I used to say, with pride, that I was driven to achieve—results-driven and driven to succeed, driven to lose weight, driven to get things done! But as it turned out, that was not a recipe for happy success. 

When you’re driven, you’re the passenger right? At the mercy of where the driver wants to take you and how they want to drive!—Whether it’s slow as a snail or reckless and relentless, side-swiping everything in the way and leaving you arriving at your destination feeling like a wreck: weight and health issues, relationships in tatters, exhausted and unable to find the joy. 

But when you’re the driver, you’re in control. Your hands are on the wheel, your feet are on the pedals, and you decide where you want to go. You can pull over for rest stops when you need them and take detours to explore the things that bring you joy. 

Being driven means your internal forces are controlling your thoughts, feelings, and responses. It feels like you’re making the choices, but reall...

You know that feeling when you’re absolutely drained, running on fumes, and all you want is something—something salty, something sweet, something bold?

It’s not just about hunger. It’s about relief.

We chase bolder, richer flavours—not because we need more taste, but because we need something to cut through the noise of life: The exhaustion, the never-ending to-do lists and the feeling of being stretched too thin.

Food becomes a crutch, a way to push back against burnout. But instead of grounding us, it does the opposite.

It overstimulates our senses. It keeps our nervous system wired. And over time, it traps us in a loop of craving—because our taste buds adapt, demanding more intensity just to feel something.

So, how do we break free?

Instead of tightening down, think about loosening up: Off First with this “Long Weekend Every Month” Hack  

✔ Choose simple, real food. Fresh vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains. The fewer ingredients, the better.

✔ Di...

The other day, a friend sighed and said, “2025 has been a long year already.” 

We laughed, but honestly? I think a lot of people feel the same way. 

It’s barely February, and yet the pace is relentless isn’t it? The holidays feel like a distant memory, emails are piling up, and the to-do lists aren’t getting any shorter. We power through, promising ourselves we’ll rest later. But later never really comes, does it? 

Before we know it, we’re crawling into December, running on fumes, wondering how another year slipped through our fingers. 

What’s the problem? We don’t plan for rest—we just hope it happens. 

Why You’re More Exhausted Than You Realize 

If you’ve ever felt like the second half of the year hits harder, there’s a reason for that. 

At first glance, the start of the year feels full of public holidays—until you realize most of them cluster within a few short weeks in April and May. After that…well it’s a marathon to December where there’s only one l...

It’s time now to put away thoughts of schedules, deadlines, and work pressures and start moving into the joy of Christmas cheer and the New Year.

What has been your biggest highlight this year? I think for me it’s been that constant evolution of awareness of what I’ve been doing – how I’ve been thinking, feeling and dealing with life and what I do on a daily basis that is or isn’t taking me to the future I envision for myself.

And like most people, the moments of bravery, happiness, and confidence from the first half of the year have been forgotten. Yet, it’s important to carry those moments forward into 2025, ready to be brave, happy, and confident all over again!

As we wind down the year, I wanted to share some lighter, more whimsical ways to enjoy the festive season. Let’s take a look at how we can tread lightly and smile more this Christmas—as seen through the eyes of Buddy the Elf and Winnie the Pooh.

Whilst these two unlikely sages might come from different wor...

How are you feeling? Energised and full of life or do you feel like you’re dragging yourself across the finish line of 2024?  

Have you been working like you don’t have a family, whilst being the best wife and mother like you don’t have a job, juggling it all and wearing yourself down to a nub in the process? 

How do we get ourselves in these crazy situations?  

Because we wanted a better life….. the problem is we’re not getting it because we’ve mis-managed our mental, emotional and physical energy but we keep applying the same strategy of work harder to pull us out of it.  

And if you’re like I was, all you can hear in your mind is George Jetson stuck on the treadmill that’s spinning faster than his legs can run, yelling out, “Jane! Stop this crazy thing!” 

The Science Behind Your Crazy Treadmill 

Did you know, we don’t end up here by accident? Our biology, neurology, and psychology are all conspiring to keep us stuck in these patterns not because they don’t...

A friend once shared a story about an injury that left him walking with a limp. Long after the pain was gone, he realized he was still limping—protecting himself from something that no longer existed. It was a lightbulb moment for him. He decided to change. 

