Laura Philips - Real Talk

Do you find yourself wanting to lose 5-10kg every single year and not knowing why you still haven't lost the weight? ⁣

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Chances are the goals you're setting are missing a piece that's stoping them from sticking. ⁣

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All too often we set goals thinking that we're setting them to better ourselves when in reality, we're setting them to prove to ourselves that we will never achieve them. We fail to realise how goal setting can often form part of a self sabotaging loop which continues to keep us stuck. ⁣

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When you set goals with the intention of wanting to create space for you to grow into, to expand, evolve and shift, suddenly the goal becomes less about the goal and rather the person you need to become in order to see that goal become a reality. ⁣

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With weight loss in particular, we fool ourselves into thinking we will be happier or that we will be more liked by others when we see that magical number appear on the scales. What we are actually seeking in that moment is approval from ourselves. Without self acceptance, we will seek anything that fills us up momentarily with food being a default for a lot of us. ⁣

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What else should you factor in when setting a goal that is going to stick in 2024? Listen and learn; too, our sponsor Proteus has a sweet treat to offer, be sure to check them out using links provided. ⁣

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W: https://proteusnutrition.com ⁣

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IG: @proteusnutrition

In this episode, I dive into the intricacies of calculating macros to aid weight management and health enhancement. I underscore the significance of meticulous caloric monitoring, macro comprehension (protein, carbs, fats), and creating a caloric deficit for weight loss. The process entails these steps: 1) Determine Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) using online calculators that consider factors like age, gender, height, weight, and body fat percentage. 2) Compute Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) by adjusting BMR for activity level. 3) Forge a caloric deficit by consuming 80% of TDEE calories, typically 15-20% less than TDEE. 4) Set protein intake at 1.5g per kg of body weight for muscle maintenance. 5) Calculate protein calories (grams x 4). 6) Gauge carbohydrate intake based on activity (starting at 2g per kg of body weight). 7) Calculate carb calories (grams x 4). 8) Allocate remaining calories to fat. 9) Calculate fat intake (remaining calories ÷ 9). The host underscores precise food tracking and macro alignment with personal goals. The method aims to simplify understanding caloric needs, creating a sustainable deficit, and prioritizing protein to retain muscle while losing fat.

As always, comment your greatest takeaways and leave your suggestions for future topics. I want to talk about what you want to learn about so leave your ideas on what you would like to learn about next; and be sure to connect with us using the following social media handles.  

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In this week’s episode of Real Talk, I wanted to unpack the tangible numbers you need in order to lose not just weight but fat and with these numbers in mind, it should be relatively easy to keep the weight off too. 

I get that weight and fat loss can become overwhelming and consuming. Where do you start when one day carbs are the devil and the next, intermittent fasting is all the rage.

Do you fast and avoid carbs or only avoid carbs after 6 on days that you’re fasting and what do you use for fuel before working out? Do you eat before training or train fasted in which case, do you fast for 16 hours on non training days and eat as ‘normal’ on non fasting days? Where does coffee sit in all of that? Does coffee technically break fasting? 

There is no shortage of mixed messages surrounding fat loss or quick fixes available on the market.

With that in mind, I wanted to highlight what really needs to be focused on in order to achieve fat loss and yes, for the most part, it’s focusing on these 2 numbers and remaining focused on these 2 numbers before getting shiny object syndrome and turning to other methods or sources. 



As always, comment your greatest takeaways and leave your suggestions for future topics. I want to talk about what you want to learn about so leave your ideas on what you would like to learn about next; and be sure to connect with us using the following social media handles.  

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When it comes to moving the needle on your health and fitness, there is no shortage of places you can look to begin. From fad diets to HIIT classes and even intermittent fasting, the industry is nine too helpful on providing clues on where to start.

Given the overwhelm that the abundance of fitness information (though often misinformation) and not to mention marketing, I wanted to break down what you can do that is not only simple, but super tangible too.

Whether your goal is to build strength, lose weight, tone up increase endurance, get leaner or live a long and healthy life; these 3 metrics are all you need to get started and make a tremendous amount of progress across the board with your health and well-being.

Please be sure to connect with us using the social media links provided and let us know what your main takeaways are. 

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In this week’s episode of Real Talk, I get deep into detail on why people struggle to shift the needle on their goals for years (if not decades). ⁣

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This industry sees it time and time again, the whole January 1 New Years Resolutions who promise themselves that they will for sure this time get the results that they set out to achieve last year and the year before and the year before and usually the year before that too. Interestingly, what we also note is an increase in demand people put on themselves appears to accumulate over time too. In year 1, the goal might be to go for a run once a week, that might stick for 1 month before life ultimately takes over and so there goes that goal for that year. Year 2, the goal becomes to run 3 times a week and again, we see that stick for 1-3 months before travel comes up, you have to move house, a family member has to go to hospital and your routine goes out the door. Year 3, the goal is to compete in a 5km run, year 4 the goal is to compete in 10km, year 5 it’s to do a half marathon and year 6, it’s to complete a full marathon. ⁣

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We think that being more of an ass hole towards ourselves is the solution and it simply is not and it shows in our inability to achieve our goals Monday after Monday (that diet didn’t quite start did it?), month after month and year after year. We become increasingly demanding and strict on ourselves only to find ourselves fluctuating between living life in extremes - ‘all’’ looking like a full on diet where everything including joy is removed and extreme jumps in physical activity levels (verging unhealthy increases); and ‘nothing’ where nothing appears as though we have very good intentions though these intentions only seem to exist in the future where everything maybe, might and definitely should happen. ⁣

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There are other common denominators that I’ve encountered in my 15 years in this industry of people who display this tendency of setting of setting resolutions each year. I’m all for setting healthy goals and in a healthy manner though most people fail to realise that the way they set goals not only sets them up for failure, it too sets them up for more criticism, judgement and comparison of themselves. ⁣

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As always, please be sure to connect with us on the social media platforms below and let us know what your greatest takeaways are.  ⁣

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Enjoy.

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In this week’s episode of real talk we are diving deep with a live training on the mindset shifts you need to make in order to not only shift the body fat but also to keep it off too. 

When I share these insights, I share it having been both myself. Not so long ago, I was nearer to 30% body fat. Now sitting closer to halve that amount, and having kept those 15kg of fat off, I can safely share the invaluable mindset shifts you need to make long term and sustainable change. 

It’s a conversation we don’t discuss enough of - the connection between mental, emotional health and physical health though the connections are profound. 



People often think they lack willpower when in fact, they lack an awareness of their emotional responses to stress, anxiety, fear, confrontation, discomfort. Our habits are repeated behaviours and our behaviours are responses to our thoughts and feelings. Until we address our thoughts and feelings, we stand no chance at long term change including though not limited to weight loss.



Enjoy and let us know what your greatest takeaways are; please be sure to connect with us on the following platforms: 


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It’s all well and good to have a vision board and to want to use it to help you manifest the life of your dreams though I can’t help but feel that life doesn’t quite go according to said vision board because of how we choose to use it. 

If your relationship with your vision board and manifestation process ends at the ‘dreaming’ phase, chances are, you’re not going to move the needle on what you’re looking to create. 

My conversation with Shubhra Venneti who works as an astrologer-Akashic reader and hypnotherapist reveals where people slip up and why. Turns out, a lot it comes down to your relationship with your life and your vision. Much like with weight loss/fat loss, if you’re seeking to lose weight because it sounds good or because you feel you should want that for yourself, then you actions will hold you back because you yourself have a goal that is out of alignment with your true desire. 

