The Wiltshire Wellbeing Podcast

In this episode, I'm joined by Kaye Smith — yoga teacher, former corporate professional, and the new custodian of the beloved Verve Festival. Kaye took over the running of Verve in 2025, and in this conversation she shares what it really feels like to inherit something built with such love and care, and what she's bringing to it next.

We talk about the festival itself, who it's for, and what you can expect — but we also go deeper into the shared experience of stepping into someone else's legacy and making it your own. I share my own parallel: taking over my choir nearly 19 years ago and learning to honour what came before whilst finding my own voice within it.

What We Talk About

• What Verve Festival is and who it's for
• What to expect if you've never been before
• The weight of taking over something grown with such love by someone else
• Honouring a legacy whilst bringing in fresh energy and vision
• The parallels between Kaye's journey and my own experience inheriting a choir
• Why festivals like Verve matter for women who are constantly spinning multiple plates
• The importance of creating space to reset and regulate — not as a luxury, but a necessity

Key Reflections from the Conversation

• Stepping into someone else's dream takes courage, humility, and vision
• Legacy doesn't mean staying still — it means carrying something forward with integrity
• Women who give a lot need spaces designed to receive
• Rest and regulation aren't indulgent — they're foundational
• Community support makes events like this possible

A Central Theme

This episode is a gentle reminder that sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is show up — for an event, for a community, and for ourselves. Verve Festival is one of those rare spaces designed to do exactly that.

Connect with Kaye & Verve Festival

Verve Festival Website

Verve Festival on Instagram

Connect with Lilli

Sing To Heal Website

Wiltshire Wellbeing Facebook Group

🎟️ Book Your Tickets

The Wiltshire Wellbeing community — this one's for you! Get behind this incredible event and treat yourself to something truly nourishing.

Click here to book your tickets Use the code LILY10 for a discount! 🌿

In this episode, I’m joined by Charlotte Price, Health and Wellness Coach, Yoga Teacher and founder of Eat.Nourish.Heal.

Charlotte’s ethos is simple yet powerful: when we eat well, we nourish our bodies and when we are truly nourished, we create the foundations to heal whatever we are facing in life.

Together, we explore food, mindset, movement, and the cultural narratives that have shaped how so many women view their bodies and their worth.

1. Why New Year’s resolutions so often fall away
2. The damaging 90s diet culture narrative that left many women believing they were “fat”
3. Shifting motivation from appearance-based goals to long-term health and vitality
4. What “eating well” actually means (and what it doesn’t)
5. How to make healthier choices without feeling deprived
6. The importance of mindset in sustainable wellbeing
7. Why diet culture continues to create confusion and guilt
8. Moving your body in a manageable, sustainable way
9. The benefits of yoga and Pilates for strength, mobility and nervous system support
10. The invisible pressure many women carry
11. Contributing financially while still being expected to carry the emotional and domestic load
12. Guilt and shame around taking time for yourself
13. Why self-care isn’t selfish but rather vital

1. Health is about longevity, not punishment
2. Nourishment supports resilience — physically and emotionally
3. Sustainable habits are more powerful than extreme bursts of motivation
4. You don’t need to “beast yourself” in the gym to be strong
5. Guilt around self-care is cultural — not personal failure
6. When women prioritise their wellbeing, everyone benefits

This episode gently challenges the idea that we must earn our rest or justify our health choices. Instead, we explore how nourishment — in every sense — is a form of self-respect.

Eat Nourish Heal Website

Sing To Heal Website

Wiltshire Wellbeing Facebook Group

PS: Join Charlotte, Lilli and Ted Lawlor (phenomenal Breathwork Coach) for a powerful one off event combining Yoga Nidra, Breathwork and Sound Reiki at St Johns Place in Salisbury.

Click here for the full details and to book your place!

In this deeply honest and important episode, I’m joined by Caroline Milne, founder of Unmenopaused. Caroline is a Menopause Champion and coach with over 20 years’ experience in nursing, now dedicated to supporting women — and the men in their lives — through perimenopause and menopause via 1:1 coaching, small groups, and workplace education.

