Wow, do I have a deep episode for you this week! This is one for all the ladies. Amanda and I delve into the importance of connecting more deeply with our womanhood ; our wombs, our cycles and the earth and how all of this connects to Chinese medicine and spirituality

Amanda Waaldyk is the founder and director of Angea Women’s health clinic in Melbourne, an integrative Chinese medicine practice with a focus on fertility, female endocrinology and supporting Woman through every phase of life. Amanda’s practice is soul meets science, guiding her patients to ultimate health by providing a whole body approach.

Amanda is a Doctor of Chinese medicine, yoga and meditation teacher, hormone expert and energy healer. Amanda empowers and educates her clients to reconnect with their inherent body wisdom, navigate their way back to balance (naturally) and live the happiest and most thriving version of their lives.

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In this episode we cover:

• What’s happening in the body during acupuncture and cupping
• The often overlooked importance of being fully seen and heard
• The main women’s health issues right now and the contributory factors
• The connection between Chinese medicine and spirituality
• What a womb whisper is
• Whether PMT is natural
• How to create a healthy menstrual cycle
• The connection between the health of women today, society and the environment

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To connect with Amanda head to:

• Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/angea_acupuncture_yoga/
• Website – https://angea.com.au/
• Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AngeaAcupuncture/

In this episode I speak with the lovely Emma Sothern, a freelance copywriter, part-time yoga/meditation teacher and a full-time alopecian (that’s a person who has alopecia, or hair loss). She set up a hair loss website, called Lady Alopecia in 2018 to support and empower those going through the condition. She’s originally from Ireland although now lives and works in her adopted hometown of Hoi An, Vietnam.

Emma openly speaks about her journey with alopecia, the various challenges she ‘s faced at each stage of her life, from losing her Mum at an early age to losing her hair in her teenage years and through her 20’s. She talks about finding yoga and meditation and how this has not only helped to build inner strength and resilience, to find peace and acceptance with alopecia but to actually have fun with it -shaving off all her hair & dressing up. She’s a true inspiration of someone who has moved through the hardship and the pain of non-acceptance to being a model for others on what is possible. She now serves the community through her yoga and meditation classes, and her website, Lady Apolpecia, offering personal tips and advice and discussing the various products and treatments that have worked for her.

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To connect with Emma head to:

• Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lady_alopecia/
• Website – https://www.ladyalopecia.com/

In this episode, I go solo and talk about a topic that has been prevalent in my own life but also pops up frequently when working with clients. And this topic is all to do with chasing goals, and whether they are in fact, bringing about the joy that we all desire.

Society has taught us to achieve, to progress in school, university, career, buy a house, get married, have kids. But in doing so, we can get a little lost along the way. That’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with these things, however, if we prioritise the box ticking and the striving to achieve and attain stuff, and still find that something is missing or we feel empty within, then that’s something worth looking at.

So instead I propose looking at intrinsic goals/intentions as well as extrinsic goals. This is where we focus on how we want to feel, and then take actions to help us feel this way. Intrinsic motives are about what can I give, how can I be in the flow state, be at peace, more loving, more kind.

Because if we don’t prioritise these things then we can very well end up in a situation with all of material things, (but still wanting more stuff) & continuing to feel unfulfilled.

I don’t want that for you or for anyone.

I know that if there are more people on the planet feeling joyous, fully expressive and living their best life, then the world will be a much kinder, more compassionate, more giving and healthy place.

So, if this resonates then have a listen, grab a pen and paper as I have some potent questions at the end for you.

In this episode I speak to the amazing Marike Knight, a Melbourne based Mindfulness & Meditation teacher. We have a great and important conversation about how critical these practices of awareness are to bringing more peace and presence into our lives. Plus, Marike gifts listeners with a 5 min mindful body based awareness practice.

Marike is an ex lawyer and proud Mama and is passionate about helping others discover strategies to improve their lives. She has dedicated the past ten years to facilitating programs in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Mindful Leadership, Resilience and Wellbeing, Raising Awareness and Emotional Intelligence and Mindful Communication just to name a few.

Marike has worked across diverse industries in the public and private sector including Clayton Utz, BHP Bilton, GE Capital, NAB, Melbourne Storm, Department of Premier and Cabinet, Australian Unity, Fitness First, Lonely Planet, ASIC, Australia Post and many more.

Her proudest role however is being a mama to her gorgeous little boy, Luka.

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In this episode we talk about:

• How to work with resistance thoughts when beginning your own mindfulness practice
• What the markers of existence are
• The tension point between craving and aversion
• Societies addiction to stress and adrenaline & how to unravel from this

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To connect with Marike head to:

• https://www.coolkarmacollected.com/
• https://www.facebook.com/CoolKarmaCollected/
• https://www.instagram.com/cool.karma.collected/?hl=en

I interview Chris Wilson in this episode, who’s one of my teachers. He’s been teaching yoga and meditation since 2007 and is the founder of ‘Yoke Yoga’, a thriving community of soul seekers and the home of heartfelt yoga.

Chris creates a safe space in his classes for students to soften thinking, forget striving and to let the experience of yoga and meditation unfold naturally, through the practice of listening. Chris shares the vision with Yoke to bring ‘Yoga of the Heart’ to the world, for more than a decade he has been sharing this through Yoga teacher trainings, retreats and in studio classes.

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To connect with Chris & Yoke head to:

Website: http://www.yokeyoga.com.au

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yokeyoga.yogaoftheheart/

Instagram: @yokeyoga