health, but also about standards, expectations, and what it really means to work in the fitness industry over the long haul. Ashley draws on her years of hands-on coaching and industry experience to reflect on how the space has evolved, what’s improved, and where things have arguably drifted off course. It’s a grounded, thoughtful discussion about doing the fundamentals well, maintaining professional standards, and building a sustainable career in an industry that’s always chasing the next trend.

Ashley Borden is a globally recognized, award-winning certified master personal trainer, fitness and lifestyle expert, and published author with over 55,000 hours of hands-on experience transforming bodies and lives. She’s built a multiple seven-figure career working with a wide range of clients—from everyday individuals to CEO’s, first responders, professional athletes, entertainers, and high-profile celebrities. Her expertise has been showcased on major television platforms including The Kelly Clarkson Show, The Today Show, The Doctors, Discovery Health, Rachael Ray, and as a head coach on multiple seasons of E!’s Revenge Body with Khloé Kardashian. 

Ashley’s training philosophy blends science-based strength work, practical movement mastery, and mindset transformation. Her insights have appeared in InStyle, Vogue, Elle, Shape, Women’s Health, Self, and internationally in Vogue Arabia and Harper’s Bazaar Russia. She is co-author of Your Perfect Fit (McGraw-Hill) and an ambassador for Best Friends Animal Society. Outside fitness, she holds a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and teaches self-defense with her partner, 2nd degree black belt Duda Guerra.

Ashley ashleyborden.com

IG https://www.instagram.com/ashleybordenfitness/ 

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Most people don’t quit fat loss at the start, when motivation is high, or at the end, when results are obvious. They quit in the middle. In this Mini Micropedia episode, Mikki unpacks why the middle phase of fat loss feels so uncomfortable, confusing, and tempting to abandon—and why it’s actually where success is decided. Drawing on Seth Godin’s concept of The Dip, Mikki explains how slowing scale changes, rising hunger, reduced novelty, and fuzzy feedback loops can make perfectly normal progress feel like failure. She breaks down the physiological and psychological shifts that happen during sustained fat loss, the three common lies people tell themselves in the middle, and why chasing a “new plan” is usually the worst move. This episode reframes the middle not as a problem to fix, but as the work itself—and shows how staying the course builds habits, self-trust, and sustainable results.

Highlights / Topics Covered

• What “The Dip” is and why it shows up in fat loss
• Why slow progress doesn’t mean stalled progress
• The three lies that derail people mid-journey
• Reframing success as adherence, not scale movement

Contact Mikki:
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Save 20% on all Nuzest Products WORLDWIDE with the code MIKKI at www.nuzest.co.nz, www.nuzest.com.au or www.nuzest.com
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Webinar link: https://www.mikkiwilliden.com/unlocking-fatloss-success

Save 20% on all Nuzest Products WORLDWIDE with the code MIKKIPEDIA at www.nuzest.co.nz, www.nuzest.com.au or www.nuzest.com
Curranz Supplement: Use code MIKKIPEDIA to get 20% off your first order - go to www.curranz.co.nz  or www.curranz.co.uk to order yours 

This week on the podcast, Mikki speaks with Molly Hamill, a business energetics intuitive and mentor who helps female business owners turn inspiration into sustainable income. Molly specialises in working with women whose services are ahead-of-their-time—paradigm-shifting, often unseen, and not always easily explained by mainstream frameworks.

In this conversation, Mikki and Molly explore energy healing and its impact on health, intuition, and decision-making, as well as the interplay between masculine and feminine energy in life and business. 

This episode is a grounded, thoughtful discussion for anyone navigating the space between intuition, embodiment, and running a financially viable business.

Molly Hamill is a business energetics intuitive and mentor who supports female business owners to transform their inner knowing into income—without diluting the depth of their work. She is best known for working with women whose offerings sit outside the mainstream: energy healers, intuitive practitioners, coaches, and service providers whose work is often misunderstood, invisible, or difficult to articulate in conventional business language.

After building a successful Reiki healing and coaching practice that allowed her to leave a senior corporate executive role, Molly experienced firsthand the tension many women feel between deep service and talking about money. While she knew her work was changing lives, learning how to communicate her offers, value, and pricing in a way that felt aligned—not performative or fear-based—became a turning point in her career.

Today, Molly bridges intuition and strategy, helping women understand how energetic alignment, emotional intelligence, and balanced masculine–feminine dynamics underpin both impact and financial sustainability. Her work invites women to honour the unseen aspects of their gifts while building businesses that are grounded, ethical, and economically viable.

