The Little Things

Are you ready to face the AI revolution that's already transforming our daily lives? Join Francesca and Louise as they step into the world of artificial intelligence with nanotechnologist and science communicator Dr Michelle Dickinson.

From the benefits of AI as a productivity tool to the concerning lack of regulation in New Zealand and the ways we might be unwittingly sharing our children’s data to train AI, Dr Dickinson bri...

When a loved one experiences dementia, grief does not wait for a tidy ending. Francesca and Louise  sit down with resilience researcher and grief expert Dr Lucy Hone to talk about living loss and how to cope when someone you love is in ongoing cognitive decline. Later in the episode Helen Frank from Alzheimer’s Taranaki shares clear guidance on early signs, getting a diagnosis,and the support available for carers. 

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Many women are blindsided in their 40s by a sudden return of explosive anger. Clinical neuropsychologist Caroline Gurvich joins Francesca and Louise to explain how hormonal changes can intensify stress, spark mood swings and leave women feeling unrecognisable to themselves. She also shares what helps: lifestyle shifts, medical support and the importance of not simply putting up with it. Plus, a look at brain fog, the overlap with A...

What do top athletes know about pressure that the rest of us don’t? Dr Kylie Wilson is a mental skills and performance coach who has worked with Olympians, rugby stars and world champions. She joins Francesca and Louise to share some of the mental skills sports stars use that can also help us regular folks in our everyday life. Prepare to take notes on learning from failure, reframing negative stories, and building focus thro...

Coast FM's Lorna Riley has been through two divorces and is now engaged again. Her message to women staring down a midlife separation is clear: it is hard, it is heart-breaking, but you can still build a good life on the other side.

Lorna joins Louise and Francesca to talk about the financial and emotional toll of separation, finding herself back in the dating pool in her fifties, a simple screen for red flags and the two ye...

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 ...

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.

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...

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.

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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...

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!

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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...

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,...

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 ...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...