True desires can be challenging to ascertain when you live in a fast paced life and you’re left with little time at the start or end of each day to connect with your own thoughts though that could be the most powerful piece of what’s missing to your manifestation method. 

Please be sure to connect with Shubhra below using the following links and enjoy: 

Instagram: @shiftwithshubhra 

Website: www.shubhravenneti.com

Reach out directly via: info@shiftwtihshubhra.com

In this week’s episode, we dive into pertaining to stubborn fat.

It appears to be a topic of conversation lately “Laura, how do I get rid of this stubborn fat from my back/stomach/thighs? It just doesn’t seem to want to shift?!” I get it, fat from my inner thigh moves at a glacial pace and frustration doesn’t even cut it when I consider how many damn squats, deadlifts, lunges etc that I have done over the years and yet it’s still seemingly very comfortable there. 

Does stubborn fat require different treatment to ‘normal’ fat? You’ll have to listen to find out though there are many factors to consider when trying to create body composition change. 



All too often we sense that our problems such as stubborn fat are unique and diving a little deeper, how do we define ‘stubborn’ ? Typically the results we see speak to the consistency in how we live e.g. are you proactively looking after your health Monday - Thursday and ‘slacking off’ Friday, Saturday and Sunday or are you consistent Jan 2 - mid year summer holidays and then terribly inconsistent with diet and exercise for 4-8 weeks every mid year?

To be totally honest, most people are not consistently consistent enough to see the changes they want and there is only so much we can do about genetics. If you’ve always noticed weight or fat to be slower to move from one area than another, that’s not about to change and anyone who tells you otherwise does not understand genetics. 



This is not to say that stubborn fat cannot be lost though there are certain aspects to consider and some of those are outside of your control - best we focus on what you can control; listen to learn what these factors are so that you can start to see the shifts you are seeking! 



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In this week’s episode I speak with, not gonna like she is a bit of a girl crush of mine, Dr Jay Lee Nair who is a renowned sport and performance psychologist in South East Asia. Her niece area is working with perfectionists, and she is the author of the book “Good Sport” - How to Support and talk to Young Athletes Before During and after the Game. ⁣⁣

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It seems odd that until now there hasn’t been an episode on perfectionism and yet it is so super relatable with the Superstars I have a great pleasure and privilege in working with. Often, we see in high achievers, the tendency to want to try and get everything right the first time and in the instances where this doesn’t pan out as perfectly as we had perhaps wanted or intended, we let shit hit the fan almost undoing all our efforts as a means to prove that we will never be perfect. The role of perfectionism playing a part in self sabotaging cycles needs to be talked about more and more. Our hang ups with wanting to get everything ‘right’ and being attached to that outcome leaves us in a fairly binary situation and you know, it’s kind of really hard to be perfect (in case you hadn’t noticed) and that’s why so many of us go through life not being accepting of being imperfect but punishing ourselves for not being perfect. That lends itself to a fairly exhausting life and toxic relationship we develop with ourselves. ⁣⁣

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Dr Jay Lee breaks down the 3 fears all perfectionists have - do you know what they are and can you identify how they may appear in your life? Would love to know what connects and resonates with you. Turns out, there are plenty of powerful ways in which we can leverage perfectionism to our advantage even ‘hacking’ our way to success by using elements of perplexing and puzzling trait. I think what’s important to understand here is that as much as we can logically understand that nothing can be perfect, and as much as we may still suffer even knowing that, the self judgement that there ensues is also something to work through. Another common phrase I hear from the high achieving women I work with is “I KNOW that I should/should not aim for perfection and yet I still do in the following ways…” This highlights the emotion that ought to be connected with in order to make sense of the perfection that may appear in your life as it can have different origin stories for different people; usually applying more logic doesn’t help and this is where a professional can help you get ‘un-stuck’ and create the shifts you are seeking. ⁣⁣

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If you can recall from the episode on procrastination, we know that perfectionism is one of the 5 emotional sources of procrastination so if you can relate to not getting shit done because it needs to be ‘perfect’ all the time, then that’s the next episode you will want to hear. ⁣⁣

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Dr Jay-Lee and myself are planning an event centred around ‘perfectionism’ in August 2023, if you’re interested, please be sure to comment so that we can keep you in the loop. ⁣⁣

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May thanks to Dr Jay-Lee again and please be sure to get a copy of her book and connect with her using the following links: ⁣⁣

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Instagram: @jaylee_nair ⁣⁣

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Linktree: https://linktr.ee/drjaylee

In this weeks’ episode of Real Talk, I speak with psychologist Beata Justkowiak and it feels like a long overdue conversation given how long we have been in similar circles and following each other on social platforms.

I wanted to catch up and speak on the topic of overwhelm after being inspired by one of her Instastories as I felt it captured what a lot of us experience on a regular basis - feeling that our emotional capacity to on the brink of collapse.



It would seem that the faster pace of Singapore with a larger work focus, has, at time, made it challenging especially for those who are from abroad to cope with the intensity of life, often left feeling overwhelmed and as though they are in a constant state of reaction. When we operate from the sympathetic nervous system for prolonged periods, our overwhelm can lead to a sense of feeling burnt out and needing a holiday whilst equally having no desire to plan one. 

Though stress can be helpful and even healthy within reason, understanding what this looks like for each person is critical in keeping an emotional equilibrium of sorts so that you feel you are able to manage normal day to day stress without small blips along the way skyrocketing stress levels. The secret to operating from a state of thriving rather than coping? You will have to listen and find out though Beata’s response was a nice surprise. 

Please be sure to connect with her using the links provided and explore your own emotions and emotional skills using the workbooks kindly provided by Beata herself: 

Enjoy! 


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This week’s episode of Real Talk is audio used from a live training on how you can avoid that mid year summer weight gain which is a very common experience amongst most of us! Female founders, business owners and C Suite execs don't have time to be losing 5kg (often on top of the existing 5kg they are trying to lose) after their summer break especially when they have more than enough to deal with as it stands. ⁣

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One of my favourite ways to address and mitigate weight gain is to fill up at breakfast time - who doesn't love a breakfast buffet?! For me, 'fill up on fibre first' has been a tried and tested approach. I am yet to see this not work for myself and the Superstars I work with. What does this mean? When you're scanning the breakfast buffet, we want to identify where the salad bar and veggies sit and fill your plate with a generous portion before heading to the other parts of the buffet. For me, this sets the tone for the day starting with an intentional and filling meal high in micronutrients i.e. vitamins and minerals. Why is this important? You don't have time to be sick on your holiday yet it's common for the body to fall ill when travelling due to the different climate, bacteria, viruses and generally speaking, it's one of the few times when the brain and body can process all the stress and what has compiled mentally and emotionally since the start of the year. ⁣

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Moving on from fibre, you want to keep the theme of satiation i.e. feeling of fullness by ensuring you eat a generous portion of protein! The benefit of protein is that it keeps you fuller for longer as it makes its way further down the digestive tract before being broken up, aids in muscle building but more importantly, retention. When you are not lifting as much weight or as often, it is imperative that you go out of your way to keep as much muscle mass as possible and protein is key in this. Eggs are a great and easy option for breakfast buffets, I like myself an omelette with vegetables that way you get the best of both worlds - protein and fibre. Often there will be stir fry options too which provide both protein and fibre. Additionally, tofu and legumes are great vegetarian options which are often available. When in doubt, I will have a protein shake with water or milk and fill up on salad/veg. ⁣

Enjoy the episode and please be sure to leave use your main take aways in the comments section and be sure to connect with us on the links below:

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In this week’s episode of Real Talk, I give you the nitty gritty details of what you can get to grab and go when you’re passing by your local convenience store that is going to fill you up without spilling into your caloric budget.

