The Powherful Project

Have you ever skipped the gym because you couldn’t fit in the full hour workout?

Written off your nutrition for the week because you had chips on Thursday?

Or ghosted your coach’s messages because you didn’t want to admit you were struggling to stick to your plan?

In this episode of The Powherful Project, Wiebke and Kirsty get honest about perfectionism in fitness. From all-or-nothing thinking to feeling guilty for resting, they unpack how trying to get everything “right” can keep you stuck in a cycle of overcommitting, falling short and starting again.

They also explore what’s underneath it: the fear of being seen failing, the pressure to do more, and the feeling that you’re never quite enough.

Expect real client stories, personal admissions and practical ways to make your habits fit your life, from shorter workouts to CBF meals and honest conversations.

If you’re tired of starting again every Monday, this episode will help you see how showing up imperfectly still counts. 💜

In this episode:

• Why starting with three sessions a week is setting most women up to fail
• The difference between a healthy goal and a perfectionistic one
• Why rest is not failure, it's actually part of the plan
• The CBF meal strategy that keeps you on track when life falls apart
• Why ghosting your coach is the worst thing a perfectionist can do
• What to do when you miss a session instead of doubling up the next day
• The 1% rule that builds bigger results than any perfect plan ever could
• Why Monday restarts are keeping you permanently stuck

Timestamps:

00:00 Fear Behind Perfection

01:41 The Overcommitment Trap

04:04 Flexible Goals Mindset

06:09 Rest Is Productive

07:28 Social Media Pressure

08:26 Worth Beyond Results

09:45 Root Causes And Compassion

13:15 Hidden Emotional Costs

17:09 Practical Plan Adjustments

18:13 No Catching Up Later

19:00 Nutrition Perfection Pitfalls

19:55 Learning over being Perfect

22:01 The All Or Nothing Trap

22:42 One Percent Fixes

24:22 Backup Meals Toolkit

27:43 Flexible Eating Out

30:37 Tools And Habits Recap

36:09 Final Takeaways

Follow Kirsty and V on Instagram:

The Powherful Project ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thepowherfulproject/⁠⁠

V:

@wiebkehensen:⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/wiebkehensen/⁠⁠@busygirlclub:⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/busygirl.club/⁠⁠

Kirsty:

kirstyholmes_pt:⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/kirstyholmes_pt/⁠

⁠⁠⁠@be.powherful:⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/be.powherful/

She ran 14,200 kilometres around Australia and never lost her period, and she says that matters more than the distance.

Brooke McIntosh joins Wiebke and Kirsty for a conversation about what resilience actually costs. Seven weeks into the run she crossed the numbers off her caravan, stopped chasing 80km a day because a bloke told her to put those figures on it, and immediately started performing better.

In this episode:

• Why the version of resilience you've been sold got her hospitalised
• Training with your cycle instead of pushing through it
• The four-question morning check-in she does in the mirror
• Why Pinterest affirmations don't work, and what does
• Her take on why asking someone else if they're okay might be the wrong place to start
• The 3, 2, 1 rule for the thing you've been avoiding

Find Brooke: Instagram @brookemcintosh__ and @justonemore.mvt,

Find us: Instagram

@thepowherfulproject

Kirsty:

@Kirstyholmes_pt

V:

@Wiebkehensen

0:00 You're not okay, and something needs to change

2:45 The biggest lie you've been told about resilience

6:45 The wake-up call she'd been writing about for 12 months

11:00 Why "are you okay" might be the wrong question to ask

13:40 The thought that found her 11,000km into the Outback

17:15 She ran 14,000km and kept her period the whole way

24:45 The day she crossed the numbers off the caravan

27:15 The coach who took her money and never believed her

33:20 Why your affirmations aren't working

38:30 Every scan came back clean, and she knew they were wrong

43:40 Seven women, 500 kilometres, and what she's doing next

51:15 Why she celebrated 14,000 separate times

The fitness industry has been selling women a lie.

That health has a look. That you have to earn your place in a gym. That the trainer with the visible six pack always knows more than the one without it.

Lauren Calvin has spent her career dismantling all of it, and in this episode she holds absolutely nothing back.

Founder of Women's Fitness Academy and one of the most courageously honest voices in the wellness space, Lauren has lived the full spectrum. Eight years of eating disorders. A bodybuilding stage followed by a massive rebound because nobody warned her what came next. A pregnancy where she couldn't find a single trainer educated in pre and postnatal care. And years of watching an industry tell women that their body is their business card.

So she built something different.

An education platform that looks nothing like the industry that almost broke her.

One that trains coaches to lead with compassion instead of shame. That teaches women's health as a foundation, not a niche. That makes room for every body, every history, and every woman who was told she didn't look the part.

