Wow!!!! 6 months already and the end of Season 2. We’ve talked Ultradian Rhythms, becoming a Covid Karen and reclaiming the word C*%T - amongst many other things and it’s time for a short month long break. Season 3 is already shaping up to be a cracker. We’ll be exploring Burn out (not the type you do in the your car!), energy healing, the funny side of funerals, and I’ll be launching my series ‘The C Word’ - no not that C word - it’s a series that unpacks that magical, mythical (often elusive) feeling of “Confidence”. What it is, why it’s important, where to find it, how to build it (not break it). I think you’re gonna love it. I’m also trialing a break from social media. It’s been years since I took a break, so I’m going to give it a crack and see what happens - I guess I’m going to ‘Suck it & See’!! If you don’t want to miss my return, be sure to follow the podcast on Apple or Spotify, so you’ll be notified when Season 3 kicks off. Ciao Ciao for now lovelies. Nathy G XXX

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With my intimate in-depth knowledge of Hollywood married couples (courtesy of all the old Who Weekly’s at my nail salon), coupled with my extensive experience in the field of psychology and therapy (no qualifications, but I’ve seen plenty over the years), and adding in my medical expertise with the condition of Alopecia (I know precisely one person with the condition) - I feel (along with thousands of other similarly qualified people - irony!!!) to be able to comment with great insight and authority on the goings on at some award show that was on the Tele over a week ago. I think you’ll agree. It should go viral!!!!

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We all have s**t we worry about right?  And at times, we are all plagued by struggle - whether your struggle is huge and related to external forces over which you have no control, or whether it's small and of your own making - one thing we know is true 'The struggle is real'... I'm struggling with post-Covid malaise. I've dived into a well full of "I can't bring myself to give a s**t about anything" these past couple of weeks, and I'm not gonna lie - it sucks big donkey's hairy ones. However - in the interest of getting high on my own supply of the 'Suck it and See' approach (to life folks - NOT big donkey's hairy ones!), I decided to try the antidote to struggle - and that is to just let everything be easy.  So this week, I've taken the easy way out and am sharing a story of struggle that I wrote some years ago.  My struggle with my weight.  

My weight has always been a fierce opponent - think Rhonda Rousey at her peak and you get the idea.  It's Miss 4kg VS Nathy G - Who will win this battle of the 'Tight-Ons'???!!!  

The exerpt is from my book 'The Gap Year(s)' - available on Amazon if in fact, you like what you hear in today's episode and want to know more... 

https://www.amazon.com.au/Gap-Year-Because-sometimes-takes/dp/1922328944

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It's no news that hugs are awesome.  I recently got a hug from my 20 year old son that rocked my world.  Why?  I've just come out of Covid Isolation during which time (although under the same roof), we remained separated completely.  When we reconnected, it was everything a hug should be:  the right amount of pressure, we both just wanted it to go on forever, and (I dunno about him), but I felt it at my very core and in my bones.   So this is a hug.  Not a snuggle or a cuddle - which while both of these things are lovely - they are not a hug.  A hug, when done right, is purposeful, a true exchange of energy and intention.  It applies pressure, not too light as to be insipid or half hearted, and not so hard that it squeezes the breath out of you.  A great hug is more than a cursory 'wraparound of the arms followed by a back slap and......quick release' - a great hug is experienced, savoured - it shifts you, changes your state.  You know what I'm talking about right? You know I love a litte research, so I went in search of insights into what makes hugs so special, and I discovered some cool stuff that I share in this episode. Humans need touch and connection to thrive - that's a given, but what is it about hugs that can transform us?  Pressure is key - hence why swaddling babies is key to settling and soothing them -- firmly enough to make them feel safe, not so tight that they are constricted.  The length of a hug is also crucial - 20 seconds the experts recommend - for the optimal release of oxytocin.  This chemical is responsible for (among other things) reducing cortisol (the stress hormone), elevating feelings of recognition, trust, compassion and empathy.  All gooooooooood stuff.  (check out what I say about the benefits for teenage boys!!) But wait - there's more (and this is better than steak knives from the Shopping Channel) - the benefits of hugs can be derived from non human sources.  When checking out the topic, I came across the amazing Temple Grandin - a women who suffered from high functioning autism in the 1960's.  It was during her time working on cattle ranches that she observed how cattle calmed down when they moved out of the herding yard and into the squeeze shoot (the narrow fenced area to funnel them to another area).   She then built herself a 'hug machine' (I think it was called a squeeze machine, but hug machine sounds more fun) and set about doing experiments on the benefits of applied pressure and how it impacted her stress response levels.  She was a poineer and a bit of a rock star in this space - her work leading to therapies that serve people with not only autism but also ADHD.  If you're keen to know more about her, Claire Danes starred in a bio-pic of her life in 2010.   Meanwhile - give someone you love (or even like) a hug today.  Hug harder and linger longer.  Enjoy!! https://www.templegrandin.com/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1278469/ https://yourteenmag.com/family-life/communication/have-you-hugged-your-teen-today

