This episode is part of my special three-part series with Dr. Lucy Caratti: How the Medical System is Failing Women in Perimenopause.

In Episode 1, we dive into Mental Health in Perimenopause and the Hidden Hormone / Nervous System Link. So often women are told their struggles are simply the result of isolated symptoms, just part of aging, or that nothing can really be done.

Together, Lucy and I unpack how hormonal fluctuations, a frayed nervous system, and long-held core beliefs collide in midlife, leaving so many women anxious, depleted, and questioning themselves.

This isn’t about character flaws. It’s about biology and psychology intersecting in ways most of us were never taught to understand, and reframing this struggle as part of a bigger, more hopeful picture.

Connect with Dr. Lucy Caratti:
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In this episode, I talk about why midlife feels so destabilising when the coping strategies that once kept you afloat, such as, people-pleasing, perfectionism, over-functioning suddenly stop working.

I explain that capacity is biological, not about willpower, and how it shifts moment to moment depending on sleep, food, stress, and even who you spend time with.

I share why pushing beyond capacity takes us out of our window, why burnout isn’t a personal failure, and how midlife is actually an invitation to stop overriding your body and start working with it.

In this episode, I explore the hidden cost of pushing through and overriding our body’s signals.

From the emotional suppression that ramps up cortisol and adrenaline, to the perimenopausal symptoms we dismiss as “just stress,” I break down what happens when we ignore ourselves.

I also share why midlife can be an awakening, and how learning to listen, rather than override, is the first step toward real healing.

In this episode, I explore what it really means to heal at the root. Not just fixing symptoms or chasing quick solutions, but looking at ourselves as whole beings, physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual.

I share how bypassing, especially spiritual bypassing, can keep us stuck, and why true healing requires meeting our physiology first, then weaving in the mind, emotions, and spirit.

Healing isn’t about perfection or constant calm, it’s about capacity, connection, and coming home to yourself.

In this episode, I unpack the real difference between stress and trauma, and why so many people get confused. I explain what trauma really is (it’s not the event, but the experience in your body), how stress and trauma overlap, and why capacity is the key.

I also share a real client story about moving from chronic people-pleasing into what she beautifully calls “fussy capacity.”

You can read every self-help book and know your trauma story inside-out, and still feel stuck.

In this episode, I unpack why insight alone doesn’t shift old patterns, how living disconnected from your body keeps you looping, and why integration and insight is important.

I share real examples, client reflections, and practical steps to bridge the gap between knowing and actually living differently.

In this week's episode we explore what Functional Freeze looks like and how being in this blended state can look like competence, but that in fact it's keeping you operational while shutting you down from your true needs.

I'll unpack what it is (and isn’t), how it forms in childhood, and how to tell it apart from high sympathetic stress. And I'll also introduce fawning - the people-pleasing survival strategy that often occurs alongside freeze, and explore practical ways to start thawing.

Anxiety, burnout, emotional numbness - what if these aren’t just symptoms, but signs your nervous system is stuck in survival mode?

In this episode, I unpack what nervous system dysregulation really feels like, why it often hides behind high-functioning behaviours, and how to recognise the patterns in your own life. We’ll explore the key nervous system states (fight/flight, shutdown, and regulation), what they look like day-to-day, and how to begin shifting from coping to true resourcing.

If rest feels impossible or you’re doing “all the right things” but still not healing - this one’s for you.