It was Stress Awareness Month in April so we’re bringing you a belated episode all about stress, what it is, what it means for your body and mind and how to tackle it and cope with stress a little bit better. This week, we cover:Real and perceived stresses and how they’re one and the same thingThe stress response and the physiological impacts of stress Your built-in relaxation system: the parasympathetic nervous systemSpotting the signs of stress therefore preventing burn-outOur own experiences of burn-outManage stress with these top tipsWe can’t stress enough (pun intended) the value of social connections and self-care during times of stress: whether that’s driven by internal or external pressures. Please reach out to loved ones and/or healthcare professionals whilst you engage in lots of self-care to get you to a much healthier and happier place. SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeYouTube: Joyful Balance PodcastInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: hello@joyfulbalance.me—-Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

We know the January Blues are a real thing, and that this month can be a bit of a struggle. We’re no stranger to this, both personally and professionally. If you’ve ever wondered what depression is, what it can look like in people, and what causes it (from a neuroscience perspective), this is the episode for you.Whilst it’s impossible to put all of the information and science out there in this episode, we’re putting this episode together as a gentle introduction to the topic to expand your knowledge on the subject. Don’t worry, there will be plenty more episodes from us on this subject to come!SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeIf you’re struggling with feelings of low mood and/or depression, please seek help. Consider speaking to a friend, colleague, family member or your GP as soon as possible.If you’re in crisis, please consider calling 116 123 to talk to Samaritans, or email: jo@samaritans.org for a reply within 24 hours or Text "SHOUT" to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line, or text "YM" if you're under 19On this episode, we cover:What is depressionWhat are the signs and symptoms to look out forWhat causes depressionBrain chemistry and depression 101: neurotransmitters and how they contribute to depression and how antidepressants can workChanges in brain activity we see with depressionIf you like what you hear, please do consider supporting us to keep our little show running:Instagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: hello@joyfulbalance.me—-Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

Happy New Year! We’re back with an episode all about a controversial subject: New Year's Resolutions, health habits and how to work towards your health goals. Here’s a clue: we’re not all that into New Year’s Resolutions! Intrigued? We’ll tell you all about why they can often fail, and we’ll tell you how to set yourself up for success when it comes to habit change. Some topics we cover:Our Christmases Habits we want to pick up (again) this yearHow to start building new healthy habitsWhy New Year’s Resolutions often failHow hypnosis helps habit changeHabits we want to stopThe importance of starting small when it comes to habit changeLike what you hear? Give us a like, follow and/or subscribe and you’ll always receive out latest episode right there wherever you listen to your podcasts.SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeYouTube: Joyful Balance PodcastInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: hello@joyfulbalance.me—-Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

We’re back to you after yet another (unplanned but much needed) hiatus. We’ve been busy trying to get all our ducks in a row to come back to you more regularly with episodes. We’ve missed you and the podcast! Now is a perfect time to be back in your ears and minds in the lead up to what feels like the biggest celebrations that we’ve had in a while: Christmas and how to eat well during this time period. We’re the first to point out that (we hope) this is a time to let your hair down a little, but to do so consciously - which means being less conscious during specific meals, but more conscious of what you’re doing around those specific celebrations to stay well. Not sure what we mean? Don’t worry we’ll help!In this episode, we’ll discussWhat we’re up to over the festive periodAre Christmas dinners unhealthy?How to eat well over the festive seasonThe importance of keeping up healthy routines and habits during ChristmasOur views on celebrations and managing our health during this periodHow to cope when Christmas isn’t a happy time SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: hello@joyfulbalance.me

After a little break, we’re happy to come back with a stellar podcast episode: the issues we have with Diet Culture. We cover a huge amount of topics within this umbrella term: diets, the culture of dieting and wacky diets being introduced to help with weight loss. We discuss a little bit about weight loss and about the nutritional considerations when it comes to eating more optimally for your goal weight. However, this isn’t a podcast that offers weight loss advice - we’d always encourage you to read up on nutrition and consult a specialist who can help you with your personal health needs and goals. On this episode, we cover:What we think about caloriesDiets based on body shapeWeight, BMI and healthThinking about weight loss as the side effect, rather than the main goalWhy many weight loss diets failOur problem with diet culture The dangers of yo-yo dietingThe illusion of quick fixes in weight lossWhy giving up your control to an app isn’t helpful Why reading nutrition labels is keyMaking intentional choices with lifestyle changesThe value of small changesSUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: hello@joyfulbalance.me—-Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

