Creatine seems to be EVERYWHERE right now! But is it really worth taking, particularly for women?

Once associated mainly with bodybuilders and athletes, creatine is now being talked about for everything from strength and muscle mass to menopause, healthy ageing and even brain health.

But what does the science actually say?

In this episode of Dr Julie's Coffee Chats, I'm putting my nutrition researcher hat on to unpack one of the most researched supplements around — separating what we know, what's promising, and what's perhaps getting a little ahead of the evidence.

We're covering:

• What creatine actually is and how it works in our bodies.
• The evidence for strength, muscle mass and exercise performance.
• Why creatine is getting so much attention for women, menopause and healthy ageing.
• The emerging research around brain health, memory and fatigue.
• Common questions about weight gain, bloating, safety and whether you need to exercise to benefit.
• How much to take, when to take it, and whether consistency really matters.

And of course, I'm sharing a little of my own experience — including why, despite knowing the research and training regularly, I've completely fallen out of the habit of taking creatine myself!

So grab a coffee and join me for just good research, practical advice and a little motivation for all of us (myself included!) to make informed decisions about our health.

A huge thank you to my podcast partner, Fuel Box, a fellow Wellington business supporting busy Kiwis to fuel their day.

Last week, I pulled the most-listened-to episode of Dr Julie's Coffee Chats out of the archives — The Controversial School Holidays Episode.

This week, we're picking up the conversation three years later. And Anna is joining me.

Because when you look at the hours our children are at school, the weeks they're at school, and the hours and weeks we're expected to work…

the maths simply doesn't math.

In this episode, we go beyond the statistics and talk about what navigating this system actually looks like.

Anna shares more of her own story — becoming a doctor, training as a specialist in obstetrics while having two babies, and now balancing motherhood with a demanding specialist medical career.

We also look at where our current school-day and school-year structure actually came from, and why a system created for a very different world continues to shape the lives of modern families today.

Then we get personal.

After reflecting on our very different careers and journeys through motherhood, we each share:

• The one piece of advice we'd give a new mum.
• What we would do differently if we could go back.
• Our biggest challenge with the current system.
• What we've found actually helps make it work.
• And what we would most like to see change.

This isn't about whether we love having our children home during the holidays — of course we do.

It's about acknowledging that our expectations around work, school and parenting simply don't fit neatly together, and that families — particularly women — are often left to somehow make up the difference.

There are things we've learnt the hard way, things we'd approach very differently now, and plenty we still haven't figured out.

So grab a coffee and join us for an honest conversation about motherhood, careers, school holidays and trying to make the maths math. ❤️

A huge thank you to my podcast partner, Fuel Box, a fellow Wellington business supporting busy Kiwis to fuel their day.

Three years ago, I recorded what became the most-listened-to episode of Dr Julie's Coffee Chats — and listening back, I was struck by just how relevant it still is today.

So I'm bringing it back.

While school holidays might seem like a simple issue of juggling children and work, the reality is much bigger. In this episode, I unpack the research and statistics behind what happens to women's careers, income, financial security and wellbeing when they become parents — and why this matters to ALL women, whether you have children or not.

We look at the gender pay gap, occupational segregation, parental leave, why women are more likely to reduce their hours or leave the workforce, and the longer-term consequences of these decisions.

Because these aren't simply individual choices happening inside individual families. There are much bigger structural factors at play.

And school holidays are just one small window into a much bigger conversation about how our workplaces, childcare systems and society are set up — and who ultimately carries the cost when they don't fit together.

I'm now coming back to this episode three years later with three boys all in school, but the research and the questions at the heart of this conversation remain incredibly relevant.

This isn't an episode about blaming parents, women, men or employers.

It's about looking at the evidence, understanding what is actually happening, and asking whether we should be doing things differently.

And next week, Anna and I will continue the conversation and bring our 2026 perspectives to this topic.

But first, let's go back to where it started.

This is The Controversial School Holidays Episode.

A huge thank you to my podcast partner, Fuel Box, a fellow Wellington business supporting busy Kiwis to fuel their day.

Unless you've been living under a rock, chances are you've seen the Sydney Sweeney ad taking over the internet — and EVERYONE seems to have an opinion.

So, naturally, Anna and I had to sit down and talk about it.

But this isn't an episode about hating on another woman, judging her body or deciding what women should or shouldn't wear.

Instead, we're asking: why has this ad created such a huge reaction — and what does the conversation around it say about us?

We share our own reactions to the ad, the wider conversation around beauty and women's bodies, and some very honest reflections on our own body-image struggles over the years.

We also talk about getting older, comparison, the impossible standards women can place on themselves, what our children are absorbing from the world around them — and what we hope we can do differently for the next generation.

As always when Anna and I get behind the microphones, there are different opinions, plenty of honesty, a few tangents and a LOT of laughs.

Because sometimes a viral ad isn't really just about an ad.

It's about beauty, bodies, ageing, motherhood, self-worth and the messages we're passing on to our kids.

Grab a coffee and join us. ❤️

This season of Dr Julie's Coffee Chats is proudly supported by Fuel Box, a fellow Wellington business helping busy Kiwis fuel their day.

Some conversations with our kids are easy. And then there are the ones we desperately want to get right… but aren't always quite sure how to start.

This week on Dr Julie's Coffee Chats, my friend Anna is back for a really important conversation about sex, bodies, consent, safety and communication with our kids.

