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
45 episodes
10 Things That Calm Your Nervous System (That Cost Absolutely Nothing)
Do you ever feel like improving your mental health means buying another supplement, downloading another app, or trying another wellness trend?In this lighter and more personal episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat...
Could Anxiety Be Dehydration? | Is Your Nervous System Actually Just Thirsty?
What if some of the symptoms you blame on anxiety are actually your body asking for water?In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat explore the often-overlooked connection between dehydration, the nervous system, and a...
The Anxiety Behind Speaking Up In Relationships | With Jayden Leigh
GUEST EPISODE Why is it so hard to speak up, set boundaries, ask for what we need, or have difficult conversations in our relationships?In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat are joined by, Jayden Leigh Harg...
What If People Think You're Stupid? | The Hidden Anxiety Behind Being Wrong
Do you hate being wrong?Not because you need to win every argument...But because somewhere deep down, being wrong feels unsafe.In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat explore the hidden anxiety...
Could Anxiety Be a Vitamin D Deficiency? | The Winter Blues Connection
What if anxiety isn't just coming from your thoughts?In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat shine a light on one of the most overlooked pieces of the anxiety puzzle: Vitamin D.As the weather cools do...
Is Your House Secretly Making You Anxious? | The Clutter & Anxiety Connection
Is your house making you anxious... or is anxiety creating the clutter?In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat explore the surprisingly powerful relationship between physical clutter, mental load, and the ne...
Words Are Spells: How Language Can Shape Anxiety
What if the words you repeat every day are shaping your nervous system more than you realise?In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat explore the powerful connection between language, anxiety, the nervous system, an...
To the Woman Who Never Stops: Burnout, Cortisol & Anxiety
In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat dive into the growing epidemic of burnout, high-functioning anxiety, and the pressure many women feel to constantly keep pushing through life.From perfectionism to 3am wakeup...
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, ...