For the next three weeks I’m revisiting some powerful menopause conversations from the podcast archive. What do you need to know about hormone production to support your body? How can you regulate your nervous system during this time of upheaval? Is menopause the beginning of the end, or the start of your most creative years? Whether you’re navigating this transition yourself or supporting a loved one, I trust you’ll gain direction, clarity, and comfort.

What is your most precious currency: time or money? Do you need to be ‘always available’? Entrepreneur and business consultant Michael Glenister introduces his personal development guide Take Back Time, proving that you cannot value your time unless you value yourself. Learn to reclaim control over your time - not by squeezing more into each day, but by reflecting on your values, priorities, and purpose. Michael offers a strategic approach to aligning your daily choices with your deepest values, honouring what matters most and experiencing true fulfilment.

In this solo podcast, Mariette opens up about losing her job and identity as a women’s magazine journalist and proceeding to create her own wellness platform. Using Martha Beck’s change cycle, she discusses feeling like “bug soup,” taking a leap of faith, accepting help, and planning and monetizing her offering. She shares encountering huge challenges, exciting opportunities for expansion, one game changer, and the big-hearted support of her loved ones, clients, colleagues, friends and – importantly – her audience.

On 1 February 2021, I launched my website and podcast series holding my breath, but now my platform proudly showcases the expertise of 160 individuals from over the world. What a privilege to amplify the voices of health, wellness & relationship professionals, creatives, and courageous individuals confronting huge challenges. I treasure the birthday wishes many of them have sent me - a virtual celebration spanning continents. Do take a peek!

What does it take to recover from any form of addiction? ‘Soberness’ podcast host Cat Greenleaf shares her journey out of fame and into recovery, healing from substance abuse, job loss, and life-long depression. She considers why there is no single, one-size-fits-all path to sobriety, navigating shame and guilt, how loved ones may help, and how real-life stories can act as road maps.

Are you single and yearning for a steady relationship, but not sure if it will happen - and how? Global matchmaker and life coach Michelle de Lange explains how matchmaking can help individuals find authentic long-term relationships. She discusses in-person and virtual dating (local or international), first dates, addressing emotional baggage, and how to handle feeling shy or awkward.

Can the unsettling experience of retirement lead to fresh discoveries, a more expansive identity and a deepened contribution? Dr Vasu Tolia outlines her transition from medicine and academic work to visual art, starting as a complete beginner in a new field and evolving into a different person by maintaining her healing focus. She discusses the neuroscience behind beauty as biological nourishment and the advantages of art rotation.

Are you tender with yourself? Transformational coach and change consultant Gail Cox probes what mindfulness and self-compassion really entail, including slowing down and softening, being where your feet are, and ‘kind-ing your mind.’ Relating stories from her own life, she illuminates having a free pass versus giving oneself a permission slip, and healing from psoriasis. Sponsored content.

Wouldn’t it be helpful if you and your partner knew whether one of you had a “blocked” eye or ear? Educational kinesiologist Annette Zeelie explains how Brain Gym® can determine individuals’ stress profiles, and enhance brain function through targeted movement. Children as well as adults can improve their concentration, communication, memory, stress management, emotional self-regulation, self-confidence, sport and academic achievement – and relationships.

Did you know that stories are the most effective way to embed behaviour in the human brain? President of The Storytellers Channel and international radio show host Gayle Turner explains how intentional storytelling – and listening – can help parents instil values, aid decision making and cultivate a sense of belonging in their children. Wisely sharing lived experiences can teach others perseverance in the face of adversity and deepen precious connections.

Instead of losing all hope when faced with a debilitating eye condition, stroke and acute depression, Dr Arien van der Merwe found ways to grow into a more perceptive, empathic healer. She explains how neuroplasticity helped her recover from paralysis, discusses the placebo versus the nocebo effect and metabolic syndrome, and lists her personal tips for self-care.

ADHD is often labelled “a problem.” Dr Albert Bramante, New York talent agent with a background in psychology, suggests ways to reframe the so-called drawbacks of being neurodivergent. He offers practical advice on creating systems that honour the way the brain works, redefining success and failure, handling criticism, and countering self-sabotaging behaviour.

When retiring from a busy urology practice, Dr Hans Rabe (now 76) set himself the goal of playing UNISA’s most advanced piano exam. Despite having to play through the pain due to autoimmune arthritis, he achieved an A+. Savour this story of retirement, reinvention and resilience, told with a quirky sense of humour.

Chronic disease alters the daily functioning and quality of life of the individual with the diagnosis - the same applies to their partner. Educational psychologist Lidalize Grobler explores the physical, emotional and financial challenges a couple may face, energy budgeting, realistic expectations, and flare-ups. She offers valuable pointers on creating emotional safety, deepening trust, and finding intimacy in shared resilience.

Raising four children as a single parent, receiving a breast cancer diagnosis and undergoing a nine-hour surgical procedure - amidst other losses - could not extinguish Cecelia Jansen’s faith. Then she met a man who looked beyond her scars, saw her heart, and helped her realise a life-long dream. Listen to an inspiring story of courage and hope.

Even though our thoughts are mental events, not facts, we may find them overwhelming. Clinical psychologist Dr Colinda Linde explains how ACT teaches us psychological flexibility, including unhooking ourselves from self-criticism and riding out discomfort or anxiety. She discusses the 6 core processes involved in ACT, and committing to actions that serve our values.

Do you experience our world as secure and predictable, or find it overwhelming and anxiety provoking? “Complexity nerd” Sonja Blignaut  considers how AfrikaBurn mirrors life’s complexity, becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable, the difference between complicated and complex systems, and developing 4 meta-skills aimed at thriving in an entangled world.

When we face high-pressure situations, we often lose our cool. Executive producer and educator Gabriel Dibble explains how the ability to pause, find clarity and respond - not react - benefits us personally and professionally. Offering research-based, actionable insights into developing emotional control and regulation, Gabriel explains how this builds respect and trust.  

If men have a biological tendency to seek self-worth through personal, independent performance, what happens when they can’t work or don’t reach their goals? Executive coach Neil Bierbaum explores manhood and the 4 stages of maturity, including a possible mid-life crisis. He discusses countering the loss of identity and recognition by deliberately creating a meaningful context and cultivating acceptance.

Many of us fear that Artificial Intelligence may undermine our jobs, purpose and humanity. Neurologist Dr Etienne van der Walt discusses the respective strengths of AI and Biological Intelligence or BI, AI’s increasing ability to show empathy, and existing differences between AI and BI. He advocates leading teams toward achieving the flow state and applying hybrid intelligence to achieve optimal outcomes.