The Search for More Energy... and a Little More Life

Have you ever felt like you'd lost your spark—but couldn't quite explain why?

After months of illness, fatigue, and feeling like I'd lost a little of myself, I found myself asking a simple question: how do I get my energy back?

In this episode, I share my journey through recovery, trying to look after a family, getting a new business (Nancy The Label) up and running, and why I decided to try a 30-day cold-water challenge as an experiment in my search for more energy... and a little more life.

Because energy isn't really about getting more done.

It's about having the capacity to engage with the people, experiences, and moments that make life feel bigger. 

Here's to finding a little more energy... and a little more life.

Alex xx

Main Topics Covered

• How energy is about more than productivity—it's about engaging with life
 • Why low energy doesn't always mean depression
 • The impact of illness, menopause, stress, and caregiving on vitality
 • Building Nancy The Label while navigating fatigue and recovery
 • My experience with a 30-day cold-water challenge
 • The behavioural shift from conserving energy to saying yes again
 • The power of keeping a promise to yourself
 • Reclaiming spontaneity, connection, and joy in midlife

Timestamps

00:00 - Welcome back and episode overview
 00:40 - How illness made my world feel smaller
 01:26 - The importance of energy beyond motivation and ideas
 02:39 - Common midlife energy concerns among women
 03:20 - Managing energy and small life changes
 03:59 - Differentiating depression from energy depletion
 04:33 - The impact of illness on plans and identity
 05:09 - How energy influences social life and spontaneity
 05:53 - Re-conceptualizing energy as time with loved ones
 06:17 - When protecting energy feels like disappearing
 06:29 - The emotional toll and identity shifts
 07:27 - Building Nancy The Label amidst low energy
 08:01 - The disconnect between mind and body
 08:13 - Frustration and desire to recover spark
 08:54 - Women’s common energy narratives
 09:07 - Causes of energy drain: menopause, stress, caregiving
 10:12 - The core desire for more life, connection, and enthusiasm
 11:19 - Proactive steps for managing recovery
 12:11 - My cold plunge therapy experiment
 13:14 - How cold water therapy sparked hope and focus
 14:24 - The tangible benefits observed so far
 15:25 - The value of keeping promises and building momentum
 16:11 - Physical and behavioural improvements from the challenge
 17:22 - An ongoing journey, not final results
 17:56 - Recognising progress and resilience
 19:02 - A behavioural shift: saying yes to life again
 21:15 - Celebrating small wins in social and personal life
 22:38 - The power of commitment and experimentation
 23:19 - The real goal: more connection, spontaneity, and joy
 24:18 - Invitation to reflect and share your energy solutions

Resources & Links:

• Nancy the Label - Fashion Brand
• My 30-Day Cold-Water Challenge 
• Cold Water Therapy Benefits
• Chill: The Cold-Water Swim Cure

Connect With The Grown-Up Girls Report

• Instagram 
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Key Takeaways

• Consider one small experiment that might support your energy
 • Reflect on what activities give or drain your energy
 • Make a promise to yourself to try one small change today
 • Focus on reclaiming more of your life, not just productivity

