Women over 35: if you're eating less, training harder, and getting nowhere, the problem isn't your willpower; it's your physiology. In this episode of The True Form Podcast, women's health coach Emily Spurling breaks down exactly what changes in a woman's body after 35, why cortisol and declining estrogen drive stubborn weight gain (especially around the midsection), and the strength training, protein, and nervous system shifts that actually work.

Emily is the founder of Karma Being and creator of The Strong, Calm & Lean Method, a framework built for women 40+ navigating perimenopause, menopause, and midlife body changes. After 16+ years of running wellness retreats around the world and coaching thousands of women, she blends the science of female physiology with the mindset and subconscious-belief work that most fitness coaches skip entirely.

In this conversation, we cover:

🔸 Why standard fitness advice fails women over 35.

🔸 Perimenopause, estrogen decline, and cortisol belly explained.

🔸 How much protein women actually need (and why it increases with age).

🔸 Heavy strength training for women: 2 to 3 sessions of 30 minutes. 

🔸 The 95/5 rule: how your subconscious runs your health decisions.

🔸 PSYCH-K and Bruce Lipton's Biology of Belief.

🔸 The "alias technique" for quieting your inner critic (Jack tries it live).

🔸 Nervous system regulation, physiological sighs, and stress resilience.

🔸 Why intuitive eating only works once your gut is healed.

🔸 The one 2-minute daily habit Emily would give every person on the planet.

Whether you're a woman in perimenopause, a coach working with women 40+, or someone curious about the mind-body connection, this episode delivers both the science and the practical steps.

🔗 CONNECT WITH EMILY SPURLING

Website: https://karmabeing.com 

Method: The Strong, Calm & Lean Method

Retreats: Sri Lanka (Nov/Dec 2026) & Thailand (June 2027)

Corporate wellbeing offerings available via her website

THE TRUE FORM PODCAST

Hosted by Jack Graham - personal trainer, coach, and host exploring Mind, Body & Identity.

New episodes every week.

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or wherever you listen to your podcasts.  

Watch me on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/TZVWBA0G3dQ

📌 REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE

• PSYCH-K - subconscious belief change modality.

• Bruce Lipton - The Biology of Belief.

• Tracy Anderson Method.

• "Duped" - ABC documentary on food labelling.

• Toastmasters.

• Physiological sigh (double inhale, long exhale).

#WomensHealthOver40 #Perimenopause #StrengthTrainingForWomen #TrueFormPodcast #MidlifeHealth

Support the show

Want to put what you just heard into practice? I've distilled the biggest lessons from 287 episodes into a free guide: 9 strategies to boost your performance without working overtime. No fluff, no gimmicks. Just the fundamentals that actually work. Grab it at https://www.trueformpodcast.com/true-form-guide 

Want the quick takeaways? Read the blog post for a full breakdown of the episode. https://www.trueformpodcast.com/blog 

Take the first step toward better recovery and overall health with Lumaflex.
Use code TRUEFORM for 10% off:
https://lumaflex.com.au/TRUEFORM 

Allie Chandler spent nearly 8 years bedbound with chronic Lyme disease, mould toxicity, and hyperadrenergic POTS; a condition where her heart rate spiked from 55 to 180 every time she stood up. Dozens of doctors. Endless protocols. No answers. In this episode, Allie shares exactly what finally moved the needle: functional medicine, limbic system retraining (DNRS), EMDR, and daily nervous system regulation. She explains why tracking her symptoms was making her sicker, how she rebuilt her identity from scratch, and the mindset reframes that pulled her out. 

Today she runs Upsell Health, a marketing agency for functional medicine practitioners and wellness brands, helping scale supplement companies from $60M to $100M+ in revenue. She's also building "Meet Your Healer," an app matching patients with aligned practitioners, and lifts weights six days a week. 

Whether you're navigating chronic illness, stuck in a rut, or just want to think differently about your body, mind, and identity, this conversation will change how you speak to yourself.

💡 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

🔸 How Allie went from bedbound to lifting 6 days a week.