Welcome back to the Joyful Balance Podcast with your two delightful co-hosts, Meera Malhotra (Nutritional Therapist) and Denise Iordache (Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapist). Today we’re tackling a topic that hits home for most of us: emotional eating. At some point, we all fall victim to stress eating, eating more comfort foods in times of low mood, or being unable to stick to our health goals sometimes out of boredom. We cover the following:How we’re doing What is emotional eating and what isn’tOur own experiences with emotional eatingHedonic and homeostatic hungerWhy noticing hunger and habits is very important for healthHow to address emotional eating patternsWe hope you enjoy the episode, and if you do, please follow us on any/all of the channels. Feel free to leave us a comment too!SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeYouTube: Joyful Balance PodcastInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: hello@joyfulbalance.me—-Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

Welcome back to the Joyful Balance Podcast with your two delightful co-hosts, Meera Malhotra (Nutritional Therapist) and Denise Iordache (Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapist). After a bit of an unplanned break, we’ve returned for the second episode of the third season, and this one is different! We’ve scoured the pages of Reddit for all kinds of nutrition content to help figure out what our audience do and don’t know about nutrition and lifestyle changes.On this episode, we’ve taken to the Nutrition myths we wished would die (is brown rice really better than white? Is eating fruit the same as eating a candy bar and is a raw diet the best diet for health?) Small lifestyle changes that have had an outsized, beneficial effect on health, nutrition and happiness (eg. using smaller plates, practising good sleep hygiene, flexibility in your thoughts when it comes to achieving your health goals) AITA: AITA for trying to get my 91 year old grandmother to get some more variety and nutrition in her diet and it’s my week to take care of her?We hope you enjoy the episode, and if you do, please follow us on any/all of the channels. Feel free to leave us a comment too! We’d hugely appreciate it if you could support us! SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: hello@joyfulbalance.me—-Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

Welcome to the Joyful Balance Podcast with your two delightful co-hosts, Meera Malhotra (Nutritional Therapist) and Denise Iordache (Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapist). This is the first episode of our new season where we take you on a journey of how your mind, brain and body are interconnected. SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeWe’re finally back with Season 3 of the podcast! We’ve taken all the data from the podcast and we’re bringing you more episodes you love - all about food and setting ourselves up to eat more healthily on a regular basis for your wellbeing. Not sure how to go about it? We’ll give you all the tips and tricks you’ll need to get you on the right track!Topics we cover this episode:Catch up with us since Season 2How to get enough iron in your diet if you’re full vegetarian Meera’s top tips to set yourself up for success in making changes to your dietThe value of starting small and knowing your starting point Denise’s top tips for healthier livingThinking about ‘treats’ differently and the importance of assessing how you feel after you eat YouTube: Joyful Balance PodcastInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: hello@joyfulbalance.me—Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

Welcome to the Joyful Balance Podcast! Denise and Meera are here to take you on a journey of understanding your mind, your brain and your body and how all three things are very much interlinked. This is the final episode of Season 2! The theme running through this season has been about personal change for us both, learning to action the advice we give you! Today we’re rounding up on how we have been finding our own sense of balance between living healthily and enjoying life (knowing the two aren’t mutually exclusive). On our final episode this season, we cover:The value of getting outside your comfort zoneHow to keep going and get back into healthy habits when you face a blipWhy routines are really important over external pressure for consistently reaching your health goalsWhat balance means to usThe danger of all-or-nothing thinkingHow to maintain balance over the long termSUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeYouTube: Joyful Balance PodcastInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: hello@joyfulbalance.me—-Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

Welcome back to the Joyful Balance Podcast! This week we’re talking about a topic not often thought about very deeply - Resilience. A hugely underrated skill, Meera and Denise cover the benefits of resilience on a neuroscience and psychological level, and how you can develop resilience like any other skill - with practice. SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeListen to us as we explore:What resilience means to us and what it actually meansThe neuroscience of resilience and what you can use neurobiology to your advantage to make you more resilientHow you can improve resilience with cognitive behavioural hypnotherapyWhat resilience actually isHow to identify a resilient personThe value of positive social connections to resilienceOther useful factors that help you become more resilientFinal thoughts on the importance of resilienceYouTube: Joyful Balance PodcastInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: hello@joyfulbalance.me—-Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