This conversation explores what happens when grief, stress, hormonal change and identity loss collide — and why so many women reach breaking point without realising menopause is part of the picture.

1. How Caroline went from loving her nursing career to feeling unable to function in it
2. Losing a strong sense of identity and being forced to reinvent herself
3. Caring for parents during serious illness while navigating grief
4. Early perimenopause symptoms that went unrecognised
5. Working as a nurse during Covid and the impact of sustained stress
6. Heart palpitations, joint pain and a long period of misdiagnosis
7. Being treated for fibromyalgia before questioning the diagnosis
8. Starting HRT and finding some stability — before life shifted again
9. Supporting her Mum through an aortic aneurysm diagnosis and then grieving her loss
10. Rising stress, long hours, missed meals and carrying too much alone
11. Changing jobs with hope — and then feeling like a completely different person
12. Erratic bleeding, mood changes and worsening perimenopause symptoms
13. The moment Caroline realised she could no longer continue on without support

Caroline shares her journey through years of layered pressure: losing her Dad to dementia, supporting her Mum after a stroke and later a life-threatening diagnosis, navigating complex family dynamics, and working on the frontline during the pandemic — all while unknowingly moving through perimenopause.

By the time she began a new role in sexual and reproductive health, she no longer recognised herself.

Just two weeks into the role, it became clear her Mum was approaching end of life. The combined weight of grief, stress and worsening perimenopause symptoms led Caroline to make the life-changing decision to end her nursing career.

1. Menopause, anxiety, grief and relationship stress don’t exist in neat boxes
2. Anxiety can appear during menopause even if it’s never been an issue before
3. Many women don’t recognise what’s happening — and so don’t get support
4. Strength and resilience can become harmful without help
5. Caroline was told she was “resilient to the point of self-destruction”

We also talk about how Caroline wasn’t able to care for herself — but equally, those around her didn’t recognise how much she was struggling. This highlights why education is so vital, not just for women, but for families, workplaces and communities.

1. There is currently very limited menopause support available locally
2. In Wiltshire, there are only six free menopause support groups — three of which Caroline has set up or helped to establish
3. Men need education and space to learn how to support their partners
4. Caroline runs mixed groups where men can ask questions openly and safely
5. Modalities like breathwork and sound healing — often dismissed as “woo woo” — can be powerful tools in times of extreme stress

During the episode, we guide listeners through a simple breathwork example to help calm the nervous system in moments of overwhelm.

We also share details of our joint retreat day at Launceston Farm on 17th May 2026, where we’ll be bringing together education, breathwork, sound healing and support in a safe, nurturing space.

Unmenopaused supports women (and the men in their lives) through perimenopause and menopause via:

1. 1:1 coaching
2. Small group programmes
3. Mixed-gender education spaces
4. Workplace workshops for staff wellbeing

Connect with Caroline

Unmenopaused Website

Join us at Launceston Farm for our day retreat - Still Me, Just Shifting

In this episode, I’m joined by Caroline Cary, founder of Eat Nourish Love — a wellness PR platform encompassing events, podcasting and community-building. Caroline is also an extraordinary fundraiser, having helped raise close to £4 million for charities, and has long been known for bringing people together for causes that matter.

This conversation is a heartfelt exploration of community, purpose, courage and the quiet moments that shape the path we eventually walk.

1. The importance of community and pulling together to support friends and neighbours
2. How Caroline’s background in fundraising and event organising shaped her life’s work
3. Training in cooking with Prue Leith and Carolyn Aldergrove
4. Life as an army wife, moving home 15 times, and home-educating her children
5. Her daughter’s serious eye condition and how it changed Caroline’s relationship with health and healing
6. The moment Eat Nourish Love was born during lockdown
7. The meaning behind Eat, Nourish, Love — food, love, Reiki and reflexology
8. Why so many people are given opportunities but don’t take the leap
9. How the people around us make brave decisions possible
10. The shift away from “guru culture” toward co-collaboration in wellbeing
11. Purpose, anxiety, overwhelm and the question: Who am I and why am I here?
12. Why there is no end game — only a journey we get to shape

Eat Nourish Love was created from lived experience and deep care. Caroline shares how training in Reiki and reflexology to support her daughter, combined with a sense of being “handed something by the universe,” inspired her to take the leap into business during lockdown.