🔸 What limbic system retraining (DNRS) actually looks like day to day.

🔸 Why tracking symptoms trains your brain to find more of them.

🔸 How to stop claiming your diagnosis as your identity.

🔸 The role of community, language, and visualisation in recovery.

🔸 How to build a business around your values (empathy-led marketing).

🔸 Why "buy now or stay sick" marketing damages the people it targets.

🔸 Allie's concept of "frequency receipts" and how to start your own.

Connect with Allie:
Website https://upsellhealth.com
Linktree https://linktr.ee/upsellhealth

00:00 Intro.
01:28 From Teacher to Chronic Lyme in the Swiss Alps.
06:00 The Turning Point: Limbic System Retraining (DNRS).
16:55 Why Community and Identity Matter More Than Any Protocol.
20:10 How to Escape the Victim Mindset.
29:38 Building a Marketing Agency in Functional Medicine.
44:15 Empathy-Led Marketing: Why Fear-Based Selling Doesn't Work.
54:52 Final Thoughts on Language, Magnetism & Frequency Receipts.

Support the show

Want to put what you just heard into practice? I've distilled the biggest lessons from 287 episodes into a free guide: 9 strategies to boost your performance without working overtime. No fluff, no gimmicks. Just the fundamentals that actually work. Grab it at https://www.trueformpodcast.com/true-form-guide 

Want the quick takeaways? Read the blog post for a full breakdown of the episode. https://www.trueformpodcast.com/blog 

Take the first step toward better recovery and overall health with Lumaflex.
Use code TRUEFORM for 10% off:
https://lumaflex.com.au/TRUEFORM 

Scott Capelin went from a corporate desk job in his early 20s to owning five personal training studios, and now runs In Life Wellness, a Reformer Pilates franchise with nearly 80 locations across Australia, the US and New Zealand. He recently moved his family to Texas at 50 to open another 20.

30,000+ hours of coaching. Two books. Four kids. Eight years off social media while building all of it.

In this conversation, Scott breaks down the difference between motivation and inspiration, why your business will never outgrow you, the two questions that reveal your actual values, and how 90% of his studio owners started as members walking through the door.

If you've ever felt stuck on one blade of grass while there's a whole field out there, this one's for you.

🔗 CONNECT WITH SCOTT 

Website: https://scottcapelin.com 

LinkedIn: Scott Capelin 

Email: [email protected] 

In Life Wellness: https://inlifewellness.com 

00:00 Intro
01:43 From Corporate to Personal Trainer: Scott's Career Pivot
07:25 Your Business Will Never Outgrow Its Owner
20:22 Building In Life Wellness to 80 Studios With Zero Marketing
31:17 Motivation vs Inspiration: The Difference That Changes Everything
32:00 The "Two Years to Live" Question That Made Him Cry
42:16 The Snooze Test: How to Know Something Isn't Lighting You Up
59:27 Writing a Vision Statement and Programming the Subconscious

Support the show

Want to put what you just heard into practice? I've distilled the biggest lessons from 287 episodes into a free guide: 9 strategies to boost your performance without working overtime. No fluff, no gimmicks. Just the fundamentals that actually work. Grab it at https://www.trueformpodcast.com/true-form-guide 

Want the quick takeaways? Read the blog post for a full breakdown of the episode. https://www.trueformpodcast.com/blog 

Take the first step toward better recovery and overall health with Lumaflex.
Use code TRUEFORM for 10% off:
https://lumaflex.com.au/TRUEFORM 

It's never too late to start.

At 55, Maz O'Connor had built the life she'd manifested 15 years earlier: a beautiful home in coastal Victoria, her own yoga and event space, a thriving community. By every external measure, she'd made it.

Then a voice she couldn't ignore said: there's more.

So she sold the house, sold the car, packed up her life, and moved to Bali, not knowing where she'd live or exactly what came next. Today she's the founder of The Longevity Project, helping women 55+ navigate the next chapter with confidence, strength, and purpose.

