Did you know that back pain is a leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting around 90% of the global population at some point in their lives? Here in the UK it’s estimated that some eight million UK adults suffer from chronic back pain, costing the economy around £10bn per year from the seven million lost working days.

This week is Back Care Awareness Week week, an event raising awareness of back pain, educating on prevention and management, and encouraging people to prioritise their spinal health. Charlotte Wood a workplace wellbeing specialist and pilates teacher is joining me to discuss the pervasive issue of back pain, its impact on daily life, and the importance of spinal health. 

We’re sharing personal stories of recovery, emphasising the role of movement, posture, and the mind-body connection in healing. Charlotte highlights the benefits of Pilates for back health and encourages you to adopt a holistic approach to your wellbeing.

In our conversation today we talk about:

About Charlotte:

Charlotte Wood is a Pilates Teacher and Workplace Wellbeing Specialist on a mission to banish back pain in the workplace by teaching posture for peak performance using her ‘Happy Back’ workshops.

Having worked on public health projects, for more than twenty years, Charlotte has extensive experience in designing impactful health interventions within the workplace.  She has worked in the public and private sectors, including local government and the NHS. Also a personal trainer of over twenty-five years and a qualified Pilates teacher from 2018 after undergoing spinal fusion surgery. 

Connect with Charlotte:

Instagram

LinkedIn

FREE Facebook group - The Happy Back Pilates Club

About Life Now Coaching:

We unwrap what healthy living really means to help you get clear on the power of building sustainable healthy habits without overwhelm and confusion. We’re stripping back and laying out the truth about why taking better care of yourself is the answer to the happy vibrant life you’re striving so hard to create so that every woman knows the incredible value of her health.

Life Now Coaching supports women in midlife to build sustainable healthy habits using our success framework of mindset, movement, nutrition, sleep and stress

Resources:

Make sure you subscribe and rate the podcast to help other women create their own healthy habits to thrive through every season of their life - including menopause!

If you’ve ever struggled to make the health changes you knew you really wanted to make, did you work out why they didn’t happened? What if I told you that you might be the reason you keep failing to make the shifts you desire?

I'm joined in this episode by guest expert Terry Tateossian to discuss self-sabotage and how it can hinder women's health and personal growth. We explore the various forms of self-sabotaging behaviours, such as negative self-talk, perfectionism, and mindless eating. Terry shares her personal journey of overcoming self-sabotage and offers practical tips for building better habits.

Terry spent many years stuck in a cycle of yo-yo dieting and despite achieving much professional success, she struggled to achieve the goals she kept setting to improve her health. It was when she realised that it was her own thoughts and behaviours that were holding her back, that she stepped into changing her sabotaging actions to finally achieve strong health, wellbeing, and happiness.

In our conversation today we talk about:

About Terry:

Terry Tateossian founded multiple businesses, coached and mentored dozens of employees, and helped Fortune 100 brands develop marketing strategies and campaigns. She won dozens of business awards and gave birth to 2 beautiful children. And she was hopelessly obese.

She tried every diet out there, but couldn’t figure out the secret to losing weight AND maintaining it. She couldn’t understand how someone who worked so hard, was fairly intelligent and resourceful, could not figure out her own body. Only when she realised that her problem wasn’t physical, did she finally break free from the weight gain/loss rollercoaster.

As the founder of The House of Rose, Terry spends her time coaching women to regain their confidence and find their true purpose. Her passion and love for fitness has propelled her to start THOR retreats as a place where individuals can kickstart their journey into wellbeing surrounded by the magnificent Cherokee National Forest and Smoky Mountains.

Connect with Terry:

Website

Instagram

Podcast

About Life Now Coaching:

We unwrap what healthy living really means to help you get clear on the power of building sustainable healthy habits without overwhelm and confusion. We’re stripping back and laying out the truth about why taking better care of yourself is the answer to the happy vibrant life you’re striving so hard to create so that every woman knows the incredible value of her health.

Life Now Coaching supports women in midlife to build sustainable healthy habits using our success framework of mindset, movement, nutrition, sleep and stress

Resources:

Make sure you subscribe and rate the podcast to help other women create their own healthy habits to thrive through every season of their life - including menopause!

Do you ever wonder why you dream and whether your dreams are trying to tell you something?

Dream expert Bambi Corso-Steinmeyer is chatting with me to delve into the power of dreams and whether they are a tool to help you live a healthier life. Bambi is a published author on the topic and her work on dreams spans more than forty years. She shares how tracking and analysing your dreams, can help you gain insights into your subconscious mind and identify areas of imbalance in your physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing. 

