In this powerful episode Natalie is joined by former breast surgeon Dr Liz O’ Riordan to talk all about her experiences as a female surgeon and receiving the diagnosis that she herself had developed breast cancer at the age of 40.

Detailing her initial reaction, going through chemo and eventually a mastectomy she highlights each of the different physical and mental stages with deep insight and gives an in depth account of how it impacted her confidence and mental health. Liz goes on to candidly talk about how despite overcoming her initial breast cancer she has since gone on to experience it another two times with the most recent diagnosis that her cancer had returned occurring in 2023.

Aptly naming herself the breast surgeon with breast cancer Liz is now using both her social platforms and expertise to share much needed information and support with others experiencing or feeling the impacts of cancer. She has penned 2 books, developed her highly acclaimed podcast ‘So Now I’ve Got Breast Cancer’ and regularly contributes to seminars and events as a guest speaker, however she notes that sometimes she needs to remember that she herself is a patient. During the chat Liz also expertly describes how to check your breasts and what women can expect from a mammogram and highlights the impacts of cancer and menopause.

Elsewhere in the conversation Liz reveals the difficulties of working as a female surgeon in a predominantly male environment and how she navigated sexual harassment in the workplace. Listen in for a truly inspiring and informative chat that tells a story survival, self acceptance and the importance of being in tune with our bodies.

For more help and support concerning breast cancer care please visit www.breastcancernow.org

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Fresh from her appointment as the new co anchor of BBC’s Morning Live, TV Presenter Michelle Ackerley joins us to talk all about her experience of living with endometriosis, the importance of paying it forward and the advantages of working with her mum.

Tune in for an insightful conversation that looks at the positive changes in women’s health care whilst highlighting the work that still needs to be done to close the gender health gap. Michelle discusses at length the realities of living with the difficult symptoms of endometriosis whilst simultaneously forging a career in the highly pressured and competitive world of TV. She talks us through some of her career milestones whilst reflecting on her excitement at getting to work with her long time friend Helen Skelton on the BBC’s flag ship morning show and discusses her role as a Smart Works charity ambassador noting how empowering others is at the forefront of her values. Elsewhere in the chat Michelle candidly opens up on how getting the opportunity to work with her mum Mavis has lead to an exciting new chapter of her career.

For more from Michelle you can follow her on Instagram www.instagram.com/michelle_ackerley. To find out more about Smart Works please visit www.smartworks.org.uk

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Join us this January for a brand new series of insightful and empowering conversations with a new line up of special and expert guests.

Talking all things women’s health and wellbeing we’ll be tackling a whole host of important topics from perimenopause, cancer & HRT to diagnosing ADHD. Tune in from Sunday the 7th Jan wherever you get your podcasts.

Find us on socials www.instagram.com/officialcapsule or visit our website www.thecapsule.co.uk

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In the final episode of this season Natalie is joined in the studio by singer, actress and passionate runner Suzanne Shaw to talk all about the long road to happiness & success. Discussing the key factors in overhauling her lifestyle, Suzanne reflects on the social life that can accompany performing and how alcohol consumption and a poor diet was having a detrimental effect on her mental health and wellbeing. She opens up about making the decision to quit alcohol 3 years ago and says that it was one of the best decisions she’s ever made, allowing her to be more present, focussed and energised. So much so she recently completed the huge feat of running 4 ultra marathons in 4 days, a challenge she says she never would’ve even contemplated before going sober.

As the conversation turns to social media and the age of comparison Suzanne firmly believes we need to drop the idea of perfection and slow down to genuinely live our best lives. She remarks on the six pack in six weeks, earn 6 figures in a month mentality that social media fuels and points out that it’s unrealistic and can lead people to an unhealthy place of self sabotage and comparison. Elsewhere in the conversation Suzanne opens up about her thoughts and feelings towards performing, noting that now is the time for her to be passionate about new goals having achieved so much, so young, including the development of her wellbeing platform The Happy Health Club which helps its members and community find their own versions of happiness and wellbeing through expert coaching, recipes and conversations.

Listen in for an honest, inspiring conversation that touches on a whole host of topics including mental health, diet, exercise, parenting and self development.

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This week Natalie is joined by best selling author, podcaster and former editor in chief, Lorraine Candy to talk all about the magic and the messiness of midlife. Discussing her highly anticipated second book ‘What’s Wrong with Me? 101 Things Midlife Women Need To Know’, Lorraine highlights her personal experiences of perimenopause and midlife and why the similar stories and threads shared by her Postcards From Midlife podcast listeners and community inspired her to create the part memoir part self help book which is garnering rave reviews. Noted for its honesty, accuracy and information, Lorraine details why she felt after her many years at the helm of prestigious titles including Elle & Cosmopolitan, she felt in a unique position to speak openly to her loyal readers and followers about the rollercoaster of midlife and why after decades writing about women’s health and beauty she understood more than most why women were feeling burnout, confused and anxious as they approached their mid 40’s and early 50’s.

From her own reading Natalie remarks that it is Lorraine’s humorous style when discussing difficult symptoms or situations that essentially makes the book so relatable, to which Lorraine notes that we have to find humour as midlife can be a difficult phase however there is so much positivity and optimism at the other side. Lorraine talks about the over 40’s sexual revolution, more women staying in the workplace into their 60’s and the visibility of women over 50 in mass media helping to change the narrative for Gen X and Millennial women and whilst there’s still a long way to go in terms of ageism and social constructs there is a lot of magic to look forward to as women approach the second spring.

