BUT WILL WE?! Today I am joined again by Rav to chat about body image and how dating (and in her case, marriage) has affected the way we feel about our bodies. 

The questions we answer on this episode: 

• How did you feel about your body growing up?
• How did the media influence how you felt about your body?
• How did dating and relationships later influence how you felt about your body?
• Do you only date when you're at your "goal" weight?
• What's your relationship like with your body now? How has it changed over time?

You can find Rav over on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ravkr_

Thank you everyone who sent in your questions!! 

The questions we're answering on today's episode:

• Any solo travel tips for a 38 single mum going to Noosa for a mini vacay?
• How did Linda keep her identity and independence after having kids?
• Dealing with realisation your best friends are lovely but so not aligned (they are all married).
• How to deal with coupled up friends always thinking being single = doomsday 
• Tips for gal wanting to solo travel but anxious of solo in foreign places. Conflict is real  
• Is it weird to go to a concert alone?
• How to deal with dating fatigue especially when you have been dating for years
• Don’t find someone attractive (looks), can it still work?
• How to shed the shame of being single in my late 30s
• Being called “beautiful” without having even met. Not a question just an ick trigger
• How to stop idealising a guy who seems to be “the one” but dumped me.
• When you worked in corporate jobs how did you have a work life balance
• Trading off better career/mental health for less money and all the lost financial/super etc
• Can you be too young/too new to ask for a 9 day fortnight or 4 day week
• How to gain the balls to leave a 12 year career/job. I’m scared shitless

Ta-da. The first episode dedicated to the I Don't Give A Fuck Club (IDGAF). The club where we make our own timeline in life, despite what society expects of us. If you haven't been across the IDGAF Club on my Instagram, you can catch up on the content in my story highlights (there's a part 1, 2 & 3): @hannahfurst

The questions we cover in today's episode: 

• Do you ever regret working so hard? 
• What made you decide to have kids so young, and why did you have three?
• Do you think your upbringing, society or family influenced the life you have now? 
• What are the things that bring you the most joy? 
• What would you have done differently if you were my age? 

This week we're joined by researcher (and fellow Single Minded listener) Zoe Callis to talk about emotional intelligence (EQ) and the role it plays in romantic relationships. This episode covers: 

• What's the difference between IQ and EQ?
• What are the qualities of someone with high EQ vs low EQ?
• Is it possible to improve your EQ? 
• Do we rank high IQ and high EQ as attractive qualities? 

The research paper Zoe conducted isn't publicly available, but you can reach out to her direct for more info. Zoe Callis: https://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/en/persons/zoe-callis

Extra reading: The costs of being exceptionally intelligent: Compatibility and interpersonal skill concerns.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2020.101465

On today's episode, I'm joined again by fellow single gal and podcaster Rav Randhawa to talk about the highs and lows of being single and what  freedom means to us.

We cover our favourite single things like not having to share a bed, the butterflies before a first kiss, along with the lows of living life on your own and the big question, is my soulmate out there?

Rav's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ravkr_
Fight Like A Girl Podcast: https://linktr.ee/flikeagirl

My friend and life coach Bonne Chance is back again to talk about New Year's Rituals. The questions we answer on this episode: 

• What's the difference between setting new year's resolutions and setting an intention for the year?
• We did a burning ceremony in Thailand 2 years ago - can you run everyone through what we did?
• How can people do their own ritual ceremonies this year if they want to reset / redefine what's important to them?
• If people listening want to make big changes but don't know where to start, what do you recommend?
• Do you think post-pandemic people are looking for more meaning and purpose in their lives? Why?
• How would someone define their purpose? Is there an exercise they can do?
• How do we remove the obstacles in our lives to follow our purpose to create more meaning in our lives?

