Brain fog. Decision fatigue. Losing your words mid-sentence. If you've been experiencing any of these and are wondering whether it's just stress, or hormones, or something more, this conversation is for you.

Jan Soloy is a Nurse Practitioner in Integrative Medicine and Brain Health Coach who works with adults at midlife and beyond. She brings something that decades of clinical practice alone can't give you; she's lived this. In her mid-60s, Jan survived a serious brain injury that required surgery, eleven days in a neuro ICU, and five years of recovery. That journey changed not just her understanding of the brain, but her entire approach to helping others protect and reclaim theirs.

This episode isn't about fear. It's about hope, grace, and the small intentional choices that actually move the needle, because as Jan says, it is never too late.

In this episode:

• How Jan's brain injury in her mid-60s became the foundation of her brain health coaching work
• What clinical practice couldn't teach her , and what recovery did
• The real reason brain fog, decision fatigue, and lost words are so common at midlife
• The biggest myth about ageing and the brain, and why it matters
• The one lifestyle factor that most studies agrees on for long-term brain health
• How chronic stress quietly undermines your ability to think, remember, and concentrate
• Why brain health is not separate from your overall health — it is your health
• The 7 phases of Jan's Golden Clarity Protocol, explained simply and practically

Key quotes by Jan:

• Hope that something can be done now, with the knowledge that things that you do now do make a difference.
• Brain health is health.
• It's never too late.

Jan's resources mentioned In this episode:

• Website: www.jansoloy.com
• Morning Musings Newsletter: sign-up here ->
• Free Brain Health Assessment: download here ->
• Brain Health Awareness - mini course: learn more ->
• The Golden Clarity Protocol: read more ->
• Private Coaching - one-on-one support: learn more ->
• Instagram

Connect with Ronél:

• Free resource: 14 Small Steps Back to Yourself
• Website: ronelpretorius.com
• Instagram: @ronelpretorius.coach
• Pinterest: @ronelpretoriuswellnesscoach

I lost my train of thought mid-sentence in a meeting yesterday. And it's been happening more often than I'd like to admit.

I know what helps. Breathe. Pause. Let it come back. But sometimes I just panic instead. And that makes it worse.

In this episode, I'm talking about the gap between what we know and what we actually do. Between what we teach and what we practice.

I share my own pattern (binge-watching Netflix when my nervous system is running wild — this week it was Trust Me: The False Prophet, definitely not helping), why knowing isn't the same as doing, and the permission we all need to hear: You're just human.

This one's vulnerable. Honest. And I think a lot of us are standing in that gap, carrying shame about it.

In This Episode:

• The mid-sentence blank moment that happens more often than I want to admit
• My pattern I'm not proud of: what I do when my nervous system is running wild
• The uncomfortable truth about the gap between what I teach and what I actually practice
• Why knowing how things work doesn't mean you can always do them
• The permission we all need: both things can be true at the same time
• What it looks like to notice the pattern without judgment
• Why the simple things we resist might actually be enough

Reflection Questions:

What's the gap between what you know and what you actually do? And what would it feel like to notice that gap without the shame?

Resources and Links:

If this resonates — if you find yourself in that place of knowing something needs to shift, but not quite being able to see through the fog — I have a free resource that might help. It's called 14 Small Steps Back to Yourself: practical tools for high-functioning leaders who hold everything together and are starting to wonder what's missing. Download it here: 14 Small Steps Back to Yourself

Connect with Me:

• Website: ronelpretorius.com
• Instagram: @ronelpretorius.coach
• Pinterest: @ronelpretoriuswellnesscoach
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ronel-pretorius

In this episode of Unrushed: Less Stress, More Meaning, I explore the concept of "choose your hard" and what it means in everyday decisions, what psychology tells us about why we default to the easier option, and what it looks like when we apply this to the bigger questions. The ones that have been hovering for months.

Life will require difficult things from you either way. The question has never really been whether you'll face difficulty. The question is which difficulty you're willing to face — and whether you're choosing it intentionally or by default.

In this episode:

• Why avoidance is rarely neutral — and what it actually costs
• The psychology of present bias and why immediate comfort often wins
• How "choose your hard" applies beyond small daily decisions
• The difference between productive discomfort and slow, quiet regret
• Why choosing your hard isn't about willpower — it's about clarity

Key Quote:

Avoidance has a price. You just pay it much later.

Reflection question:

What's the hard you've been choosing by default?

And is there a different hard — a more intentional one — that you keep postponing?

Resources and Links:

If this resonates; if you find yourself in that place of knowing something needs to shift, but not quite being able to see through the fog, I have a free resource that might help.

It's called 14 Small Steps Back to Yourself: practical tools for high-functioning leaders who hold everything together and are starting to wonder what's missing. Download it here: 14 Small Steps Back to Yourself

Connect with Me:

• Website: ronelpretorius.com
• Instagram: @ronelpretorius.coach
• Pinterest: @ronelpretoriuswellnesscoach
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ronel-pretorius

Newsletter:

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Disclaimer:

The conversations shared on this podcast are meant to inform, inspire, and support — not to diagnose, treat, or replace professional medical or mental health care. Always seek the guidance of a qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your well-being.