Take A Breath

Do you love your birthday… or secretly dread it?

Birthdays can bring up all sorts — joy, disappointment, reflection, pressure, even a  sense of dread as we move through midlife. And yet, it’s the one day every year that’s meant to be about you.

In this episode of Take a Breath, I’m joined by counsellor, personal development guide, and author Tamar Hurwitz-Fleming to explore why birthdays matter far more than we might realise — and how they can become a powerful opportunity for self-worth, reflection, and personal growth.

Tamar is the author of How to Have a Happy Birthday, a book born from the realisation that many people carry disappointment, unmet expectations, or old emotional patterns into their birthdays year after year. She invites us to take back ownership of our birthdays — in ways that feel meaningful, nourishing, and true to who we are now.

This conversation goes well beyond birthday parties. It’s about permission, self-celebration, aging with confidence, and creating practical calm in the messy middle of midlife.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why birthdays can be surprisingly emotional — and what your feelings about your birthday might reveal about your self-worth
• Why taking responsibility for your birthday (rather than hoping others “get it right”) can be deeply empowering
• How to celebrate your birthday in ways that feel good to you — whether that’s a big gathering, a quiet solo day, or something in between
• Letting go of societal expectations around aging, appearance, and what women “should” look like as they get older
• Using your birthday as a personal New Year — a moment to reflect on purpose, values, and the year ahead
• How to honour difficult emotions on birthdays — including grief and loss — without letting them take over

This episode is about learning to pause, listen to yourself, and honour what you actually want and need — not just on one day a year, but every day.

If birthdays have ever left you feeling flat, overlooked, or quietly disappointed, this conversation might just help you see them — and yourself — differently.

Take a breath… and enjoy.

To find out more go to: https://howtohaveahappybirthday.com/

Download 15 Breaths to Calm Anxiety - a FREE 5 minute audio to calm you down in real time.

Download The Breath Check-Up - your FREE guide to understanding how well you're breathing right now.

Download my energising 5 Minute Morning Practice to get your day started in the best way possible.

To find out more about my membership The Inner Space go to:  https://www.pollywarren.com/theinnerspace

Email me at:  [email protected]
https://www.pollywarren.com/
https://www.instagram.com/pollywarrencoaching/

On today’s Monday Motivation, Lucy and I are talking about that ‘back to school’ feeling that so many of us feel after Christmas and New Year.

If you’re feeling low following the festive season, now is the time to make finding joy a priority. Because like so many things in life, we have to get intentional about choosing it.

Lucy and I also talk about being aware of our thoughts, how our inner world creates our outer world, and why being truly present in the moment is the key to living a joyful life.

We hope you’ll find something useful in here.

Love,
Polly & Lucy x

Download 15 Breaths to Calm Anxiety - a FREE 5 minute audio to calm you down in real time.

Download The Breath Check-Up - your FREE guide to understanding how well you're breathing right now.

Download my energising 5 Minute Morning Practice to get your day started in the best way possible.

To find out more about my membership The Inner Space go to:  https://www.pollywarren.com/theinnerspace

Email me at:  [email protected]
https://www.pollywarren.com/
https://www.instagram.com/pollywarrencoaching/

Midlife can feel like a constant juggling act — from perimenopause to parenting, ageing parents to career demands, all while managing the invisible emotional and mental load that us midlife women know all to well.

In this episode, I share 5 simple, science-backed ways to ease the emotional weight you’re carrying — so you can feel calmer, more connected, and more like you again.

✨ Here’s what you’ll learn:

• How starting your day with just a few intentional minutes can change the energy of your entire day
• Why gratitude isn’t just about positive thinking — and how it actually supports your nervous system
• A tiny language shift that can reduce stress and give you back a sense of agency
• Why building awareness is the most powerful skill for calming a chaotic mind
• How to quickly shift your state (and stop overthinking) — especially in moments of overwhelm

This episode is packed with practical tools for busy midlife women carrying it all.

🎧 Mentioned in this episode:

• The Inner Space Membership
• Free 5-Minute Morning Practice
• Calm in Your Pocket Toolkit
• My website

Download 15 Breaths to Calm Anxiety - a FREE 5 minute audio to calm you down in real time.