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797614559284

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Cap’n Corona has come to town rendering my voice huskier than Tom Waits on a big night of the Jack Daniels and Marlborough Reds. Back in isolation and with less energy that a balloon at a kids party with the helium sucked out of it - I felt it my duty as a podcasting badass - to at least let my listeners know that I’m still alive and kicking. Turns out - as I spoke, I discovered that isolation might have turned me into a Karen!

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Nostalgia is a wonderful thing. We know the passage of time dulls our memories somewhat - the edges of recollection fray, pain is forgotten or maybe regrets sharpen up to cut deeper. Today - I nose into a bit of my own nostalgia. This time 20 years ago (at the time of typing these notes) - I was 29 hours into a 30 hour labour - the result of which was my son Luca, who (it should come as no surprise) turns 20 today. In today’s episode I share some of the memories of these past 20 years as his mum. Some of them (should he listen to the episode - no guarantees there!), he will be familiar, and some that he will have no recollection of. The ups and downs, the pains and the joys - and one particular recollection of a bread knife that bore the brunt of my anger - lest the bread knife itself was hurled at one particularly annoying teenager. Perhaps you can relate??

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Consider yourself warned.  In this bonus episode (specially dropped for International Women's Day) Megs and I will be exploring that most polarising of words - C**t.  Never ones to back down from an expletive - we take the time to actually research where the word came from, (25th century BC folks!!) why it's got such a bad rap in recent centuries, (hello the patriachy demonising women's sexuality, and seeking to control us and treat us as property), and make our arguments for bringing it back out of the dark ages (and recesses), and put it back on the menu of words to be used to celebrate women, womanhood, female power and sexual liberation.

Special mention to contributor Skylar Marie Gray - Comedian who shares the many names for the C**t in her fabulous scottish accent (definitely upping our global appeal) ,and a nod to fellow podcaster and lover of 'salty language' - Matt Fidler - host of "Very Bad Words" - who in his episode on the word - did a lot more lofty research than Megs and myself!

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/very-bad-words/id1097614316

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MztdLHkWbeM

https://www.facebook.com/SkylarGrayComedian/

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Turns out - memory isn’t something that you ‘have’, it’s something that you ‘do’. So says brain coach Jim Kwik. About 30% of our memory is genetic, but the rest - a whopping 70% is born from practice and purpose. After a crushingly embarrassing name forgetting incident that happened over the summer - I thought it time to investigate how I can enhance my name recalling skills. There were some great discoveries - a variety of techniques you can try until you find the one for you, and also the big hard slap of truth - being that often we don’t remember someone’s name because we’re just not listening. (Gulp). Anyhoo - take a listen - and you might just find the right one that will help you to avoid what I now refer to as ‘Larah-Gate’.

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How often do you use other people’s names when interacting with them? Maybe you do with people you know - but what about people you don’t know? I became an avid name user and learner when I started running workshops, because instinctively - I knew that it was a quick way to develop rapport. (With an unusual name myself, I’ve always appreciated when people have inquired after it, and bothered to take the time to spell or pronounce it correctly). Turns out - using people’s names when interacting with them does increase connection neurologically - when people hear their names - their brains release dopamine - the feel good and motivational brain chemical. So - if using someone’s name can result in ‘feel good’ for them, and an upswing in their desire to help you - where are the times, places and spaces where you could utilise this new (not so secret) super power of yours??

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Move over Circadian Rhythms - I'm dancing to a new beat.  The beat of my Ultradian Rhythms.  Yes folks - turns out those mid-morning snack attacks, the mid-afternoon face plants on my desk, and those times when my brain just disconnected itself from reality were not just a result of big nights, no sleep and hangovers - nossssirrrreeeee.  That sexy beast science has delivered yet again with the revelatory research that I have a rhythm - yes I have a rhythm, you have a rhythm, we ALL have an Ultradian Rhythm, that determines how we rise and fall throughout the day!
Ignore your Ultradian rhythm (and this episode!) at your peril.  
PS:  Yes - before you comment - I know Luke is the oldest Hemsworth Brother!!

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