Episode 145: Confessions Of A Wellbeing Coach

Perimenopause can make even the most health-literate woman feel like she has lost the plot and that’s before the hot flush hits mid-choir while everyone else is wrapped in scarves. Julie is away this week, so Catherine climbs under a blanket “recording studio” and turns the mic into a mini therapy session: the confessions of a wellbeing coach who thought she would breeze through the menopause transition because she eats well, trains hard and teaches others to do the same.

We get real about the symptoms and the stories we attach to them: the myth that lifestyle alone guarantees a symptom-free perimenopause, the pressure to be “the perfect advert” for wellness, and the awkward truth that HRT and healthy habits are not enemies. Catherine shares what it feels like when joints ache, brain fog creeps in, and you have to swallow the humbling lesson that being active does not make you superhuman.

From injuries and plantar fasciitis to pelvic floor dysfunction, we dig into why asking for expert help is not weakness and how personalised support can actually deepen your skill as a coach. There’s also a brilliant, slightly mortifying moment where a breathwork teacher forgets to breathe during sled pushes, plus a thoughtful exploration of midlife body composition, visceral fat, strength training, protein, sleep, stress management and the challenge of chasing goals without hating your body.

If you’ve ever felt the tug of diet culture, the sting of “should”, or the fear that you’re failing because your body is changing, you’ll feel seen here. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review, then come tell us your own confession or biggest takeaway in our socials and free Facebook group.

Got a question or comment? Send us a text message here!

Thank you for listening.

You can continue the conversation with us in the Far 2 Fabulous Facebook group. Come and connect with other women on a journey to empowered health.

For more information about Julie Clark Nutrition, click HERE
For more information about Catherine Chapman, click HERE

If you enjoy the podcast and would like to support the show, you can buy us a coffee HERE. Your support helps us continue creating episodes and improving our recording setup.

We look forward to you joining us on the next episode.

Episode 144

One diet works wonders for your friend and does nothing for you, so what’s actually going on? We’re pulling back the curtain on what 25 years in nutrition really teaches, and it’s not a miracle supplement or a perfect meal plan. It’s the messy, empowering truth that health is personal, symptoms have context, and real progress comes from understanding your body rather than copying someone else’s rules.

I share the biggest lessons I’ve learned from thousands of client conversations, from why “one size fits all” advice fails to how modern functional testing can take the guesswork out of gut health, hormones and nutrient status. We talk about the trap of restriction culture, especially for women over 40, and why focusing on nourishment often helps more than building longer lists of foods to avoid. If you’re active, tired, dealing with cravings, or stuck in a cycle of undereating, this will land.

We also connect the dots between stress, the nervous system and physical symptoms like IBS, sleep disruption, appetite swings and hormone changes. Sometimes the most effective protocol isn’t another pill, it’s recovery: better sleep habits, breathwork, downtime, hydration and a calmer baseline. And if you want a practical north star for healthy ageing, we make a strong case for muscle, strength training and capability over the number on the scales.

If you’re ready for personalised nutrition, better midlife wellness, and a no-nonsense approach to healthy ageing, press play, then subscribe, leave a review, and share this with a friend who needs a boost. What’s one change you’re willing to try this week?

Got a question or comment? Send us a text message here!

Thank you for listening.

You can continue the conversation with us in the Far 2 Fabulous Facebook group. Come and connect with other women on a journey to empowered health.

For more information about Julie Clark Nutrition, click HERE
For more information about Catherine Chapman, click HERE

If you enjoy the podcast and would like to support the show, you can buy us a coffee HERE. Your support helps us continue creating episodes and improving our recording setup.

We look forward to you joining us on the next episode.

Episode 143: Finger Lickin' Frightening! 28 Days of Fried Chicken

Fried chicken for every meal sounds like a stunt, until you see what 28 days of ultra-processed food does to a real body and a real mind. We sit down with Mo Gilligan’s Big Chicken: A Fast Food Conspiracy and follow the thread from “harmless takeaway” to cravings, mood shifts, and health markers moving alarmingly fast in the wrong direction, including a jump in HbA1c that edges closer to type 2 diabetes. It’s the kind of watch that makes you look at your shopping trolley differently the next day.

We talk honestly about ultra-processed foods and addiction: why some products are designed to keep you reaching for the next bite, why hunger can feel louder after a weekend of processed snacks, and how “just use willpower” misses what’s really happening in the brain and body. We also get into food and mood, because the documentary captures something many of us recognise: low energy, feeling flat, and that sense your sparkle has been dialled down. If we keep calling it a mental health crisis while ignoring what we’re eating, we’re only treating the symptoms.

Then we widen the lens to the system behind the food: environmental damage from intensive farming, water contamination, antibiotics, and the human cost of production lines where dignity is treated as optional. It’s heavy, but we finish with practical power, what we choose to buy, how to bring the 80-20 rule back the right way round, and how to eat well without demonising food or living on kale.

If this conversation lights a fire in you, share it with a friend, come and tell us your thoughts in the Facebook group, and please subscribe and leave us a review so more people can find the show.

Got a question or comment? Send us a text message here!

Thank you for listening.

You can continue the conversation with us in the Far 2 Fabulous Facebook group. Come and connect with other women on a journey to empowered health.

For more information about Julie Clark Nutrition, click HERE
For more information about Catherine Chapman, click HERE

If you enjoy the podcast and would like to support the show, you can buy us a coffee HERE. Your support helps us continue creating episodes and improving our recording setup.

We look forward to you joining us on the next episode.