August 18, 2025 • 56 mins
Clare McKenna has worked in broadcast media for over 25 years and most recently presenting Newstalk’s health and wellness show Alive and Kicking.
A qualified Health Coach and advanced breathwork practitioner she encourages people to cut through the overwhelm of the wellness message empowering to find what nourishes them, mind, body and soul.
The over simplified ‘eat less, move more’ mentality along with a focus on weight loss often paralyses people to inaction with unhealthy relationships with food and body image.
Clare’s workshops, events and soon to be published books helps people carve out what works for them and how to feel at their best
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
You're listening to the High Vibration reset, your boost of
energy alignment and high impactinspiration.
I'm Kyra Conlan, your host and guide to simplifying
transformation so that you can create success with a lot more
ease and flow. In this episode, I speak to
(00:22):
broadcaster and health coach Claire McKenna.
Claire has worked in broadcast media for over 25 years.
You will probably know her from presenting News Talk's health
and Wellness show Alive and Kicking.
She is a qualified health coach and an advanced breathwork
practitioner. Claire's goal is to help people
(00:45):
cut through the overwhelm of theWellness message and empower
them to find out what works for them.
I've admired Claire for quite some time.
She has such a down to earth personality.
There's Noble just a busy mothergetting on with it and doing
great work in the world. In this conversation we chatted
(01:07):
about how she got interested in the world of personal
development. She gave us some tips for
cutting through all the health noise to find out what works for
us. She spoke about her own high
vibration habits and how and whyshe became a breathwork
facilitator. We also spoke about her upcoming
(01:30):
book. Before we get into the
conversation, I wanted to let you know that the Lifelow High
Vibration Community is currentlyfree to join for a limited time.
Inside the community you get access to high vibration
challenges and practices, weeklylive meditations, a meditation
(01:51):
library, as well as monthly goalsetting sessions.
Now is the time to join. It's free and if you Join Now,
your membership will always be free.
So you've nothing to lose and everything to gain from joining
a high vibe community. Supportive community where you
can connect with lots of like minded souls.
(02:15):
Now let's jump into the conversation with Claire.
Hello and welcome to the wonderful Claire McKenna.
I'm so delighted that I managed to nab her between all the
events that she's been busy withup and down the country.
So, Claire, thank you for joining us.
You are very, very. Welcome.
(02:38):
Thank you so much for having me.I'm looking forward to having a
nice hour chat with you. We've kind of sparked together
working in this industry. So yeah, I'm as happy to speak
to you as you seem to be to speak to me.
Thank you. Amazing.
So do you want to start, Claire,by just telling us a little bit
more about the background? So how did you go from being,
(03:01):
you know, a current affairs presenter to getting into health
and Wellness and being a great advocate for the area now?
It sort of happened by chance. So I had been working away
through the various radio stations.
They're all owned by the same company.
I've been with the the same group since I started at the age
(03:25):
of 24. And it's a small industry in
Ireland. So often the people you work
with on one show will then, you know, work up the ranks and be
the boss of either another radiostation or be working at, you
know, one of the TV channels. So you meet the same people all
the time. And I had rang one of my old
bosses from a previous job to see was there any cover going at
(03:48):
News Talk? And he said, we're looking for
somebody to present a health andWellness show.
Doctor Kira Kelly had done this before.
She moved on to lunchtime live. She's now on breakfast.
And they asked me, would I be interested in auditioning for
it? And I remember thinking, why
didn't I pitch a health and Wellness program?
(04:10):
Why didn't I think of this? And one of my pals in the
industry had always been saying you need to find your niche.
You need to find your niche and niche is important and it helps
you really carve something out. But I was kind of happy that my
niche was people and people's stories.
And that's why I loved doing it and I loved presenting.
So lifestyle, current affairs, what's going on in the world
(04:33):
that was suiting me. I was like, no, that is my
niche. But I had always had a real
interest in health and Wellness.I worked for a company many
years ago back in my corporate beginnings in a marketing
department. And the HR manager there, I owe
a huge amount too, because she sent us on lots of personal
(04:55):
development courses. And now of course, we have
Instagram, we our social media, we have the Internet.
People are a lot more au fait with personal development.
But back then you didn't have all this parlance around
manifesting and mindset and all of that.
And if you did, it was basicallyaround corporate leaders and
(05:17):
helping salespeople to make better sales.
But either way, we went off on all of these courses and people
were sort of saying if you can believe it, you can achieve it.
And that really sowed a seed inside me for this one chance we
have at life. So that kind of led on that.
