Straight Talking Natural Health

You may remember Lara Briden from Episode 21 of this podcast, when we had a very enlightening chat about PCOS and endometriosis. She is a naturopathic doctor, an educator, an author, and a women's health activist. She literally wrote the book on how to have a healthy, stress free, pain free cycle – it's called the Period Repair Manual and it's loved by both practitioner and laypeople alike.

And now she's back with a new book called the Hormone Repair Manual – Every Woman's Guide to Healthy Hormones After 40, which is all about perimenopause and menopause. Which I have to say, that as a woman who is about to have her 45th birthday, I find this more than a little timely. So just like last time, we are going to talk about what's normal, what isn't normal, how to address unwanted symptoms naturally, and how we can navigate this tricky time with grace and ease.

If you're a woman over 35 years old, this episode is a MUST.

In this podcast we will cover:

• What a healthy perimenopause (and menopause) is supposed to look like.
• Why we may be entering into perimenopause MUCH earlier than we think (and what signs to look out for).
• Why more and more women are suffering from symptoms during perimenopause.
• Why our periods might get worse before disappearing altogether (and what to do about it).
• Why going from the contraceptive pill and the hormonal IUD straight into menopause could cause issues.
• Which foods and drinks could be making your symptoms worse.
• Natural remedies for perimenopausal symptoms (including Lara's favourite herbs and a mind-blowing lightbulb moment about iodine!).

Want to connect with Lara?

Website: http://larabriden.com.

Facebook: http://facebook.com/LaraBriden

Instagram: http://instagram.com/larabriden

Want more of Jules?

Follow her on Facebook at http://facebook.com/julesgallowayhealth and Instagram at http://instagram.com/julesgallowayhealth.

Visit her website at http://julesgalloway.com.

Are you at risk of burnout? Take this quiz to find out: http://julesgalloway.com/health-check.

The post STNH 28: Lara Briden – The hormone rollercoaster of perimenopause appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

You may remember Sharon Collon from Episode 7 of Straight Talking Natural Health, where we talked about ADD/ADHD, and her business, The Functional Family.

Several members of her household have ADHD, which in the past led to her becoming burnt out as she learned to navigate everyone's needs, constantly putting herself last. She developed an autoimmune disease and had to embark on a long road back to recovery, learning a lot along the way about self care.

Sadly, this isn't an unusual scenario for mums of kids who have additional needs.

Anecdotally in both our businesses, Sharon and I have both noticed a HUGE link between having neurodiverse kids, and the mums developing chronic illness, especially autoimmune diseases and health conditions associated with long-term stress.

So I've got her on the show to pick her brain about nourishing the mother, and how to create a structure and lifestyle where EVERYONE is healthy and happy.

Listen as we chat about:

• The warning signs of burnout in mums.
• The horrible affliction known as "mum guilt" (and why it's completely pointless!).
• How to accept help when it's offered.
• How to improve communication between family members, reducing stress and strain on everyone.
• Ninja tips for a more harmonious household.
• How to bring back the magic and wonder to your relationship with your child.

Want to see more of Sharon?

Website: http://thefunctionalfamily.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/thefunctionalfamily

Instagram: http://instagram.com/thefunctionalfamily

Want more of Jules?

Follow her on Facebook at http://facebook.com/julesgallowayhealth and Instagram at http://instagram.com/julesgallowayhealth.

Visit her website at http://julesgalloway.com.

Are you at risk of burnout? Take this quiz to find out: http://julesgalloway.com/health-check.

The post STNH 27: Sharon Collon – Nourishing the mothers of kids with special needs appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Meet Jess Jones – she runs a club that in her own words, you never wanted to be in. But sadly it's a club to which many of us could subscribe, or have been a good candidate for in the past. It's a club that I think is on the way to have many more members too, if we don't start taking steps to avoid it.

You see, it's called the Burnout Club, and it's a place for women to learn a new way to live, work and most importantly, practice self care. And by self-care, I do NOT mean a pedicure or massage (although they're great). Think of it as a complete mindset shift and habit change for many women.