Download The Breath Check-Up - your FREE guide to understanding how well you're breathing right now.

Download my energising 5 Minute Morning Practice to get your day started in the best way possible.

To find out more about my membership The Inner Space go to:  https://www.pollywarren.com/theinnerspace

Email me at:  [email protected]
https://www.pollywarren.com/
https://www.instagram.com/pollywarrencoaching/

On today’s Thursday Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking about maintaining a positive mental attitude even when life throws us a curveball.

Last week, I injured my knee on the last day of my skiing trip, and am currently on crutches while I wait to find out how serious the injury is.

I talk about how I'm feeling and how I've been trying to stay positive and expect the best possible outcome. Because as Lucy and I have discussed here before, two people can experience the exact same circumstances in two very different ways - depending on their thinking.

We hope you’ll find something useful in here!

Love,
Polly & Lucy x

Download 15 Breaths to Calm Anxiety - a FREE 5 minute audio to calm you down in real time.

Download The Breath Check-Up - your FREE guide to understanding how well you're breathing right now.

Download my energising 5 Minute Morning Practice to get your day started in the best way possible.

To find out more about my membership The Inner Space go to:  https://www.pollywarren.com/theinnerspace

Email me at:  [email protected]
https://www.pollywarren.com/
https://www.instagram.com/pollywarrencoaching/

In this episode, I’m joined by the wonderful Margaret de Petro — a former psychotherapist whose work now spans coaching, NLP, intuition, and energy awareness. Margaret supports people around the world to feel more connected, clear, and confident in who they are and where they’re heading, especially during times of transition. Her work sits at the intersection of science, spirituality, and deep self-awareness, making this a fascinating and very grounded conversation.

Together, we explore what happens when you realise you’ve lost touch with yourself — that familiar midlife moment of questioning, “Is this it?” — and how intuition, energy, and presence can gently guide you back to clarity and purpose.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How intuition actually works and practical ways to start trusting and strengthening yours
• What your energy field is, how it can be measured, and how it responds to thoughts, emotions, and environments
• Simple ways to protect your energetic boundaries without effort or overwhelm
• Why the heart’s electromagnetic energy plays such a powerful role in authenticity, truth, and connection
• Gentle, practical tools for navigating grief, emotional overwhelm, and everyday depletion in midlife

This episode is an invitation to slow down, tune in, and remember that your inner wisdom hasn’t gone anywhere — it’s just been waiting for a little space.

To connect with Margaret go to:  https://margaretdepetro.vipmembervault.com/

To listen to Margaret's podcast go to: https://margaretdepetro.vipmembervault.com/podcast

Download 15 Breaths to Calm Anxiety - a FREE 5 minute audio to calm you down in real time.

Download The Breath Check-Up - your FREE guide to understanding how well you're breathing right now.

Download my energising 5 Minute Morning Practice to get your day started in the best way possible.

To find out more about my membership The Inner Space go to:  https://www.pollywarren.com/theinnerspace

Email me at:  [email protected]
https://www.pollywarren.com/
https://www.instagram.com/pollywarrencoaching/

On this week’s Monday Motivation, Lucy and I are getting intentional about 2026.  Because any change you want to make starts with you, and now is the moment to begin living life by design, rather than by default.

We chat about why clarity of direction matters, and how real change happens when you start becoming, and embodying, the future version of yourself now.

We hope you find something useful in here.

Love Polly & Lucy

Download 15 Breaths to Calm Anxiety - a FREE 5 minute audio to calm you down in real time.

Download The Breath Check-Up - your FREE guide to understanding how well you're breathing right now.

Download my energising 5 Minute Morning Practice to get your day started in the best way possible.

To find out more about my membership The Inner Space go to:  https://www.pollywarren.com/theinnerspace

Email me at:  [email protected]
https://www.pollywarren.com/
https://www.instagram.com/pollywarrencoaching/

On today’s Thursday Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking about the power of intentionally tuning into nature during crazy times.

Most of us would agree that the state of the world right now is…alot. It can feel overwhelming and scary, to say the least, and it’s easy to feel completely out of control.

One of the best ways to put things into perspective - not to mention regulate our overstimulated nervous systems - is to remember that we are a part of something much, much greater than ourselves.

