Possible Trigger Warnings:

In this episode I talk about weight, eating disorders, binge eating, body shaming, social media, obesity and the correlation to health, chronic illness, pain attacks, pain medication, surgery, and mental health issues. This episode may be triggering for someone going through their own health journeys, or dealing with chronic illness. Everything said in this episode is a reflection of my own journey, and all words said are my personal opinions.

Today's episode I wanted to upload as quickly as possible because I needed to get the words out now before I forgot them.  2020 didn't end well for me and 2021 wasn't off to the best start either when it came to my health. I talk about my first experiences with pain attacks (this is what I call them, not a medical diagnosis), not being able to find a diagnosis,  having no pain for many years, being diagnosed with Fatty Liver Disease, and how the pain attacks have recently returned. I chat about how I believe my weight has a lot to do with my poor health, and how I plan to lose weight (body fat and visceral fat) this year-not to look a certain way, but to feel healthier and stronger. Finally I talk about the recent Cosmo UK mag and the controversial article on wellness at any size, and how I was triggered by some of the recent posts doing the rounds on IG.

This is a solo episode, so I'm a bit all over the shop trying to ease back into podcast life and not having that other person to bounce off of. I also seriously struggled with my pronunciation of some words! Word vomit got me good!

Supporting resources:

Nicole Arbour's Cosmo UK Post

James Smith PT Video

Cosmo UK

Disclaimer and Trigger Warnings: I really wanted to record a disclaimer at the start of this episode (however renovations have taken over my study), to warn that at the 36 minute mark, I do disclose that I suffered a miscarriage a few months ago. I don't go into detail, I simply state that it happened, and how the Zen Mama Course that Jodie ran, helped me to feel and let go of my pain associated with the loss. It is only a very small segment of the overall conversation we have, so I don't want that to be the focus of this episode. It was in the moment, and I felt safe enough to share it with Jodie. However, I know that this may be a trigger for some, so I am letting you know before you listen to this episode. 
Also the topic of spirit guides comes up at the 7 minute mark, because my daughter kept interrupting us during the recording, which was very unusual. This may or may not be triggering, but because it is such a new thing to me I thought I better add it in (again a very small part of the conversation).
We do touch on briefly, grief,  sex, trauma and mental health.

In this episode, I welcome the lovely Jodie O'Grady; owner of Bloom Holistic Collective,  massage therapist, naturopath, health coach, yogi, and a beautiful soul with a passion for connecting women to their sacred feminine (or as I like to call her, our inner goddess)! We deep dive into the sacred feminine, and chat about Jodie's journey of how she tapped into her inner goddess,  her intuitive nature, and how Bloom Holistic Collective came to be.  We chat about how holistic healing can serve us, and shining a light on our sacred feminine and our intuition. We also talk about the Zen Mama Series that Jodie hosted and I participated in, and how it was such a beautiful and powerful experience that not only helps us mums, but also helps our children.  Jodie also shares with us her dirty diary confession (such a beautiful share)!

"Remember that you have everything inside of you that you need. You've got the power, you just need to shine the light on it and build it with resources.  It all adds up to what you already have inside of you, and it grows, and it BLOOMS."

You Can Find Jodie HERE

Supporting Resources:

Bloom Holistic Collective

Zen Mama Series

Dorothy Way Numbing Ourselves with Binge Eating Post

Women Who Run With The Wolves

Your Primal Nature

Darlings In Divine 

Disclaimer and Trigger Warnings: This episode we discuss nudity, self-confidence, body image,  sex, and we do touch on eating disorders.

In Episode 5, I am joined by the amazing and talented Heidi from Heidi Lou Design (soon-to-be a household name, watch this space)! Heidi creates beautiful brands for passionate women, has launched her first print collection, 'Freely', and is just about to launch her second print collection, 'Dreambound', as of tomorrow! Her print collections are based off of real women, who bare all and get nude! She uses their photos to inspire her to create. Yours truly was one of these inspirations for her first collection, and what an incredible experience that was! We chat about all of this, how she started both her business and collections, and much more! Including how she is using her social media and artwork to influence women to feel confident in their bodies. While the term 'influencer' can have a bad name, Heidi has already begun to pave the way for a new body positivity movement with her post about no longer apologising on behalf of your body! Stick around until the very end, because Heidi shares with us a Dirty Diaries Confession! One not to be missed!

You can find out all about Dreambound and Heidi Lou Design Here!

Supporting Resources

Cotton Body Post 

Stop Apologising For Your Body Post