Basically this is rehab for Type A's. And it's SOOOOO needed.

In this interview, we chat about:

• Jess' own burnout story, and how being super-driven placed a massive strain on her career, health and relationships.
• Why burnout is often driven by unresolved emotional stuff… and what to look out for.
• The shame associated with burning out, and Jess' learnings from that.
• How Jess prioritised self-care, and what that looked like for her (spoiler alert – it's not a pedicure!).
• The dangers of using alcohol to relax when you're burned out.
• What we need to change in order to come back from burnout (or prevent it happening!).

Want to see more of Jess?

Website: http://theburnoutclub.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/theburnoutclub

Instagram: http://instagram.com/jessmejones

Want more of Jules?

Follow her on Facebook at http://facebook.com/julesgallowayhealth and Instagram at http://instagram.com/julesgallowayhealth.

Visit her website at http://julesgalloway.com.

Are you at risk of burnout? Take this quiz to find out: http://julesgalloway.com/health-check.

The post STNH 26: Jess Jones – The Burnout Club appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

You may remember Emma and Carla Papas (aka The Merrymaker Sisters) from long, long ago when they featured on my podcast when it was called Shiny Healthy You. Back then we chatted about all things food, healthy eating, and how to eat gluten, dairy and sugar-free whilst still being excited about food.

Since then, their business has taken a bit of a different direction. You see, they have gone down the rabbit hole into yoga, pilates, meditation, and all things body acceptance and self-kindness.

But of course they didn't stop there. They launched an app which has brought everything together in one place – amazing recipes, motivation, pilates, meditation, yoga… the lot. Through their app, their podcast, their blog and their social media, they reach 118,000 people every single month. That's huge.

But what's even more amazing is that their work has transcended age groups – they serve people who are at all stages of life – from kids and teenagers, to busy mums and professional women, and those aged 60 and beyond.

Emma and Carla have a LOT to say about body image and why the fitness industry is built on body shaming.

Listen as we chat about:

• Why their diets became too obsessive to the point of causing stress.
• Why they never use before and after photos in their marketing.
• How they get results and motivate their clients without using fear or shame as tactics.
• How they grew to love and accept themselves and really enjoy feeling confident in their bodies again.

This episode is a MUST for anyone who's been let down by the diet industry, who's ever felt like they're not enough, who's grappling with accepting themselves (curvy bits and all)… and for anyone with a teenage daughter.

Want to see more of The Merrymaker Sisters?

Website: http://themerrymakersisters.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/themerrymakersisters

Instagram: http://instagram.com/themerrymakersisters

Want more of Jules?

Follow her on Facebook at http://facebook.com/julesgallowayhealth and Instagram at http://instagram.com/julesgallowayhealth.

Visit her website at http://julesgalloway.com.

Are you at risk of burnout? Take this quiz to find out: http://julesgalloway.com/health-check.

The post STNH 25: The Merrymaker Sisters – Self-acceptance, self-kindness and respect for our bodies appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Some of you may remember Hayley Dawson (aka The Rural Naturopath) from episode number 17 of Straight Talking Natural Health, where we talked about what it's like to be a natural health practitioner in the country areas of Australia. It was an eye opener that revealed the unique issues that our rural and remote communities face when it comes to wellbeing.

I've gotten this legend back on the show to share with you a personal story about her own health issues, and a warning. If you're on tank water, if you visit somewhere regularly that has tank water, or if someone you love is on tank water, listen up, because this episode contains information that you may find shocking, and that you 100% need to hear.

Do NOT put this off. This is one of those "take action now" kinda podcasts.

In this episode, you will learn:

• The types of pathogens or toxins we can find in our tank water.
• The symptoms of water-borne pathogens.
• How these tank water pathogens can affect mental health.
• How we can get rid of the bugs out of our systems.
• How you can get your tank water tested.
• How you can go about getting the tank cleaned- and what to ask for.
• Water filters – what's the gold standard?

Want to see more of Hayley?

Check out her website here.

Her Facebook page is here.

And her online program is here.

Want more of Jules?

Follow her on Facebook at http://facebook.com/julesgallowayhealth and Instagram at http://instagram.com/julesgallowayhealth.