Welcome back to the Joyful Balance Podcast! We cover all things related to mental health, brain health and physical wellbeing and all of these are closely interlinked. As part of this season’s theme where we put the spotlight on our own health and hold ourselves accountable, we’re spending this week’s episode looking at what we do on a daily basis to look after our health and wellbeing. Like you, we have our challenges and successes with keeping healthy so we’re here to share our experiences as honestly as we can! If you like what you hear, please do consider supporting us to keep our little show running:SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeOn this week’s episode, we cover:Meera’s relationship with exercise and getting back into the gymOther little changes Meera made to her diet and lifestyle Denise’s journey with seeking joy, nature and snail watchingDenise’s experience with sticking to regular walking and heading towards burnoutThe importance of self-awareness to get you back on track when you fall off the health wagonThe value of manifestation for DeniseWhat hasn’t worked for us during our journey to better healthYouTube: Joyful Balance PodcastInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: hello@joyfulbalance.me—-Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

We’re absolutely thrilled to have a colleague and friend of Meera’s, fellow nutritionist and functional medicine practitioner, Anastasia Smith. Anastasia specialises in Whole Mind Health - supporting clients experiencing the full spectrum of psychiatric conditions and also works with clients experiencing neurological pathologies such as Alzheimer’s.SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeTune in to hear all about:Anastasia’s journey into nutrition for mental wellbeingWhat is Whole Mind HealthHow hormones affect your moodHow can you find out whether your sex hormones are balanced?Are “detox” and “cleanses” actually necessary?Thyroid hormones and their effect on moodHow to avoid hormone disruptors in your environmentHow to solve for constipationSex hormones (oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone) and moodTop tips for hormonal healthYouTube: Joyful Balance PodcastInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: hello@joyfulbalance.me—-Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

This week we’re covering a much-loved topic for both of us: sleep! Sleep is so important for your mental and physical wellbeing that we cannot tell you enough how much a good night’s sleep is priceless for your health.SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeIt’s really common to have trouble with your sleep, and stress can massively impact on your ability to sleep and stay asleep. If you’d like to learn how to sleep better, check out our tips and tricks for better sleep in this episode!Checking in with how our health journeys and what our relationship to sleep isThe problem with sugar and sleepCommon sleep issues we come across in our practicesThe benefits of boundaries around sleepSetting your bedroom up for a solid night’s sleepProblematic and helpful habits for sleepHow to handle doom scrollingHow to set up the best environment for sleepWhat to do when you wake up in the middle of the night or you can’t get to sleepWe hope you enjoy the episode, and if you do, please follow us on any/all of the channels. Feel free to leave us a comment too! We’d hugely appreciate it if you could support us!YouTube: Joyful Balance PodcastInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: hello@joyfulbalance.me—-Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

We’re joined by another fantastic guest today - Consultant Nurse, Mindfulness Teacher and Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapist, Slee Parish!Slee heads up True Thoughts therapy and alongside her incredible NHS 40+ year career as a Consultant Nurse, she’s also a Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapist (and Denise’s supervisor during her training!) and a Mindfulness teacher. Slee focuses on problematic thoughts and how they can be reframed to help achieve your health goals. Not only this, she also joined forces with Alex James (also a CBH & mindfulness teacher) to create nhsinmind.co.uk - a hugely successful initiative during COVID to help front-line staff with their mental health during the COVID-19 crisis.You can find Slee at https://www.truethoughts.co.uk/SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeWe’re here today talking to Slee all about one of our favourite subjects: how to change habits for long term health!What does Slee normally do to help a client change their habitsNeeding to become aware of a habit and the value of a habit diaryEating instead of quenching our thirst and addressing eating habitsDopamine and eating habitsWhy taking incremental steps to a bigger habit change habits works and how to do itHow to use mental rehearsal when you’re making a habit changeAdding in coping statements when you’re mentally rehearsing and going through habit changeSlee’s technique of freeze, breathe, examine and exchange when you’re about to engage in an unhealthy habitHow mindfulness helps habit change and how to stay in the present momentHow Slee integrates her practice in her NHS work and personal journey with habit changeWe hope you enjoy the episode, and if you do, please follow us on any/all of the channels. Feel free to leave us a comment too! We’d hugely appreciate it if you could support us!YouTube: Joyful Balance PodcastInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: hello@joyfulbalance.me—-Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

On this week’s episode, we’re talking all about mood and what neurotransmitters (brain chemicals that are little emails between your brain cells) and hormones (signalling chemicals in your body and brain that tell your cells to take certain actions) and how they affect your mood.SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeMeera takes you on a short and sweet tour of the main neurotransmitters and hormones that affect your mood. This isn’t an exhaustive list and we’re covering specific sex hormones and thyroid hormones in another episode so stay tuned! Here’s what we cover:What factors affect your moodSerotonin, your mood and gut healthDopamine and how to increase itOxytocin, the love hormone and what it doesAdrenaline/EpinephrineCortisol and stressWhy laughter is medicineEndorphins and endocannabinoid systemWe hope you enjoy the episode, and if you do, please follow us on any/all of the channels. Feel free to leave us a comment too!YouTube: Joyful Balance PodcastInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: hello@joyfulbalance.me—-Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