This is such a fascinating topic, and if like me you’re a frequent dreamer, thinking more about what your dreams mean and how they might be one of the tools you add into your wellness toolkit is an enlightening and interesting consideration.

In this episode today we share:

About Bambi:

Bambi Corso-Steinmeyer is the author of the book, ‘DreamTracking: Track Your Dreams and Transform Your Life’. Her passion and exploration of dreamwork spans more than forty years, and she has journaled over eight thousand of her own dreams. Working with her dreams for so many years has given her tremendous insight into every aspect of her life: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Knowing the immense guidance and wisdom available through dreamwork, she is committed to teaching others how to work with and understand their dreams for personal transformation and growth.

Bambi, a certified Law of Attraction coach, serves on the Southern California Regional Committee of the International Association for the Study of Dreams, and was a review editor for the Dream Network Journal for nine years. She is an avid lover of animals and nature and lives in southern California with her husband, Bill.

Connect with Bambi:

Website

Facebook

Instagram

FREE eBook with top 10 tips to help you remember your dreams

About Life Now Coaching:

We unwrap what healthy living really means to help you get clear on the power of building sustainable healthy habits without overwhelm and confusion. We’re stripping back and laying out the truth about why taking better care of yourself is the answer to the happy vibrant life you’re striving so hard to create so that every woman knows the incredible value of her health.

Life Now Coaching supports women in midlife to build sustainable healthy habits using our success framework of mindset, movement, nutrition, sleep and stress

Resources:

Make sure you subscribe and rate the podcast to help other women create their own healthy habits to thrive through every season of their life - including menopause!

Have you ever been on a diet? Are you still ‘on a diet’?

Given that the average woman spends up to 17 years of her life dieting, and that most only manage to stick to a diet for 4 days, it’s time to realise that you’ve wasted far to many days of your life thinking a diet is the answer to fixing your confidence, health and happiness!

Jenny McDonald, also known as The Food Freedom Fairy®, joins me in this powerful episode to discuss the impact of diets and our relationship with food on ourselves and our happiness. She shares her personal journey of struggling with food and how she built her career in the diet industry. But Jenny realised it was time to challenge the traditional narrative of diets after realising why so many women were stuck dieting, never reaching their goal of health and happiness.

We explore the impact of emotional eating, the influence of the food and diet industry, and the importance of self-worth and energy alignment in healing our relationship with food. Our conversation supports you to develop a healthy relationship with food, which we recognise for many women is incredibly hard when we’re part of a society that promotes dieting and unhealthy eating habits.

In our conversation we talk about:

About Jenny:

Jenny McDonald, aka The Food Freedom Fairy®, empowers serial dieters and emotional eaters to eat cake without feeling guilty, release weight without dieting and most importantly heal their relationship with themselves. 

An award-winning, best-selling author of ‘The Book the Diet Industry Doesn’t Want You to Read’, Jenny is a speaker, coach, and energy alignment mentor with over 18 years of experience in weight loss.

Connect with Jenny:

Website

Facebook

Jenny's Book

FREE 3 Day Reconnect with Yourself and Food Challenge:

Daily training videos to help you reconnect with yourself and food

About Life Now Coaching:

We unwrap what healthy living really means to help you get clear on the power of building sustainable healthy habits without overwhelm and confusion. We’re stripping back and laying out the truth about why taking better care of yourself is the answer to the happy vibrant life you’re striving so hard to create so that every woman knows the incredible value of her health.

Life Now Coaching supports women in midlife to build sustainable healthy habits using our success framework of mindset, movement, nutrition, sleep and stress

Resources:

Make sure you subscribe and rate the podcast to help other women create their own healthy habits to thrive through every season of their life - including menopause!

In this special 100th episode, I’m bringing my husband Kev back to the podcast to discuss the importance of talking about menopause within families. Kev was a hit on his appearance on episode 22, so I thought now was a great time to have him return as a guest to chat about the importance of opening up the conversation within families on perimenopause and menopause.

I’m exploring with Kev and my sixteen-year-old daughter Lois what menopause means to them and how the changes I’m navigating in perimenopause are affecting our family.  I believe sharing our thoughts and experiences will help other women to get the support they need from their families and to help encourage others to make menopause something that feels comfortable to talk about at home and in other communities.

The episode ends with a bit of fun in a quick-fire round of questions for Kev, and wraps up with three simple steps for couples and families to break the taboo around menopause.

In this special episode we’re sharing with you:

About Life Now Coaching:

We unwrap what healthy living really means to help you get clear on the power of building sustainable healthy habits without overwhelm and confusion. We’re stripping back and laying out the truth about why taking better care of yourself is the answer to the happy vibrant life you’re striving so hard to create so that every woman knows the incredible value of her health.

