I don’t know about you, but I didn’t imagine my life looking like burnout, broken sleep, or feeling snappy at the people I love. 

That wasn’t part of the dream. 

But for a while, that’s where I found myself. 

Overworked and overwhelmed. 

Still doing all the things, but not feeling much joy in any of it. Waking up each day in a body that didn’t feel good, living in a world full of people, yet feeling strangely alone. 

And I remember thinking, how the heck did I get here?

I’d had a vision for my life, and had all the things I had set out to achieve, but I wasn’t feeling good and I was a long way from happy or satisfied and I didn’t understand why.

I thought about it for a long time before I realized that although I had been focused on achieving my goals, I had not been focused on anything else. I’d had a vision for my life and I’d mapped out what I wanted but not how I was going to get there and in what condition I’d be in when I arrived!

My life looked...

You’re hungry. You’re tired. You’re standing in the kitchen or staring at a menu, debating what to eat. 

And before you know it, you’ve spent ten minutes running through every option—Should I be good? Should I just get the thing I really want? Will I regret it? Will I have to ‘make up for it’ later? 

Sound familiar? 

Decision fatigue around food is exhausting—and it’s one of the biggest reasons weight loss feels hard. The more we overthink, the more likely we are to throw in the towel and say, “Stuff it, I’ll just start fresh tomorrow.” 

So let’s simplify. 

Here’s a decision-making framework you can use to take the mental stress out of food choices, so you can eat in a way that supports your health without the endless back-and-forth.

The 5-Step Food Decision Framework 

🧡 Pause Before You Choose. Instead of reacting on autopilot, take five seconds to check in: Am I actually hungry? Am I just tired, stressed, or bored? A short pause can stop unconscious eating...

It was only one degree of course. 

That’s all. 

The pilot didn’t notice it at first.  

The passengers didn’t feel it.  

And for a while, the plane looked like it was still heading exactly where it was supposed to go. But after an hour? That one-degree shift put them kilometres away from their intended destination and put them squarely on a collision course with a mountainside! 

That’s how life is too, right? 

We don’t wake up one day suddenly exhausted, off-track, or feeling stuck. It happens gradually—one small decision, one habit, one compromise at a time. 

We tell ourselves we’ll start tomorrow, that we’re just too busy this week, and when things settle down, then we’ll get back to our health, our goals, our bigger vision. 

Except life doesn’t settle down, does it….not really? 

And before we know it, we’re wondering how we ended up on a collision course with the mountain! 

I know this pattern because I lived it, not just once, but many many ti...

With a cyclone heading toward Brisbane tomorrow, it’s one of those moments that makes you stop and think—what really matters?  

When life throws uncertainty our way, we’re reminded that it’s not the things we’ve bought in a moment of retail therapy that we truly care about.  

It’s our family, our loved ones, our home—the things that make us feel safe, grounded, and connected. 

And yet, in everyday life, it’s so easy to get caught up in accumulating stuff—new clothes, gadgets, home décor, or another pair of shoes we don’t really need. But when we strip it all back, we see how little of it actually matters when faced with real challenges. 

How Simplifying Life Strengthens Our Health & Well-Being 

The truth is, life feels lighter when we’re not weighed down by clutter, financial stress, or by an over-packed schedule.  

How does simplifying make our life easier and make us healthier? 

1. It reduces stress. 

Less financial pressure, fewer decisions, and a hom...

We all think we are in control of most things in our life don’t we?  

But what we’re usually trying to control is the day to details of a stupidly busy hectic life.  

We work hard at juggling our responsibilities, and push through exhaustion, but at some point, along the way we realise we have dropped off something – relationships, fun, health, rest, career, spirituality, community, finances or some unrealised dream and we do our best to change course and bring one or all of them back in. 

But have you ever stopped to ask why any of those things are important to you? 

What is it that you’re really chasing after?  

I ask myself that question alllllll the time!  

I get caught up in the doing "of things", the steps and tasks I need to accomplish to get to wherever it is I want to go.  

Some of those steps have been exhausting, even painful, yet I’ve rarely stopped to check whether they were actually necessary. Or, more importantly, whether they were even lea...

I used to say, with pride, that I was driven to achieve—results-driven and driven to succeed, driven to lose weight, driven to get things done! But as it turned out, that was not a recipe for happy success. 

When you’re driven, you’re the passenger right? At the mercy of where the driver wants to take you and how they want to drive!—Whether it’s slow as a snail or reckless and relentless, side-swiping everything in the way and leaving you arriving at your destination feeling like a wreck: weight and health issues, relationships in tatters, exhausted and unable to find the joy. 

But when you’re the driver, you’re in control. Your hands are on the wheel, your feet are on the pedals, and you decide where you want to go. You can pull over for rest stops when you need them and take detours to explore the things that bring you joy. 

Being driven means your internal forces are controlling your thoughts, feelings, and responses. It feels like you’re making the choices, but reall...

You know that feeling when you’re absolutely drained, running on fumes, and all you want is something—something salty, something sweet, something bold?

It’s not just about hunger. It’s about relief.

We chase bolder, richer flavours—not because we need more taste, but because we need something to cut through the noise of life: The exhaustion, the never-ending to-do lists and the feeling of being stretched too thin.

Food becomes a crutch, a way to push back against burnout. But instead of grounding us, it does the opposite.

It overstimulates our senses. It keeps our nervous system wired. And over time, it traps us in a loop of craving—because our taste buds adapt, demanding more intensity just to feel something.

So, how do we break free?

Instead of tightening down, think about loosening up: Off First with this “Long Weekend Every Month” Hack  

✔ Choose simple, real food. Fresh vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains. The fewer ingredients, the better.

✔ Di...

The other day, a friend sighed and said, “2025 has been a long year already.” 

We laughed, but honestly? I think a lot of people feel the same way. 

It’s barely February, and yet the pace is relentless isn’t it? The holidays feel like a distant memory, emails are piling up, and the to-do lists aren’t getting any shorter. We power through, promising ourselves we’ll rest later. But later never really comes, does it? 

Before we know it, we’re crawling into December, running on fumes, wondering how another year slipped through our fingers. 

What’s the problem? We don’t plan for rest—we just hope it happens. 

Why You’re More Exhausted Than You Realize 

If you’ve ever felt like the second half of the year hits harder, there’s a reason for that. 

At first glance, the start of the year feels full of public holidays—until you realize most of them cluster within a few short weeks in April and May. After that…well it’s a marathon to December where there’s only one l...

It’s time now to put away thoughts of schedules, deadlines, and work pressures and start moving into the joy of Christmas cheer and the New Year.

What has been your biggest highlight this year? I think for me it’s been that constant evolution of awareness of what I’ve been doing – how I’ve been thinking, feeling and dealing with life and what I do on a daily basis that is or isn’t taking me to the future I envision for myself.

And like most people, the moments of bravery, happiness, and confidence from the first half of the year have been forgotten. Yet, it’s important to carry those moments forward into 2025, ready to be brave, happy, and confident all over again!

As we wind down the year, I wanted to share some lighter, more whimsical ways to enjoy the festive season. Let’s take a look at how we can tread lightly and smile more this Christmas—as seen through the eyes of Buddy the Elf and Winnie the Pooh.

Whilst these two unlikely sages might come from different wor...