In this conversation, Maz and Jack talk about:

🔸 Why the "retire at 67 and life will be amazing" story is an illusion.

🔸 The difference between purpose and ego, and how to tell them apart.

🔸 How Vedic meditation dismantled her need for external validation.

🔸 The vision board question that stopped her for years: "who are you to live like this?”.

🔸 Raising boys as a single mum and why she said "make good decisions, because you own the consequences”.

🔸 Why she had more when she risked less, and how downsizing created more freedom, not less.

🔸 Health as compounding wealth: why your body works exactly like an investment portfolio.

🔸 The "arena" analogy for life; players, coaches, and the crowd that doesn't matter.

🔸 A live demo of a scanner Maz is bringing to Australia that measures cellular antioxidant levels.

Connect with Maz:

Instagram: @mazoconnor 

Instagram: @thelongevityproject_au 

A note from Jack: Maz has a commercial interest in the wellness scanner and supplement pack she demonstrates in the second half of the episode. As always, do your own research, and remember you can't outsource your health.

Support the show

Want to put what you just heard into practice? I've distilled the biggest lessons from 287 episodes into a free guide: 9 strategies to boost your performance without working overtime. No fluff, no gimmicks. Just the fundamentals that actually work. Grab it at https://www.trueformpodcast.com/true-form-guide 

Want the quick takeaways? Read the blog post for a full breakdown of the episode. https://www.trueformpodcast.com/blog 

Take the first step toward better recovery and overall health with Lumaflex.
Use code TRUEFORM for 10% off:
https://lumaflex.com.au/TRUEFORM 

Most people are overcomplicating their health. In this episode, Kyle Gonzalez (MS, CSCS), VP of Performance and Coaching at Coya, author of Move, Thrive, and Come Alive, and host of The Vitality System Podcast- joins Jack to break down why the basics beat the biohacks, how to stop chasing the perfect routine, and why he chose to build an unconventional career instead of climbing a traditional one.

We cover why you have to "earn the right to supplement," what 50+ countries of travel taught him about health, why he'll never stop coaching in person, how to avoid burnout in the fitness industry, the one habit that moves the needle more than almost anything else, and where AI actually fits into the future of coaching.

Kyle Gonzalez (MS, CSCS) brings over a decade of experience helping people optimize health and performance through coaching, teaching, and start-up leadership. A former D1 athlete, he's been featured in Men's Health, NBC News, The Washington Post, and Real Simple for his work in the fitness industry. He currently serves as VP of Performance and Coaching at Coya, a human performance start-up, and is also the author of The Vitality System and host of The Vitality System Podcast. He lives in Los Angeles.

Connect with Kyle:

My book: https://www.amazon.com/Move-Thrive-Come-Alive-Science-Backed/dp/1572843667 

The Vitality System Substack link: https://open.substack.com/pub/thevitalitysystem 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-gonzalez-032164a4/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kylegonzalez3 

My Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-vitality-system/id1727272395

Want the quick takeaways? Read the blog post for a full breakdown of the episode. https://www.trueformpodcast.com/blog 

#healthylifestyle #longevity #personaltrainer #healthpodcast

Support the show

Want to put what you just heard into practice? I've distilled the biggest lessons from 287 episodes into a free guide: 9 strategies to boost your performance without working overtime. No fluff, no gimmicks. Just the fundamentals that actually work. Grab it at https://www.trueformpodcast.com/true-form-guide 

Want the quick takeaways? Read the blog post for a full breakdown of the episode. https://www.trueformpodcast.com/blog 

Take the first step toward better recovery and overall health with Lumaflex.
Use code TRUEFORM for 10% off:
https://lumaflex.com.au/TRUEFORM 

Naila Ahmed is back on the podcast, this time recording from New York, ten months into a nomadic life with no return date and no plan. She's a trauma therapist who works primarily with high performers, and she's watching the same pattern show up again and again: successful men and women who unconsciously built their empire on top of not-enoughness, and now can't work out how to slow down without the whole thing feeling like it'll collapse.