I get that you’re always on the go and being able to meal prep or stop to perfectly plan your next meal or snack is not always a luxury that you have. When in a pinch, thankfully, there are several high protein, low calories options in your local corner shop.

When looking for a snack you want to ensure you’re getting at least 10g of protein; this is critical in keeping you feeling full for longer so that you don’t find yourself reaching for crisps at 4pm. These days, conveniences stores are stocking healthier and healthier and higher protein options and the good news is that there are several to choose from which I go into detail in this recording from a live training.

Additionally, there are several excellent pre workout snacks you can find to fuel your performance during training. Personally, I use and rely on these snacks from my local 7/11 on a regular basis - nothing wrong with convenient food when you’re intentional about your choices.

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If your strategy going into a log haul flight is to chug down as much water as you possibly can before security confiscates all your liquids exceeding 100ml then you will want to listen up because in this week’s episode of Real Talk, we go in depth with regards to how you can properly prepare for long haul flights.

Long haul flights are more taxing on the body than we realise and not only do we have to adjust to the change in time zone, we have to do our best to function with lower oxygen uptake, compromised circulation, poor on board food choices, terrible postures and a whole lot more. Let’s not make life more challenging than what it needs to be, have a game plan before and after your flight by taking notes to this week’s episode so that you can hit the ground running running on energy rather than fumes. With several small tweaks and proactive planning, the transition from flight to new time zone can be a whole lot easier allowing you to maximise work output and minimise recovery.

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In this week’s episode, I share my own weight and fat loss journey in audio form - this audio is from a live training sharing insights on how I created my own physical transformation. Though I’ve written ad nauseam about my own weight loss journey, I wanted to offer the opportunity to share more in a live format. It should be noted that I was not a personal trainer nor a sports nutritionist when this chapter of my journey began and finding the right health care professional to help me address my condition that was inhibiting my physical performance was a journey in and of itself.

We can be quick to make assumptions about the ‘fit and happy’ people we see on social media whilst having absolutely no idea what their journey entailed and what they lost and learned along the way. To this day, it continues to be a series of self evolution cycles that I go through to not only keep what I’ve worked for but to continue to build on what I’ve built both physically and mentally.

You truly don’t know how good you can feel and that’s often why so many people settle for feeling like sh*t; I had no idea how good it felt to wake up without a chronic inflammatory condition until I couldn’t walk to the bus stop without being out of breathe and in severe pain.

Know that navigating chronic illness can be an incredible emotionally draining journey and one that can leave you feeling lonely and with little direction with regards to where to turn or who to turn to next. It was one of the worst best things that ever happened to me, it meant I lost swimming as a sport and had the great privilege of rebuilding my body and my self identity.

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I get it, you are beyond stretched when it comes to your schedule. You work 14+ hour days often with 3 or more time zones combined with frequent travel thrown in there for good measure. When it comes to your health, it often feels like an afterthought and you know it cannot keep slipping to the bottom of your priority list because there will come a point when you know you will be forced to make it a priority but WHEN and HOW to slide this amongst everything else is a constant source of stress. Nothing crushes the confidence of a high achiever faster than not being able to figure something out - you pride yourself on being able to figure everything out.

Let me break down what is truly worth your time if you are trying to take positive action in making health the undercurrent to how you live your busy boss babe life. These are the simplest of tips and tricks that you can use and incorporate into your life with the press of an ‘order now’ button, heck, you can even outsource some of these items to your assistant and perhaps that’s another tip worth including - get yourself a very competent assistant who knows when and how to take control of the steering wheel so that you can get your steps up, chug some water down and breathe before the next meeting. This audio is from a live training and please keep your eyes and ears out for more. If you want to catch the training live so that you can ask questions and pick my brain on all topics related to Female founder health, ensure you connect with me on the below platforms so that you can be the first to find out about these live online events. Enjoy!

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I get it, you're probably not about to get more sleep in terms of duration of sleep and as it stands, it's already a push to get the 6 or so hours that you manage to squeeze into your already overflowing schedule. It may surprise you to know that whilst there are vitamins and minerals that are key in optimising energy levels, there are several mindset shifts we can create in order to feel more energised at the click of your fingers too. ⁣

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In this week's episode, we are again taking the audio from a live training I recently did on all that contributes to energy. From masculine vs feminine energy, flow states, vitamins, minerals, systems and structure and everything in between, you have to know that you can in fact create the energy you want when you want it by realising that it's possible to do so. ⁣

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All too often we find ourselves feeling drained from long haul flights, 14 hour work days, dealing with incompetent people and not having sufficient time to fuel ourselves before the next big meeting and whilst that can all contribute to feeling low in energy, there's a tonne more that we can do to increase energy too. ⁣

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Tune in to find out more about how you can push for that 15th hour of work long after the caffeine has worn off without needing to reach for another one.  ⁣

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Enjoy!

Part 2 episode - In this week’s episode of Real Talk, we talk about a very real and relatable experience many of us (if not all) have encountered at some point in the gym - feeling intimidated. It might surprise you to know that even health and fitness professionals and those who have spent 10s of 1000s of hours still find themselves feeling this way at times.

There’s something about it which can lend itself to both nerves, excitement and a sense of “Holy hell, do I belong here?!” The grungy music, the clanging of the cast iron plates, the grunting, the sweat, the swearing, the rawness of a space such as a gym can be very off-putting and I can totally understand why. As intense as an environment of this nature can be, it’s important to realise that we all have a common denominator which is that we come to the gym to better ourselves in our own way and that’s hugely powerful.

Initially, a fitness space can seem overwhelming and foreign but please, do not let that put you off returning. You can work to overcome the initial emotion and find your place and even your tribe in such a space. People are most often friendlier than their resting gym face - that for sure is true for me!

Remember that people are usually more preoccupied with their phone or their own insecurities to notice you and if you’re unsure of how to use a piece of equipment, the best people to learn from are probably those super experienced people to your left and to your right. Health and fitness professionals such as Aiden and myself are ALWAYS more than happy to help people in fact, we love it when people ask questions and when we can be of service. It’s never an inconvenience and if it makes it easier for you to return to them gym tomorrow or the next day then by all means, ask away.

Though the initial hurdle can feel like climbing Everest, it is well worth working through when you consider the benefits on the other side not just physically but mentally, emotionally and from a social and community health standpoint too. The spotlight effect will trick you into thinking that people are looking at you, again, if that person is me, I’m most likely staring into the distance considering what my next meal will be; and if you want the gym to be less ‘scary’ start by creating that change and smile at someone or even say ‘hello’. You get to influence how you experience difference environments and the simplest way to overcome that initial hurdle is to introduce yourself to those around you and while you’re at it, you might as well learn from them because they got to where they are by doing it for a long time. The only difference between them and you is time. It’s hardly fair to compare your day 1 to their 10th, 15th, 20th year of training - it’s a totally different chapter and remember, we have all had our first day in the gym, we have all had to start from somewhere and very rarely is that every with a super low body fat %’ and a 6 pack with an enormous amount of confidence.

Enjoy and please be sure to connect with Aiden using the links below:

Instagram: @aidenberenger_coaching

In this week’s episode of Real Talk, we talk about a very real and relatable experience many of us (if not all) have encountered at some point in the gym - feeling intimidated. It might surprise you to know that even health and fitness professionals and those who have spent 10s of 1000s of hours still find themselves feeling this way at times.

