In this episode of Happier & Healthier, Sally and Ann are joined by the wonderful Michelle – the Pelvic Goddess – a true font of knowledge when it comes to women’s pelvic health.

Michelle shares her holistic, whole-body approach to pelvic wellbeing, helping women understand that pelvic symptoms are never “just something you have to live with.” From bladder and bowel issues to pain, prolapse and menopause-related changes, Michelle explains why the root cause of the problem often lies far beyond the pelvis itself.

Together, we explore how symptoms can stem from unexpected areas such as the jaw, feet, legs, hips, or even past physical or emotional trauma, and why taking the time to properly assess and diagnose is key to long-term improvement.

This is a high-protein episode, packed full of practical information, reassurance, and empowering advice to help women find the right approach for their body.

• Common (and not-so-common) pelvic health symptoms women experience
• Why pelvic issues are often connected to the whole body
• How posture, movement patterns, and past injuries can play a role
• The importance of individualised diagnosis instead of one-size-fits-all solutions
• Practical advice and tips for:
• Menopause
• Constipation
• Supporting bladder and bowel health
• How Michelle supports women to feel confident, informed, and in control of their health

✔ Reassuring and empowering

✔ Practical, actionable tips

✔ Eye-opening connections you may never have considered

✔ Perfect for women at any life stage

Whether you’re dealing with symptoms yourself or simply want to understand your body better, this episode will leave you feeling informed, supported, and hopeful.

Join the 1% Happier & Healthier Community

On a similar journey? Want to share your story and connect with

others making positive changes? Join our private 1% Happier & Healthier Facebook

Community for encouragement, tips, and real talk.

📩 Email us at hello@1percentandhealthier.co.uk to request an invite!

🎧 Thanks for Listening!

If you enjoyed the episode, don’t forget to subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review – it helps others discover the show and join the 1% movement!

A big thank you to Pixabay for providing our intro and outro

music, "Inspirational Background" by AudioCoffee.

Ann & Sally

xx

Stay Connected with Us

Follow us on Instagram: @happierandhealthier__

Have questions or want to join our Facebook community? Reach out

to us at hello@1percenthappierandhealthier.co.uk

Get in touch with Michelle

on Instagram: @thepelvicgoddess

on Facebook Michelle Cockram

on e mail thepelvicgoddess@gmail.com

website...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this uplifting and perspective-shifting episode of the 1% Happier and Healthier Podcast, we sit down with Bernie, a 74-year-old (nearly 75!) from San Diego who is redefining what ageing can look like.

For most of his life, Bernie worked long hours and put his health on the back burner. Like many people, work came first — until retirement at 63 created space for a different question: Who do I want to be now?

One book changed everything. Inspired to take responsibility for his strength and wellbeing, Bernie began working on his fitness — not with extremes, but with consistency and intention. Since then, he’s lost 25 pounds, built his own home gym, and completely reshaped his identity. Today, Bernie is an Instagram sensation, inspiring thousands of people around the world to believe that it’s never too late to get stronger, healthier, and more confident in your body.

This conversation isn’t just about fitness — it’s about identity. Bernie reminds us that lasting change happens when we stop asking “What should I do?” and start asking “Who do I want to be?”

• Why it’s never too late to start prioritising your health
• How retirement can be a powerful opportunity for reinvention
• The role of identity in creating lasting lifestyle change
• Why strength matters more as we age — physically and mentally
• How small, consistent actions compound over time
• What Bernie’s journey teaches us about confidence, purpose, and self-belief
• How redefining “ageing” can unlock a healthier future

Real transformation begins when your habits align with your identity.

Ask yourself: Who do I want to be — and what would that person do today?

• You think it might be “too late” to get fit or strong
• You’re approaching retirement or navigating a new life chapter
• You want inspiration to build health habits that actually last
• You’re curious about strength, longevity, and mindset
• You believe it’s possible to be 1% happier and healthier at any age

Bernie’s story proves that age is not a barrier — it’s an invitation.

You don’t have to change everything overnight. You just have to decide who you want to be next.

