What if children grew up fluent in self-compassion before self-criticism ever took hold? In this transformative conversation, child development specialist Aliesha Embleton founder of Sapling Minds invites us to imagine a world where emotional safety, self-awareness, and resilience are nurtured from the very beginning.

Together, we explore how teaching self-compassion before the age of 14 can change the trajectory of the child's life, helping them embrace mistakes as part of growth, flip their natural empathy inward, and build a foundation that reduces mental health challenges later on.

Aliesha reminds us that we have the choice now to raise a generation rooted in resilience and authenticity, children who lead from empathy rather than criticism. By instilling these skills early, we can help prevent burnout, shame, and self-abandonment later in life.

Aliesha is a passionate about her work as it equips families with practical strategies to nurture self-compassion in children, ensuring they grow up with the emotional tools to thrive. This episode is a call to action for all parents.

*Special thanks to the artists of Pixabay for their royalty-free music.

In this Guest Glimpse, life coach and author Mark Worthington, whose latest book The Truth About Love, explores love's many dimensions. Mark's reflections on love are rooted in a profound spiritual awakening and personal transformation. Guided by metaphysical mentors, he has embodied self-love, healed karmic patterns, and now offers his wisdom through writing, coaching, and leadership.

Mark speaks to:

The frequency of love: when our vibration is high, ego faces and validation-seeking lessens.

Three pillars of love: self-love as the cornerstone, true love as the ultimate practice, and mirroring as the infinite intelligence.

Karma and forgiveness: shifting from cycles of pain to restoration through self-forgiveness and clearing karmic patterns.

Soulmates and expectations: questioning the idea of "one soulmate for life" and reminding us that love resists rules.

Falling out of love: often a sign that the vibration of love has diminished, calling couples to grow through conscious relating.

Mark reminds us that "You are worthy of the love you hope for".

This episode invites us to release rigid expectations, be open to love's own power, and embrace conscious relating as a path to growth.

*Special thanks to the artists of Pixabay for their royalty-free music.

This is an empowering, transformational exchange between Mel and Jaci, a trauma transformational coach and breathwork facilitator who previously served in the police force. Jaci shares her journey of separating from the identity of being "the cop who helps others" after leaving the force. She reflects on how victim support often felt like a tick-box exercise, and how that experience shaped her commitment to creating spaces where people can feel truly supported and vulnerable.

We explore:

• The challenge of letting go of an identity tied to service and authority.

• The power of stopping, even for a few minutes, to listen to what you need.

• Leading from within and the importance of genuine connection.

• Why self-compassion, though often foreign, is a critical act that sustains us and those we care for.

• Breathwork as a ceremony, where Jaci witnesses extraordinary transformations in her clients.

This is a conversation about identity, healing, and the practices that helps us sustain ourselves with self-compassion.

Healing begins when we create space to pause, listen, and lead from within.

Learn more about Jaci's work at www.jacirogash.com

*Special thanks to the artists of Pixabay for their royalty-free music.

Can self-compassion be the cure to break free from your relationship with alcohol?

In this guest glimpse, alcohol mindset coach Kathryn Elliott shares her powerful story of moving from shame and excuses into freedom and kindness. For years, alcohol carried weight and control in her life, accompanied by the heavy burden of shame. Kathyrn discovered that you cannot shame yourself into change - instead, the path forward is through self-compassion.

Drawing on Dr Kristin Neff's framework of mindfulness, common humanity, and self-kindness, Kathryn explains how these practices helped her transform her relationship with alcohol. Now, 6.5 years free, she offers tools for grounding, gentle self-love, and breaking generational patterns.

This episode is a reminder that self-compassion is not indulgence, it is a radical act of healing and leadership. Kathryn invites us to turn toward kindness, embrace our uniqueness, and step into freedom.

Join us for this glimpse into Kathryn's journey and discover how compassion can transform not only your relationship with alcohol, but your relationship with yourself.