This one is for the woman who is done fighting her body, done shrinking herself, and absolutely done being told she has to look a certain way to belong in a gym, in the industry, or in her own skin.

Find Lauren on instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/laurencalvin_lc/

Follow Women’s Fitness Academy:
https://www.instagram.com/womensfitnessacademy_/

In this episode we cover:

00:47 Meet Lauren Calvin, the founder of Women's Fitness Academy

02:38 Why Lauren almost quit the fitness industry, and what made her stay

04:26 What health actually looks like beyond abs and body fat

06:27 Your body is not your business card: what it means and why it matters

07:05 Shame marketing: why it works short term and destroys people long term

11:38 Why judgment of others is always projection

15:27 The context behind every body you see online

16:05 Eight years of eating disorders: Lauren's full story

20:57 Pregnancy, training myths and finding zero support

25:53 What a balanced approach to health actually looks like in real life

27:31 Flexible training frequency: why you don't need to train five days a week

28:25 Minimum effective dose: what the research actually says

30:33 Building a more compassionate and welcoming fitness culture

31:42 Why women's health is not a niche: it's 80% of your client base

36:54 ADHD diagnosis and the struggle with traditional learning

38:50 How Women's Fitness Academy designs for neurodivergent learners

41:52 Why struggling people reveal system problems, not personal ones

47:34 Body image recovery, is it actually possible?

50:39 Where to find Lauren and Women's Fitness Academy

52:35 Final takeaways

Follow Kirsty and V on Instagram:

The Powherful Project ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thepowherfulproject/⁠⁠

V:

@wiebkehensen:⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/wiebkehensen/⁠⁠@busygirlclub:⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/busygirl.club/⁠⁠

Kirsty:

kirstyholmes_pt:⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/kirstyholmes_pt/⁠

⁠⁠⁠@be.powherful:⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/be.powherful/

Your money problems might not be about money at all. Systemic therapist Caterina Pulitano unpacks how our families quietly shape the way we earn, rest, love and show up, and why the boss babe era is making women sick.

In this episode:

• Why your relationship with money often starts with your dad
• Forgiveness vs acceptance when a parent has hurt you
• How to spot the generational patterns you keep repeating
• Why women overwork and stop trusting their bodies
• What it looks like to train with your biology instead of against it
• The permission slip to do less without the guilt

Caterina is the founder of Beyond Walls Collective in Perth. Find her at https://www.caterinapulitano.com.au/

On Instagram @catherine_pulitano

Chapters:

0:00 Your dad handed you this and you never noticed
3:00 Why the best therapy makes you a little uncomfortable
5:15 How you and your sibling got two totally different childhoods
7:30 The reframe that makes you soften towards your parents
11:20 Where your weird money habits actually began
15:15 How she reads the stuff you won't say out loud
17:30 Stop trying to forgive. Do this instead.
20:20 You're half your parents, messy bits and all
26:00 The real reason you can't slow down or trust your body
32:00 You're not lazy, you're fighting your own biology
36:20 Losing your period is not the flex you think it is
37:30 Knowing when to say no (and where to find Caterina)

Follow Kirsty and V on Instagram:

The Powherful Project ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thepowherfulproject/⁠

V:

@wiebkehensen:⁠https://www.instagram.com/wiebkehensen/⁠@busygirlclub:⁠https://www.instagram.com/busygirl.club/⁠

Kirsty:

kirstyholmes_pt:⁠https://www.instagram.com/kirstyholmes_pt/

⁠@be.powherful:⁠https://www.instagram.com/be.powherful/

If you've ever Googled "gut health" and come away more confused than when you started, this episode is for you.

We sit down with accredited dietitian Michelle Keaughran, founder of The Digestion Co. and an IBS specialist, to separate nutrition facts from fiction.

Living with celiac disease herself, Michelle combines evidence-based advice with lived experience to help you better understand your gut, without unnecessary food rules or restrictive diets.

In this episode, we cover:

• What gut health actually means and the signs your gut may need attention.
• The differences between IBS, celiac disease and gluten sensitivity.
• Why stress and the gut-brain connection play a bigger role than you might think.
• The truth about gluten, intermittent fasting, the carnivore diet and the Low FODMAP diet.
• Simple strategies to reduce bloating, improve constipation and support healthy digestion.
• Why regular meals, fibre, hydration and quality of life matter more than chasing nutrition trends.

Whether you're struggling with bloating, digestive issues or simply feeling overwhelmed by conflicting nutrition advice online, this episode is packed with practical, evidence-based tips to help you feel your best, while still enjoying the foods you love.