Join the 1% Happier & Healthier Community

On a similar journey? Want to share your story and connect with

others making positive changes? Join our private 1% Happier & Healthier Facebook

Community for encouragement, tips, and real talk.

📩 Email us at hello@1percentandhealthier.co.uk to request an invite!

🎧 Thanks for Listening!

If you enjoyed the episode, don’t forget to subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review – it helps others discover the show and join the 1% movement!

A big thank you to Pixabay for providing our intro and outro

music, "Inspirational Background" by AudioCoffee.

Ann & Sally

xx

Stay Connected with Us

Follow us on Instagram: @happierandhealthier__

Have questions or want to join our Facebook community? Reach out

to us at hello@1percentandhealthier.co.uk.

Connect with Bernie on instagram: @berniepr

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Science of Stepping Outside: How Nature Restores Calm & Focus

The secrets of forest bathing revealed.

Guest: Susanne (Forest Bathing / Shinrin-yoku guide; leads the guide team at Kew Gardens)

Episode Summary:

What if the fastest way to feel calmer, clearer and more energised was… free and right outside your door? This week, Sally and Anne are joined by Suzanne, a forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku) guide, to explore what forest bathing really is (hint: it’s not just a walk in the woods). Suzanne shares the science-backed benefits of being with nature—how it helps shift you out of fight-or-flight and into rest-and-digest—plus simple practices you can try in just 10–15 minutes.

• Sally’s quick grounding reset (5 minutes on the grass!)
• What forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku) actually means
• Why modern life keeps us stuck in fight-or-flight
• How nature supports the parasympathetic nervous system (rest-and-digest)
• Why “being with nature” is different from exercising in nature
• Phone-free time outdoors (and why one glance can break the reset)
• The “soft fascination” effect that restores focus and mental energy
• Tree compounds (phytoncides) and immune support (as discussed)
• Simple, practical ways to start forest bathing anywhere
• Suzanne’s powerful 1% tip: focus on beauty

Set a timer for 10 minutes. Go outside (garden, park, or street with trees). Put your phone on silent/flight mode. Walk slowly and notice:

• one sound
• one colour
• one texture or movement
• Ask yourself: How do I feel now compared to 10 minutes ago?

• Sensory walk: slow down, no destination, open your senses
• Tree / fractal tracing: follow a tree’s branches slowly with your eyes
• Fingertip tracing: gently trace fingertips along your forearm/hand to anchor calm
• Morning light practice: step outside early, orient toward daylight, breathe and visualise light “flooding” the body (as described)

• Richard Louv — Last Child in the Woods (nature deficit disorder concept)
• Dr. Jacob Lieberman — Light: Medicine of the Future; Take Off Your Glasses and See
• Suzanne also references Luminous Life as a favourite

• Forest bathing events via the Kew Gardens website
• Website: meetinnature.com
• Free resource mentioned: Natural Energy Insider Guide (on her website)

• “Forest bathing isn’t just being in nature—it’s being with nature.”
• “Nature is the therapist. I’m not the therapist.”
• “Focus on beauty—it lifts you out of fear and expands you.”

Join the 1% Happier & Healthier Community

On a similar journey? Want to share your story and connect with

others making positive changes? Join our private 1% Happier & Healthier Facebook

Community for encouragement, tips, and real talk.

📩 Email us at hello@1percentandhealthier.co.uk to request an invite!

🎧 Thanks for Listening!

If you enjoyed the episode, don’t forget to subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review – it helps others discover the show and join the 1% movement!

A big thank you to Pixabay for providing our intro and outro

music, "Inspirational Background" by AudioCoffee.

Ann & Sally

xx

Stay Connected with Us

Follow us on Instagram: @happierandhealthier__

Have questions or want to join our Facebook community? Reach out

to us at hello@1percenthappierandhealthier.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dry January isn’t the finish line.

It’s feedback.

In this final episode, we explore what to do with everything you’ve noticed, learned and felt over the past month — without rules, pressure, or “shoulds.”

This is about turning awareness into self-trust, and making choices that support the life you actually want to live.

Not perfectly.