*Special thanks to the artists of Pixabay for their royalty-free music.

In this energetic conversation, Lisa joins Mel to explore why self-compassion isn't a luxury, it's a neurological necessity.

Lisa blends the science of mindset with the human side of growth, working at the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, and lived human behaviour. She brings clarity, grounded energy, and genuine passion, shaped by her own experience of navigating the tension between inner truth and outer expectation.

Together, we unpack:

• Why self-compassion is often mistaken for weakness, and why that belief is harmful

• How guilt, perfectionism, and the pressure to perform wreak havoc on our nervous system

• The interconnection between self-love, self-compassion, self-acceptance, and self-validation

• Practical techniques that help us externalise stress and let it go

• Visual tools Lisa uses to help people shift perspective and reclaim focus

• Why starting small matters if self-compassion doesn't come naturally

Lisa reminds us that without self-compassion, there's no real growth—only burnout disguised as ambition. This episode offers cues and gentle practices to help you begin cultivating compassion for yourself today and why that is important.

Lisa Infante is a Mindset & Behaviour Specialist, Performance Coach, NLP Coach, and Founder of Courage to Change Collective.

*Special thanks to the artists of Pixabay for their royalty-free music.

In this soul-stirring episode, Mel sits down with Kijuan, a former U.S. Air Force Refuelling Specialist whose life was irrevocably altered by a devastating motorbike accident en route to duty. He spent a month in a coma and emerged into a world that would demand everything of him—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

But this is not a story of defeat, it's a story of radical resilience.

Kijuan reminds us that strength of character is not forged in ease, but in the decision to keep showing up. He leaves us with two imperative truths for anyone navigating trauma—truths that anchor us in hope, healing, and the courage to begin again.

His life now is devoted to empowerment, modelling what it means to rise, speak, and live with purpose.

Kijuan's book: Don't Focus on Why Me?

*Special thanks to the artists of Pixabay for their royalty-free music.

In this episode, I hold space for a story that is raw, transformative, and still unfolding. Loving the Unseen is the journey of Sam Angell - Founder of Angell Designs, queer and disabled branding designer, author of Built for Belonging, and passionate mental health advocate.

Sam grew up believing love meant accommodating others and never asking for help. That belief turned into a life where mind and body fought against everything, chaos became normal, and belonging felt out of reach. Addiction, homelessness, and undiagnosed ADHD, bipolar disorder, and autism shaped years of struggle often in and out of hospital beds - "where I ended and the chaos began."

To the outside world, it looked like self-destruction. But Sam was misunderstood, carrying the weight of believing they were the problem. Exhausted, unworthy, and unlovable, it all became too much... until Sam heard a whisper.

In that whisper, Sam began to rebuild. Loving the Unseen meant breathing again, belonging, showing up authentically, and no longer proving themselves to anyone. Sam showed up for Sam. And in that act of radical self-love, they discovered renewal.

Sam shared with me: "I wholeheartedly believe our stories of survival aren't just meant to be endured. These stories can become the foundations for renewal."

This episode is a reminder that transformation is not a destination but a journey - one that honours the unseen, the misunderstood, and the deeply human struggle toward belonging.

*Special thanks to the artists of Pixabay for their royalty-free music.

This season's theme: self-love and inner leadership

In this reflection, Mel explores how self-love becomes both mirror and flame: the mirror that invites us to see ourselves clearly, with compassion and truth; and the flame that fuels our courage, boundaries, and capacity to lead from within.

Drawing from her lived experience, Mel shares what life looked life without self-love, the turning point marked by her transition into military service, and the aftermath that followed. She reflects on the journey of reclaiming presence, learning to be with herself not just for others, and discovering that self-love was first a radical act of survival, and then a radical act of leadership.

This episode is an invitation to look into your own mirror and tend to your flame.

*Special thanks to the artists of Pixabay for their royalty-free music.