I was always interested in what was known then as kind of self
(05:38):
help or, you know, personal development.
I loved, you know, going to the gym.
I had tried every single workoutclass.
I loved going on a retreat. I loved going to, you know, yoga
and mindfulness and meditation. And that was the kind of journey
I had been on. So lucky enough, I got the show.
I had to audition like everybodyelse and I was thrilled to get
(06:01):
it. And that sparked a massive
change in me because it's the first time I really reflected on
what I considered health and Wellness to be.
So that's really how it came about.
And I have heard you say before though that you always did have
an interest in health. Is that right?
Where did that come from or, or was it something growing up that
(06:24):
you were interested in? I think it came from those
personal development courses. I think that idea of feeling the
best you can and getting the best out of life.
And that's not just about setting goals, setting targets.
That's sort of about fueling yourself correctly.
That comes into it. Whether I consciously knew that
or not, I was allergic to anything like this when I was a
(06:46):
teenager. I hated team sport, PE, anything
like that. I loved speech and drama,
debating, like all that sort of stuff.
That was all my space and I did lots of amateur dramatics and
all that kind of carry on. I loved the stage and doing all
my exams and I did piano and they were the things that I sort
(07:09):
of did outside the school. PE, as I say, or team sports
were not for me. But when I left school and got
into the gym, all of a sudden just competing with myself,
there's something about that. I quite like that goal, setting
that, achieving that, investing in myself.
I was always known for carrying a massive bottle of water
(07:29):
everywhere with me. I still do.
I would try anything. You know, if somebody said
flaxseed is good for this, flaxseed would be in my
cupboard. I had a array of herbal teas,
nettle tea. This is good for this.
This is good for that. I was just interested in all
that type of thing. It just, it just pulled me in.
So when you started then when you got the gig, how did that
(07:53):
change how you saw this whole world of personal development
and health? Did you start to become a little
overwhelmed with all the potential possibilities or roads
that you could go down? Yeah, I didn't realize I was
overwhelmed until this brilliantopportunity to sit for two hours
(08:16):
of every week and really reflectas well as my kind of prep time
and my research time. I would go in, you'd never get
every guest in live on a Sunday morning.
So I'd go in one day of the weekand do some pre records and then
I'd be in live on a Sunday morning.
So I was spending a lot of my week thinking about health and
Wellness. And when I started out like that
(08:38):
kind of 20 year old that I, I spoke about there that started
to get into the gym, that started to drink water, that
started to look at what I was eating and how I was eating
something I wouldn't have reallythought of before.
The main messaging was eat less,move more, you know, through one
way or the other. I grew up in the 90s where there
(08:59):
was a massive focus on the body.Beautiful.
And in fact, we were criticized for gaining weight, having
Cellulite and all the really popular magazines that were
going. That was a real focus.
So that was sort of informing how I was approaching my own
health and well-being. So I was being quite restrictive
(09:20):
in my in my eating and kind of putting foods into good
categories and bad categories and being good during the week
and bad at the weekend and all this kind of carry on.
And it's just becomes the water in which you swim.
I didn't really think about it at the time.
It was just very normal. And a lot of the conversation,
(09:43):
particularly around other women that I would meet, you know,
you've lost weight. How have you lost weight?
What have you been doing? Or this is great, That is great
sharing all these tips. It was coming from my mom.
She would have all kinds of things on the go, slim fasts.
So that was sort of the world that I had been moving within.
And I found with social media then and the Internet, it just
(10:07):
got a bit noisier and louder anda bit more confusing because now
it was paleo and carnivore and plant based.
And you know, there were all these different discussions and
layers to it and I just couldn'tkeep up.
And what was considered to be healthy and inverted commas was
(10:28):
confusing me. I was picking up things in in
supermarkets because it said paleo across the front.
And I was like, I would never have necessarily.
Why not never, but rarely have eaten, say, a chocolate bar
because I think, you know, this is not good for me on my
mission. And if I did, there might be
guilt associated with it. But now I was picking up things
(10:50):
because they said paleo on the front that weren't really a, a
jump away from that bar. You know, the whole thing was
just a big mess. And even when I speak like that
now, I'm so far away from that. I'm thinking what a waste of
time and energy. But as I say, it becomes the
water in which you're you're swimming, the air you're
breathing, you're not even noticing that you're doing it.
(11:11):
And yeah, I just was tired. I was just really tired and,
and, and overwhelmed. And I had a few guests in front
of me that gave me a sort of penny drop moment.
And I really started to tune in and think, is what I'm doing
healthy and am I healthy or haveI just been following every fad
(11:33):
and diet going? And that was the big turning
point. Brilliant.
