Episode 101: How to Feel Good in December Without Rules, Guilt or Starting Again in January

December can feel like a relay race with no finish line, which is why we slowed things down to build a flexible, human approach to the holidays. We talk candidly about keeping energy high without rigid rules: water on the table, sleep that stays sacred, five quiet minutes that change your digestion, and an 80–20 food strategy that lets you enjoy parties without wrecking your week. It’s the practical, guilt-free guide to feeling good when schedules and snacks start multiplying.

We start with the foundations that do the heavy lifting: hydration habits that actually stick (yes, alternating drinks matters), and sleep boundaries that survive party season by shifting meetups and winding down with low lights and warm drinks. Then we move into nervous system care—micro-rituals like a two-minute breathing pause before meals to switch into rest-and-digest, plus simple evening cues that help you fall asleep faster. On the nutrition side, we explain why protein at breakfast steadies blood sugar and cravings all day, how batch cooking soups and dals makes healthy the easy choice, and why the microbiome loves fibre but hates sugar. Expect clear advice on supplements too: vitamin C and zinc for immunity, magnesium for stress and sleep, probiotics for gut support, digestive enzymes for heavy meals, and milk thistle to help the liver when alcohol shows up.

Movement stays joyful and bite-sized. Think kitchen discos, stair sprints, power minutes in your walk, and short home workouts that keep your rhythm when the gym closes. We also give permission to let go of food perfection and enjoy genuinely special seasonal treats without judgment. Along the way, we share green flags and red flags—like feeling inexplicably cold or becoming decision-paralysed—that signal when it’s time to pull back and reset.

If you want a calmer holiday that still feels festive, this is your playbook: protect the basics, add tiny rituals, and choose habits over hype. If it helps, share it with a friend who needs a gentler December. And if you enjoy the show, subscribe, leave a review, and tell us your non-negotiables for the season—we’d love to hear them.

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

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

Episode 100

Confetti, cake, and a truth bomb: hitting 100 episodes wasn’t about luck, it was about relentless consistency, a lot of curiosity, and one very chatty stomach. We look back at the conversations that made us rethink everything—from the guest who schooled us on neuroplasticity to the series that turned hormone chaos into everyday sense. If you’ve ever wondered why your focus wobbles, how gut health actually influences mood, or whether midlife is a slide or a springboard, you’ll feel right at home.

We unpack why downloads don’t tell the whole story and why the listener who learns while walking the dog matters more than any leaderboard. You’ll hear how we make chemistry friendly—turning enzymes, neurotransmitters and cortisol into practical tools you can use—and why “no” can be the most powerful wellness strategy. We also revisit sober curiosity, where a single question can shift decades of habit, and explore weight‑loss narratives with nuance, compassion, and science instead of shortcuts. Through it all, we keep returning to one idea: consistency beats perfection. Whether it’s strength training, sleep hygiene, breathwork, or boundary setting, small steps done often change everything.

Pull back the curtain with us on the homemade studio, the inevitable pet cameos, and the laughter we try—and fail—to hold in before the edit. Then look ahead: more expert voices, more practical frameworks, and a bigger community where women trade confusion for agency. Midlife isn’t a crisis; it’s an upgrade, and we’re here for the software refresh. If our kitchen‑table approach has helped you feel stronger, calmer, or a little more you, help us grow this circle—subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a quick review. What was your favourite lightbulb moment? We’d love to hear it.

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

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

Episode 99: When Life Stops Overnight. Maddie Harland’s Journey From Stage to Stillness.

What happens when the show must go on collides with a diagnosis that stops everything? We sit down with Maddy Haaland—once a West End performer, now an acupuncturist and coach in Whitstable—to trace a life that moved from bright lights to deep healing without losing its song. Her story begins with ballet dreams, shifts into musical theatre, and confronts the pressure most audiences never see: relentless auditions, constant feedback, and the quiet toll of perfectionism. Then comes stage four lymphoma on press night—exhaustion, insomnia, a burning itch no lotion could soothe—and a startling feeling of relief when the fear finally had a name.

From treatment and clinical trials to a reimagined identity, Maddy shares the moment her ambition changed shape and why gentleness became non‑negotiable. We explore how acupuncture helped her regulate a jangled nervous system, sleep again, and build a practice that invites calm: heated blankets, soft music, and a conversation that treats the whole person. She explains meridians and qi in clear, practical terms—pain as stagnation, needles as a way to restore flow—and why clients who arrive for tennis elbow or menopause insomnia often leave with something larger: permission to feel safe, connected, and at home in their own bodies.

We also dive into survivorship anxiety, the persistent undertow of waiting for results, and the unspoken shame many carry about being unwell. Maddy’s new coaching group creates room for messy truth and mutual understanding, while her ChiChiFit classes bring back the joy of movement—show tunes, sweat, no mirrors, all welcome. It’s a portrait of life after crisis that honours both grief and delight, trading hustle for presence and finding tribe along the way.

If this conversation resonates, subscribe and leave a review to help others find the show. Share it with someone who needs a gentler path forward, and tell us: what part of Maddy’s journey stayed with you?

You can find Maddy on Instagram HERE

FaceBook HERE

Acupuncture information

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

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