There’s something about it which can lend itself to both nerves, excitement and a sense of “Holy hell, do I belong here?!” The grungy music, the clanging of the cast iron plates, the grunting, the sweat, the swearing, the rawness of a space such as a gym can be very off-putting and I can totally understand why. As intense as an environment of this nature can be, it’s important to realise that we all have a common denominator which is that we come to the gym to better ourselves in our own way and that’s hugely powerful.

Initially, a fitness space can seem overwhelming and foreign but please, do not let that put you off returning. You can work to overcome the initial emotion and find your place and even your tribe in such a space. People are most often friendlier than their resting gym face - that for sure is true for me!

Remember that people are usually more preoccupied with their phone or their own insecurities to notice you and if you’re unsure of how to use a piece of equipment, the best people to learn from are probably those super experienced people to your left and to your right. Health and fitness professionals such as Aiden and myself are ALWAYS more than happy to help people in fact, we love it when people ask questions and when we can be of service. It’s never an inconvenience and if it makes it easier for you to return to them gym tomorrow or the next day then by all means, ask away.

Though the initial hurdle can feel like climbing Everest, it is well worth working through when you consider the benefits on the other side not just physically but mentally, emotionally and from a social and community health standpoint too. The spotlight effect will trick you into thinking that people are looking at you, again, if that person is me, I’m most likely staring into the distance considering what my next meal will be; and if you want the gym to be less ‘scary’ start by creating that change and smile at someone or even say ‘hello’. You get to influence how you experience difference environments and the simplest way to overcome that initial hurdle is to introduce yourself to those around you and while you’re at it, you might as well learn from them because they got to where they are by doing it for a long time. The only difference between them and you is time. It’s hardly fair to compare your day 1 to their 10th, 15th, 20th year of training - it’s a totally different chapter and remember, we have all had our first day in the gym, we have all had to start from somewhere and very rarely is that every with a super low body fat %’ and a 6 pack with an enormous amount of confidence.

Enjoy and please be sure to connect with Aiden using the links below:

Instagram: @aidenberenger_coaching

In this week's episode of Real Talk, we have Ahmed Eideh back on the show to share some real insights on cholesterol! ⁣

This topic is super misunderstood - even for myself; it turns out that there are more important metrics to look at than just HDL and LDL in isolation. Who knew?! ⁣

Truly this has been another eye-opening episode from Ahmed and the age of question of whether egg yolks are good or bad for your cholesterol comes up for discussion. The final verdict on egg yolks may just surprise you. ⁣

Another helpful insight on cholesterol relates to fertility. The role of cholesterol is critical with everything that relates to hormones and it got me thinking "How many people have tried to conceive whilst unknowingly having a cholesterol problem?" We may never know for sure though if you've been trying, it would be worth exploring your cholesterol levels to understand what role that could be having on your chances of success. ⁣

As with many areas of health, hormones determine a whole lot - think of hormones as the start of a line of dominoes and when we optimise hormone health, more often than not, several other areas of health start to change positively. ⁣

⁣Please enjoy and be sure to connect with Ahmed using the links provided and let us know what topic you'd like to hear us discuss next! 

In this week’s episode of Real Talk, we speak with an incredibly intelligent powerhouse of a woman, Viktoriia Iakovleva, who is a Research Fellow at Cancer Science Institute of Singapore; she holds a MD (medical degree) and PhD degree in Medicine. Soon after encountering her account on Instagram, it became very clear that she really knows what she is talking about; and that is exactly why I wanted to get her take on a hot topic which is artificial sweeteners. ⁣

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It has been across all headlines recently with all too much misinformation which I wanted to shed light on and bring clarity to. You may think that erythritol is an artificial sweetener or is that an assumption we have made? ⁣

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Several health risks have been linked to artificial sweeteners but have they? What does the science reveal with regards to observed and studied health risks vs what we have seen or interpreted in the media? It begs the question: “Do we really know what we think we know about sweetens and are they all artificial?” The answer might just surprise you. ⁣

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We already have so many misconceptions with regards to nutrition, if there his one less items to be concerned about, we ought to know about it. Be sure to listen and learn about the real dangers to your health as we unpack the bigger picture in this equation and it’s not probably not what you think. ⁣

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Please be sure to connect with Viktoriia on Instagram using the following handle: @talking_health_  ⁣

In this week’s episode, of Real Talk I have the great pleasure of speaking with Will Khor who is a coach who helps helps people figure out why they hit the wall with their fitness and health goals. It really got me thinking, it’s a topic that is yet to be discussed on this podcast and yet a very relatable topic to cover - why people hit plateaus and stay stuck in a vicious yo-yo cycle.

Whilst the answers are unlikely to surprise you, often people need to hear about how unaware they are of their own life choices in order to create long lasting change. It was Einstein who said that the definition of insanity it repeating the past and expecting a different outcome.

The same applies to plateaus in health and fitness - often repeating a cycle of fluctuating from one extreme e.g. remove all carbs, exercise 5 times a week at a high intensity and give up all the foods you enjoy to another extreme e.g. being a couch potato, giving up the moment you step on the scales and see very little to no change, going to the gym once a month when the conditions to do so are absolutely perfect. As I’ve said before, extremes kill dreams and rarely are the conditions ever perfect to get absolutely everything ‘right’.

Progress is made when we relinquish control on the need to be perfect and instead, look for ‘small’ ways to win at life e.g. 2000 more steps today than yesterday, 1L more water today than yesterday, having nicer and encouraging thoughts about and towards yourself vs defaulting to tearing yourself apart. Let’s face it, unless you are an athlete or bodybuilder, you should not be trying to live like one and yet this is often the image people with regards to what ‘health looks like. The danger is, we often fail to realise that the photos are photoshopped AND these people are paid to live this way and receive support in terms of sponsorship from meal prep companies, supplement companies, activewear brands, gyms etc.

Chances are, you know 1-2 areas of your health and fitness that you can work on today. Regardless of how substantial these items seem, I encourage you to start by doing them and look to repeat taking those actions as often as you can and as consistently as possible. There’s less rocket science involved than people realise though we can be amazing at complicating stupidly simple stuff. Get out of your own way; give yourself a chance. Gradually shift the needle - main take away being that the more gradual your approach, the more sustainable it is.

Please connect with Will directly on Instagram: Will Khor @idgafitness_

This podcast is called ‘Real Talk’ for a reason.  All too often those who seem to have their health and fitness together in fact do not and they are put on a pedestal by society.  One of my goals in creating this podcast was to broaden and deepen the conversations we have with regard to health and well-being.  ⁣

It can seem like a mountain to climb when making any effort in becoming a healthier version of yourself; the more relatable this podcast and my content can be, the more achievable our health and fitness goals become.  Whilst it does require ongoing effort, it need not be strenuous ALL the time and what I hope is that people listen and understand that the only way any of us who operate at an ‘elite’ level within this industry have got to where we are is by repeating small steps until they become a habit before then working on the next area of priority - repeat, repeat, repeat.  ⁣

This episode is really about the fundamentals and whilst that can seem boring, it is often the most overlooked area where progress can be made.  I see far too many people trying to create drastic change thinking that they are a lightbulb that can just switch on and off when in fact they are not.  We are better able to sustain change when the change is small as it is then easily repeatable.  When we feel that we can succeed, we feel motivated to continue and thus breaking larger goals down into smaller day-to-day and week-to-week actions are the most effective way to integrate change into an already busy life.  ⁣

Many thanks to Hym for joining me on this episode and for all his amazing and very true-to-life insights and shares.  It can be rare to meet a fitness professional who really understands the reality of those who work long hours in the corporate world which often entail travel too.  I feel that if we are to help others, we first must understand their mindset and lifestyle.  His tips and perspectives are super practical and recognize the day-to-day challenges faced by those in the corporate world.  Please be sure to connect with him using the links below and share your biggest takeaways too.  ⁣

Enjoy :-)

Links:

https://www.youtube.com/@gymwithhym

@gymwithhym

In this week’s episode of Real Talk, I speak with recomposition coach Amy Thompson who is the guest on my second highest rating episode where we talked about what it REALLY takes to create physical transformations.  It is rare to come across a coach who really gets it and what I mean by that is that she really understands the lifestyle of who she trains and what challenges come with that.  