We get into why trauma is a double-edged sword; the exact wiring that makes someone brilliant at their craft is often the same wiring keeping them awake at 3 am with cortisol through the roof. Naila shares the story of a client running five hotels who "doesn't have time" but is looking to acquire two more, and another who can't sleep because the control that built his business is now running him.

We also cover:

🔸What ten months of no routine, no home, and no certainty has actually taught her about identity and nervous system safety.

🔸 The difference between chasing success from lack vs. creating from an aligned state of being.

🔸 Why "optimising" has quietly become another form of self-abandonment.

🔸 How to celebrate wins without needing them to be big.

🔸 The overwhelm protocol: lie down, drink water, breathe, sometimes cry.

🔸 Why boredom is a non-negotiable, and the 10-minute rule she gives every client.

🔸 The pattern behind her dad (PhD, professor, emotionally numb) and ex-stepdad (award-winning cardiologist, alcoholic, abusive) and why it's the "why" behind her work.

If you've built something real but you're wondering what it's costing you underneath, this one's for you.

💬 Connect with Naila: https://www.instagram.com/coach.naila/ 

 Want the quick takeaways? Read the blog post for a full breakdown of the episode. https://www.trueformpodcast.com/blog 

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or wherever you listen to your podcasts.  

Watch me on YouTube

https://youtu.be/7NO0rN5B0-4 

Support the show

Want to put what you just heard into practice? I've distilled the biggest lessons from 287 episodes into a free guide: 9 strategies to boost your performance without working overtime. No fluff, no gimmicks. Just the fundamentals that actually work. Grab it at https://www.trueformpodcast.com/true-form-guide 

Want the quick takeaways? Read the blog post for a full breakdown of the episode. https://www.trueformpodcast.com/blog 

Take the first step toward better recovery and overall health with Lumaflex.
Use code TRUEFORM for 10% off:
https://lumaflex.com.au/TRUEFORM 

9 suicides a day in Australia. 7 are men. Mitesh Khatri didn't set out to write a book. He started with journal notes, trying to work out why he was snapping at his kids, why he'd let his health slide at 40, and why, despite having a loving family and a successful career, he found himself calling Beyond Blue at his lowest moment. Fight or Father is what came out the other side. It's a raw, practical guide to modern fatherhood written for the dad who's trying, the one carrying the mortgage, the mental load, the expectation to be emotionally available, and the quiet weight of never having been taught how.

In this episode, Mitesh and Jack unpack: 
🔷 Why modern fatherhood is harder than any generation before it.
🔷 The difference between self-improvement and self-understanding.
🔷 How to stop bringing work-stress home to your kids (the CALM framework).
🔷 Why "vulnerability is the new strength" and what that actually looks like.
🔷 The 100-metre run that led to a 22kg transformation.
🔷 Why 7 out of 9 suicides in Australia are men, and what to do about it.
🔷 The mental load mothers carry (and how dads can share it).
🔷 How to break generational patterns of anger without blaming your father.
🔷 The moment Mitesh called Beyond Blue, and what he'd say to his younger self. This is one of the most honest conversations we've had on the show. 

If you're a dad, a partner of a dad, or a man who's been told his whole life to bottle it up, this one's for you. 

If you're struggling, please reach out. Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636. Lifeline: 13 11 14.

📖 Get Mitesh's book, Fight or Father: https://link.amazon/B0db49MyC 
🔗 Connect with Mitesh:
Website: www.fightorfather.com

Instagram: @mitesh.k.13

Facebook: Mitesh Khatri

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mitesh-khatri-mba

00:00 Intro.
07:13 Self-understanding beats self-improvement.
26:08 The CALM framework, how to switch off work and show up at home.
36:19 The 100-metre run that changed everything.
58:31 9 suicides a day. 7 are men.
1:17:20 What would you say to yourself at your lowest moment?

