The Anxiety Compass Podcast
Welcome to The Anxiety Compass Podcast, where we help you navigate the messy, magical, and maddening world of anxiety. We believe anxiety isn’t a defect but a teacher — a compass pointing you back to your True North.
Hosted by Clinical Nutritionists Sammy Barnett (author of Anxiety: The Best Teacher You Never Asked For) and Natalie Antoine, this show goes beyond quick fixes to explore the real roots of anxiety. Each week we explore a different point of the compass:
🌿 Chemical & Nutritional
💬 Emotional
⚡ Nervous System
🌀 Hormonal
🌍 Environmental
💪 Physical
✨ Spiritual
Through personal stories, humour, and practical tools, we show how anxiety is not a problem to “fix” but an invitation to slow down, listen, and reconnect with yourself. If you’re ready to see anxiety in a new light, learn real-life strategies, and feel less alone in the messy middle, this podcast is for you.
Episodes
37 episodes
The Real Reason You Can’t Stop Saying Sorry
Do you apologise for asking questions?For being emotional?For replying late?For needing help?For simply existing?In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat unpack the hidden message behind over-apologi...
Why Anxiety Makes You Hide Yourself (And Why It's Important to Be Seen)
Have you ever avoided a photo… then years later wished you were in it?In this episode Sammy and Nat continue the conversation around body image, but this time through a personal lens.Because body image isn’t always about weight or...
You Don’t Hate Your Body… You’re Trying to Feel Safe (with ELLEN TUZI)
What if body image isn’t actually about how you look… at all?In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat are joined by Ellen Tuzi, Certified Body Image & Intuitive Eating Counsellor to explore the deeper con...
'Gut Healing' Foods Made Me More Anxious (No One Talks About This)
You’re eating well. You’re doing the “right” things. So why do you still feel anxious… or even worse?In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat unpack a lesser-known piece of the anxiety puzzle...how your...
Forest Bathing: Birds, Bee Butts & Why Nature Calms You Down
Why do you feel instantly better after being outside… even when nothing in your life has changed?In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Natalie explore the power of forest bathing and why it’s so much mo...
Stop Calling It My Anxiety (Here’s Why)
Somewhere along the way, many of us were given a label.Anxiety. Panic disorder. Overthinker.And while that label can bring relief and understanding… it can also quietly become part of our identity.In this episode of The...
The Vagus Nerve: Your Built-In Reset Button
Ever tried to think your way out of anxiety… and it just doesn’t work?That’s because anxiety isn’t just in your mind. It’s in your body.In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat explore the role of the V...
You’re Not Bad at Listening to Your Body… You’ve Been Pulled Away From It
Your Anxiety Compass isn’t broken.But it might be being influenced more than you realise.In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat unpack how our modern environment, from ultra-processed foods to constant stim...
Money, Anxiety & Safety with ALPHA SCHULTE
Money isn’t just numbers on a screen.It’s safety.It’s survival.It’s identity.And for many people, it’s also ANXIETY.In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Natalie are joined by Alpha Schulte from...
When Everything Feels Too Loud (Even When It’s Quiet)
Why Noise Can Trigger Anxiety (And Why Silence Can Too)Some days everything feels too loud.The kids.The notifications.The conversations.The background noise you can’t switch off.And other days…It’s...
The 3AM Wake-Up Call: Anxiety, Hormones & Sleep
Why does anxiety love 3AM?In this episode, we unpack the science and story behind anxious sleep... from cortisol spikes and blood sugar dips to hormonal shifts and hypervigilance.We explore: ✨ Why your nervous system wake...
Why Some Workouts Calm Anxiety… And Others Make It Worse
In this episode we explore the relationship between movement and the anxious nervous system.Not all exercise is regulating.Not all intensity is helpful.And sometimes, the “healthy habit” can quietly stack stress instead of releas...
CEO by Day, Anxious Human by Night
Running your own business is challenging enough. Add anxiety into the mix, and suddenly your nervous system has a seat at every meeting.In this episode, Sammy and Natalie talk honestly about what it’s really like to build and run a busin...
Anxiety Has a Nose for Change
Anxiety doesn’t just show up when things are wrong.It often shows up when things are changing.Even good change.Holidays, healing, growth, new routines, new seasons of life... all of these can trigger anxiety, not becaus...
Micro Choices, Major Calm
In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, we explore something surprisingly simple and incredibly powerful.Regulation doesn’t come from massive routines, perfect mornings, or pushing yourself harder. It comes from micro choices...
Recalibrating After the Flu: When Your Nervous System Isn’t Ready to Sprint Yet
In this episode we talk about something that doesn’t get said enough… the anxiety hangover that can linger after being sick.After recently having the flu (hello Japan travel germs), Sammy and Nat share what it’s like when...
The Great Unwiring: Finding Your Way Out of Survival Mode
In this episode we dive into The Great Unwiring... what it actually means to break free from the survival patterns your nervous system learnt years (or decades) ago.So many of us live with a brain that’s stuck in fight, ...
Your Nervous System Is a Hotspot (And Yes, People Connect Without Permission)
In this episode, we explore why humans are basically walking Wi-Fi routers, constantly broadcasting emotional signals, syncing with each other’s nervous systems, and accidentally connecting to energy we don’t even want.We break down co-r...
People Pleasing: Kindness or a Survival Strategy?
Why do we say yes when every cell in our body is screaming NO?In this episode, Nat and Sammy dive into the messy, very human world of people pleasing... the survival strategy so many anxious, sensitive humans master without even m...
Part 2 - Foods That Calm Your Nervous System (Carbs, Nutrients & Lunchbox Ideas)
Welcome to Part 2 of our nervous system nutrition episode!In part 1, we unpacked the foundations... blood sugar, gut–brain, hormones, protein anchors and healthy fats. In part 2, we’re diving into the rest of the puzzle… ...
Part 1 - Foods That Calm Your Nervous System (Blood Sugar, Gut-Brain & Protein Anchors)
Did you know your lunch, your hormones, your sensitivity levels, and even your breakfast choice can change the way anxiety feels? In this two-part series, Nat and Sammy dive deep into how food affects the nervous system... st...
The Pressure to Become a New Person Overnight
Every year, as the clock strikes midnight, we’re hit with the same message: “New year, new you!” And honestly… that pressure can send even the calmest nervous system into a spiral.In this episode, Natalie and Sam...
Feeling "weird" between Christmas and New Year? There's a reason!
Ever feel a bit… strange between Christmas and New Year? That foggy, floaty, unmotivated, slightly “off” feeling is more common than you think (and no, there’s nothing wrong with you!)In this episode, Nat and Sammy...
5 Holiday Anxiety Triggers (and How to Stay Sane-ish)
We all know the Christmas season comes with twinkly lights, carols… and a whole lot of hidden anxiety triggers no one warns you about.In this episode, Nat and Sammy unpack the five biggest holiday anxiety triggers and why your b...
Panic in Aisle 3: When Anxiety Decides to Go Shopping with You
We’ve all had that moment...when your body goes into full panic mode at the worst possible time...like in the middle of a supermarket!!In this episode, Nat and Sammy share what happens inside the body during a panic attack espec...