Let’s face it, in our own eyes, we are all short on time, low in energy and motivation and want the greatest return on as minimal efforts as possible.  I get it, who isn’t a fan of efficiency?!  

Knowing that by Jan 31, most people have given up on their health, fitness and nutrition-related goals inspired me to dive a little deeper when it comes to hearing Amy’s thoughts on what is really worth our time.  What are we most going to benefit from doing to improve our health and wellbeing with our limited time?  Forming healthy habits and routines would have to fall into that category and thus, this is what we covered. 

Please be sure to connect with Amy using the following links below and as always, leave us some insight into your greatest takeaways. 

Many thanks to Amy for our second recording together; enjoy!

In this week’s episode of Real Talk, we get to work in breaking down procrastination with the amazing subconscious transformational coach Helena Day.  Turns out, there are several aspects and elements to procrastination and it might interest you to know that they are not mutually exclusive!

I have often thought about perfectionists as being professional procrastinators though it turns out, this is merely 1 of 5 origins to what puts us off getting our to-do list done.

Interestingly, we see many people either give up or ‘fail’ to start their new years resolutions/goals by the end of January if not before then.  When we deepen our understanding of procrastination, we can start to unpack why and what internal dialogues we can create shifts in behaviours that allow us to produce different results.  It may not surprise you to find out that most of us have the same goals and resolutions every year with diet and exercise forming two main goals amongst us.

Like with most mindset and headspace work, how much change we create largely depends on how willing we are to build awareness on what our current belief system is with regards to taking action.  Willingness is one matter, the other being how proactive and consistent in challenging our pre conceived notions particularly in regards to our thoughts and feelings on productivity is another.

Listen and learn how you can unpack any procrastination tendencies you may have and know that you are not alone; it is completely human to put tasks off though feeling stuck with the same qualms becomes a choice once you have awareness.  Helena breaks down and gives us tools to use for all of the 5 components of procrastination so do listen to the end for those did bits and powerful action steps.

As always, please connect with Helena using the links below and let us know what you want to hear about next!

Links:

https://helenaday.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenaday/

https://www.facebook.com/helenaroseday/

http://instagram.com/helenaroseday/

Do you find yourself cockblocking yourself or ovary obstructing yourself Monday after Monday that your magical diet doesn’t quite stick?  I so appreciate and feel the need to share Ruby’s insights and thoughts on consistency and the importance on being consistently consistent as opposed to being perfect.

So often, we feel the need to:

• eat 5 portions of veg a day
• drink 3+L of water a day
• get 10k steps a day
• exercise for 1 hour in the gym and run 5km before work

and we prevent ourselves from recognising the progress we have made.  It lends itself to an ever downwards spiral because with such a perspective and mindset, we have never achieved enough, we have never achieved enough.

It may seem like a small task to take 1k steps a day though over the course of a year, that adds up to 365k additional steps a day which, at least for me, is roughly 520 additional kilometres!

My suggestion?  Focus on nailing 1-2 healthy habits.  Get really good at getting really good at them.  If you’re currently 30% consistent at these two habits, aim to get that consistency to 50% and make it normal before increasing to 70% and above.

Only once you feel you’re consistently consistent with these two habits should you have the bandwidth or mental space to entertain addressing another 1-2 habits.

Habits take time and often a really long time.  Behavioural change takes far longer than we realise and there most likely will be bumps along the way.  Aim for progress over perfection and please be sure to check out Ruby on her links provided

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/teamrubycherie/

@transformxruby

It’s been a topic on my mind lately and I want dot get the input and insight from Reece Anderson who works deep in the space of self-leadership and mental health.

Though there appears to have been a positive shift in the space of mental health especially surrounding men’s mental health.  It would seem that there is work to be done and I cannot help but feel that how we define masculinity does not positively influence the outcomes of mental health for a lost of men.

Often, when we think of masculinity, we think of ‘manly men’.  You know, the ones that don’t cry.  The men who don’t display emotion.  The men who show their emotion through lifting weights, playing sports, being brash in the pub watching their favourite sports after playing their favourite sports.  We think of violence and brawls in bars.  We think of male temper tantrums as a result of insufficient skills in articulating emotions.  We think of the words, terms and phrases “You run like a girl; don’t be a girl; don’t be a pussy; real men don’t cry; harden the fuck up” etc.

Although we are now seeing more men expressing their emotion and even letting out a few tears and a good cry on social media, we are yet to define masculinity that encapsulates an element of softness.  We are yet to embrace masculinity as a trait that also seeks to provide and protect, share and invite, create warmth and kindness whilst expressing emotion all the same.

I so appreciate Reece’s inputs and wisdom on the topic and I feel it’s a conversation that society needs to continue to have so that we can have a spectrum on masculinity and definitions of which feel like a good fit for all men.

The health and fitness industry (if you can call it that), has been letting people down rather unfortunately for quite some time and one of the many ways in which it does this is by leading people to believe that they can only make progress if they are operating in extremes e.g. running 10km for 5 mornings a week, avoiding carbs, avoiding alcohol, getting in 4 high intensity bootcamps/group fitness classes each week, remembering to spend 10min each day gratitude journalling etc etc etc.  Whilst some of these behaviours may be conducive to results for some people, what we are missing in this instance is context.  

You see, it is easier to label a food group or choice as being ‘right’ or ‘healthy’ than it is to make an effort to understand context with context often being challenging to communicate or completely overlooked in marketing land especially from the field of health and fitness.  

We do not help people when we further polarise food choices or approaches to exercise, we help people by providing real life examples of when it might make sense to eat a particular food or food group and when it may become a hindrance to progress.  We do not help people by encouraging them to further stress themselves mentally, physically and emotionally, we help them by empowering them to make the best and most informed choice for themselves based on the situation they’re in factoring in their current circumstances.  

This is what I really appreciate about coaches such as this week’s guest Jade Andin who really emphasises the importance of supporting health seeking individuals to make choices that align with their goals and values.  Often we get so caught up on our goals that we forget our values e.g. enjoyment and having fun vs endlessly pursuing the perfect macros in order to lose the next % body fat.

We need to keep talking about context and providing our clients with context so that they can navigate various situations in life feeling empowered to make the healthiest decision for themselves and sometimes that means saying “yes” to a slice of pizza and sometimes it means saying “no”.