Molly : https://mollyhamill.com/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/mollyhamill/

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Is body fat gain simply “calories in, calories out”—or is insulin the real puppet master? In this Mini Micropedia episode, Mikki unpacks the loudest argument in nutrition science and explains why both camps are touching real physiology… but neither tells the full story alone. You’ll hear what the carbohydrate–insulin model (CIM) actually claims, how insulin resistance works at the cellular level (IRS/PI3K/AKT, lipid intermediates, inflammation), and why insulin affects appetite, satiety, and nutrient partitioning. Mikki also uses classic refeeding data (including the Minnesota Starvation Experiment and modern refeeding trials) to show that rising insulin doesn’t automatically mean instant fat gain—energy balance still sets the boundary conditions. The practical takeaway: target a calorie deficit, but design it to improve insulin sensitivity and keep hunger manageable.

Highlights / topics covered

• What the carbohydrate–insulin model gets right (and where it overreaches)
• Insulin resistance mechanisms: ectopic fat, DAG/PKC signalling, inflammation
• Appetite regulation: central insulin resistance, leptin signalling, food reward
• Refeeding lessons: glycogen/lean tissue restoration vs “insulin = fat gain”
• The integrated model: calories as the constraint, insulin as the difficulty dial

Contact Mikki:
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This week on the podcast, Mikki speaks to osteopath and running enthusiast Matt Stewart for a wide-ranging, evidence-informed conversation that begins with tendinopathy—its underlying pathophysiology, why it develops, and what effective treatment actually looks like beyond generic rehabilitation.

From there, the discussion broadens to explore how stress and inactivity influence tissue health, load tolerance, and recovery, affecting not only clinical populations but athletes who may otherwise be training consistently and “doing everything right.” They also unpack the role of the brain in pain perception, including how pain can be up-regulated or dampened, and why this understanding is critical for both injury management and performance.

Throughout the conversation, Matt shares how his interest in ancestral and evolutionary foundations has shaped his clinical approach, offering a framework that bridges modern sports medicine, osteopathy, and real-world movement.

This episode will appeal to clinicians, coaches, athletes, and anyone interested in how the body adapts to load and stress over time.

Links mentioned in website:

Mark Sisson - Archetypal Rest Postures video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bYxDcyoTpA

Darryl Edwards,

https://www.primalplay.com

Matt's links 

clinic website https://unityosteopathy.co.nz

Clinic Instagram  @unity_osteo

Running related @running_osteo

Matt Stewart is a highly experienced osteopath with more than 25 years in clinical practice. He holds a Master of Osteopathy from Unitec Institute of Technology and brings a broad, evidence-informed approach to helping clients improve function, manage pain, and move well.

Matt’s work is grounded in the osteopathic principle that the body has an innate capacity to regulate and heal itself when structure and function are supported. His clinical approach integrates cranial osteopathy, myofascial techniques, joint mobilisation and manipulation, tailored to the individual needs and preferences of each client.

He has completed extensive postgraduate training in cranial, fascial, respiratory, and foot and ankle techniques, including advanced study at the Osteopathic Centre for Children in San Diego under Dr Viola Frymann, further training with Dr Robert Fulford in Oregon, and specialist foot and ankle training in California and Australia.

In addition to his clinical work, Matt is an accredited Athletics NZ coach and has a strong interest in working with runners and athletes to support performance, recovery, and injury management. He has competed in events ranging from road races to marathons and ultra-marathons, including three Comrades Ultramarathons in South Africa.

Matt practises in Auckland and lives in St Heliers with his wife Emma and their two children.

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Contact Mikki:
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This week on Mini Mikkipedia, Mikki unpacks one of the most counter-intuitive truths in fat loss: eating better often means eating more food, not less. Many people equate weight loss with shrinking portions and constant restriction, yet this approach usually backfires. In this episode, Mikki explains the critical difference between food volume and energy density, and why swapping ultra-processed, calorie-dense foods for whole, nutrient-dense meals leads to greater satiety, quieter hunger, and more consistent fat loss.

She explores how protein, fibre, and meal structure work together to reduce grazing, decision fatigue, and “food noise,” while supporting long-term weight maintenance. If fat loss has felt like white-knuckling through hunger, this episode reframes success as eating adequately, calmly, and sustainably—without relying on willpower or deprivation.

Key Topics Covered

• Volume vs energy density and why plate size can increase while calories drop
• The role of protein and fibre in satiety and appetite regulation
• How under-eating drives grazing, snacking, and food noise
• Why structured meals beat constant restraint for long-term fat loss

Contact Mikki:
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Save 20% on all Nuzest Products WORLDWIDE with the code MIKKI at www.nuzest.co.nz, www.nuzest.com.au or www.nuzest.com
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