Have you ever heard the phrase "The ghost in the machine”?  

In technology, it’s used to refer to something unknown that interferes with the proper functioning of a program, sometimes also known as a glitch in the system.  

The ghost in the machine is, to me, the perfect way to explain some of the odder things we do as humans, and is a good way to explain what’s happening when experiences from our past are activating in the present moment and interfering with how we normally behave.  

Our nervous system and certain parts of our brain often have a reaction to something that is happening now based on something that happened in the past. We often experience irrational thoughts feelings and behaviours affecting ‘a now’ moment even though the now is nothing to do with, or like, the past. Without realising it, we’re constantly interpreting the present through the lens of the past and we’re moved by redundant impulses which we cannot explain to ourselves or others. 

As Sendhil...

There’s a Harvard economist, Sendhil Mullainathan, who studied something most people wouldn’t think to question… why we make decisions that don’t line up with what we say we want. Not from a motivation angle. Not from a “try harder” angle.

But from what’s actually happening to the brain under pressure. What he found was simple, and a bit confronting… when time, money, energy or mental space feel tight, the brain doesn’t rise to the occasion. It narrows. It locks onto what’s urgent. And everything else — including long-term goals — quietly drops out of view. 

When I first came across that, it stopped me in my tracks a little. Because it explains something most women feel but can’t quite put words to… why food is easy when life is calm, and suddenly feels like a different game when the day has been long, messy, or mentally draining. 

It’s not random. It’s not a lack of discipline. It’s that moment where your brain shifts into “just get me through this” mode. And once you see...

I’m always on about how small adjustments are easier to implement than big change, and that small adjustments repeated every day will lead to great change in our weight over time.

But frankly, most people don’t actually believe me. They don’t believe it’s true. Sure, in theory it sounds good, but in practice, it seems unlikely.

So let’s look at it from the other side of the coin. How do we gain 5, 10, 15, 20… or more kilos?

We make small adjustments, repeat them daily, and they lead to great change we don’t want.

What kind of adjustments, I hear you ask? These kinds:
• We let our belt out one notch at a time when our waistband feels tight
• We start wearing roomier clothes when things get too tight to do up or start restricting us
• We stop getting on the scales when we don’t like the message they deliver
• When we look at ourselves in the mirror, we turn to the most flattering angle or avoid looking altogether
• We feel an uncomfortable emotion and soothe it with fo...

I imagine you’ve felt this too, like there’s an invisible architecture running your life? 

And it’s true, there actually is.  

It’s a system that’s been quietly built over years: thought by thought, feeling by feeling, reaction by reaction. 

What it is, is the behind-the-scenes blueprint of your habits:  

• The way your nervous system has learned to protect you.  

• The shortcuts your brain created to avoid discomfort. 

• The patterns that now play out without you even noticing — until they take the wheel. 

That’s why, even with your very best of intentions, you find yourself slipping back into the same old habits:   

• Saying yes when you’re already stretched.  

• Snapping at your partner, then feeling guilty. 

• Eating past the point of fullness, then wondering why you did it again. 

• Scrolling when you promised yourself you’d go to bed early. 

But it’s not self-sabotage. 

It’s an efficient system doing what it’s m...

The other day, I overheard someone say, “I just need to smash this next goal—and then I’ll figure out what’s next.” 

It stuck with me, because I think that’s how most people live without realizing it. I certainly did!  

Goal to goal. Hustle to hustle. 

Like jumping between stepping stones without knowing where the path is actually heading. 

And sure, it feels productive. 

You’re ticking boxes and you’re moving. 

But at some point, you look up and realize… you’re not actually getting anywhere you wanted to go. 

The Truth About Goals (That No One Tells You) 

Most of us set goals like putting pins in a map: 

✔ Lose 5 kilos. 

✔ Get the promotion. 

✔ Save for a holiday. 

But a map full of pins isn’t a plan, it’s not creating a vision. 

It’s just a collection of isolated wins that don’t necessarily add up to the life you really want. 

No wonder so many people feel restless even after they ‘achieve’ something. 

If your goals aren’t conn...

