Self-care isn’t a checklist.
It isn’t about ticking boxes or performing healthy habits.

In this episode, we explore a deeper lens — one that moves beyond routines and into embodiment.

From this conversation emerged Intuitive Soul Alignment: a space to embody sacred leadership from within.

We talk about:

• The difference between managing yourself and truly listening to yourself

• Why internal alignment matters more than external routines

• How pressing pause becomes an act of self-respect

• What sacred leadership looks like in everyday life

True self-care is about the quality of your inner world.

When you align with your intuitive soul, decisions feel clearer, boundaries feel stronger, and your energy becomes intentional.

Sacred leadership begins with leading yourself.

This episode is an invitation to pause, realign, and reconnect — not to become someone new, but to remember who you already are.

There are many choices we make each day around food, exercise, supplements and medicine, how do you really know what's working?

Today we talk about how to understand what's working, and some steps around being able to ask yourself to get clearer answers. 

Here are a few tips that we suggest:

• Stay on the new food group, supplement or self care practice for a minimum of 3 months.

• Introduce one thing at a time.

• Journal or take notes over the time period of the changes you notice.

There is a lot we all love to take and need, we encourage you not to stop trying new things because you think they wont work, and also perhaps don't try everything all at once. Getting to know your own body and asses it without being influenced by others and all the opinions out there is what's important.

Sometimes you notice it straight away and sometimes you don't, however it doesn't mean it's not working, especially if it's a micro nutrient vs a macro nutrient.   

There's no need to feel lost, join us today and discover ways you can monitor all your efforts towards better well being. 

Don't let life get in the way of your self care and what's important to you. 

What's one area in your life that isn't working for you, how can you begin to make it work even in the smallest of ways. Perhaps things are interfering with your usual self care routine, how can you creatively continue to show up even if instead its for 5min instead of 20min.

We encourage you to try make it work first before any excuses begin to arise. You got this!

Sometimes life doesn't work out the way we thought it would. The day doesn't go to plan, or even the week. 

Today we talk about the way we can still Make Things Work, even when it means doing it a little differently, maybe not as perfect or as planned. 

Don't let life get in the way of your self care and what's important to you. 

What's one area in your life that isn't working for you, how can you begin to make it work even in the smallest of ways. Perhaps things are interfering with your usual self care routine, how can you creatively continue to show up even if instead its for 5min instead of 20min.

We encourage you to try make it work first before any excuses begin to arise. You got this!

When we look at all the ways we can harness, focus, direction and identity, theming can be a great approach.

Each year brings something new where you have already mastered skills from previous years, and now you are moving into a new season or era.

Labelling your year or the rest of your year, depending where you are, encourages you to stick with this theme to get the certain outcomes that you are after. Not to mention it's also a lot of fun and great way to help shape your goals.

Examples can look like this.

"The year of Focus".    "The year of Discipline".   The year of having more fun"

As you play with different ideas, you'll soon be able to tune into what feels right for you. Then when life happens and opportunities or decisions arise, you can remind yourself what your theme is this year, and make decisions that align with that. 

Brutal Honesty is one of the highest forms of self care. It's not exactly comfortable but extremely liberating. 

When you cut out the excuses, and just look at yourself while owning it, you can choose a new approach and outcome. This is the beginning to transformation and really what life is all about. 

Do you want to find the root causes to behaviour, progress and circumstances? Are you willing to be honest with yourself and therefore others around you? It can be a slow process and one you may not want to rush into, but incredibly important so that you are being you in this lifetime, and not masking your way through your journey.

How can we be brutally honest with ourselves, out loud, in front of a mirror, or on paper to discover all the parts of ourselves that need to be seen and deserve to be confronted. 

If it’s just you with you, you’ll be amazed when you discover the why behind it all with love and curiosity. 

When we lie to ourselves we are more likely to lie to others. Find a way to create a space of quiet honesty as a tool to achieve your goals and authenticity in your self care, and in return, it will enrich all relationships around you. 

Self care is a life long practice and so is being honest with yourself. It’s not about being perfect, just simple brutal honesty exactly where you are at. 

From this place you immediately gain your power and integrity back.

When was the last time you contributed to something greater than yourself.? 

Even if it's just a smile as someones walking past, or being who you came here to be. ALL OF YOU, not just 50%. This impacts the world in greater ways than you can imagine and can really help the next generation also lean into what you have left behind.

Having a sense of contribution can be something people are looking for but at the best times don't really know that's what's missing.

When your self care stretches beyond you, you'll be surprised at how it all comes back around in the most unexpected ways, and your cup starts to overflow.

How do you respond to chaos? How do you interact with situations and circumstances that appear out of your control.?

Today we talk about how in control you actually are in environments that look as if they are in control of you. It is easy to get caught up in the moment emotionally and mentally and allow it to feel as if you can't seperate yourself from chaos or busy times, but you actually can.

It is possible to take a moment and step out of the state of being reactive, and be present with calm awareness. Only you get to decide what you engage in, and everything is simply energy. There are ways to protect your energy and allow the chaos to be like water on a ducks back and slide right off. 

