Alcohol is everywhere in midlife, the jokes, the cards, the “just have one”, the promise that it will take the edge off. But what if it is quietly taking more than it gives? We sit down with Anna Sudbury, a sober coach and fellow marathon runner, to talk honestly about what made her ditch the drink, how she navigated weddings, work culture, and parenting, and why she now calls sobriety the bravest thing she has done.

We get into the real mechanics, not just willpower. Anna explains why “one drink” can turn into three, how alcohol messes with dopamine, and why early sobriety can feel flat while your brain resets. We also challenge the idea that quitting is only for people with a capital-P Problem. If you are a high-functioning drinker who still wakes up foggy, anxious, regretful, or simply fed up with the mental arithmetic, this chat will land.

You will hear practical ways to make change stick: “play the take forward”, keep the Friday-night ritual without the booze, and stock your fridge like a pub so it feels like choice rather than deprivation. We also talk perimenopause and why alcohol can aggravate hot flushes, sleep, skin flushing, and recovery when you are trying to feel strong. The goal is simple: notice the “glimmers”, protect tomorrow’s joy, and build a life you do not want to escape from.

If this conversation helps, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave us a review so more women can find it. Where are you most likely to feel pressured to drink, and what would make it easier to choose yourself?

A huge thank you to Anna for this extremely honest conversation. You can find Anna on her socials HERE.

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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
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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.

You can feel “fine” on paper and still know something is off. That quiet mismatch is where today’s conversation begins, with our guest Kelly Pietrangeli, founder of Project Me, long-time coach, retreat host in Ibiza, and now a Soul Plan practitioner who has read hundreds of charts for women craving clarity. We talk honestly about what happens when you become a mum and suddenly lose the identity you built through work, friendships, and the life you used to live, and how that can spiral into stress, shouting, and feeling like a hot mess behind the scenes.

Kelly shares the practical tool that helped her rebuild: the Project Me Life Wheel, a monthly check-in across health, family, love, work, money, fun, and personal growth. We dig into why balance is not a perfect target, how to spot what is slipping before it becomes a crisis, and why writing things down can unlock momentum. From there, the conversation opens up into synchronicities, journalling questions before sleep, dream tracking, and the “breadcrumb trail” moments that shaped her move to Ibiza and the surprising timing of her 2020 vision becoming real.

We also go deeper into inner wellbeing, from breathwork and meditation to emotional awareness, energy protection, and stepping out of fear-based collective noise. Kelly explains Soul Plan readings and why understanding your talents, challenges, and purpose can stop comparison and put you back in your lane. We finish with a powerful health reality check: osteoporosis, heavy weight training for women, protein, creatine, and the mindset shift that makes strength feel empowering rather than intimidating, plus our favourite time and phone habits to reclaim minutes that actually change your day.

If you enjoy thoughtful wellness with a dash of humour and real-life tools you can use immediately, subscribe, share with a friend, and leave us a review so more women can find the show. What part of the conversation are you going to try this week?

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

Click HERE to support us.

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 128: What If Recovery Isn't Getting Back to Before? Maria Henthorne's Breast Cancer Journey (Featuring The Naughty Tit)

A marathon medal is still glowing in your memories when a routine mammogram turns into a callback, a biopsy, and the words nobody wants to hear: breast cancer. We’re joined by our friend Maria Henthorn, whose diagnosis arrived soon after the Brighton Marathon, and we talk honestly about what it feels like when life splits into “before” and “after” overnight.

Maria shares the practical steps she takes to protect her mental health from day one: stepping back from work, leaning on friends, getting outside, and keeping movement as a steady anchor. We explore how treatment plans can change quickly from a lumpectomy to a mastectomy, how support can feel overwhelming at first, and why humour can be a powerful way to hold on to identity when your body and routine are no longer yours.

We also go deep on what often gets missed in breast cancer conversations: life after active treatment. Maria describes surgical menopause after hormone-positive breast cancer, the insomnia, fatigue and joint pain that can follow, and the frustration of feeling like the system saves your life but leaves you to manage quality of life alone. She talks about advocating for yourself, finding better resources, adjusting training, protecting bone health with strength work, and making lifestyle changes like stopping alcohol to reduce risk factors.

If you care about breast cancer awareness, menopause after cancer, patient advocacy, and realistic wellbeing strategies that fit real life, this conversation will stay with you. Subscribe, share it with someone who might need it, and leave us a review so more women can find the support they deserve.

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

Click HERE to support us.

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.