How early should we use the correct names for body parts? How do we talk about sex without making it one enormous, awkward "talk"? What does consent actually look like as our children grow?

And importantly — what happens when our kids get themselves into trouble?

We talk about creating a relationship where our children genuinely believe they can tell us the hard stuff, even when they've made a mistake, and why every child should have a safe person outside of their parents they know they can turn to.

Anna also brings her professional experience working within obstetric and reproductive healthcare, giving us another perspective on why good information, open conversations and safe adults matter so much.

There are some sensitive topics in this episode, including sex, pregnancy and abortion care, so this may be one to listen to away from little ears.

But above all, this is an honest, practical — and yes, at times very funny — conversation between two mums trying to raise kids with information rather than shame, boundaries alongside trust, and somewhere safe to land when life gets complicated.

You don't need to have every conversation perfectly.

You just need to keep the door open. ❤️

This season of Dr Julie's Coffee Chats is proudly supported by Fuel Box, a fellow Wellington business helping busy Kiwis fuel their day.

Have you ever found yourself waiting until all your ducks are lined up before making a decision? The money, the time, the confidence, the perfect plan… and somehow, the perfect moment never quite arrives?

In this episode of Dr Julie's Coffee Chats, I'm talking about the power of making a decision — and why sometimes we need to decide first, then find our way.

This is a shorter, honest conversation about the things I've learnt through business, training, parenting and life. Because the truth is, we don't always get it right. We make mistakes, we change direction, and sometimes we discover that something which was once exactly what we needed no longer fits the person we've become.

We chat about:

• Why waiting for certainty can keep us stuck.
• How making mistakes is often the very thing that teaches us what to do next.
• Why the gym that helped you begin might not be the gym you need forever.
• What trying a diet that doesn't work can teach you about your own body and lifestyle.
• How to make thoughtful decisions without needing every step mapped out.

This isn't about being reckless or pretending that big decisions are easy. It's about recognising that we can do our due diligence, make the best decision we can with the information we have, and trust ourselves to learn and adjust along the way.

The decision wasn't necessarily wrong just because the first version didn't work.

So if there's something you've been putting off, grab a coffee and join me. Maybe this is the little nudge you need to take that next step.

And as always, do one small thing this week to nourish yourself a little better. ❤️

This season of Dr Julie's Coffee Chats is proudly supported by Fuel Box, a fellow Wellington business helping busy Kiwis fuel their day.

Ohhhh we're going there. Welcome to OREOGATE.

This week on Dr Julie's Coffee Chats, I'm introducing you to my friend Anna — and we're diving straight into one of the hottest parenting debates to take the internet by storm.

Yes. We're talking about the Oreos.

What starts as a conversation about one seemingly innocent parenting moment very quickly becomes a much bigger chat about modern parenting, judgement, food, boundaries, social media and the enormous pressure parents face to somehow get everything right.

And because this is a Coffee Chat with two mums rather than a parenting lecture, expect plenty of honesty.

We talk about the things parents are apparently no longer allowed to say out loud, the difference between what parenting looks like on the internet and what happens inside actual homes, where we each sit on OreoGate — and why sometimes we all need to give ourselves (and each other!) a little more grace.

There are opinions.

There are parenting truths.

There are plenty of laughs.

And there may be a few moments where Anna and I wonder whether we're about to get ourselves cancelled (there is swearing!).

Whether you've been following the OreoGate debate or have absolutely NO idea what I'm talking about, grab a coffee and join us.

This one is a proper Coffee Chat — two friends, two mums, no perfect answers and a very honest conversation about raising kids in a world where everyone seems to have an opinion on how we should do it.

🎙️ Dr Julie's Coffee Chats — real talk, real people and conversations worth having.

This season of Dr Julie's Coffee Chats is proudly supported by Fuel Box, a fellow Wellington business helping busy Kiwis fuel their day.

If you listen to ONE podcast about sugar and kids, I want it to be this one.

Because somehow sugar has become one of the most confusing, controversial and emotionally loaded parts of feeding our children.

Is fruit sugar bad? Is fruit juice actually healthy? Is honey better than white sugar? How much sugar should kids really have? Should we restrict sweet foods — or does putting any boundaries around them just make kids obsessed with sugar?

There is SO much noise out there.

So in this episode of Dr Julie’s Coffee Chats, I'm stripping it all back and giving you the evidence, the nuance and — most importantly — what this actually looks like in real life.

We cover everything from sugar 101 and what the term "free sugar means to restriction vs guidance — and where I think some of the current feeding advice has lost important nuance. Plus how I approach sugar with my own children

A little heads-up: there is some science at the beginning. Stay with me! 🤓

I promise it's there for a reason, because once you understand what sugar and free sugar actually mean, everything else makes so much more sense.

And the second half gets VERY practical.

Whether you've been worried you're giving your kids too much sugar, confused by conflicting advice, frightened of being too restrictive, or simply trying to feed your family well without losing your mind — there is something in this episode for you to take away and use.

Grab your coffee and listen on. ☕️

And as always, a huge thank you to my podcast partner Fuel Box for supporting Dr Julie's Coffee Chats and helping me continue to bring you practical, evidence-based nutrition conversations each week.

If this episode helps you, please share it with another parent who needs to hear it, subscribe to the podcast and leave a review — it makes such a difference. ❤️