Just gently.

Just honestly.

• How you feel now compared to before you took a break
• What surprised you most
• What’s become non-negotiable going forward
• Why “just cutting back” can sometimes feel harder than taking a break
• Why clarity is more powerful than rules
• And how alcohol can quietly become optional again

• Does alcohol feel optional in my life right now?
• Do I drink because I want to — or because it’s expected?
• Does alcohol help me unwind — or does it borrow tomorrow’s calm?
• How would my evenings feel without it?
• What might I gain from another short break?

You’re not finishing something.

You’re discovering something.

More clarity.

More energy.

More calm.

More you.

Write down what you want your “new normal” to protect — sleep, mornings, mood, self-trust — and let those become your compass.

• UK Chief Medical Officers recommend no more than 14 units per week to keep health risks lower — but there is no completely “safe” level
• Recent research suggests even moderate drinking (more than 7 drinks per week) increases the risk of premature death

You didn’t quit something.

You discovered something.

On a similar journey? Want to share your story and connect with others making positive changes?

Follow our 1% Happier and Healthier page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/share/1As5stBXSg/?mibextid=wwXIfr

and join our new Facebook group for dry January https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577141566058

🎧 Thanks for Listening!

If you enjoyed the episode, don’t forget to subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review – it helps others discover the show and join the 1% movement!

A big thank you to Pixabay for providing our intro and outro

music, "Inspirational Background" by AudioCoffee.

Ann & Sally

xx

Stay Connected with Us

Follow us on Instagram: @happierandhealthier__

Have questions or want to join our Facebook community?

Contact us via e mail hello@1percenthappierandhealthier.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most people quit before the good bit kicks in.

In this episode, we explore what actually starts to change when alcohol is removed — not dramatically, not overnight, but steadily, gently, and in ways that often surprise people.

This is the quiet glow-up.

The calm confidence.

The mornings that begin to feel like yours again.

Not perfection — progress.

• The emotional and physical benefits people don’t expect
• Why better mornings often become more motivating than avoiding hangovers
• How emotional resilience improves — feelings still happen, but feel more manageable
• The way confidence shifts from loud to grounded
• Why many people say: “I feel more like myself again.”

Days 1–7

• Sleep begins to shift
• Mornings feel clearer
• Less brain fog

Weeks 2–3

• Energy starts to return
• Mood feels steadier
• Skin often looks brighter
• Cravings soften

And emotionally…

• More patience
• More self-trust
• More ease

• What surprised them most
• How their confidence changed
• Why mornings became sacred
• How movement and food choices felt easier and more intuitive

• Do I feel pressure to drink — from others or from myself?
• How comfortable am I saying “no thanks”?
• Who am I without alcohol in social spaces?
• Do I like myself more or less when I drink?
• How much time do I lose to hangovers or recovery?

Write down three wins — even tiny ones.

Noticing progress trains your nervous system to expect more calm.

• Alcohol weakens immunity and can weaken bones, increasing fracture risk.
• Lost productivity and wider economic impact linked to alcohol is estimated at around £5 billion within the £27.4 billion total cost.

You’re not losing anything.

You’re getting yourself back.

On a similar journey? Want to share your story and connect with others making positive changes?

Follow our 1% Happier and Healthier page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/share/1As5stBXSg/?mibextid=wwXIfr

and join our new Facebook group for dry January https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577141566058

🎧 Thanks for Listening!

If you enjoyed the episode, don’t forget to subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review – it helps others discover the show and join the 1% movement!

A big thank you to Pixabay for providing our intro and outro

music, "Inspirational Background" by AudioCoffee.

Ann & Sally

xx

Stay Connected with Us

Follow us on Instagram: @happierandhealthier__

Have questions or want to join our Facebook community?

Contact us via e mail hello@1percenthappierandhealthier.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guess what?

You probably don’t.

But most of us were never given the chance to find out.

Alcohol is one of the most socially normalised drugs in the world — woven into celebrations, stress relief, confidence, reward and connection. Not because we consciously chose it… but because we were taught it.