Life Now Coaching supports women in midlife to build sustainable healthy habits using our success framework of mindset, movement, nutrition, sleep and stress

Resources:

Make sure you subscribe and rate the podcast to help other women create their own healthy habits to thrive through every season of their life - including menopause!

Are you thinking of menopause as the beginning of the end of your life? Does it feel like it’s all doom and gloom? It’s just how it’s going to be.

Many women have been raised believing that menopause is a negative life experience and one that’s going to change them in ways that create fear, negativity and apprehension. I want to challenge this negative narrative around menopause and inspire you to know that it is not the end of life, but rather a new beginning.

The midlife crossroads that women see as being the beginning of it all going downhill can instead be a time to understand who you are and what matters to you - perhaps for the very first time - and to create your own new path to health and happiness.

Today I’m sharing with you:

About Life Now Coaching:

We unwrap what healthy living really means to help you get clear on the power of building sustainable healthy habits without overwhelm and confusion. We’re stripping back and laying out the truth about why taking better care of yourself is the answer to the happy vibrant life you’re striving so hard to create so that every woman knows the incredible value of her health.

Life Now Coaching supports women in midlife to build sustainable healthy habits using our success framework of mindset, movement, nutrition, sleep and stress

Resources:

Make sure you subscribe and rate the podcast to help other women create their own healthy habits to thrive through every season of their life - including menopause!

Do you struggle to make time to exercise? Or is it more about hating the gym and thinking that all kinds of exercise are just too hard?

Join me as I chat with guest Melanie Griffiths about her journey of healing from cancer and how it led her to prioritise her own health and realise the significant role moving your body plays in living long and strong. Melanie shares the importance of movement as a healthy habit and how it can be a powerful tool for mind-body connection, offering her own experience of using movement as a form of meditation and mindfulness.

Melanie also discusses the significance of menopause as a rite of passage and the need for women to embrace this stage of life with confidence and self-esteem. Doing this she believes, is massively supported through daily movement and exercise during menopause, highlighting the importance of embracing and enjoying your new body and finding joy in the way you move.

In this episode we explore:

About Melanie:

Melanie Griffiths is a dancer, movement instructor, spiritual coach and healer helping mid life women feel great in body, mind, spirit and emotions. She does this through movement, dance, energy work, meditation and mindset shifting. Her work is all based around her own holistic healing from Cancer after being given 6 months to live 20 years ago. She is passionate about sharing what she’s learned and seeing other women thrive in life on their terms.

Connect with Melanie:

Website

Facebook

LinkedIn

Melanie's On Demand FREE Video Library - Movement, Meditation Sessions + Healing Words.

About Life Now Coaching:

We unwrap what healthy living really means to help you get clear on the power of building sustainable healthy habits without overwhelm and confusion. We’re stripping back and laying out the truth about why taking better care of yourself is the answer to the happy vibrant life you’re striving so hard to create so that every woman knows the incredible value of her health.

Life Now Coaching supports women in midlife to build sustainable healthy habits using our success framework of mindset, movement, nutrition, sleep and stress

Resources:

Make sure you subscribe and rate the podcast to help other women create their own healthy habits to thrive through every season of their life - including menopause!

Imagine if you went into menopause right after having twins. And you’re only in your twenties. This is the story that guest Emily Courtney is sharing in today’s episode.

Emily is a health visitor and founder of ‘Mothering and the Menopause’, a support group for mothers of all ages who are juggling taking care of babies and children whilst navigating menopause. Emily was diagnosed with Premature Ovarian Insufficiency when she was only 24 years old and despite having this diagnosis, endured a battle to get support and HRT when she realised she was experiencing menopausal symptoms and challenges.

This is a fantastic episode where we talk about the importance of better knowledge and understanding around menopause for all women, and why regardless of how old your children are and what demands this puts on you, putting your self first is the only way to build strong health and be the great parent you want to be.

In our conversation we talk about:

About Emily:

Emily is a Mum of three young children, including twins, and had them following a diagnosis of Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI). Emily struggled immensely in the year following her twin's birth due to lack of hormones and an inability to get HRT. 

Emily has used her years of experience as a Health Visitor and Nurse, to create Mothering and The Menopause, to ensure that no one else has to suffer like she did.

Connect with Emily:

Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

About Life Now Coaching:

We unwrap what healthy living really means to help you get clear on the power of building sustainable healthy habits without overwhelm and confusion. We’re stripping back and laying out the truth about why taking better care of yourself is the answer to the happy vibrant life you’re striving so hard to create so that every woman knows the incredible value of her health.