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:17

For the last few months, I felt like my world got smaller. And it wasn't really overnight, but I canceled plans. I had early nights. I just didn't have a lot of petrol in my tank. I was saying no to things I genuinely wanted to do. And it wasn't because I didn't want to, I just didn't have the energy. Hello and welcome back to the Grown Up Girls Report. It actually feels a little strange to be saying that because this is the first episode for 2026. You may have noticed I've been a little bit quiet. And if so, you passed the test. You passed the IQ test. At the start of the year, I fully intended to keep recording. In fact, I'd mapped out a great plan for 2026 and I'd even recorded the bulk of an episode that actually never saw the light of the day. But then life had other ideas for me, as it often does in my world. So in January, I actually went to Bali with my family and on a business trip as well. And look, I often get barley belly, but I got about that was completely different, that rocked my world, had to delay my flight, and it just created havoc. You don't need the details, I can assure you. So look, I eventually made it home. But what lingered was this overwhelming fatigue. For months, I actually felt like I was operating at about 50% of my normal capacity. Now I wasn't in hospital. I wasn't bedridden, although I spent a lot of time in bed, to be honest. I could still sort of look after my family, make a few meals. I could still sort of do some work, but everything seemed to take far more effort and energy than it ever had. And when you're functioning at about 50%, you start making choices. You conserve your energy. It's almost like a precious commodity. So you say no to things, you put things off, you stop doing things. Some of the things that actually make you feel most like yourself. And one of those things for me was this podcast. And what surprised me was just how much of my life seemed to depend on having enough energy. Now, not motivation, not discipline, not ideas. I've got too many ideas, but energy. And that actually got me thinking, when I'm out and about in coffee shops talking to friends, a regular theme is women saying, I just don't have the energy I used to. I run out of steam earlier than I did. I don't feel like myself. Now for me, illness was the trigger. But for many women, it's not. And it may not be one dramatic event. It could be a whole collection of things. And that's what I want to talk about today. Not just where I've been, but why energy has become such a big topic for so many of us ladies in our midlife. One of the things I wasn't expecting when I got sick was how much smaller my world became. I found myself constantly managing my energy like it was a precious commodity. I had lots of dates at home, lots of canceled plans and outings with friends, no weekend walks with my husband. Everything felt like it came with an energy price tag. Now, one of my closest friends celebrated her 50th birthday earlier this year in February, and I was so looking forward to that party. And I was determined to go, even though I felt shocking. I got dressed up, put on my makeup, got my hair done, and from the outside, I probably looked completely fine. But I remember being there and knowing I was running on borrowed time. I probably lasted about an hour and a half. And geez, I was disappointed. And by 8:30 that night, I was home in bed. And not because I wasn't enjoying myself. Oh gosh, no. Not because I didn't want to be there. I've been looking forward to that party for many months. But simply because I just didn't have the energy. And I remember thinking, this isn't me. I'm usually the person who is last to leave, who stays until the end, who spends most of the night on the dance floor. And that's when I started thinking about what energy actually is. Because energy isn't just being more productive, sending more emails, getting more housework done. No, no, no. It's actually saying yes to dinner with friends. It's saying yes to the 50th. Yes to a swim. Yes to exercise. Yes to having ideas. Yes to being patient with my family. Yes to participating in your own life. But most importantly for me, it's about being with my people. And for me, that is absolutely everything. And so when it's missing, life can become surprisingly small and actually quite boring. So when that happens, you become more protective of your time and your energy. And while some of that is so sensible, and of course, what you need to be doing, it can actually feel like you're slowly disappearing from your own life. I have always been someone who likes to have a project on the go, something exciting on the horizon. And I realized how much of my identity was wrapped up in being someone who says yes, who puts their hand up, who says yes to opportunities, yes to adventures, yes to ideas. And when your energy disappears, so do a lot of those yeses. Not because you don't want to do the thing, but because you simply don't have enough petrol in your tank. There was actually a period where I even wondered if I might be depressed. And if you've listened to this podcast before, you will know that I actually have been there with it thanks to good old Perimenopause. But this felt different. I actually had the ideas and I felt like I had motivation, but I just didn't have the energy to carry it through. I still wanted to record the podcast. I still wanted to see friends. I still wanted to live my life and to exercise, but I just couldn't. I had nothing in my tank. And the other complication for me, I was trying to build my new