Brilliant. Yeah, I'm gluten free and
that's, you know, for a while it's like that.
Anything that looks gluten free,you think it's healthy, but
actually it's full of a load of additives and rapeseed oil and
all these things, inflammatory things.
(11:53):
So, yeah, I hear you on that one.
And I'm also the youngest of five girls and a brother at the
top. So I grew up in a household
where somebody was always on a diet.
And I probably knew every diet that existed by the by the age
of 12, you know, and it is there's just too much noise.
(12:14):
And, and I think a lot of women are like that, Claire, that they
go from one to the next because we try something, it doesn't fit
in with our lifestyle and then we move on.
There must be something else outthere.
Yeah. And it's a, it's a tough circle
to be in because you're constantly berating yourself and
you're constantly assessing yourself and, you know, coming
(12:39):
up to every trip away, every, you know, wedding or event that
I was going to, it was like, better do this because of the,
you know, and it's just, it's anendless, endless cycle.
So it was a great opportunity for me to actually observe that,
decide it wasn't serving me anymore, and move on.
(13:01):
Yeah, yeah. No, in the fortunate situation
to be able to do that. But actually last on the last
episode of the podcast I had on Valeria Lopez, excuse me, who is
a nutritionist, and she made a very good point in terms of, you
(13:22):
know, we use that language, goodfoods or bad foods.
And she said no food is bad, I would say, but surely there are
bad foods that we put in, in ourmouths.
And she said that's not food, that's a product.
So, you know, the crisps that weput in or the Coca-Cola or
whatever, it's not really food. These things are manufactured.
(13:44):
So you know, that's another thing that we start to question
our beliefs around what we're putting in our mouth, our foods,
our our habits overall. So for.
You there's no, there's no question, sorry, Kira, there's
no question that nutrition is important and what you're eating
is important. But I've noticed one of the new
(14:07):
trends is still around this thisidea of this clean eating and
this obsession with ultra processed foods.
And look, I think the food industry has a lot to answer for
and putting profits over people's health is 100%
something that needs to be looked at.
But just on a micro level for ourselves to be obsessing all
(14:31):
the time and reading packets, it's just replacing 1 obsession
with another. There's going to be a time where
you're going to be on your holidays or you're going to be
sitting on a hot day or you're going to be in a freezing cold
day and you're going to go, do you know what I'd love an ice
cold Coca-Cola. You're going to drink it.
It's going to be OK. This demonizing of our behaviors
and what we're putting into our body.
(14:53):
I just don't think it's a healthy place to start.
And when you rid yourself of allthose rules and you just start
to really tune into what do I need in this moment?
I mean, that sounds really woo woo that you sort of sit and you
tune in, you bang a gong. Like that's not necessarily it,
but to be able to say, what do Iwant?
Do you know what I'd love a bag of chips.
(15:14):
Let's go walk the beach. Get a bag of chips.
Joy, every ounce of that and flood them with, you know, salt
and vinegar. But there are other days where
you're like, you know what? I've been running on empty.
I'm going to make a veg soup. I'm going to eat that for lunch
for the next couple of days. I'm going to sit down.
We're going to make a Stew. Whatever it is, it's that TuneIn
and just letting go of all of those rules and that obsession
(15:37):
because diet culture is startingto hide itself.
We're not necessarily talking about weight loss, although
that's still very pervasive. We're talking about this clean
eating and you know, I, I just think people need to be careful
with that too and just just relax a little bit on it and go
easy on yourself. And that's the best starting
(15:58):
point with which to bring in anyhealthier behaviors.
So that's a good point in terms of, you know, a good starting
point. But how do you get to that place
where you are conscious enough, I suppose or intuitive enough or
in touch enough to know you knowwhat your body wants or or when
(16:20):
it's OK to have the chips or thecoke?
Because I think for a lot of people they can fall into the
doing that too often. So where would you advise kind
of to start or how do you get tothat healthy place?
It takes time. Like consider I started
presenting alive and kicking sixyears ago.
(16:43):
So six years ago, I started to think, am I healthy?
Is the way I'm living serving me?
What way do I want to live? I know I was very lucky.
I embarked on a year long experiment on the show.
I worked with a team of experts that I'd met through the show.
I wrote about it in one of the newspapers and I spent that time
(17:04):
doing a really deep dive on it because that's my job.
I'm a journalist and I was really interested in it
personally and professionally. And I felt there must be other
people who are like, what is health and Wellness?