Recently, Helena posted onto social media a quote which captured my attention “The reason you need to over achieve is because you NEED to feel productive.  The more productive you feel, the more valuable you believe you are as a person.”  This got my attention because I can relate to it in a number of ways and I know that the overachieving women I work with will be able to as well.  ⁣

It’s taken me a while to realise that being deliberate (key word) in having time off or time away from ‘doing’ allows me to return to ‘doing’ with a greater intensity though that often seems counterintuitive.  ⁣

So often we fail to release that we are addicted to doing as doing provides a convenient distraction from feeling and with more and more women playing a part int he work force and returning to work post pregnancy, we have found ourselves observing a more masculine space.  The downside of operating from a space of doing, being in that masculine energy for too often for too long especially as a female can lead us to feel burnt out and as though we catch ourselves at the end of the day not even had time to ourselves.  ⁣

Helena dives deep into the importance of ensuring we regularly engage with our famine energy and step away from doing.  We, in order to feel like balanced individuals, need to spend time creating - disregarding deadlines, setting aside expectations, putting down the to-do lists and just being.  Connecting with this feminine energy and space rejuvenates and re-energises us so that we can return to the intensity of work, actioning tasks and working within tight time constraints with greater ease.  ⁣

Always a powerful and eye opening conversation with Helena, please ensure you connect with her on the following social platforms and links; she often runs retreats with an upcoming event in Bali too.  Please be sure to check out her amazing work.  ⁣

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Enjoy!

Links:

https://helenaday.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenaday/

https://www.facebook.com/helenaroseday/

http://instagram.com/helenaroseday/

In this week’s episode of Real Talk, I have the great pleasure and privilege of recording a second episode with the ever amazing Leon Stensholm.  There isn’t much that Leon isn’t to be honest.  He is a physique coach, sports nutritionist, counsellor, gym owner and author who is about to release his 4th book if you can believe it?!  It was Leon’s suggestion that we discuss morning routines and we ended up linking that with motivation and productivity - turns out that the way you start your day and how REGULARLY you start your day with the same routine (or same elements of routine) is incredibly important when it comes to motivation and productivity.  All too often we start the day high on caffeine in a super reactive and jittery state navigating rush hour traffic and ever overflowing inboxes only to find that we are just as unproductive as the day prior.  When you break it down and look at the common elements between how most people start their day, it truly is no surprise why we find motivation and productivity so challenging.  In this conversation, Leon sheds light on his tried and true routines of over 15 years and why is works for him.  Though you do not need to have the same routine as Leon, it might be helpful to take away what he does and why his routines work for him.  Get ready to take notes and please be sure to follow Leon using the following links; enjoy.

https://bodybyleon.com.au/

https://www.facebook.com/bodybyleon
https://www.instagram.com/bodyandmindbyleon/

In this week’s episode of Real Talk, I have the pleasure of speaking with my gal pal Jade Andin who is a nutrition coach and personal trainer here in Singapore.  Jade and myself really vibe on a lot of elements of the health and fitness industry and I wanted to gain her insights on some of the fuckery that exists within this industry.  ⁣

Having seen a few not so great health and fitness marketing moments that Jade had re-shared on her Instagram stories, I knew we had a rant worthy episode in store for you.  ⁣

It would seem that there is no shortage of marketing mis-haps and mistakes and misinformation which we discuss.  From every single food and body shape being bad for you to every single body shape and size being worthy of celebration and criticism in the same breath.  Who is to know what is actual advise and what is going to move the needle on your health and fitness goals and what is truly just another example of how this industry is letting down so many people ?  

Hopefully this episode clarifies some of what the above and leaves you feeling a little more inclined to double check the claims on food packaging re-think silly diets before starting them.  

Self belief - perhaps the most under-flexed mental muscle in the human mind.  In this week’s episode of Real Talk, we uncover the essence and original of self belief with subconscious transformational coach (and my gal pal) Helena Day.  Thankfully for myself, self belief has by and large always been on the high side with few self doubts and a high intrinsic drive to challenge any self doubts that come up for myself.  I attribute this to my upbringing and especially my mum who, I feel, never doubted me, not once, not for a second, not even close.  My parents raised me to be an adventurous go-getter, to squeeze the life out of life and try everything whilst saying ‘yes’ to all opportunities that presented themselves.  It’s often baffled me and humoured me in a way that people (especially adults) can be SO caught up in the opinions of others.  They can be so quick to project and to judge and then get upset when they feel judged - did someone say irony?!  With this bafflement (totally a word by the way) and humour in mind, I wanted to explore this topic further with Helena.  To me, understanding why and how some people enjoy consistently higher levels of self belief whilst others are crippled with fear of rejection from their peers is key in to have a positive influence on the health and wellbeing of my Superstars ✨and anyone I cross paths with for that matter.  Is experiencing low self belief potentially a good experience?  Without giving too much away, you will have to listen and learn!  Please be sure to check out part 1 of this conversation if you are yet to and connect with the amazing Helena on the links provided.  Enjoy!

Links:

https://helenaday.com/

 Self belief, self trust, alignment, responsibility and small talk.  What do these things have in common?  I don’t really know to be honest but we make some interesting parallels in this week’s episode of Real Talk with my gal pal Helena Day who is a subconscious transformational coach. 

I find it hard to stay on topic when I speak to her because I find psychology and human behaviour to be SO interesting, I just want to dive deep into everything and in every direction so apologies if this episode seems a little disjointed and disconnected.  We really cover some big big topics in this part 1 of 2 part series. Please be sure to keep your eyes out for part 2 which will be released next week and be sure to connect with Helena on the links below: https://helenaday.com/

In this weeks’s episode of Real Talk I have the utmost pleasure of speaking with strong woman girl crush Amy Thompson.  People often ask who I look up to in the health and fitness industry and few names come to mind - even fewer female names.  One person who I have admired for her physical strength and no-nonsense approach for many years is Amy.  

I so love how unapologetically strong she is and how she creates her own no BS approach whilst embracing and embodying her own feminists at the same time.  It’s a rare quality to see in someone and it made this podcast even more special for me to record.  

Given it’s the time of year we typically get into the gear of goal setting, I wanted to get Amy’s perspectives on what it really takes to create a lasting physical transformation as all too often we are sold and thus sign up to quick fixes such as 30 day challenges, fad diets, juice cleanses, ‘detoxes’, 6am bootcamp sessions which prioritise the production of sweat over quality of movement etc.  

When you work with someone who knows their shit and who helps others to create transformations for themselves, you are sometimes met with hard realities to face e.g. it’s going to take you closer to 2 years of consistent work to get to where you want to be and in the process, you will have to work on creating about 10 new healthy habits in order for you to continue to live a healthy life long after you have reached where you want to get to.  The people who face these hard realities and who partner with said experts not only get the results, but they keep them too and in the process, avoid several headaches of stopping and starting and stopping and starting and stopping and starting time and time again.  

In this episode, myself and Amy discuss some of the challenging conversations we have when people turn to us for our expertise in creating lasting transformations and highlight some of the ‘ah-ha’ moments people have or NEED to have in order to create lasting change.  Chances are, there is far more to losing 10kg than just a sustained caloric deficit.  People are quick to forget that people are not robots and they are not light switches.  Life is not linear nor is creating long term behavioural change.  Many thanks again to Amy for her time and valuable insights!  The first of many more conversations to be had no doubt.  Please connect with her on the following: 

Instagram: @amythomps0n 

Website: www.recomphq.com.au

In this week’s episode of Real Talk, I have the great pleasure of speaking with fellow personal trainer, Sai Yuan Lee who works here in Singapore at Ultimate Performance.  

Having followed each other on social media for quite some time now and seeing a number of his posts and Instastories which resonated to my own experiences and those of my clients, I was keen to unpack and uncover a little more on Sai’s take on the ‘health and fitness’ industry. 

It is interesting to observe that Sai and myself have a similar entrance into the industry having completed our certs and almost instantly realising that we knew absolutely nothing about training people, well, nothing outside of the pages in the text book and that is hardly useful when you have a real life person in front of you.  

As much as fitness professionals may want to help people, they can often do more harm than good if they are under-experienced, under-qualified and under-certified not to mention over-confident!!!  It would be safe to say that myself and Sai have seen the aforementioned characters on gym floor a little too often.  