 
I’m often asked why I don’t talk about food. I mean, I’m all about weight loss—shouldn’t I be talking about food? 

In my opinion, food is very simple. Yes, we need to make changes to what we eat and how we prepare it, but food is only one piece of the puzzle. 

Despite the overwhelming amount of contradictory advice and eating styles out there, healthy eating—and eating in a way that supports long-term weight loss—is actually pretty simple. Not always easy, mind you… but we’ll talk more about that later. 

Honestly, what I eat day to day is pretty similar—as it is for most people. There’s nothing particularly exciting or “Instagrammable” about it. 

I’ve got no desire to invent mouth-watering gourmet meals. The whole point of Dietless Living® was to forget about food and focus on living. 

Every diet I was ever on made food the centre of the universe: 

• What I could and couldn’t eat 
  
• Weighing, measuring, and counting carbs, protein, fibre, and fats 
  
• When to eat,...

Here we are in fabulous July. 

That strange little month where half the year has slipped past… and the pressure starts to creep in. 

The goals you set in January are staring back at you, half-finished or untouched.

Maybe you’re tempted to reboot, refocus, or make up for lost time right now?

But what if you changed your perspective from “Crap, I thought I would be much further along by now!” to “”This is a relay not a race, let me expand my vision out further and build on what I’ve already accomplished” 

Most people will spend the next 2 months trying to get some traction. Then they will get to September, realise that really, they only have 2 more months until the compounding effects of Christmas starts to be seen in their diary and they will pick up their pace and try to get 6 months of tasks done in 2. They’ll then lose all momentum in December, only to start over again in January…. why is it the same every year. 

Well, here’s an idea for you to try. 

Here we are in fabulous July. 

That strange little month where half the year has slipped past… and the pressure starts to creep in. 

The goals you set in January are staring back at you, half-finished or untouched.

Maybe you’re tempted to reboot, refocus, or make up for lost time right now?

But what if you changed your perspective from “Crap, I thought I would be much further along by now!” to “”This is a relay not a race, let me expand my vision out further and build on what I’ve already accomplished” 

Most people will spend the next 2 months trying to get some traction. Then they will get to September, realise that really, they only have 2 more months until the compounding effects of Christmas starts to be seen in their diary and they will pick up their pace and try to get 6 months of tasks done in 2. They’ll then lose all momentum in December, only to start over again in January…. why is it the same every year. 

Well, here’s an idea for you to try. 

Inste...

Oh, how I love a winter's day. It truly makes my happy heart sing.  

But most people don’t feel the same as I do, they feel it’s too dark, too cold, and too much temptation to stay glued to the couch. 

But what I love about winter is it can be one of the most powerful seasons for personal growth. 

Not because you do more, but because you can think more. 

When we lean into the slower pace, we can start to notice things: 

• Like how a crisp morning walk makes you feel alive 
  
  
• How moving your body, even gently, warms up your mood just as much as your muscles 
  
  
• And how a cool evening walk settles you down faster than a glass of wine 

So this winter, instead of trying to push through it, what if you collaborated with it? 

Here are a few small, mighty ideas: 

• Start your day with light: open blinds and step outside for 5 minutes and breathe in the aromas of a winter morning 
  
• Warm up to move: play your favourite song and dance while still in your PJ’s 
  
• Pla...

I was in my 40s, working full time, running a household and doing the do that every “respectable 40 year old” does. Getting pulled in every direction and believing that was how it should be. 

I was knackered and felt like I was being tossed around in a washing machine most days. 

I really wanted to do things on the weekend, you know, start a hobby, see friends, stay connected but instead my weekends were taken up with all of lifes admin and recovering from the week and preparing for the next one.  

It’s sad when what we’re looking forward to on the weekend is sleeping and watching TV!  

I was really struggling to live the life I wanted to live and feeling the pinch that I was actually middle aged now! Crikey, where did that time go!? 

I thought if I could just lose the weight for a final time, if I could get that burden off my shoulders then I would have a shot at the rest and then I could be happy! 

The problem was I had already tried everything to reach tha...