I mean, am I supposed to be getting up at 5:00 AM, 4:00 AM,
what you know? And it's just been really
overwhelming. So I really wanted to pare it
all back. But I think my number one advice
is you have to have that check in.
(17:27):
You have to find space in your day to check in with yourself.
I think the start of the day is a really good one.
But I'm at a stage with my family where I don't have a
toddler standing up in a Cos, you know, at 5:00 AM calling my
name. I don't think I would have made
that time then. So we all have different
chapters in our lives. But if it's something that you
(17:50):
can do, you know, shift work is also very difficult.
When I was getting up doing breakfast radio and breakfast
tvi wasn't really finding the time for it.
But again, that might be the evening time before you go to
bed. So you're sort of just checking
in and you're saying, how am I? And of course, like here in
Ireland, we're like grand, grand.
I'm fine. And no one is suggesting
otherwise. And yes, there are horrendous
(18:11):
things happening in the world right now, but how am I?
Like, are you tired? Is your energy zapped?
What could be contributing to that?
And are there little changes that you can make that sounds
really formalized and you can formalize it, like you can get
out your your journal and your notebook and, and see what comes
(18:31):
up. But that's where you learn
because it's different for everybody.
That's what I learned. We're sold this sort of
one-size-fits-all, like eat less, move more was supposed to
just cover a multitude. But like I just said, we're all
a very different stages in our lives.
We're all very different people with different metabolisms,
lifestyles, upbringings, mindsets, challenges.
(18:56):
So you have to work out what's right for you.
Because up until now we've sort of been following, you know,
whoever was leaving Big Brother or reality TV series and what
were they eating? And they look amazing.
So I'm going to do that and I'm going to look like them.
And that's just not, unfortunately, how it goes.
So you have to be checking in with yourself.
(19:18):
And sometimes it's not about what's going on your plate.
Sometimes it's about, is work too stressful?
Are there tweaks that you need to make around your working
life? Of course, they're not going to
happen overnight. Is it stress within your
relationships? Maybe it's family, maybe it's
colleagues, maybe it's friends. Is there an uncomfortable
(19:38):
conversation that needs to happen?
Is there a boundary that needs to be put up?
These are all teeny little tweaks that you begin to make
and you begin to move towards the life of your own design.
Now that's an amazing thing to be able to do.
I've certainly done it for myself.
(19:59):
It hasn't happened overnight. I've made mistakes, I've pulled
back from things, I've changed things again and unfortunately
it's ever evolving. So you get to 1 spot and then of
course your kids are at a different stage or your
relationship's at a different stage or something.
Financial hits or your family or, you know, things just keep
evolving and moving and you haveto recalibrate with it.
(20:21):
But. Working out with that daily
check in, what are the pillars that work for you?
And yes, there are the health pillars around, you know,
movement, nutrition, stress management and sleep.
And they are, you know, something that will keep you
well. But how you manage those in your
(20:42):
life is very individual. And you know, like I said, we're
going to have weeks, months, years where sleep could be going
out the window or stress could be at an all time high.
But my number one tip is that daily check in, how am I?
How am I really and what do I need?
(21:05):
And, and you just start to answer your, your those
questions and you're doing it from a place of self love, which
again, sounds really woo woo. But I think people underestimate
how much self loathing goes on about how they're not doing
enough. They don't look good enough,
they're not toned enough, they're not smart enough,
they're not achieving enough. They're not doing as much as
(21:28):
you're 1 next door or you're oneon Instagram.
I mean, we're getting fed all these people living their best
life. You just drown all of that out
and figure out what is living your best life for you and how
are you going to get there? And you just, you just tiptoe or
crawl and drag yourself there one step at a time.
(21:49):
That's great advice, you know, but it is, I think in my
experience as well, it's, it's the consistency of that.
So don't do a daily check in once and then leave it for a
couple of weeks. It's really that daily
consistency and then getting that awareness, because it is
awareness, isn't it, of what's going on because sometimes we're
(22:09):
too busy with the hectic nature of life that we don't even know
the habits that we're engaging in or what's working for us and
what's not. So, yeah, thanks for that tip,
Claire. A good place to start for anyone
who doesn't know what to do next.
Yeah, and I think just notice, like, you know, 'cause look, I
(22:32):
fall off the wagon as well. Like I'm always really, it's
really important to me that I'm honest.
Like I don't have my shit together all of the time.
I don't wake like a guru every morning, light my candle, do
myself reflection and live this perfect life.
That's not how it works. But when you begin to notice
yourself and check in with yourself the next time you let a
(22:55):
roar at your partner, at your kids, say, and where's that
coming from? What's going on for me?