On this week’s episode, we’re delighted to have Dr Nisa Aslam, an Urgent Care GP and medical practitioner for LiveSmart, a digital health company. Nisa has a strong interest and practice in preventative medicine and lifestyle changes to improve health. With over 10 years of medical experience to draw on, we couldn’t think of a better guest to talk to us all about what wellness for a healthy and happy lifestyle actually means in practice! SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeTopics we cover:How Nisa became interested in lifestyle medicineHow much lifestyle leads to illness and the role of prevention Little hacks to your diet to avoid abdominal fat How Nisa talks about lifestyle to her GP patients Where Nisa sees patients go wrong with their lifestyle for healthHow Nisa looks after herself on a daily basisHow lifestyle medicine fits in with NHS guidelinesMental health, gut health and lifestyle medicineLifestyle habits on a budgetWe hope you enjoy the episode, and if you do, please follow us on any/all of the channels. Feel free to leave us a comment too! We’d hugely appreciate it if you could support us! YouTube: Joyful Balance PodcastInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: hello@joyfulbalance.me—-Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

Welcome back to the Joyful Balance Podcast with your two delightful co-hosts, Meera Malhotra (Nutritional Therapist) and Denise Iordache (Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapist). This is the first episode of our new season where we take you on a journey of how your mind, brain and body are interconnected. SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeWe’re mixing things up for this new season, we’re taking a look in our mirrors and seeing what's going well in our habits and lifestyles and what needs a tune up to better support our physical and mental wellbeing. We’re showing you that we’re also “walking the talk” and taking our own advice!Topics we cover:The theme of this season’s podcast: “walking the talk”Thoughts about self-talk and promises you make to yourself The importance of one small step at a timeWhat we’re trying to achieve in our respective health journeys Tips on how to start changing your habits and lifestyle for better healthHow shifting your energy can help you achieve your goalsWhat are the promises we are making to ourselvesManifestation in your life: book recommendation - Jordanna Levin’s ‘Make it Happen’We hope you enjoy the episode, and if you do, please follow us on any/all of the channels. Feel free to leave us a comment too!YouTube: Joyful Balance PodcastInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: hello@joyfulbalance.me—-Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

Season 1 Wrap Up with your favourite hosts - Meera & Denise.We are so grateful to have you listen to our podcast and we thought you will enjoy a special offer, just for you!We hope you love this episode and we look forward to bringing you Season 2 soon!SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeFeel free to leave us a comment too!:YouTube: Joyful Balance PodcastInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: hello@joyfulbalance.me—Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

For our bonus episode this first season, Meera’s back with tons of information all about neurotransmitters and hormones and their effect on your appetite!If you like what hear, feel free to show us some support, in the form of a coffee donation. We thank you very much!https://www.buymeacoffee.com/helloFEIf you thought you knew why you ate, you might want to listen to this episode! There’s plenty of useful and valuable information for you. We cover:The different types of hungerThe different parts of your brain that control appetiteHormones that regulate your appetiteThe rewarding side of eatingWhy comfort food is so comfortingTheories around eating disorders and your reward systemHow Meera works with clients wanting to address their food cravingsHow the gut microbiome influences your behaviour and appetiteProbiotics and prebioticsHow we feel about cakeHow Denise helps clients change their relationship with foodThis is a big episode, full of our experiences both personally and professionally, and we’ll give you some tips on how to interrogate your hunger and appetite a little more and enjoy your meals.That wraps us up for this season but don’t worry we’ll be back after a short break to bring you many more episodes! If there’s anything you’d like to know, get in touch with us below:YouTube: Joyful Balance PodcastInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: hello@joyfulbalance.me—Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

Welcome back to the Joyful Balance Podcast! This week we’re talking about... Talking.Specifically, how we talk to ourselves and how that self-talk can set you up for success or failure.On today’s podcast you can hear us talk about:What we’ve been up to and how we’ve beenWhy self-talk is important for our self-belief and how what we say to ourselves becomes realityHow negative self-talk affects your performance, confidence and self-esteemThe importance of awareness of your self-talk and sowing the seeds of doubtsOur own experiences with addressing our self-talkDenise’s experience of working with clients on self-talk and the essential role of awareness of your self-talkHow you can start working on your self-talk and set ourselves up for success!We hope you enjoy the episode, and if you do, please follow us on any/all of the channels. SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeFeel free to leave us a comment too!:YouTube: Joyful Balance PodcastInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: hello@joyfulbalance.me—Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)