Today we give some wonderful tools to use when you need to get through the storm of chaos and busy times. 

In this episode, we explore why clearing out your inbox is about so much more than productivity and the benefits for your self-care.

 Your inbox can become a mental holding space — filled with unfinished conversations, unmade decisions, and constant background noise that keeps your nervous system in a reactive state.

This episode is an invitation to pause, reset, and reconnect with a sense of calm and control by gently clearing the digital clutter that quietly drains your energy.

 Set a 10–15 minute timer and focus only on clearing what feels light and obvious — deleting junk, unsubscribing, or filing emails that no longer need your attention. When the timer ends, stop. Completion isn’t the goal — calm is. 

How do you continue to evolve, learn and grow?

Today we talk about the importance of personal growth and why it's necessary to extend yourself beyond your capabilities, in order to gain the reward of new skills that may be required for new seasons and who you are now, or becoming. 

At any age it's important to have a learning attitude and develop new skills not only for brain health, but also to keep up with the world at it also evolves. 

Can you find an area in your life where if you just had a little more knowledge and expertise how would that make things easier and or more enjoyable for you?

We encourage you not to not stop at road blocks and instead, move through them and treat them as an opportunities to learn and develop new skills.

This is a mindset and crucial to consider in order to maintain your self care as it evolves, and greatly contributes to lowering stress and anxiety through humble self emprovement. 

There are some acts that can really get in the way of our progress and self care. 

Today we discuss some 3 key points that you can take away and if you really make an effort to be aware of them and limit these behaviours it can completely transform and change our life and it’s outcomes.

Tune in to find out what they are.

In today’s episode, we’re slowing things down and coming back to ourselves with a simple but powerful three-question check-in. This practice is designed to help you recognise where you might be out of alignment, reconnect with what supports you, and take gentle action to bring your life back into balance.
 These three questions are practical, grounding, and perfect for anyone feeling stretched, overwhelmed, or disconnected from their self-care. Take some time to answer these 3 questions

1. What area of my life feels out of balance right now?

2. What small thing have I let fall away that used to help me feel grounded or good?

3. What’s one gentle step I can take today to bring myself back into balance?

We hope this helps you to slow down, reset and recognise some areas that may just need abit more TLC.

Today we discuss how because we live in a tangible and intangible world, we also need to be aware of how they affect each other and also make sure we are looking after both.

We talk a lot about how the tangible is the "doing" and the intangible is the "being" energy. At times we can get stuck doing something because there is actually something intangible that needs to be shifted or looked at. 

Perhaps you have goals and don't seem to keep them consistent enough to get the result you need? Is there a limiting belief that if addressed could change you're entire approach?

Or do you have great self worth and because of that, struggle to really see the point in maintain movement and exercise every week? 

These are just some examples. We encourage you today, to reflect on how you balance your tangible self care and intangible self care? And let it be ok when you aren't doing as much, because there can be so much inner wiring shifting. And also not to get too comfortable and complacent in being either.

We just loved talking about this and highlighting the importance of both coexisting.   

IToday we talk about one of the most universal and versatile oils for health and beauty - Organic Castor Oil.

Castor oil is pressed from castor beans, the seed from the plant Ricinus Communis. 

Castor oil has a long and fascinating history dating back to ancient civilizations. Its prominence can be traced to Egypt, India, and its adoption by the Greeks and Romans.  

It is used for various purposes:

• Promoting hair growth and hair conditioning

• Joint health

• Supporting digestive function

• Treatment for constipation

• Moisturiser and cleanser

• Promote eyelash and eye brow growth

• Recommended for wound healing

• Enhance Liver detoxification

In this episode we share many different ways Castor oil can be used, including our own personal testimonies, and what to look for to make sure you are using the best quality castor oil.

At Grasses of Life NZ we are so grateful to be able to provide you Premium Castor oil that is Certified Organic, Certified Fair Trade and is Hexane Free. As well as organic 2 & 7 piece castor oil packs that include a hot/cold pack, if you wish to concentrate it on specific areas for longer periods of time.  

Just visit our website to find out more:

https://www.grassesoflife.co.nz/product/certified-organic-castor-oil-in-glass-hexane-free/

Apologies we were not able to attach our Castor Oil E-Book to the podcast notes. However feel free to reach out to Lauren at grassesoflifenz@gmail.com, reference the podcast, and she will happily send you a copy.

Castor oil is a game changer in beauty and health. Keep it in the bathroom, along with your first aid kit and work directly with the phenomenal powers of nature itself. 

In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Nerida Mills, a master psychosomatic healer, coach, guide, and mentor, whose life’s work is about giving people the handbook to life they were never given.

Nerida’s mission is to empower others to fully experience the gift of being human — to transform the challenges, pain, and lessons of life into medicine for the soul. Through her deep understanding of mind–body connection, she helps people optimize their human experience and rediscover who they truly are with grace, compassion, and awareness.

Having navigated toxic relationships, grief, and over two decades of chronic health conditions, Nerida brings lived wisdom and empathy to her work. Her upcoming book, Life as Medicine, distills her personal journey and the powerful framework she uses to guide others toward self-healing, wholeness, and transformation.