Sometimes a walk in nature is all we need to feel calmer; a cuddle with our cat can bring us back to joy; and noticing the beauty of the flowers or the birds can make us feel more grounded.

So if you’re feeling upset, scared, or horrified by what’s happening in the world, one of the best things you can do is surround yourself with nature - whether that’s a walk along the coast, or just popping into your local city park.

We sincerely hope you’ll find something helpful or interesting in here.

Love,
Polly & Lucy x

Download 15 Breaths to Calm Anxiety - a FREE 5 minute audio to calm you down in real time.

Download The Breath Check-Up - your FREE guide to understanding how well you're breathing right now.

Download my energising 5 Minute Morning Practice to get your day started in the best way possible.

To find out more about my membership The Inner Space go to: https://www.pollywarren.com/theinnerspace

Email me at: [email protected]
https://www.pollywarren.com/
https://www.instagram.com/pollywarrencoaching/

On today’s Thursday Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking about one of my favourite topics…enthusiasm!

Enthusiasm is one of the highest vibration emotions there is; and if we’re not feeling enthusiastic about anything in our life, that’s a sign that something needs to change.

But just like joy and gratitude, enthusiasm is something that we have to choose, to prioritise, to cultivate. And the more we cultivate it, the more things we’ll find to be enthusiastic about.

We really hope you’ll find something of value in this conversation.

Love,
Polly & Lucy x

Download 15 Breaths to Calm Anxiety - a FREE 5 minute audio to calm you down in real time.

Download The Breath Check-Up - your FREE guide to understanding how well you're breathing right now.

Download my energising 5 Minute Morning Practice to get your day started in the best way possible.

To find out more about my membership The Inner Space go to:  https://www.pollywarren.com/theinnerspace

Email me at:  [email protected]
https://www.pollywarren.com/
https://www.instagram.com/pollywarrencoaching/

Let’s talk about the patterns we know aren’t helping… but keep falling back into anyway.
People-pleasing. Perfectionism. Overfunctioning.
Ever wondered why you keep doing the things you don’t want to do?

This week, I’m joined by the incredible Kati Morton — licensed therapist, bestselling author, and one of the very first mental health professionals to step onto YouTube.

Together, we dive deep into:

✨ Why we cling to control (and what’s underneath it)
✨ How childhood blueprints shape adult behaviour
✨ The emotional red flags we often ignore
✨ Managing anxiety, anger + emotional load at midlife
✨ Why asking for help feels so hard — and how to shift it
✨ Breaking old patterns, gently and compassionately

Kati’s latest book Why Do I Keep Doing This? is a must-read — and this episode is packed with wisdom that’ll help you understand yourself more deeply.

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, stretched thin, or stuck in old patterns…
This one’s for you 💛

To discover more about Kati go to:

Kati's Youtube Channel

Kati's Website

Kati's Instagram

Download 15 Breaths to Calm Anxiety - a FREE 5 minute audio to calm you down in real time.

Download The Breath Check-Up - your FREE guide to understanding how well you're breathing right now.

Download my energising 5 Minute Morning Practice to get your day started in the best way possible.

To find out more about my membership The Inner Space go to:  https://www.pollywarren.com/theinnerspace

Email me at:  [email protected]
https://www.pollywarren.com/
https://www.instagram.com/pollywarrencoaching/

This week, Lucy and I are diving into Christmas — the bits that feel magical… and the bits that feel a little wobbly.

Because for so many of us, this season can stir up old stories, tricky family dynamics, or that familiar mix of sadness and joy sitting right next to each other.

We hope you find something useful in here.

Wishing you a very happy Christmas 🎄

Love,
Polly & Lucy xx

Download 15 Breaths to Calm Anxiety - a FREE 5 minute audio to calm you down in real time.

Download The Breath Check-Up - your FREE guide to understanding how well you're breathing right now.

Download my energising 5 Minute Morning Practice to get your day started in the best way possible.

To find out more about my membership The Inner Space go to:  https://www.pollywarren.com/theinnerspace

Email me at:  [email protected]
https://www.pollywarren.com/
https://www.instagram.com/pollywarrencoaching/