You can find Bonne on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/lebonnechance/
And her website is here: http://www.bonnechancecoaching.com/

Today I am joined by psychologist Nancy Sokarno, also known as Psych With Sokz. The questions we answer on this episode: 

• How has the pandemic changed our relationship with being alone?
• A follower sent me the following, "One of the positives of lockdown was we were put in a meditative state - where we got time to think and decide which way we want to grow."  Do you think the alone time was overall a positive or negative experience for people or does it depend on the person? Will people emerge with new ideas on life? 
• You've previously said,  “Being alone also often allows you to make better decisions because you aren’t persuaded by outside influence." Can you explain why?
• Are there other benefits of being alone? Are there benefits of doing things outside of your comfort zone alone eg. travel?
• Do some people prefer to be single & alone than be in a coupled-up, long-term relationship?

Nancy's website: https://www.psychwithsokz.com/
Nancy's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/psychwithsokz/

Today I am joined by Jess Matthews, also colloquially known as “The Boy Detox”. The questions we answer on this episode: 

• You fell in love with your best friend - I'd love to hear this story! Why did you break up? Are you dating now?
• A lot of people are looking for that "instant spark" - what are your thoughts on this? Do we need to let go of instant sexual chemistry and focus on building a genuine connection instead?
• You mentioned to me that falling in love with a best friend shifts the dynamic, especially when it comes to sexual intimacy - can you talk me through this shift?
• Do you think it's worth being more open minded and patient when dating? I'm usually like "no" if there's no physical chemistry instantly. But more recently I decided to keep pursuing someone I wasn't sure about and thought, "Nah, there's nothing here," but then we kissed and it was total fireworks. 
• How many dates do you think you need to give someone before writing them off? What needs to be there at a bare minimum to keep getting to know them?
• What are your thoughts on building a connection first before getting physical? I think it's really nice. I had a guy follower mention that he had tried this with a girl and it didn't go well - he wanted to wait to get to know her before having sex. 

Jess' website: https://www.theboydetox.com/
Jess' Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theboydetox/

The questions we answer on this episode: 

• We hear the word "vulnerability" thrown around a lot. What does it mean?
• What is vulnerability not? 
• Why is being vulnerable and open important to forming deep & fulfilling connections?
• When we're dating, why do some people stay in the "safe" zone and find it hard to delve deeper than the surface level conversations? I've experienced "the wall" when dating and you never get any deeper and it fizzles out.
• It's like the chicken or the egg... it's hard to form a connection without being vulnerable.. But then it's hard to know who you can trust, especially when you're getting to know a new person. How do you balance these two things?
• Do you think people that struggle with vulnerability weren't taught how to express their feelings as children? How can you learn these skills in adulthood? Are there ways to practice being vulnerable in non-dating settings?
• Resources you suggest for people interested in learning about vulnerability

Find out more about Vanessa here: https://www.vanessastaubpsychology.com/

Shani Silver is back to discuss self-publishing her new book A Single Revolution! You can purchase her book here: https://www.amazon.com.au/Single-Revolution-Dont-match-Light-ebook/dp/B09HZ1TBX7/

The questions we answer on this episode: 

• It's been a while since we chatted - what's been happening in your life? 
• I read your medium article about not getting a book deal & instead self-publishing. You open with, " Obviously it’s an ego thing. The book deal. The big advance. The status, the validity, the ability to show the world that a publisher wanted you.  And then you never get any of those things, despite years (and years) of trying." - can you talk me through the process of publishing your book A Single Revolution?
• What is your book about? Who would it be useful for?
• You write about rejection a lot - something that's common for writers - do you have any advice for people in dealing with rejection? 
• The main message I get from your content is, "Don't wait for your life to happen." Whether that's meeting a partner or getting a book deal. Why is this message so important to you? Do you have practical tips for people that are stuck waiting for life to happen to them? 
• I have a lot of people on Instagram asking me for writing advice, or just generally how to be more creative. I've gotten so much out of your medium articles about self-publishing and not waiting for editor's to respond to your pitches. It's one of the reasons I write on Medium now as opposed to pitching. What is your advice for people wanting to take more control of their creative pursuits?

Find Shani on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/shanisilver/