What should you be looking for in a personal trainer?  Sai and myself discuss but you know what I have noticed?  The people who bring the most value to this world are those who never stop learning and never think that they know it all.  Those of us who continue to pursue more information or to understand what we are already familiar with on a deeper level can have a far greater influence on our respective audiences and clients than those who have completed their certifications/degree and never pick up the text book ever again. Super grateful to Sai for sharing his insights and perspectives on the industry and what we can do to better it.  Please be sure to connect with him on the following platforms:

Instagram: @saiyuan.le

In this week’s episode of Real Talk, I have the great pleasure and privilege of speaking with health coach Chris Cave from the UK.  Chris has a free event called the ‘Fit and Energised Parent’ which has become an annual event and I was fortunate enough to be invited to speak at his event.  This recording is from that event where we answer some of his audience members’ most burning questions.  What I love about this episode is that the questions we were asked as so very real and relatable from “How do you stay motivated to eat healthy and clean past Wednesday?” to “How do you lose the kilograms gained after Thanksgiving” we really had such a great spread of questions and topics which I know so many of you listening will be able to connect with and some of my answers may just surprise you for all of this behavioural change rarely has anything to do with your actions but much more so to do with how you see yourself. I won’t give too much away, you will have to listen to this killer episode and thank you again to Christ for having me.  Please connect with him using the following links provided and enjoy.

Links:

@chriscavehealthcoach

https://www.instagram.com/chriscavehealthcoach/

https://www.facebook.com/chris.cave.524/

In this week’s episode of Real Talk, I speak with my gal pal and fellow female PT Jade Andin to discuss, well, we discuss a lot!  I really wanted to get Jade’s insights on the industry given she has recently joined as a female trainer.  Having been on both sides of the industry - both as a client and now trainer, I thought it would make for a valuable conversation.  The topic I really wanted to cover was with regards to the role that personal trainers have in relation to their clients’ mental health especially when it comes to self esteem and body image. As the fitness scene becomes more robust in parts of the world such as Singapore, we start to identify what areas in which we can better serve our clients and collaborate with others to ensure our clients’ longevity in their training.  Unfortunately, we are not left from our PT certifications and degrees in exercise physiology with an understanding of nutrition and psychology too and our clients often turn to us for guidance on navigating body acceptance, embracing our appearance at all shapes and sizes, developing self appreciation amongst many other items.  How is it that a good PT can help you in all of this?  Jade and I strike up a conversation in how our approaches address the emotional needs of our clients by sharing the common and very real conversations we have with our clients.  I truly believe that the more you listen to a person, the more you can help them, not just through your listening but also by that person seeing and feeling heard.  In this industry, I cannot help but feel that all too often the approach is very ‘top down’ and paternalistic.  When you work with people and make it your priority to lead them towards making the best decision for themselves by empowering them to do so, you provide them with life long skills.  Sure, it can be nice to know that you need 90g of protein a day but HOW does someone do that when they operate on 5 hours of sleep, often have 10 back to back meetings a day, have a horrible boss and on top of clocking 60 hour work weeks, they keep a 3 year old alive and fed?  People need help developing skills rather than being told what to do.  In this day and age, information is not scare and thus is rarely the stumbling block.  People want and often need someone to be shown how to believe in themselves so that they can create that from an intrinsic place rather than trying to force themselves to appreciate their body and all that it can do.  As always, please be sure to connect with Jade on the following platforms and enjoy the pisode!

In this week’s podcast, I speak with my good friend and gal pal Sam Armstrong who is a dietician from my home town of Brisbane.  This episode feels way overdue.  The number of times I hear people complain that their metabolism has slowed down after turning 40 or after the birth of their second child, let’s just say if I had a dollar… Like with most aspects of life, it can be easy to outsource and shit the blame often without knowing or realising how much influence we can have on something.  I wanted to empower people and remind them that age impacts metabolism far less than they realise and that they do in fact have the power to influence their metabolism far more than they know.  Without giving away too much, there a several lifestyle factors that can influence and positive contribute to your metabolism irrespective of your age.  Think of metabolism like a muscle or any other bodily function or feature - you lose it if you don’t use it yeah.  Because mean people do not understand what metabolism is or how it works, they do not know how they can influence it; what can be helpful to know is that there is plenty that can be done to increase the rate of it though many people without realising are slowing down their metabolism.  As always, please connect with Sam using the social links provided and leet us know what your main takeaways are in the comments.

Website: www.peak-potential-nutrition.com.au

LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/in/sam-armstrong-dietitian

Instagram: Peak_Potential_Nutrition

Facebook: Peak Potential Nutrition - Sam Armstrong

Twitter: @teen_dietitian

Clubhouse: @saarmstrong

In this week’s episode of Real Talk, I have the great honour and privilege of speaking with Paralympic Gold Medalist Rowan Crothers.  My goodness, this was such a ‘pinch me’ moment!!! Without giving away too much (many golden gems in this episode), I have known Rowan for over 10 years now having had the pleasure of evening training him back in my home town Brisbane many moons ago.  Want to talk about inspiration and resilience?  You absolutely NEED to hear this episode.  There are so many amazing take aways about how you can turn pain into power through this conversation with Rowan and serves as a great reminder of what we are truly capable of when we apply ourselves at applying ourselves. To have been able to see Rowan reach the heights of his career even from a far has been completely amazing to say the least though to have insights on how he has got himself to where he is now is invaluable.  Please be inspired by just some of what he shares - there is plenty to learn about his journey to the gold medal he received, earned and won in Tokyo.  Connect and learn more about Rowan using the following links provided.

https://www.instagram.com/rowan.crothers/?hl=en

https://twitter.com/rowancrothers?lang=en

In this week’s episode of Real Talk, I have the great privilege of speaking with Subconscious Success Coach, Helena Day who helps busy corporates up level their lives by teaching them to tap into their power.

This episodes was so super fun, Helena flipped the script on me and picked my brain on how we can create self acceptance - something that I have been more consciously working on for the past 4 or so years.  Of all the self development and betterment work to be done, I have to say, learning to create self acceptance has to be one of the most powerful things you can add to your daily ‘to-do’ list.  Easy?  Far from it.  In fact, initially, I found work of this nature to be quite confronting and at time, painful and that is in fact what makes it so transformational, healing and powerful.

Choose, challenge, change and create - the 4Cs that I’m going to take away from this conversation and a powerful reminder of the responsibility you have to creating a better life for yourself, a life that you want to live and a life that gets you excited to wake up each day.  They say comparison is the thief of joy and I have found that it is possible to feel joyous in many more moments where my focus is acceptance and as Helena points out, a contributing factor of this is leaning into gratitude.  Gratitude towards ourselves and for ourselves not just in our best moments, not just when we are receiving accolades and praise but during our worst moments too - ‘Warts and all’ as she says.  How can you see yourself as being perfectly imperfect in as many moments as possible?  I truly belief that this is key in creating happiness and moving the needle on health and fitness goals which currently sees people get ‘stuck’ time and time again.  It’s easy to default to comparison - what you once weighed, what you once lifted, how you once looked.  Chances are, that focus of the past is keeping you from creating progress right here and now and thus, creating a stressful picture for your future.

People who like themselves look after themselves - something I often say and a parallel that Helena and myself see in our respective fields.  I can attest to her brilliance in the transformations that I have seen her clients experience.  When it comes to health and fitness, we can be too quick to take the approach of ‘More punishment = great results’ - it does not.  It creates unnecessary stress and unrealistic expectations that set us up to fail before we even begin.  What if the key were to like who we are now, to start the physical transformation from within so that we can then look after ourselves day in and day out, month on month and year after year?  Contradictory and unconventional I know but it makes a whole lot of sense.