This conversation is a reminder that healing isn’t about fixing what’s broken — it’s about remembering who we are beneath the noise and learning to live in alignment with our soul’s truth.

You can connect and follow Nerida via her platforms.

Website -www.neridamills.com

instagram.com/neridamills

facebook.com/neridamills.au

Have you ever caught yourself scrolling mindlessly, only to realise an hour's gone by, and you don't even feel better for it?

Today we want to talk about how cutting back on social media and technology can completely shift our physical and mental health, energy and connection to outselves.

You may not be aware of how much you are programmed to reach for technology when bored, get a quick dopamaine hit when feeling low or unconsciously be checking your phone for no reason at all. 

In this episode we bring more awareness to why it's important to pay attention to disconnecting from technology to be connected, how you can do it with some simple tools and know that it will benefit you in so many ways before it creates long term issues, mentally and physically.

To be good role models for the younger generations, and feel in control of technology so it doesn't control you. This is a great chat that we know will have you walk away inquirying into how you use technology and set some healthy boundaries around it.

Today we give you some tangible ways to handle stress.

We specifically made these strategies where there is little time involved and more presence and awareness.

These may or may not suit you, they are simply a starting point for you to work from and we encourage you to make your own or be inspired by them in some way. 

1. Decide 1-2 Non-negotiable's that you can achieve for the week. Even if you don't manage to get to the gym or do everything you normally do in your self care routine, choose 1-2 things that no matter what you show up for either daily or during the week.

2. Check in with yourself in the morning and at night. Tune into where you are at in this moment and what can you potentially let go of. 

3. Pause and Zoom out. Recognise where the stress is coming from, zoom out and take a birds eye view at the stress or situation. Reflect through writing int down, moving your body or doing something creative that connects you to deeper part of who you are. 

Try these and experiment with your own, remembering that less is more when we are going through stressful times. 

Today we talk about the vast journey of how when we are learning, growing, healing, it is a process and a matter of peeling back the layers. Similar to how nature does when she sheds her skin. A time of transforming and peeling back the old. 

This may not always happen easy, fast or the same each time. 

We encourage you to:

• Experience a variety of ways healing or practices. 

• Consider mental, emotional, soulful and physical as onions that peel as different times.

• Continue to receive support and safe environments as you welcome growth and transformation on a regular basis. 

Self Care is a lifetime journey.

Methylation is a natural process where your body adds a tiny molecule (a methyl group) to DNA, proteins, or enzymes. It helps turn genes on or off, detoxify, produce energy and hormones, and regulate mood and immunity.

It relies on nutrients like B vitamins (B12, B6, folate) and choline. When methylation isn’t balanced, it can affect energy, mood, and overall health.

Notes from  Dani - So many women come to me feeling exhausted, foggy, or “off”… and they’ve been told “your bloods are fine.”

We are back with a NEW LOOK. We realised we have been running for over 2 years and felt it was time for something fresh to represent who we are now and how we have grown into the incredible work we get to do.

Everyone from time to time should be evolving, growing or showing up in a new way as we are always continuing to grow. 

Never be afraid to take a step in a new way, create a new look for yourself or even a new approach. All these things help refresh us and are a huge part of self care and honouring your true authentic self. 

Be bold - Be Brave, and always show the world who you truly are today, no matter how different it may look from yesterday. 

We have absolutely loved the whole process of creating a new look, new music and want to give a huge thank you to everyone who helped make this possible.

Bailey Rose Creative who redesigned our entire podcast look and cover, and Andrew Cesan who did all of our music making, mastering and voice editing.

Highly recommend these people.

What are in your life can you give a new look or evolve in some way to bring it to life and match who you have now grown to be?

The power of setting your intentions first thing in the morning is an absolute game changer, and scientifically rewires the brain. 

We can get stuck in thought patterns we aren't even aware of, which can be a  huge part of the missing links as to why we can put ourself first, or have the things we truly desire. Morning Go To's are a way you can hack the subconscious auto pilot thoughts that enter into our awareness as soon as we wake, and create new beliefs about ourselves. 

First, try becoming aware of what you're feeling and thinking, and be present with it. Then reframe those thoughts to what you feel more aligned and where you wish to see yourself. Believing it and feeling it. 

Perhaps you're so tiered you're not sure what you're feeling or thinking until you have had your first hot drink, that's fine. What we are talking about today is the most powerful window of opportunity that you have in the morning (and before you go to sleep) to tell your brain who you really are. Rather than what your mind tells you as it pulls from memories and experiences that have nothing to do with your true potential.

We ask you today to consistently partake in the powerful act of intentionally speaking over your life and watch the way you feel, think and behave begin to transform.

We share 3 Morning Go To's to help get you started. Feel free to finish them in your own way and also add your own as you go. You may want to repeat them 20 times individually or all three for a minute. You decide. 

What matters most is you do this consistently.

3 MORNING GO TO'S  

1. "I choose to start this day with Gratitude and Presence."

2. "I am in charge of how I feel, and today I choose" ........

3. "I honour myself for what I need today because I deserve" .....