Follow Michelle: @thedigestionco

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedigestionco
Website: https://www.thedigestionco.com.au/

Timestamps:

00:00 Meet Michelle
07:02 Celiac Disease Explained
09:24 Gut Health Misinformation15:41 Chocolate and Food Rules17:07 Restriction and IBS Cycle20:14 Bloating Relief Tools25:02 Low FODMAP Basics31:02 Quality of Life Nutrition33:28 Gluten Myths and Sensitivity36:24 Low FODMAP Gluten Options37:56 Wheat vs Onion Garlic Link39:20 Bristol Stool Chart Basics41:22 Bowel Frequency and Constipation43:09 Red Flags and GP Visits43:59 Constipation Fixes47:25 Fiber Targets and Types50:58 Gut Health and Skin53:00 Fermented Foods and Yogurt55:37 Gut Myths: Carnivore and Fasting01:00:31 Wrap Up

Follow Kirsty and V on Instagram:

The Powherful Project https://www.instagram.com/thepowherfulproject/

V:

@wiebkehensen:https://www.instagram.com/wiebkehensen/
@busygirlclub:https://www.instagram.com/busygirl.club/

Kirsty:
kirstyholmes_pt:https://www.instagram.com/kirstyholmes_pt/
@be.powherful:https://www.instagram.com/be.powherful/

In this episode of The Powherful Project, Kirsty and V explore how judging others often reflects our own self-judgment and insecurities: from social media comparisons to body image and reactions to outspoken people.

They dive into how we project our inner critic onto the world around us, the power the "mean girl" voice can hold, and how to reframe harsh thoughts that don't always reflect the truth.

The conversation highlights the value of self-acceptance and neutrality over forced self-love, with practical strategies for softening self-talk and releasing judgment.

Timestamps:

00:00 Why judging others often means you're judging yourself
02:37 Self-acceptance basics
04:33 Naming your inner critic
07:30 Reframing body talk
13:28 Character and jealousy
17:16 Haters and compassion
23:09 Rewiring the inner critic
26:18 Pattern interrupt and needs check
31:52 Feedback without feeling attacked
39:42 Homework and final takeaways

Follow on social media:

The Powherful Project https://www.instagram.com/thepowherfulproject/

V:

@wiebkehensen: https://www.instagram.com/wiebkehensen/

@busygirlclub: https://www.instagram.com/busygirl.club/

Kirsty:

kirstyholmes_pt:

https://www.instagram.com/kirstyholmes_pt/

@be.powherful:

https://www.instagram.com/be.powherful/

Perimenopause can begin up to 10 years before menopause and most women have no idea.

In this episode, we sit down with Shiree Walker, nurse practitioner and founder of Glow Aesthetic Wellness Co in Perth, to break down everything the healthcare system isn't telling you.

We cover the full head-to-toe symptom list, why frozen shoulder might actually be a hormone problem, the Oprah and Halle Berry stories that say everything about the gap in women's health, and why it should be called hormone restoration and NOT replacement.

Whether you're 32 or 52, this episode has something in it for you.

Find Shiree: @glowaestheticswellnessco on Instagram or https://www.glowaesthetics.com.au/

Telehealth available across Australia.

Listen to our first episode with Shiree:

Beauty Beyond the Surface

Follow us: @thepowherfulproject

0:00 Cold open — why Oprah saw 7 specialists before anyone said perimenopause0:55 Welcome back Shiree Walker + what's new at the clinic3:00 The 4 symptoms she sees most across every age group4:00 What is perimenopause, really? (it can start 10 years early)8:00 Hot flushes, vasomotor symptoms and what's actually happening10:30 Hormone replacement vs hormone restoration12:00 Why teens on the pill are affected too13:00 "We're not doing our mother's menopause"14:00 What to say to your partner — communication during perimenopause16:00 Why women are quitting high-flying jobs over this18:00 The link between postnatal depression and perimenopause mood symptoms21:00 Frozen shoulder, joint pain and the hormone connection23:00 Why hormone restoration changes your training results27:00 Sleep, cortisol and the "I need coffee" cycle29:00 Strength training and why resistance matters most32:00 The "eat less, move more" trap34:00 Hair loss, skin changes and what blood tests to ask for40:00 Who looks after the caregivers? Nurses, shift work and longevity45:00 What this actually costs (and is it covered by Medicare)48:00 When hormone restoration fixes what looks like anxiety or ADHD53:00 Where to start if you're nervous about the gym56:00 Where to find Shiree + final thoughts

What if the best version of you is hiding behind the sentence: “I’m too scared to try that”?

In this episode of The Powerful Project, I’m joined by Sarah Mack, the legend behind Fit Perth Life — to talk about her mission of trying 200 new things in a year (yes… TWO HUNDRED 😭) and how it completely rewired her confidence, mindset, and ability to handle anxiety + perfectionism.