Listen and learn why self acceptance is key in creating happiness and thus becoming a healthier version of yourself and be sure to connect with Helena on the following links provided:

https://helenaday.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenaday

In this week’s episode with coach and personal trainer Evan Button whom I recorded the first ever episode of this podcast with (check out episode 1 on Epic Goal Setting).  With the ever changing social distancing landscape here in Singapore, I was inspired to reach out to him after seeing a post he created on Instagram mentioning that now is the perfect time to start working towards your health and fitness goals, or for those who have already begun, it’s a great time to continue.  Through this episode, we highlight the importance of perspective and how different perspectives allow for different behaviours to follow.  We often fail to realise that our behaviours map to our beliefs (by and large about ourselves) and those beliefs map to our self identity - something we can be resistant to working on and unpacking.  Though one of the most important aspects of my health I have worked on - my belief system and self identity, it can be incredibly challenging to do alone not to mention confronting and, at times, painful.  We give power to what we believe in and if we believe such statements at: “I’m lazy; I’ll always be overweight, I have no work ethic or discipline” etc then we will act accordingly.  How to change?  Start by CHALLENGING those statements.  If you find yourself constantly saying that you’re short on time, ask yourself “Why am I always short on time; what beliefs do I hold about time?”   It’s one thing to hold a belief, it’s another to question it.  When we question our beliefs, we invite room for shifts to occur surrounding those beliefs.  That’s where a tonne of power lies and the potential to shift our own self identity and perception. I so admire how Evan works with his clients in challenging their perspectives and by offering them alternative perspectives.  That acts as a portal not only to reaching new heights in heath and fitness but to life in general and that is why wee exist - to help people level up in more ways than one.  When our belief systems change, we achieve things we never knew or thought to be possible. Please connect with Evan using the following links and let us know what your main take away from the episode was: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/epic-goal-setting-with-evan-button/id1552691534?i=1000508175869

In this episode of Real Talk, I speak with evidence based weight loss specialist Ruby Cherie who helps women become strong, sculpted and confident being in the skin that they are in. It seemed inevitable that Ruby and I would connect for a podcast recording having been following each other for some time, I noticed that we have very similar ethos and approach to our work. What I love about Ruby and the way she works with her clients is the fact that she delves deep to understand the core of each goal of every client.  She really goes above and beyond to understand what makes her clients tick and the WHY behind the reason for setting the goal in the first place.  it can be easy to have a goal of getting ‘Fit and toned’ but what the fuck does that actually mean?  It is easy to want to be 10kg lighter without putting any thought into WHY that carries any significance.  What exactly will losing 10kg allow you to do that you currently are not able to do?  What will losing 10kg mean for your life?  What impact will being 10kg less have on your quality of life, life expectancy and current day to day?  Chances are, the better you are able to answer those questions and connect with the reasons why you set your goals, the greater chance you stand at seeing them come to fruition. Something that really stood out to me and will stick with me for a while longer is that Ruby pointed out how in getting caught up in setting goals and being on a constant push for more, we often overlook how important and significant maintenance is - a thought I keep revisiting.  How many of us take the time to celebrate or appreciate what we are able to do day in and day out for ourselves?  How many of us have been drinking 3 litres of water a day and getting at least 6 hours of sleep and taken the time to thank ourselves for that?  It highlights to me how much more there is to celebrate and appreciate.  It can be easy for us to beat ourselves up for not having lost 10kg yesterday whilst overlooking all that we are doing will form the building blocks of seeing those 10kg eventually be lost.  So many powerful moments from this conversation and great reiterations to myself and those listening.  Super grateful to Ruby for her time and sharing her observations.  No doubt the first of many to follow.  Please be sure to connect with Ruby using the following and leave your comments below.

https://linktr.ee/rubycherie.coachingspecialist

Oh my goodness this was such a fun podcast to record.  In this episode, I am with my gal pal and Superstar Laura Holmes who has transformed beyond belief.  Now, we could get into the physical side of her transformation but I really want to hold off on that and take the time to highlight her mental and emotional transformation because that is the part that is truly inspiring and for me, the most impressive.  

This gal came to me barely 14 weeks prior to this recording and my goodness, what an evolved version of herself she has become.  I can recall how shy and nervous she looked when I first met her in the gym - so much so that I gave her a hug.  Today, she walks in like she owns the place (and she totally does!) There has been such a leap in her self-belief and attitude towards life that she almost seems like a new person entirely.  In fact, thinking back to who she was when I first met her, she hardly seems recognizable in her energy and approach to life. Today, not only is she 10kg lighter but also lighter in her energy and headspace - that is what I wanted to capture in this episode and in this podcast.  All too often I feel we pursue the physical transformation whilst completely overlooking what we need to unlock mentally.  When we have mental breakthroughs, our relationship with ourselves changes and that allows us to do a better job at looking after ourselves.  What a privilege and pleasure to be training Laura and to know her in the first place.  For sure this is only just the beginning of a very special bond and a small chapter in a very long road ahead.  What an amazing gal and I am ever so proud!

In this episode of Real Talk, I have the great pleasure of speaking with subconscious success coach Helena Day who specializes in helping busy working professionals to unapologetically pursue the life of their dreams by identifying the blockages that stand in their way of seeing that life come to fruition.  I was initially connected to Helena by Superstar ✨ Lauren Gibson who appears in another episode of Real Talk.  The work that Lauren has done with Helena is transformational to say the least and I loved hearing about how great an impact that Helena had had on Lauren that it was inevitable we would have to meet in person and that we did. Though the recent emergence of Covid has seen the world change drastically, we often overlook our internal world and the impact that plays on how we respond to external events and experiences.  I truly believe that having a strong and clear headspace allows us to handle life challenges with a far greater sense of ease and inner peace.  In this episode, we discuss some of the changes busy working professionals are experiencing as a result of the pandemic and how we can navigate the myriad situations and circumstances that presents. I truly believe that your mind and body are the two things you have with you from your first breath until your last and you owe it to yourself to cherish and continue to work on both.  The work that Helena does cannot be appreciated enough and I know this is the first of many conversations to follow.  Please be sure to connect with her with the following:

https://helenaday.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenaday

This was in fact recorded some time ago - during the OG circuit breaker of Singapore.  That was a fun time wasn’t it?!  At least we survived. One of the ways I kept myself occupied during this time was to start podcasting - many of those episodes are yet to be released. Super awesome speaking with Jade which could have in fact been the first of many Zoom calls during circuit breaker.  It was extremely revealing to unpack her goals and the reason why she set the goals that she had set in the first place - such a common occurrence and a great reminder for us all to re-assess and re-evaluate our reasons for setting out goals in the first place. It is easy to get caught up in life and to keep chasing the same old goals we set 6-24 months ago, actually, even 5+ years ago and we feel that we need to keep on chasing and chasing so that we can get the ‘satisfaction’ of achieving that goal without realising how much we punish ourselves for not having reached that goal when we first set it.  How often do we stop to ask ourselves ‘WHY’ did we set that goal in the first place?  For what purpose, for what reason, for what motivation and for so much unhappiness in return?  Makes little to no sense does it?  Super grateful for Jade for sharing her personal insights and for being vulnerable.  So much we can all learn and take-away from her goal assessing and insights. Please be sure to check out her meal prep company Feast with JJ too: https://www.feastwithjj.com.sg nstagram: feast_with_jj