business, Nancy the Label, my fashion brand. So for those who are new here, Nancy the Label is a business I launched late last year, late 2025, and I have been dreaming about for some time. It's actually been one of the biggest and most exciting projects I've actually ever taken on. So in early 2026, I had lots of new ideas for new collections, new colorways, new photo shoot locations, some events, some launches, content. But I just didn't have the personal petrol to implement it. So I was doing the bare minimum. The bare minimum to keep my business going. It's like my body couldn't keep up with all my ideas. And that disconnect was so frustrating. And I remember thinking at one point, I'm not, I'm not wanting to be a superhero here. I just want to function normally and I want to get my spark back. And I suspect a lot of women listening know exactly what I mean. So the more I thought about it, the more I realized how often women my age talk about energy. We often talk about being tired, we often talk about having poor sleep. We talk about sometimes feeling a little bit flat. We talk about not having that same spark we used to. Now, of course, the causes are completely different for different people. For some women, probably the bulk, perimenopause and menopause will play a role, and we all know that can be a beast. And look, as women in midlife, we're often told to expect less energy. But I think sometimes we can become used to feeling tired that we actually stop asking whether there's something we can do. Now, for others, it's stress. It could be work. It could be raising teenagers and young adults. Let me tell you, that's a lot. It could be caring for aging parents. You could actually have an illness. But for most of us, it's probably a unique combination of several things at once. But despite all of the causes, the question is usually the same. How do I get some of my energy back? And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that what we're after is actually more life. So at some point I realized that sitting around waiting to feel better wasn't really a strategy I was a fan of. I became tired of waiting, waiting for the next appointment, waiting for the next test, waiting for someone to tell me what was wrong with me, waiting to feel better. I actually needed to do something. And this wasn't because I thought I was going to magically solve anything, but because I wanted to feel like I was being active in my own recovery. I was doing something. Something that was simple, something I could do myself, something that didn't involve another appointment or another test or another prescription. And then I had an idea. I remembered the cold plunge pool sitting in my backyard. A few years ago, after a trip to Bali, where my husband and I visited this amazing wellness resort, we actually bought a cold plunge inspired by our time at the resort. Now, at the time, I thought I would use it regularly, but the reality was a little different. So for the last couple of years, I've used it on and off. I go through stages where I might use it once or twice a week, but then have many, many weeks off. But when I started thinking about ways I could take my recovery into my own hands, it suddenly seemed like an obvious place to start. It was already there. It wasn't going to cost me anything. I didn't need to buy anything. I didn't need to book anything. I didn't need to travel anywhere. There were actually really no excuses. Now, you've probably heard lots about cold therapy, including wellness influences sprooking about it. So cold therapy can help with resilience, mood, inflammation. Now, I had absolutely no idea whether any of that would be true for me. But I figured if even there was a chance it might, it was actually worth exploring. And perhaps just as importantly, it gave me something positive to focus on, something that I could actually do. It took me from being passive to being active in my recovery. And that's what led me to my 30-day cold water challenge. Now, if you've been following along on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok, you'll know I've been documenting it publicly. It's all about accountability, my friends. So every day I've been either doing a swim in the cold ocean or a cold plunge. Some days I have loads of enthusiasm, others there's minimal. And there's often a pair of super daggy swimmers involved. Now look, I wasn't expecting miracles, I wasn't expecting some dramatic transformation. I was simply curious, could it help? And if nothing else, what would happen if I committed to doing something difficult every day for 30 days? Now it's important to say that I'm only about two-thirds of the way through this challenge. So I don't have any conclusions as such to share with you, but I want to share some of my observations. The first thing I've noticed is that my energy has improved. Now, not every day, but enough that I've noticed. Now, early this year, as I mentioned, I felt like I had to conserve my energy. But now I feel like I have more of it available to me. And I'm not having the same dramatic crashes that I was after, say, a day out or an early evening out. I feel more level, more resilient, less like I'm running on fumes. And I can't say exactly why that is, but it's been one of the most encouraging changes so far. The second thing I've noticed is that my body feels less achy. Again, I can't tell you why exactly. My physio is convinced it's to do with the reduced inflammation. About a month or two ago, I was actually diagnosed with a reactive arthritis because of the gastroenteritis. But look, all I know is that I'm taking