Visit her website at http://julesgalloway.com.

Are you at risk of burnout? Take this quiz to find out: http://julesgalloway.com/health-check.

The post STNH 24: Hayley Dawson – What's in your tank water? appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Caitlin Cady is an absolute powerhouse of a woman whose CV kinda reads like a Choose Your Own Adventure novel.

On one hand, she's a driven business person who owns two nightclubs and has been known to listen to gangster rap. On the other hand, she exudes a calm radiance, is a devoted yogi, and has been described as "spiritual AF." She has a beautiful, heart-centred business that's all about getting people to meditate regularly. She makes meditation accessible, enjoyable… and dare I say it… fashionable. (Ahem – just ask her about her super cute line of clothing.) Most of all, she's now a published writer of a fabulous book, "Heavily Meditated."

In this episode we chat about:

• What meditation is… and what it isn't ("There are so many myths around it – that you need a calm mind… that you need to stop thinking").
• How meditation helped Caitlin heal from a serious chronic illness… and also "chronic perfectionism."
• Why driven women need meditation, and how we can teach ourselves to stop and ACTUALLY do it!
• Overcoming the resistance to sit still and get it done.
• How to carve out space for stillness, even when you have kids (and how to be a role model for self care).
• How to show up, let go and embrace your practice, even when it's messy, wonky and not perfect.

Want to see more of Caitlin?

Website: http://caitlincady.com

Facebook: http:/facebook.com/caitcady

Instagram: http://instagram.com/caitlincady

Want more of Jules?

Follow her on Facebook at http://facebook.com/julesgallowayhealth and Instagram at http://instagram.com/julesgallowayhealth.

Visit her website at http://julesgalloway.com.

Are you at risk of burnout? Take this quiz to find out: http://julesgalloway.com/health-check.

The post STNH 23: Caitlin Cady – Meditation, perfectionism, and overcoming the resistance to being still appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Amie Skilton is quite simply one of the warmest, most approachable, most intelligent and well researched practitioners in our industry. She's a bit of a legend when it comes to skin issues and some of you may know her from her social media where she is known as "That Naturopath."

But her interests and her zone of genius took a pivot in recent years when she developed a very serious case of mould illness and CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome). In 2017 Amie went from being a normal, healthy woman, to being completely physically and neurologically debilitated… due to mould exposure in a water damaged building.

She was told by a doctor that "there's nothing is wrong with you."

So she did what any good naturopath does – she sought out further studies so that she could help both herself and others with the same issue (because that's what we do!). She threw herself into the world of building biology and is now a qualified mould testing technician.

Mould illness is a huge issue in Australia – naturopaths see so much of it in practice, and it's often mistakenly diagnosed as adrenal fatigue, chronic fatigue or allergies. So this episode is a MUST if you or someone close to you is experiencing these issues.

In this episode we cover:

• What is CIRS and how is it diagnosed?
• What are the signs and symptoms of CIRS and mould illness?
• How a naturopath will address mould illness and CIRS.
• The tell-tale signs that you might be living in a water damaged building.
• How to check if your home is healthy.
• How to keep your home healthy if you live in a humid area.
• The sneaky places that mould can turn up in your house (spoiler alert – we're talking about bedding… ewwww!).
• What to do if your landlord won't address the mould and water damage in your home.

Want to see more of Amie?

Website: http://whatthenaturopathsaid.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/Amie.Skilton.Naturopath

Instagram: http://instagram.com/thatnaturopath

Want more of Jules?

Follow her on Facebook at http://facebook.com/julesgallowayhealth and Instagram at http://instagram.com/julesgallowayhealth.

Visit her website at http://julesgalloway.com.

Are you at risk of burnout? Take this quiz to find out: http://julesgalloway.com/health-check.

The post STNH 22: Amie Skilton – Mould Illness Explained appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Lara Briden is an absolute superstar when it comes to women's hormones. She's a naturopathic doctor, educator, author and women's health activist. She believes it's every women's right to have a stress-free, pain-free period without drugs (and yes, this includes the oral contraceptive pill).