Listen in for an inspiring, informative chat with one of the leading voices in women’s health, beauty and wellbeing.

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This week Natalie is joined by broadcaster, journalist and body positive activist Jackie Adedeji to talk all about her brand new documentary for channel 4’s untold series My Big Boobs. During the episode Jackie discusses her own experience of developing KK breasts at the age of just 11 and feeling confused, shamed and sexualised during her adolescent years. She describes both the mental and physical toll having bigger boobs has taken on her throughout her life but made a decision to accept her natural
shape and use her growing platform to help inspire and empower other woman to be proud of their bodies.

As part of her work she details how the idea for a documentary came about after she reflected on when she was refused breast reduction surgery on the NHS at 18. Despite sharing her pain and difficult experience with her doctor she was refused due to her BMI being too high, something that other women in her position have experienced despite part of their weight being down to heaviness of their breasts. Jackie opens up this conversation with several women during the documentary and uncovers how many women are now going private in order to have breast reduction surgery with a whopping 55% increase in the procedure over recent years. The documentary is fascinating, educational and emotional and this chat reflects Jackie’s passion and insight into why creating it was so important to her. For anyone who has ever felt like they have been defined by the breasts, been made fun of at school, had struggled buying clothes or experienced the aches and pains that come with having bigger boobs, this chat will make you feel supported and empowered.

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This week Natalie is joined by sexual empowerment coach Gabriella Espinosa to talk all about the practice of pleasure. Covering everything from the joy of small pleasures such as reading, dancing and nature Gabriella also talks at length about the process of self pleasure, self acceptance and connection. She talks about peeling back layers of hurt, trauma and stress that could be causing blockages in our sexual energy and how tapping into our inner wild woman is helpful as we journey into self discovery.

Later in the conversation Natalie and Gabriella talk at length about the importance of communication in experiencing better sex and how when we enter mid life those conversations need to be more open and frequent to maintain both a healthy relationship and happy sex life. Gabriella also reveals some of the step by step techniques she uses with her clients to help them feel more sexually empowered and happier in their own skin.

Listen in for an enlightening and empowering conversation.

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This week Natalie sits down with broadcaster & model Lisa Snowdon to talk all about Lisa’s brand new book Just Getting Started. In a candid and sometimes emotional chat, Lisa details the moment she knew she wanted to write the part memoir part self help book and how she then manifested it to come into fruition. Lisa talks openly about the deep sense of catharsis she felt whilst putting her experiences onto paper and how she felt it necessary to purge the difficult moments of her life in order to move forward both mentally and physically healthier in the next phase of her life. Reflecting on the many years of speculation she faced regarding motherhood, Lisa emotionally opens up about her experiences in that area of her life, noting how she also suffered from domestic abuse at the same time.

Later in the conversation Lisa turns her attention to her perimenopause experience and chats at length with Natalie about how she wished she’d been more prepared for going through it in her early 40’s. She highlights that the changes she encountered galvanised her to want to open up the conversation and help other women understand the signs and symptoms to let them feel empowered as opposed to overwhelmed.

Listen in for a heartfelt, educational and inspiring conversation with one of the UK’s most loved stars.

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This week Natalie is joined by actress and soap veteran Alex Fletcher to talk all about her journey from 90’s child star to soap icon, the importance of sharing stories and the many phases of motherhood.

During the chat Alex discusses her route to becoming a professional actor and cites acclaimed writer Russell T Davies as the man who gave her her first job on the hit children’s BBC show Why Don’t You! She notes how that experience lead her to Brookside Close and working with the likes of Sue Johnston & Ricky Tomlinson and how soaps have cemented themselves as part of the heart of British Television due to their familiarity and ability to tackle hard hitting issues affecting the every day person with warmth and sensitivity. As part of this topic Alex reflects on her favourite storylines over the years which includes Hollyoaks hugely evocative Long Walk Home campaign, centred on women’s safety.

Later on in the chat Alex reflects on her experience with perimenopause and reveals that it was Davina McCall’s powerful documentary Sex, Myths & The Menopause that encouraged her to speak to a doctor about her own symptoms before starting on treatment which she now feels has helped her navigate this new phase. She talks at length about parenting children of different ages and the challenges that brings and how as her daughter takes her A-Levels she’s preparing herself for a quieter nest. Alex remarks how it’s important for women to share stories through the generations to allow us to feel more prepared for life’s changes and how we can pass the knowledge on to our own children.

Listen in for an honest, relatable and warm conversation with one of our favourite tv stars.

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WARNING: This episode contains sensitive material around suicide.

This week Natalie is joined by broadcaster & radio DJ Stephanie Hirst to talk her 3 decades in radio, making the life changing decision to live as her true authentic self and building back better and stronger than ever.

During this insightful conversation Steph emotionally details her road to transition as she candidly opens up about living the first part of her life being assigned male at birth. She discusses being at the height of her career anchoring the national chart show whilst being at her lowest ebb having to live as a man. She recounts the numerous times she was put off transitioning by doctors and given the warning that if she decided to live as her true self she could end up losing everything. Steph bravely informs Natalie that in the end it became a life or death decision.

We hear how Steph chose to follow her heart and transition and has since made a new life for herself being the person she always wanted to be and how she is using her own experiences to inspire others with her Believe Achieve personal development programme. Steph also talks returning to her first love of radio broadcasting and how she feels excited for the future and the new opportunities she wants to pursue. Listen in for a truly inspirational conversation.

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