It got me thinking: where in life are you still limping? 

• Emotionally: Avoiding tough conversations or holding back from love, connection, or adventure because fear of rejection feels safer than risking vulnerability. 
  
  
• Mentally: Trapped in self-doubt, overthinking every decision, or replaying the same old stories about why you can’t have or don’t deserve more. 
  
  
• Physically: Ignoring your body’s signals—pushing through exhaustion, aches, or stress—because it feels easier than pausing to face what might need to change. 
  
  
• Financially: Not asking for the promotion you’ve earned or hesitating to take charge of your finances, even when the opportunities for growth are right in front of you. 
  
  
• At Home: Silently carrying the ...

We’ve talked about goals. We’ve talked about systems. Now it’s time to stop talking and start doing. 

If you’ve ever set a goal—lose weight, get fit, earn more money, fix your health—and felt the sting of coming up short, you already know this: goal setting isn’t goal attainment. 

If you’ve been missing the mark on achieving personal goals, over and over and over again, it’s you don’t have the tools, structure, or systems to make it happen. 

Trying harder, doing more, pushing harder, hustling longer—it's what we do, but that’s not the answer and even if you have success, chances are you’ll have sacrificed something important along the way – health, relationships, friendships, life enjoyment? 

Women’s Personal Health Leadership™ (WPHL) is how you redefine success through health-led life leadership. 

Women in their 40s are realizing they’ve painted themselves into a corner in one way or another—and they don’t know how to get out. If you’re one of them, WPHL shows y...

What do you want?  

Do you want:  

A new job?  

To work for yourself? 

Get out of the house more? 

Be at home more?  

Renovate your home (or life)? 

To be in love? 

To be married? 

To be single? 

More money?  

More freedom?  

To travel?  

To relocate?  

More friends?  

More fun?  

Some satisfaction in your life?  

Less challenges?  

Do you want to be the boss?  

Do you want to retire?  

Do you a baby (another baby?)  

Play sport? 

Learn a language?  

What is it that you actually want?  

And more importantly, what is it that you don’t want!?! 

I have always been driven, I just didn’t always know where I was driving myself too!  

NO CLUE!  

When I was younger, I was driven, unfortunately I didn’t know what I was driven for! My dreams weren’t exactly ground-breaking. They were just the same things we all want, in a nutshell, a better life.   

But here’s my frustration I had then: I’d set so many goals—some of them the same ones, over ...

Can we have an honest moment? I used to think that if I just tried hard enough, I’d crack the code. That if I read the right books, tried the right diet, or finally nailed the perfect plan, I’d figure it out. 

And for a while, that worked. Kind of. I mean, I was busy—I had lists, journals, and ideas coming out of my ears. I was trying things, learning, tweaking, but nothing really changed. I was still stuck in the same cycles, the same frustrations, the same place. 

I told myself I just needed to try harder. But honestly? It wasn’t about effort—it was about perspective. 

The Problem with Doing It All Yourself 

When you’re the one holding all the pieces, it’s easy to get lost in the mess. I didn’t realize how much time I was wasting trying to connect dots that weren’t meant to connect. I was trying harder, but I wasn’t moving forward. 

I remember thinking, “Why does this feel impossible?” The truth? It wasn’t impossible—I just didn’t have the right tools. 

The...

Have you ever had one of those moments where you realize you’ve been looking the other way? I don’t mean physically—I mean when something in your life has been staring you down, but you’ve managed to sidestep it, just enough to get by. 

I’ve been there. When I was 20kg heavier, I became an expert at looking away. I’d only glance at mirrors from flattering angles, had a set of “safe” clothes that fit no matter what, and avoided cameras like the plague. It worked, mostly. Until it didn’t. 

The truth would creep up on me at the worst times. A photo I didn’t approve. A social event that couldn’t be avoided. The tight waistband of something I hadn’t worn in months. It wasn’t just the weight—I felt like my life was shrinking in other ways, too. My world shrank. I stopped saying yes to things. I stayed home, ate my feelings, and told myself it was easier this way. 

But here’s the thing: even in the mess of it all, I never completely gave up hope. I didn’t know it at the time, b...