The Little Things

The Little Things

In a world where well-being influencers are driven by endorsements, wellness trends generally come at a cost, and busy lives disrupt our best intentions, all many women want are simple, science-based facts to help us live a productive, happy balanced life.  Enter The Little Things. Broadcaster Francesca Rudkin and health researcher Louise Ayrey have been friends for over a decade and have been through it all, and along the way have learned the benefits of practical information over costly fads. Join them for new episodes on Saturdays where they talk to experts on health, wellbeing, parenting and relationships to give you the information you need to thrive!

Episodes

August 29, 2025 59 mins

Many women have a complex relationship with alcohol and how it impacts our health and wellbeing as we age. 

Master health coach, Ree George, joins Louise and Francesca to talk about the role alcohol plays in women's lives, how it impacts us physiologically and psychologically, and why many of us find ourselves drinking more as we deal with the stresses of middle age. Ree shares practical, compassionate advice about reflecting ...

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Rising costs are hitting every household in Aotearoa, but for many women there’s an added weight – the invisible job of managing the family’s money. In this episode of The Little Things, hosts Francesca Rudkin and Louise Ayrey admit they’ve ended up as the “household CFOs”, juggling bills and budgets by default.

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The world of supplements can be overwhelming, but don't worry, we've got you! Naturopath Erin O'Hara joins Francesca and Louise to to help determine if you need supplements, how to select quality products, and make sense of trends and labelling.

Discover when supplements can be helpful or even essential, versus when you're just wasting money (and potentially risking your health) on an unproven fad.

From vitamin D to probiotics, mag...

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This week, Francesca and Louise are joined by celebrity stylist Michiko Hylands to talk fashion after 40 and 50, and how to find your confidence and style as you get older. They discuss wearing colors and styles outside your comfort zone, finding flattering silhouettes for your body type, feeling confident and vibrant with age, investing in timeless pieces, and embracing trends in a way that suits you.

See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

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Do you constantly feel tired and exhausted no matter how much you sleep or rest? Have you been blaming it on stress or a busy life? The answer may be simpler than you think.

This week, Francesca and Louise are joined by nutritional biochemist and author of Fix Iron First, Dr. Libby, to discuss the vital role iron plays in our energy levels and overall health, and why more women need to tackle this earlier. Listen as they cover ever...

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Francesca and Louise are back for Season 5 - but before they get into the new season, they are catching up on what they took away from Season 4, from grief to gut health, and the major change Louise has implemented. 

And there's still plenty more to cover, including dementia, alcohol, supplements, iron, fatigue and more.

Be sure to subscribe and listen to the new season of The Little Things starting August 2nd!

See omnystudio.c...

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For the last episode of the season, Francesca and Louise are joined by author, podcaster and editor with Mamamia, Holly Wainwright. The host of MID and co-host of Mamamia Out Loud, Wainwright has been telling women's stories for most of her career - but she wasn't sure what to expect when she approached middle age herself. 

She talks to Francesca and Louise about how times are changing for women, why mid-life is about more tha...

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Francesca and Louise have been trail running for several years now, and while they love it as a hobby, both know how menopause and ageing can have an impact on getting into exercise and maintaining it.

So this week, they are talking to Cathy Duffy, a running coach with Mile 27 in Australia, and who also has a Bachelor of Human Movement Science. She is focused on making sure women feel safe and comfortable when it comes to exercise,...

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Self-help books and advice gurus often promise big changes to revolutionise how you live your life, or push you to strive for perfection. But what if we accept the fact that we are mortal humans with a finite time on this Earth, with only so much ability to get things done - and if we place ourselves within that reality, is that when we can truly thrive?

This week, Francesca and Louise are talking about this philosophy with Oliver ...

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In the last few years, everyone has started talking about gut microbiome and how important it is to our health. Everything from longevity to mental health to disease resistance is now being linked to the gut - but how do we achieve a healthy gut microbiome?  Do we really need probiotics or can lifestyle and diet alone help our gut to flourish?

This week, Francesca and Louise get a step by step gut health guide from Dr. Will Bu...

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Therapy can be a useful tool for many of us for a variety of reasons, but often times finding the right person for the right price can be the first barrier in seeking help.

So who should you see? How can you access what you need? What does it cost? And how do we get the best out of it? To help you sort through it, this week Francesca and Louise are joined by clinical psychologist, writer and speaker Jacqui Maguire about the differe...

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Stories about millionaires doing wacky things to decrease their biological age - like plasma transfusions with their teenage sons - have been doing the rounds over the last few years. But extending your lifespan can be done cheaply and easily.

This week, Francesca and Louise talk to Dr Nicholas Koemer about the study he was a co-author on that looked at the easiest ways to change your lifestyle. And they talk with NZ Herald writer ...

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The Netflix hit Adolescence has got everyone talking - in particular, it's sparked conversations around boys and young men, and what's causing them to be drawn in by the 'manosphere' online.

This week, Francesca and Louise are joined by Andrew Reiner, author of Better Boys, Better Men: The New Masculinity, and a Senior Lecturer at Towson University in Maryland where he teaches courses in men's and cultural studies, who feels that t...

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Grief is something that we all experience in life - we all know what it is like to lose a loved one, be it a family member, friend, or even a pet. 

It doesn’t seem to matter how prepared you might be, how many times you have experienced it, or the circumstances around it, a devastating loss is just that – devastating.  And finding the words to support those close to us can be difficult, let alone helping ourse...

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Our GPs are people we rely on for a lot. A visit can be as simple as a 15 min appointment to establish if our sore throat is a viral or bacterial infection, but it is sometimes the start of a long and difficult pathway of diagnosis, treatment and hopefully recovery for any one of many illnesses and injuries that could befall us.  

They play a big role in our health journey, but do we really understand their role in our we...

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Many of us find a makeup routine that works, even if it takes years to get it right. But that doesn't mean that routine is always going to be the thing that works.

This week, Francesca and Louise are joined by acclaimed local makeup artist Lisa Matson to discuss why our old routines don't work as we get older, and what we need to do to keep it working. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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This year Francesca and Louise have both sent a child off to university, and it has got them thinking about the empty nest and how to cope. To discuss, Newstalk ZB host Kerre Woodham joins them to get her insights into watching her daughter leave home, leave the country, and raise a family - and why your kids leaving home isn't the end of the world. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Francesca and Louise are back for a new season, and to kick things off, they are joined by Christchurch-based Canadian naturopath and author of The Metabolism Reset, Lara Briden, to discuss the key role metabolism plays in maintaining our energy levels, hunger and weight, and what you need to do if things are feeling a little off. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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The Little Things is coming back for Season 4 next week, but before the new season gets underway, Francesca and Louise are catching up on what they learned last season, including improving their family relationships, getting more protein into their diets, and how Francesca avoided being caught in a sextortion scam! 

New episodes are back from March 8th.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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For the final episode of the season, Francesca and Louise are discussing one of the hot topics of lifestyle and wellbeing at the moment - weight loss drugs. Ever since Ozempic hit the market in the US, it's all anyone can talk about - but how do these drugs work, and can you even get them in New Zealand?

To discuss this, they are joined by Professor Jeremy Krebs to answer all your questions. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy ...

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