Tune in as we chat about:

• Why endometriosis and PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) are often misdiagnosed.
• Why PCOS has nothing to do with cysts on the ovaries – and how we should be diagnosing it instead.
• Why period pain is not a symptoms of PCOS.
• Why endometriosis should no longer seen as a condition of hormonal imbalance, and which systems in the body we need to address instead.
• Why the contraceptive pill is not the answer for either condition.
• Post-pill acne, and why it's a symptom of PCOS.
• Natural solutions for both endometriosis and PCOS, including which diet is best for you.
• What a NORMAL period should be like (you might be shocked by this one!).

Want to connect with Lara?

Website: http://larabriden.com.

Facebook: http://facebook.com/LaraBriden

Instagram: http://instagram.com/larabriden

Want more of Jules?

Follow her on Facebook at http://facebook.com/julesgallowayhealth and Instagram at http://instagram.com/julesgallowayhealth.

Visit her website at http://julesgalloway.com.

Are you at risk of burnout? Take this quiz to find out: http://julesgalloway.com/health-check.

The post STNH 21: Lara Briden – Endometriosis, PCOS and why the standard medical treatments don't work appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Meet Emily Hazell – she has built an oasis in Melbourne that helps people escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. A place that has become a sanctuary for busy people who need a moment to chill out away from the pressure of their fast paced lives. A place with a menu full of incredible, healthy foods… with a twist.

You see, she has designed everything around boosting your happy, feelgood neurotransmitters, and in particular, a little guy called Serotonin. In fact, she refers to her business as a "happiness centre."

I've spent years being dazzled by her instagram feed, full of colourful, vibrant food that literally makes me drool. So I'm so excited about having her on the podcast.

In this episode, you will learn:

• What serotonin actually is and why we need it.
• Ways that we can boost serotonin.
• Things that deplete our serotonin.
• The pitfalls of our fast paced lives, and how we can bring things back into balance.
• How to create moments of calm and happiness whilst living in the city.
• What to do when you're totally and utterly overwhelmed by the stress and busy-ness of life.
• Emily's tried-and-tested 12 steps to happiness (how many of them are you doing?).

This is one of those beautiful conversations where you realise that deep down you KNOW what you need to be doing for your health, but it reminds you to actually prioritise those things.

Want to connect with Emily?

Website: http://serotonindealer.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/serotonindealer

Instagram: http://instagram.com/serotonindealer

Want more of Jules?

Follow her on Facebook at http://facebook.com/julesgallowayhealth and Instagram at http://instagram.com/julesgallowayhealth.

Visit her website at http://julesgalloway.com.

Are you at risk of burnout? Take this quiz to find out: http://julesgalloway.com/health-check.

The post STNH 20: Emily Hazell – How to boost serotonin naturally appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Meet Liz Cook – a trailblazer in the perfume industry, because she's doing it very differently to the big names. She has the most beautiful brand called One Seed, which makes organic perfumes with nothing nasty added. And there was a real need in the marketplace for this to happen.

Why?

You see, most of them are super toxic. Like, full of chemicals that will disrupt your hormones toxic. And there are some high profile "natural" companies out there who are claiming to be low tox, but are actually anything but.

So what are the scary ingredients that we want to avoid?

How can we spot dodgy synthetic fragrance companies that are pretending to be natural? You'll be shocked at how many of them are out there! (Because #healthwashing.)

Why would we want to consider using natural perfumes over essential oil roll-ons?

Let's chat to this amazing woman and find out.

Want to connect with Liz and One Seed?

Website: http://oneseedperfumes.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/oneseedperfumes

Instagram: http://instagram.com/oneseedperfumes

Want more of Jules?

Follow her on Facebook at http://facebook.com/julesgallowayhealth and Instagram at http://instagram.com/julesgallowayhealth.

Visit her website at http://julesgalloway.com.

Are you at risk of burnout? Take this quiz to find out: http://julesgalloway.com/health-check.

The post STNH 19: Liz Cook – What the perfume industry isn't telling you appeared first on The Wellness Couch.