In this episode, we gently question that story — without judgement, pressure, or labels — and explore what “fun” can look like when you’re actually present, rested, and fully yourself.

This isn’t about giving things up.

It’s about discovering what you gain.

• How cultural conditioning quietly shapes our habits
• Why many people drink from expectation rather than desire
• What changes when alcohol is removed — and what surprisingly stays the same
• The difference between real fun and alcohol-fuelled fun

• What feeling am I usually trying to change when I drink?
• Do I use alcohol to switch off, numb out, or cope?
• How do I handle stress when I don’t drink?
• Does alcohol help me feel more like myself — or less?
• Would I behave differently socially without it?

Fun doesn’t come from what’s in your glass.

It comes from:

• Connection
• Presence
• Energy
• Remembering the night

These are nervous-system gifts — and alcohol quietly takes them away.

Notice one social moment this week without alcohol.

Pay attention to how connected, calm and clear you feel — even if it’s different, even if it’s subtle.

Awareness is the beginning of choice.

• Alcohol is classified as a carcinogen and increases the risk of several cancers, including breast, bowel, liver, mouth and throat.
• An estimated 17 million working days are lost each year due to alcohol-related sickness, costing around £7 billion to the economy.

Small changes don’t shrink your life.

They give it back.

On a similar journey? Want to share your story and connect with others making positive changes?

Follow our 1% Happier and Healthier page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/share/1As5stBXSg/?mibextid=wwXIfr

and join our new Facebook group for dry January https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577141566058

🎧 Thanks for Listening!

If you enjoyed the episode, don’t forget to subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review – it helps others discover the show and join the 1% movement!

A big thank you to Pixabay for providing our intro and outro

music, "Inspirational Background" by AudioCoffee.

Ann & Sally

xx

Stay Connected with Us

Follow us on Instagram: @happierandhealthier__

Have questions or want to join our Facebook community?

Contact us via e mail hello@1percenthappierandhealthier.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dry January isn’t meant to feel like punishment.

It’s meant to feel like relief.

In this episode, we explore how to do Dry January in a way that actually supports your nervous system, your energy, and your real life — not just your willpower.

This is about moving beyond “just get through January” and learning how to create calmer habits that last.

Small shifts.

Better sleep.

A clearer mind.

A gentler way to feel good.

• Why cravings don’t mean failure — they mean habit
• What urges are really about (and why most pass within 20–30 minutes)
• How alcohol quietly affects your sleep, mood, anxiety and motivation
• Why changing when and why you drink matters more than how much
• How to manage FOMO without forcing yourself to miss out
• And how to build replacement rituals that actually feel good

• Which situations feel harder without alcohol — and why?
• How does alcohol affect your sleep and your mornings?
• Do you notice changes in your anxiety, energy or tolerance over time?

Awareness isn’t judgement. It’s power.

• How to set yourself up for success with alcohol-free swaps and simple planning
• The “delay, distract, decide” method for cravings
• How to leave social events early without guilt
• Easy replacement habits for wind-down, connection and reward
• How to celebrate progress without chasing perfection

This week, notice what your cravings are really asking for — rest, comfort, connection, relief — and give yourself that instead.

• In the UK, alcohol is the biggest risk factor for death and disability among people aged 15–49.
• Alcohol reduces REM sleep, increases early morning waking, and raises baseline anxiety — even in small amounts.
• It doesn’t relax your nervous system.
• It just delays stress until later.

On a similar journey? Want to share your story and connect with others making positive changes?

Follow our 1% Happier and Healthier page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/share/1As5stBXSg/?mibextid=wwXIfr

and join our new Facebook group for dry January https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577141566058

🎧 Thanks for Listening!

If you enjoyed the episode, don’t forget to subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review – it helps others discover the show and join the 1% movement!

A big thank you to Pixabay for providing our intro and outro

music, "Inspirational Background" by AudioCoffee.

Ann & Sally

xx

Stay Connected with Us

Follow us on Instagram: @happierandhealthier__

Have questions or want to join our Facebook community?

Contact us via e mail hello@1percenthappierandhealthier.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.