Support the show

Want to put what you just heard into practice? I've distilled the biggest lessons from 287 episodes into a free guide: 9 strategies to boost your performance without working overtime. No fluff, no gimmicks. Just the fundamentals that actually work. Grab it at https://www.trueformpodcast.com/true-form-guide 

Want the quick takeaways? Read the blog post for a full breakdown of the episode. https://www.trueformpodcast.com/blog 

Take the first step toward better recovery and overall health with Lumaflex.
Use code TRUEFORM for 10% off:
https://lumaflex.com.au/TRUEFORM 

300 episodes in and for this one, it's just me.

No guest. No interview. Just the 12 lessons I've learned about mind, body, and identity over 4-5 years of hosting The True Form Podcast.

These aren't lessons I've perfected. They're the ones I keep coming back to, the ones that have shaped how I train, how I think, how I live, and who I'm becoming.

If you're new here: True Form isn't just about how you train. It's about how you live and who you become.

In this episode:
- Why settling for average is actually useful information.
- How investing in your health is exactly like investing your money.
- Why outsourcing your health (and your super) keeps you stuck.
- The power of being curious and asking why.
- Why the basics will always outlast the fads.
- What commitment actually looks like in real life.
- How to reframe your darkest moments.
- What the nervous system is really telling you.
- The gap between external success and internal alignment.
- Why being busy is a good thing (when it's the right kind of busy).
- How to build a morning routine that actually works for you.
- Systems over motivation, every single time.

Books mentioned:

Healthy, Wealthy & Longevity - Jon Sabes: https://link.amazon/B04SUPIzs 

Lessons in Creativity - Ben Rennie: https://link.amazon/B04It67Kz 

Healthy Rich and Happy - Jacopo Iasiello: https://link.amazon/B04vgXSKS 

Guests referenced: 
Dr Avi Charlton: https://youtu.be/boN3kYTpazk
Naila Ahmed: https://youtu.be/B26YMs2Zius
Eddie: https://youtu.be/JDchp7puJi0
Sammy Lee: https://youtu.be/PdAvNStOTcE
Erica: https://youtu.be/-NN7I0fh9L4
Cam (True Fitness): https://youtu.be/grUSzxYX2nI

00:00 Welcome & What This Episode Is
02:11 How True Form Started
05:48 Lesson 1: Don't Settle for Average
10:32 Lesson 2: Invest in Your Health Like You Invest Your Money
14:21 Lesson 3: Don't Outsource Your Health
23:42 Lesson 4: Be Curious. Ask Why.
28:11 Lesson 5: Do the Basics
31:55 Lesson 6: Commit
34:47 Lesson 7: It's Just a Moment in Time
38:10 Lesson 8: Listen to Your Nervous System
45:47 Lesson 9: The Gap Between External Success & Internal Alignment
50:08 Lesson 10: Being Busy Is a Good Thing
53:08 Lesson 11: Create a Morning Routine That Works for You
57:57 Lesson 12: Systems Over Motivation
01:02:20 Closing & What's Next

Support the show

Want to put what you just heard into practice? I've distilled the biggest lessons from 287 episodes into a free guide: 9 strategies to boost your performance without working overtime. No fluff, no gimmicks. Just the fundamentals that actually work. Grab it at https://www.trueformpodcast.com/true-form-guide 

Want the quick takeaways? Read the blog post for a full breakdown of the episode. https://www.trueformpodcast.com/blog 

Take the first step toward better recovery and overall health with Lumaflex.
Use code TRUEFORM for 10% off:
https://lumaflex.com.au/TRUEFORM 

Most people think creativity is about art. Ben Rennie thinks that's exactly the problem.

Ben is a designer, author, and now a lecturer at UNSW, and in this episode we go deep into the stories behind his book Lessons in Creativity. I read this book a few months ago, and it genuinely changed the way I think about creativity, confidence, and what it means to actually live a full life. Getting Ben on the podcast felt like a milestone.

We talk about writing the book as a promise to his dying mum, deleting 38,000 words and starting again in Byron Bay, leaving a $1M consultancy because it was destroying his mental health, discovering his Indigenous heritage in his 50s, and how chasing curiosity is the only antidote to fear.

