This week, the hosts of the Monkey Chatter podcast—Amy, Michelle, and Lara—get real about the habit they know all too well: procrastination.

Michelle owns up to it being "one of her things," while even the organized Amy struggles with the occasional task. Lara, however, wonders if a little pre-deadline chaos might actually be a productivity hack!They dive into the psychology of delay, making it clear that procrastination isn't laziness—it's just a fight between your brain and your desire to watch more cat videos.

The Highlights Reel

• It’s Not Laziness! The monkeys offer a definition of procrastination, separating it from simply being apathetic. It's an emotional battle, not a moral failing.
• The Frog, The Monkey, and The Deadline:
• • They discuss the "old school" self-help classic, Eat That Frog!, pulling out tips like time blocking and tackling the absolute worst task first.
  • Amy offers the "Little Wins" approach: knocking out smaller, easier things to build momentum before you tackle the monster.
  • Lara argues that the impending pressure of a deadline might just be the focus tool she needs!
• The Pre-Game Plan: While Amy says procrastination only causes her stress, Michelle and Lara sometimes feel like they're actually working out the plan in their heads until the final deadline arrives.
• They explore the power of accountability—it turns out the fear of letting someone down is often more motivating than the fear of letting yourself down.
• Final Tips for Taming the Jungle of Dragging Feet: The hosts share their own ways to force action and accomplish that goal
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Tune in to discover if you're navigating the jungle of your to-do list like a seasoned explorer or just swinging through the tangled vines aimlessly!

Menopause is no longer a conversation whispered behind closed doors! It's finally having its moment in the cultural spotlight, and we're swinging through the jungle of midlife to talk about it!

In this episode, we celebrate the "We Do Not Care" (WDNC) movement spearheaded by the hilarious Melani Sanders (1.87M followers on Instagram!). We explore why this message of radical authenticity is so powerful right now—are we finally letting go of the need to camouflage ourselves? We're embracing our inner primate and asking: do we really care what we wear or what people think of us anymore?

We chatter about the hormonal changes, and the symptoms you actually experience, with brain fog being one of the big, frustrating ones that makes finding your way through the vines of life feel impossible.

Lara brings her menopause-informed yoga wisdom to the mic, offering gentle, effective ways to manage the change. Michelle discusses challenging our expectations and toning them down so we can still accomplish goals, urging us to stop beating the jungle drums of self-criticism and saying, "I should have...". She also shares her mother's ingenious productivity secret: the 10-inch square tactic for getting big jobs done, which helps us talk about picking that one thing to focus on instead of trying to clear the whole rainforest at once.

Of course, it wouldn't be a show about menopause without talking about the classic symptoms that make us want to scream like a howler monkey: hot flashes, anxiety, sleeplessness, bone and muscle loss, and the ever-present cortisol spike!

We wrap up by discussing the healthy habits, eating right, and moving our bodies—focusing on what we do care about to keep our monkey minds calm and letting go of what we don't so we can feel as good as possible through the transition.

Welcome back to part two of our Gut Health series, "Mood, Food, and More Poop." If your brain feels a bit like monkey chatter when it comes to gut health, don't worry—we're here to help!

This week, we're diving into the resources that have shaped our gut health journey: the books The Mind-Gut Connection and Fiber Fueled, along with the Netflix documentary Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut.Join us as we tackle the "30 plants per week" challenge! You'll hear how Lara and Michelle were both surprised by the jungle of foods they were able to add to their diets.

We'll also break down the confusing world of FODMAPs and share our insights on tracking food and mood to better understand our own reactions. Amy even dishes on her food prep hacks, why she despises canned goods, and Michelle reveals the shocking revelation that beans now come in cartons.

Plus, we'll give you a quick and easy recipe for roasting chickpeas!We'll also discuss how our gut health impacts everything from our moods and energy to inflammation—basically, our entire well-being. We'll chat about foods we love and hate, the amount of meat we consume, and who on earth is eating "airport kimchi."

We'll also give a shout-out to the food scanning app Yuka and then get "down and dirty" with a candid discussion about fecal transplants (pro tip: don't eat dinner while you listen!).

Get ready to learn just how influential your gut biome truly is. This episode might just change the way you think about your belly forever!