Life Now Coaching supports women in midlife to build sustainable healthy habits using our success framework of mindset, movement, nutrition, sleep and stress

Resources:

Make sure you subscribe and rate the podcast to help other women create their own healthy habits to thrive through every season of their life - including menopause!

For many women who face a break up or divorce, their health takes a huge hit, causing mental and physical health challenges, some that take years to overcome, and some that change how you feel, how you live, and even who you are, forever.

Women lose confidence and put themselves so far down their list as the practical tasks that separation and divorce result in, and the emotional needs of their children if they have them, all take top priority.

Farhana Hussain is the UK’s only Divorce Doula and advocates for women navigating divorce with confidence and strong health. She emphasises the importance of taking care of yourself and finding inner calm and empowerment during the divorce process so that you can thrive and embrace the new chapter in your life.

With divorce rates among women over 50 increasing, we talk about the importance of self-awareness, acceptance, and taking small steps to build new habits that support your health. Our message is that divorce in midlife doesn’t have to mean sacrificing your own health and happiness.

In our conversation today we explore:

About Farhana:

Meet Farhana, the UK's first Divorce Doula, revolutionising divorce support. As a British Bangladeshi, devoted mother to three teenagers, a former teacher and now a divorce expert, she combines practical advice with deep emotional and spiritual healing, streamlining the cost of divorce on your health and wealth. Farhana’s mission is to guide you to peace during your divorce, empowering you to thrive beyond it and become the CEO of your life. Called a 'real-life fairy godmother' by her clients, Farhana has been widely recognised as a divorce expert, with features in magazines, broadsheets, and national papers, including BBC radio and Good Housekeeping. She's dedicated to transforming the divorce experience, helping you rebuild a life of strength, wisdom, and joy.

Connect with Farhana:

Website 

Instagram

LinkedIn

Farhana's FREE Secret Soul Whispers guide - 30 days of gentle strength and clarity for your divorce journey

About Life Now Coaching:

We unwrap what healthy living really means to help you get clear on the power of building sustainable healthy habits without overwhelm and confusion. We’re stripping back and laying out the truth about why taking better care of yourself is the answer to the happy vibrant life you’re striving so hard to create so that every woman knows the incredible value of her health.

Life Now Coaching supports women in midlife to build sustainable healthy habits using our success framework of mindset, movement, nutrition, sleep and stress

Resources:

Make sure you subscribe and rate the podcast to help other women create their own healthy habits to thrive through every season of their life - including menopause!

To celebrate the buzz of the Paris 2024 Olympics I’m joined in this episode by ex-professional athlete Danielle Reedy chatting all about her road to the Rio 2016 Olympics, and how her journey to get there was one of learning to overcome self-doubt and understanding your inner critic.

So many women lack belief in their ability and worth, resulting in them holding themselves back, only to hold onto these regrets, often throughout their lifetime. Danielle shares her journey of building self-worth and confidence, culminating in her experience as an Olympian, where she competed as a synchronised swimmer. She discusses the importance of reframing challenges and choosing the hard path that aligns with your values, and why faking it until you make it isn’t such a bad thing!

The highlights of our conversation are:

About Danielle:

Danielle Reedy (she/her) is an Olympian, Speaker, Coach, Author and Podcast Host. The Canadian born athlete took the leap of her life in 2014 to go after an impossible dream of competing on the Australian National Synchronised Swimming Team and qualify for the Olympics. In 2016 she achieved that dream competing at the Rio Olympic Games and subsequently Danielle spent 5 years on the team, competed at 3 World Championships and made history in 2019 as being part of Australia’s First Mixed Duet before retiring from sport.

Danielle then set off on her next on her next dream of helping other realise what they can create in their life with the mindset and self belief tools. Now working with souls from around the world to help them liberate their body, mind & soul to live a life that they love through her podcast, programs and coaching.

Connect with Danielle:

Website

Instagram

Podcast 

Get her FREE Morning Meditation

About Life Now Coaching:

We unwrap what healthy living really means to help you get clear on the power of building sustainable healthy habits without overwhelm and confusion. We’re stripping back and laying out the truth about why taking better care of yourself is the answer to the happy vibrant life you’re striving so hard to create so that every woman knows the incredible value of her health.

Life Now Coaching supports women in midlife to build sustainable healthy habits using our success framework of mindset, movement, nutrition, sleep and stress

Resources:

Make sure you subscribe and rate the podcast to help other women create their own healthy habits to thrive through every season of their life - including menopause!