This one goes deep. I think you're going to love it.

What we cover:

• Why creativity is not art; it's the belief you have the right to create
• Fear vs. curiosity: why you can only choose one at a time
• Writing Lessons in Creativity as a promise to his mum
• Deleting 38,000 words and starting over in Byron Bay
• Leaving a $1M business to go skiing in Lake Tahoe with his family, and why it was the richest period of his life
• Discovering his Indigenous heritage after his mum passed away
• The "poor vs. broke" mindset his dad taught him
• Writing your personal manifesto on a napkin
• Why 90% of his readers are women and what that tells us about creativity
• Execution: why intention comes before everything

Get Ben's book: Lessons in Creativity; search for it wherever you buy books.
https://benrennie.com/products/thepractice

Support the show

Want to put what you just heard into practice? I've distilled the biggest lessons from 287 episodes into a free guide: 9 strategies to boost your performance without working overtime. No fluff, no gimmicks. Just the fundamentals that actually work. Grab it at https://www.trueformpodcast.com/true-form-guide 

Want the quick takeaways? Read the blog post for a full breakdown of the episode. https://www.trueformpodcast.com/blog 

Take the first step toward better recovery and overall health with Lumaflex.
Use code TRUEFORM for 10% off:
https://lumaflex.com.au/TRUEFORM 

What if losing absolutely everything- your home, your business, your identity- was actually the beginning of your greatest comeback? Heather Simco built what looked like a perfect life from the outside. Homeless at 17, she clawed her way to becoming Mrs New York, earning a master's degree, and co-owning a successful MMA gym with her husband. Then she threw it away, one drunk email to a shareholder, and watched it all disappear. That rock-bottom moment on April 30, 2014, became the first day of her new life. Now 12 years sober, Heather is the founder of Sober Boss Babe, where she helps high-achieving women run thriving businesses and navigate life without relying on alcohol to do it.

In this raw, no-BS conversation, Jack and Heather unpack what addiction actually is, why "good" addictions (exercise, hustle, achievement) can be just as dangerous as obvious ones, and how the "same root, different branch" concept explains why people often swap one addiction for another without ever fixing the real problem. They also get into the practical stuff high performers need to hear: the "why test" for digging to the real issue beneath surface problems, why scheduling a vacation every 8 weeks is a non-negotiable for sustainably high performance, the power of a 15-minute morning stillness practice before you touch your phone, and how to do a time audit that shows you exactly where your life is actually going.

One quote from this episode will stay with you: "Feelings are like children, you can't let them drive the car, but you can't put them in the trunk either."

This one is for the coaches, entrepreneurs, and high performers who are winning on paper but quietly wondering if the cost is too high.

GUEST LINKS

Heather Simco | Sober Boss Babe
 Website: www.heathersimco.com
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/heathersimco

BOOK MENTIONED

Buy Back Your Time - Dan Martell

If this episode hit home, subscribe to The True Form Podcast for weekly conversations on fitness, mindset, entrepreneurship, and becoming the best version of yourself. Drop a comment below with the moment that hit you hardest; Jack reads every one.

Hosted by Jack Graham | Melbourne, Australia

#SoberBossBabe #AddictionRecovery #TrueFormPodcast #SobrietyJourney #HighPerformance #EntrepreneurMindset #PersonalDevelopment #FitnessEntrepreneur #BodyAndBusiness #SoberLife #MorningRoutine #TimeManagement #WomenInBusiness #MindsetCoach #RecoveryPodcast

Support the show

Want to put what you just heard into practice? I've distilled the biggest lessons from 287 episodes into a free guide: 9 strategies to boost your performance without working overtime. No fluff, no gimmicks. Just the fundamentals that actually work. Grab it at https://www.trueformpodcast.com/true-form-guide 

Want the quick takeaways? Read the blog post for a full breakdown of the episode. https://www.trueformpodcast.com/blog 

Take the first step toward better recovery and overall health with Lumaflex.
Use code TRUEFORM for 10% off:
https://lumaflex.com.au/TRUEFORM