Community sits at the centre of everything Caroline does — not just in wellness, but in fundraising, events and everyday life.

1. None of us do anything alone
2. Vision without people goes nowhere
3. Collaboration creates stronger, more sustainable impact
4. Purpose gives direction, even in uncertain times
5. Progress doesn’t have to be big to be meaningful
6. We all struggle — just in different ways
7. Grace matters more than judgement

Caroline:

Final words from Caroline:

1. Eat Nourish Love website: https://www.eatnourishlove.com
2. Eat Nourish Love podcast: https://www.eatnourishlove.com/podcasts/
3. Instagram: @eat.nourish.love_ / @enlfairs
4. Eat Nourish Love Autumn Fair:
5. Featuring over 120 businesses, inspiring talks, and evening shopping

Sing To Heal Website

Join the Wiltshire Wellbeing Facebook Group

In this episode, I’m joined by Tim Howe, founder of The Longevity Games — a community-based initiative designed to help people invest in their long-term health and wellbeing. Tim’s work is rooted in a simple but powerful idea: giving ourselves the best possible chance of staying well, mobile and independent as we age.

We explore why longevity isn’t just about living longer, but about living better — and how community, inclusive movement, and realistic starting points play a vital role.

1. What longevity really means and why we need to think differently about ageing
2. Why we’re not currently ageing well as a society
3. The difference between life expectancy and health expectancy in the UK
4. Why 85% of Swindon’s local council budget now goes on social care — and why this matters
5. The ethos of “start where you are and do what you can do”
6. Strategic movement and exercise to support long-term health
7. Why functional fitness becomes more important as we age
8. What VO₂ max is and why it’s a crucial marker of health
9. How we lose around 10% of our VO₂ capacity every decade after 40
10. The importance of maintaining aerobic capacity through movement
11. How The Longevity Games bring people of all ages and abilities together
12. Inclusion, accessibility, and future plans — including a women-only event in 2026

The Longevity Games are community events held throughout the year, designed to be fully inclusive, welcoming people of all abilities, including those with disabilities. They focus on realistic, accessible challenges that encourage movement, connection, and long-term wellbeing — not competition or perfection.

Tim breaks down exactly what the games involve and how people can get involved, whether as participants, supporters, or community members.

1. Longevity is about quality of life, not just years lived
2. Movement doesn’t have to be extreme to be effective
3. Community is a powerful motivator for sustainable wellbeing
4. You don’t need to be “fit” to start — you just need to start
5. Small, consistent actions now can make a profound difference later in life

The Longevity Games Website

Watch the video

Sing To Heal Website

Join the Wiltshire Wellbeing Facebook Group

In this episode, I’m joined by Rose Latham, a coach who works with business owners and senior leaders who—often without realising it—are ready to step off the hamster wheel they’ve found themselves on. Through powerful questioning, Rose helps people access their own inner wisdom so they can lead, live and work in a more sustainable and aligned way.

Together, we explore what wellbeing really means, why it isn’t a bolt-on, and how true transformation comes not from doing more, but from creating space to hear what’s already within us.

1. What wellbeing actually means (and why it’s more than yoga, walks, or eating well)
2. Why wellbeing has been historically undervalued in business and leadership
3. The power of arriving at your own insights rather than being told what to do
4. Why wellbeing isn’t about adding more, but about removing what gets in the way
5. How deep questioning moves us out of the intellectual mind and into inner wisdom
6. The role of the mind in constantly trying to keep us safe
7. Overthinking, self-judgement, and how easily we can become stuck in stress
8. The flaws and oversimplification within the self-development industry
9. The myth that we are “not enough” and need fixing

Rose shares a deeply human moment following her daughter not passing the 11+. What surfaced was a familiar cycle of overthinking, self-judgement and sleepless nights. It wasn’t until an emotional release—triggered unexpectedly by a film—that she was able to move through what she was carrying. A powerful reminder that emotions need space to move, not logic to override them.