We chat about everything from pole dancing, aerial yoga, horse riding, dance classes, obstacle courses, and the awkward reality of being a beginner again… to why fun is not a “reward” it’s part of growth.

And because the universe loves a collab moment 💜
We’re also teaming up for a Run Club collab, while Sarah has just launched her Fun Club, helping girls in Perth get out of their comfort zone and try new experiences with zero pressure.

If you’ve been stuck in overthinking mode, waiting to feel “ready”… this episode is your sign.

✨ Confidence isn’t built in comfort. It’s built in the trying.

Fit Perth Life: https://www.instagram.com/fitperthlife/?hl=en

Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sezmack/?hl=en

00:00 Intro — marketing, creativity & why Sarah loves trying new things
01:13 Meet Sarah Mack + what Fit Perth Life is all about
01:38 Why she started documenting everything on Instagram
02:49 The “200 new things in a year” challenge (and what sparked it)
04:36 Fear, anxiety & perfectionism: how to start anyway
10:08 Pole dancing, aerial yoga + learning to be a beginner again
20:25 Dance classes, twerking challenges & getting over embarrassment
30:05 Creative workshops + unique activities outside fitness
33:38 Obstacle course races: facing fears + building grit
35:51 Mindset shift: focusing on positives & progress
39:27 Confidence building: what actually changes when you keep showing up
42:31 Comfort zones vs growth zones (and why discomfort = power)
44:03 Practical tips for trying something new when you feel anxious
01:03:00 Rest, joy & why fun is part of becoming your strongest self
01:04:08 Run Club collab + Sarah’s new Fun Club (how to join)
01:05:00 Final challenge: what’s ONE new thing you’ll try this month?

In this episode of The Powherful Project, Kirsty and V debunk common nutrition myths that often leave women feeling confused about what and how to eat.

They unpack widespread misinformation around carbohydrates, “clean eating,” supplements, fasting, and more, helping listeners cut through the noise and make informed, confident nutrition choices.

This episode focuses on simplifying nutrition, highlighting the importance of balanced eating, avoiding extreme approaches, and understanding when professional guidance matters.

Key topics covered:

• Why nutrition feels so confusing

• The influence of social media and marketing on food beliefs

• The truth about carbohydrates

• Debunking the “clean eating” mindset

• Sugar, gluten, and dairy: do you really need to cut them out?

• Balanced nutrition vs. extreme diets

• Supplements: what you need to know

• Fasting and skipping meals

• Calorie counting and body composition myths

• Detoxes, resets, and other nutrition misconceptions

Episode timestamps:

• 00:37 Why Nutrition Feels So Confusing

• 00:45 The Impact of Social Media on Nutrition Beliefs

• 05:01 Marketing vs. Health: The Misinformation Dilemma

• 08:39 The Truth About Carbohydrates

• 13:38 Debunking the Clean Eating Myth

• 19:55 Should You Cut Out Sugar, Gluten, or Dairy?

• 24:02 The Importance of Balanced Nutrition

• 24:29 Debunking the Gluten-Free Myth

• 25:00 The Truth About Supplements

• 28:12 Fasting and Skipping Meals: Myths and Facts

• 35:47 The Reality of Calorie Counting

• 39:35 Does Eating More Make You Bulky?

• 46:07 The Detox and Reset Myth

• 48:47 Final Thoughts and Takeaways

In this honest and down-to-earth episode of The Powerful Project, Coach Corey “Chaos” shares his story of moving from New Zealand to Perth, and what it really looked like to start over.

From a tough breakup to navigating self-doubt, Corey opens up about rebuilding his life, finding community, and growing into the coach and person he is today.

Now based at Good Vibes Boxing, Corey talks about the deeper side of coaching: connection, communication, and helping people feel seen. He also shares personal reflections on identity, masculinity, mental health, and learning to “pick yourself” even when things feel uncertain.

🔹 Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro & a few tech hiccups
00:11 – Meet Coach Chaos
00:30 – Growing up in New Zealand
01:12 – Finding purpose in coaching
02:41 – Why he moved to Perth
07:35 – What it was like starting fresh
11:15 – Letting go and learning who you are
15:55 – Leaning into chaos and growth
23:10 – Alone but not lonely: solitude & self-awareness
30:04 – Connection as energy
30:56 – The challenge of training women with care
32:42 – How trust and empathy make better coaching
35:32 – Helping female clients feel empowered
44:38 – Getting better at communication
55:18 – Looking back on the journey
59:35 – Final thoughts and how to reach Corey

This episode is about real-life growth, not overnight transformations, but the kind that comes from showing up, being honest, and taking small steps forward. If you're figuring things out, this conversation will feel familiar in the best way.