less pain medication than I was a few months ago. And that is something I am very happy about, as is my stomach. The third thing I've noticed is that I'm actually relying on caffeine less often, which is great. Now, if you know me well, you know I'm a big old gray tea drinker and diet coke drinker, but my consumption is definitely down. And at the start of the year, it was up in an effort to try and get some energy. And that's been a huge bonus. But the biggest thing I've noticed is not a physical change, it's a behavioral change. I'm now able to say yes more often. Whereas a few months ago, I was saying no in an effort to conserve my energy. Recently, I've been doing more. I went to the Archival exhibition with a friend at night and had a few drinks. I'm enjoying my dance classes and not feeling like I'm going to faint. In fact, I'm actually just home this afternoon from a dance class, and this is the first time I didn't feel like I was really struggling, and I didn't feel like I was going to faint. And that is a huge, huge win for me. I'm making plans, I'm booking holidays, and we've even actually got friends coming over for lunch this Sunday. We have not done that this year because I have not had the energy. So that's so exciting. And one night last week, I actually did go out for dinner with friends. I'd had a cold plunge about five o'clock and went out into the city. And I remember sitting in the restaurant halfway through this amazing meal in this super groovy spot, surrounded by great food, great conversation, and some of my favorite people, people I really love spending time with. And I was thinking, this feels so good. And not because it was anything extraordinary was happening. I mean, everyone there was extraordinary, but just because I had enough energy to be there, to stay, to not leave early and go home to enjoy myself without constantly calculating how much energy I had left in my tank. And I know that might sound like a small thing, but after the start to the year I've had, it actually felt significant because I had enough energy to say yes. And that has probably been the biggest shift. One of the other unexpected benefits has been the challenge itself. I didn't actually appreciate how powerful it is to keep a promise to yourself about showing up every single day when you don't want to, about doing something really uncomfortable, something you don't want to do. A very insightful person once told me that success builds belief. And to be honest, that sums up how it feels. It's almost like sticking to this plan has made me believe that I can execute and I can follow through. And that I'm really capable. So the interesting thing is I don't really have a neat ending to this story because I'm still in it. I've still got about a third of the way to go. Now I don't know exactly what the final result will be. I don't know how much of what I'm experiencing is simply the passage of time. Or how much is the result of less inflammation, an increase to my immune system, possibly a bit controversial, the daily dopamine boost I'm getting. But what I do know is that I'm starting to feel more like myself again. And after the start to the year that I've had, that is something I will not take for granted. Because if I'm being honest, for a while there, I wasn't actually entirely sure that I was going to get better. So if you're listening to this and thinking, I actually don't feel like myself either. I want you to know you're not alone. I feel you. I also want to say this that maybe your energy is worth paying attention to. Maybe it's worth investigating. Not in a punishing, fix yourself kind of way, but in a sort of a curious way. Why not have a think about what gives you energy? What drains it? What if you quietly stop doing because you don't feel like you have enough in your tank? And what is one small thing you could try, not to become a whole new person, but to feel a little more like yourself again. For me, this cold water challenge has been one experiment. It may not be your experiment. It may not be ever on your radar. Yours might be walking or dancing, highly recommend, or lifting weights or going to bed earlier, or seeing your GP for an investigation, or saying no to something or to someone, or saying yes to something you've been avoiding. But I think the point is that when we start looking after our energy, we're not just trying to get more done to be more productive. We're actually trying to get more of our lives back, more time with the people we love, more experiences, more adventures, more spontaneous yeses, more of the things that make us feel like ourselves. And maybe that's the real search for more energy. Not chasing productivity, just finding our way back to ourselves. So if this episode has made you think about your own energy, I would genuinely love to hear from you. Please send me a message. Tell me where you're at, tell me what you've tried to actually help with your energy and to make you feel more like yourself. Because I am on a mission to actually help us max out our energy because there is nothing more frustrating than not having enough petrol in your tank to take on the world when you're full of enthusiasm. That is my commitment to you. So stay tuned for more episodes about energy, about getting our spark back. I've got some other ideas I want to investigate as well. Thank you so much for sticking around through what has been a very quiet start to the year. I am very much hoping that the second half of the year will make up for the first half. It feels really good to be back with you all. Until next time, take care. Lots of love.