Cultivate Calm
This podcast will weave together ancient wisdom with modern science to share the best tools and techniques to cultivate calm in your life.
Armed with a degree in behavioural science and a decade of running a thriving yoga studio, I'm here to share my wealth of knowledge on the science of stress, the art of relaxation, yoga philosophy, breathing, and meditation, all with a hint of personal development.
Yoga transformed my life from being a stressed out IT professional to a calm and relaxed yoga teacher and throughout this podcast, I’ll be sharing my own journey and stories of my yoga clients.
My philosophy is that busyness is overrated, stress makes us stupid, and anxious living is a recipe for burnout. In this podcast, we won't just scratch the surface of relaxation techniques; we'll dive deep into the impact of stress on our minds and bodies and how to think better, feel better and live better. I'll explain why nervous system health is at the heart of our yoga classes and our overall well-being.
If you’re in need of some inspiration and motivation to help you take back control of your life and find calm in the chaos, look no further. I’m so excited to share this journey with you.
Episodes
34 episodes
What did I do wrong?
After three cancer diagnoses across a decade, the question that keeps surfacing isn't about treatment or recovery. It's why. This episode is an honest look at that search, what it turned up, and what it didn't. Including Gabor Maté's work on em...
I was never going to fight
After a third cancer diagnosis, something fundamental shifted. This episode explores the myth of Inanna, the Sumerian goddess who descended into the underworld, stripped of everything she possessed, and returned transformed. It's a framework th...
I didn't expect this on my return to work
After 15 months away from teaching, returning to the yoga studio was equal parts terrifying and clarifying. In this episode, the journey back to the mat begins, not as a triumphant comeback, but as an honest reckoning with what 14 years of teac...
I was playing the wrong game
18 months of cancer, grief, surgery, and recovery, and what emerged from the other side wasn't just physical healing. It was a shift in how to relate to life itself. This episode is about what that actually looks like.A lot of it comes b...
I don't know why this upset me so much
May was a month of contradictions. Surgery recovery, grief and a rainbow unicorn birthday party. Life kept moving and I was somewhere in the middle of it, trying to keep up. This episode is about what it looked like when something finally start...
What no one tells you about rock bottom
For months after surgery I was living in survival mode. Chest pains, persistent headaches, swollen legs, and a mirror I was avoiding. This episode is about what it actually looks like to hit rock bottom in recovery, not dramatically, just quiet...
The bleak reality of misery
The surgery was done. I thought the hard part was over. This episode is about the long grey stretch that followed, the part nobody really talks about, where the emergencies have passed but you're still completely stuck in it.Six weeks af...
Into the Shitstorm
The mastectomy happened. This episode is about what that was actually like. The double mastectomy with PAP flap reconstruction, seven hours in theatre, and what I remember from coming around on the other side. Some of it is sharp and painful. S...
The A-word that broke me
Waiting for a mastectomy is its own kind of heavy. I'd been through surgeries before and thought I had some idea of what to expect. I didn't. This episode covers the months leading up to the surgery, from a new surgeon who used a word that stop...
Fuck resilience
Resilience was something I wore like armour for years. Two cancer diagnoses, the end of a marriage, and a lot of pushing through. By the third diagnosis, I started questioning whether resilience was actually serving me, or just keeping me from ...
Queen of Suffering
I've had life-changing news more than once. The first time, I handled it quietly, privately, keeping it together for everyone around me. I became the queen of suffering. But is pushing through really the same as healing? In this epi...
Not again
The third time, you'd think you'd be ready. You're not. I've had breast cancer twice before, so routine MRIs are familiar territory. This time was different. A text from radiology, images in a portal, circles and arrows I recognised immediately...
How to stop overthinking
So many of us struggle with overthinking. Trapped in an endless cycle of ruminating thoughts, it can feel overwhelming and like there’s no way to come out of it. Thankfully there are ways to calm a busy mind and today I’m talking about some of ...
How to ditch the self-criticism and stop beating yourself up
Many of us grew up thinking we had to be hard on ourselves to succeed. We believed that criticising ourselves was the only way to improve. However, constantly criticising and being hard on ourselves often leads to feelings of shame and hopeless...
Practical Anxiety Relief
I'm often asked if yoga helps people with anxiety, and as tempted as I am to say that yoga is the cure for everything, it's not so straightforward. Learning to manage anxiety is a journey so today I’m sharing some practical tools to help you ca...
The SECRET portal to a calm mind
If you’re like many people and your mind is bombarded with busy thoughts, I’ve got something really special for you today. In this episode, I’m sharing a guided meditation and breathwork practice that will help you sink into a deep state of pea...
Why feeling our feelings is the key to healing
Today I’m diving into a topic that holds immense power in our healing journey: our emotions. In previous episodes, I’ve talked about the effects of the nervous system on our well-being but today I’m exploring how suppressed emotions can cause s...
Nervous System Healing
Our nervous system has two main branches: the parasympathetic and the sympathetic. The parasympathetic branch is associated with relaxation and calm, while the sympathetic branch triggers the fight or flight response when it perceives a threat ...
The Secret to Overcoming Resistance
Have you ever set goals but found yourself repeatedly falling into patterns of resistance, procrastination, and self-sabotage? If that sounds familiar, this episode is for you. Today I’m diving into the concept of resistance and exploring why i...
Everything you wanted to know about Yin Yoga
Yin yoga is a deeply relaxing and calming style of yoga that has loads of benefits for everyone, from beginners to elite athletes. Today I’m going deeper into the principles of yin yoga to explore why it’s so good for the physical body, nervous...
How I fell in love with Yoga
Ten years ago, I made the life-changing decision to quit my six-figure career and open my own yoga studio. Today I’m sharing my personal story of how I fell in love with yoga, the significant impact it had on my life and why I’ve never looked b...
Relax your body, calm your mind (and fall asleep)
I have a special treat for you today which I know you’re going to love. In this episode, I’m guiding you through a Yoga Nidra meditation to bring your mind and body into a beautiful state of relaxation and calm.Yoga Nidra is o...
The Science of Gratitude
Gratitude wasn’t always my thing. In fact, I used to roll my eyes when yoga teachers talked about gratitude. But life's twists and turns led me through some of my darkest moments, including divorce, a battle with breast cancer, and my father's ...
A rest and self-care practice for busy people
I must confess that I have a tendency to overwork. In the past, I wasn’t very good at rest and self-care, until a sudden breast cancer diagnosis forced me to listen to my body’s needs, say no, set boundaries and prioritise my wellbeing. In this...
Getting Angry in Yoga (and why it might be a good thing)
If you've ever found yourself fuming on your yoga mat or you’ve been experiencing a deeper set of emotions during practice lately, this episode is for you. Today I’m exploring why anger can unexpectedly surface during your yoga journey, why it'...