1. No amount of positive thinking or meditation can erase real loss — loss is still loss
2. Healing isn’t about bypassing pain, but allowing it to move through us
3. Much of our suffering comes from how we interpret events, not the events themselves
4. Long-held beliefs about who we are can lie dormant until life “kicks the leaves”
5. We may not be able to remove pain completely, but we can reduce suffering
6. We learn through lived experience — sometimes we have to walk the path
7. When old beliefs are triggered, we get to choose who we are now, not who we once believed ourselves to be

When life brings up deep-rooted beliefs and unchangeable circumstances, we still have choice. Choice in how we meet ourselves, how we respond, and who we decide to be in the present moment.

Rose on Facebook

Rose on Instagram

Sing To Heal Website

Join the Wiltshire Wellbeing Facebook Group

Buy Me A Hot Chocolate

In this episode, I’m joined by Rose Latham, a coach who works with business owners and senior leaders who—often without realising it—are ready to step off the hamster wheel they’ve found themselves on. Through powerful questioning, Rose helps people access their own inner wisdom so they can lead, live and work in a more sustainable and aligned way.

Together, we explore what wellbeing really means, why it isn’t a bolt-on, and how true transformation comes not from doing more, but from creating space to hear what’s already within us.

1. What wellbeing actually means (and why it’s more than yoga, walks, or eating well)
2. Why wellbeing has been historically undervalued in business and leadership
3. The power of arriving at your own insights rather than being told what to do
4. Why wellbeing isn’t about adding more, but about removing what gets in the way
5. How deep questioning moves us out of the intellectual mind and into inner wisdom
6. The role of the mind in constantly trying to keep us safe
7. Overthinking, self-judgement, and how easily we can become stuck in stress
8. The flaws and oversimplification within the self-development industry
9. The myth that we are “not enough” and need fixing

Rose shares a deeply human moment following her daughter not passing the 11+. What surfaced was a familiar cycle of overthinking, self-judgement and sleepless nights. It wasn’t until an emotional release—triggered unexpectedly by a film—that she was able to move through what she was carrying. A powerful reminder that emotions need space to move, not logic to override them.

1. No amount of positive thinking or meditation can erase real loss — loss is still loss
2. Healing isn’t about bypassing pain, but allowing it to move through us
3. Much of our suffering comes from how we interpret events, not the events themselves
4. Long-held beliefs about who we are can lie dormant until life “kicks the leaves”
5. We may not be able to remove pain completely, but we can reduce suffering
6. We learn through lived experience — sometimes we have to walk the path
7. When old beliefs are triggered, we get to choose who we are now, not who we once believed ourselves to be

When life brings up deep-rooted beliefs and unchangeable circumstances, we still have choice. Choice in how we meet ourselves, how we respond, and who we decide to be in the present moment.

Rose on Facebook

Rose on Instagram

Sing To Heal Website

Join the Wiltshire Wellbeing Facebook Group

Buy Me A Hot Chocolate

In this episode, I’m joined by Transformation Coach Nina McLeod, who supports women in rediscovering who they truly are beneath the noise, the roles, and the expectations. Nina blends science with soul, therapy with healing, and grounded mentoring with deep spiritual reawakening.

Her story is one of profound transformation — and she now walks women through their own journey of coming home to themselves.

• What transformation actually means
• Why true change begins with perception, not circumstances
• Self-judgement, comparison, and the anxiety spiral
• The power of presence and dropping into the NOW
• Why so many women carry a quiet sense of “not enough”
• The myth that your situation has to change before you can feel better
• How community supports healing and expansion
• Why embodiment matters when choosing mentors
• Nina’s personal story of heartbreak, loss, awakening, and rebuilding

Nina opens up about the sudden breakdown of her first relationship, losing her beloved Dad, and the experience of finding herself in a narcissistic partnership. As coping mechanisms took hold, a divine message from her Dad became the catalyst for her transformation. She created a plan to leave the unsafe environment she was in with her children — a pivotal moment that became the spark for the work she now does to empower other women.

Nina shares the powerful moment that moved her from surviving to transforming. Her journey is a reminder that healing isn’t just about changing your life — it’s about reclaiming yourself.

Click here to receive a free gift from Nina

Follow Nina on Instagram

https://hersacredreturn.co.uk/free

https://hersacredreturn.co.uk/book-a-call-now

https://hersacredreturn.co.uk/home

https://www.facebook.com/Nina.B.McLeod/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenrisingguiltandfearfree/

Sing To Heal Website

Join The Wiltshire Wellbeing Facebook Group

Buy Me A Hot Chocolate

In this conversation, Sam Charlwood shares insights from her 30 years in the wellbeing industry — spanning spirituality, elite sports therapy, and deep energetic work. We explore how physical health, emotional wellbeing, and the subconscious mind all intertwine, and why true empowerment starts with understanding your own body.

• How Sam blends spiritual and holistic methods with grounded, scientific practices
• Masculine and feminine energy and how they relate to the endocrine system
• Empowerment: why your wellbeing is ultimately in your own hands
• A more open, integrated approach to healing
• Celebrating the NHS while acknowledging the pressure it’s under
• Why some people go to their GP simply because they lack support and community
• How ancestral experiences can influence our current wellbeing
• Perimenopause and menopause as rites of passage rather than “problems to fix”
• The subconscious mind and how it quietly shapes our behaviour and health

Sam shares the journey of a client who arrived unable to sit due to severe back pain. Over several months, Sam supported her in rebuilding her strength, mobility and confidence. It’s a reminder that mobility, longevity, and feeling strong in your body matter far more than chasing aesthetic goals.

Sam has kindly gifted us a link to a free resource - Why You Feel Like Crap And How To Fix It Fast! Click here to download.

Join the Wiltshire Wellbeing Facebook Group

Sing To Heal Website

Buy me a hot chocolate

In this powerful conversation, I sit down with Anna Parker-Naples, Founder of Influential Breathwork.

Anna was once a hugely successful business owner, Hollywood award-winning voice artist, author, and leader in the podcasting world — until a panic attack that mimicked a cardiac event changed everything.

Breathwork became the lifeline that helped her rebuild her health, her business and eventually supported her through the devastating and sudden loss of her Mum. If you’ve ever felt pressure to hold everything together or present as “fine” when your world feels anything but, this episode will meet you right where you are.

• How a severe panic attack became the catalyst for Anna discovering the power of breathwork
• The surprising and emotional story of Anna’s first breathwork experience on Necker Island with Sir Richard Branson
• What it was like to support her Mum through an unexpected and aggressive cancer diagnosis
• How breathwork helped them both remain calm in unthinkable circumstances
• Why “performing perfection” is so damaging — and what happens when we instead choose honesty
• Anna’s research into perimenopause, progesterone loss, and its impact on the respiratory system
• The role of community when life breaks you open
• The importance of not building a business where everything rests on your shoulders
• The shift from “guru culture” to grounded collaboration and being held by others

• We all need tools that help us regulate in moments of shock, grief and fear.
• Sharing the truth of what we’re going through creates connection, not weakness.
• Community is a lifeline — especially for those used to being the strong one.
• Breathwork isn’t about pretending everything is okay; it’s about finding pockets of calm when life feels impossible.

Influential Breathwork Links

Instagram

Join the Wiltshire Wellbeing Facebook Group

Sing To Heal Website

Buy me a hot chocolate

If this episode resonates, I’d love you to share it with someone who needs to hear they’re not alone.

Thank you for listening!