And then you're thinking, well, you know what?
I haven't actually had a good night's sleep in the last couple
of weeks. I haven't sat down for a meal.
We haven't had a date night in awhile.
I haven't gone and met the girlsand had a laugh.
I haven't moved my body. Could that be because all, all
(23:18):
of our behaviors are communication.
So if you are more irritable, ifyou your energy is low, just
assessing what that is and what tweaks you can make, you know
that. That's when you realize you've
gone off track and that's when you know what works for you and
what brings you back. That that's the kind of key to
it all, I think. Yeah, it's very empowering to
(23:39):
have that knowledge because thenyou can take action.
Yeah. And Claire, what what for you,
in all of the wisdom that you have now, all the knowledge that
you've gained, what has been thebiggest shift for you?
What one thing has it been that daily check in?
Or is it another habit that you do consistently that keeps your
(24:00):
energy high for all of the. Different activities that you
engage in. Well, I have walked the walk as
well as talk the talk. So the reason I'm talking about
this is because I've experiencedit.
So I know how it feels. I know what it's what it's like.
And I think the big shift has been that self compassion piece.
(24:23):
So everything I do is motivated from a place of like, am I OK?
I don't berate myself for, you know, not sleeping well or
snapping at my partner. I mean, I don't like that and I
don't want that, don't get me wrong, But I I've let go of all
that sort of negative self talk and I think that's been the
(24:45):
biggest shift. Things that I do come from a
place of self compassion and allthe little tweaks that I've made
in my life from the work that I do to the way that I live to the
people I have in my life has made it a lot easier because
it's kind of been intentional. I, I don't for one second not
(25:06):
recognize my privilege and how lucky I have been, but I've been
very intentional with the decisions I've made about how I
live and that's why I'm reaping the benefits.
So people are always saying to me, 'cause you're so busy and
you're mentioning my energy, butI love what I do.
I have found something that I love doing and I have made it
(25:27):
happen and it hasn't always comeeasy.
I've had lots of doors thrown inmy face or closed in my face,
lots of nose, lots of disappointments and sometimes
it's taken me a while to dust myself off, but I've just gone
again and gone again. There were times when I went
freelance because I really decided I can't sit at a desk
(25:47):
for the same amount of time day in, day out.
So I, I've tweaked it and made it so that I can still cover my
bills. But for the first year, because
I was paying for childcare when I was paying for parking, I had
to borrow my tax bill from the credit union.
So then I was like, right, I need to work around the kids.
(26:09):
I can't afford to pay for the childcare.
And I've just built it and builtit over time.
But like I said, I've made mistakes and I've made
adjustments based on those mistakes to get to a point now
where all of the work I do I love.
So that's energizing in itself. I get a lot of autonomy over my
(26:30):
decisions and my time, which is amazing.
So I get to spend time with my family, with the people that I
love, leaning into the things that make me feel good.
And I think that's made all the difference.
Yeah, yeah, self compassion is huge, isn't it?
And as you say, it's not something, you know, I have a
lot of clients and you talk about self love or self
(26:52):
compassion and you just see their faces go into this
contortion because most people are not comfortable with that
concept. We've just been programmed to
not be enough or not be worthy. And that actually for me as well
was the clincher when I'd be seen as a habit expert.
(27:15):
And I spent years trying to figure out how to create habits
and failing. And then that was when I
realized, oh, forgive yourself, forgive yourself and, and try
again. Do something different, tweak
it, try a different method. And that really was how I
started to be able to do it. And like you say, you know, none
(27:38):
of us are perfect every day, butit's about understanding that if
things go off track, you realizewhat you're you've been not
doing that normally works for you.
That's how I realize, you know, if I'm starting to feel a little
bit of stress, OK, maybe I haven't been grounding myself
enough or I haven't been doing enough yoga or whatever it is.
(28:03):
So in terms of then here's a question for you.
Do you suffer from stress? Yeah.
Absolutely. I think stress is unavoidable
and especially with the modern age and this always on culture,
I do get really overwhelmed because I I have a million
(28:25):
spinning plates on the go and WhatsApp groups and forms to
fill out and you know, at times it can get really, really
overwhelming. So what I do is I really try and
think of things in a transactional way.
So what energy am I expanding and how am I putting that back
(28:48):
in? So I feel stress is unavoidable,
but it's how we manage that stress is the one thing we have
in our control. So look, there's times where,
you know, I fly off the handle. Absolutely.
But again, I come back to that. Am I getting enough sleep?
Am I eating well? Am I moving my body?
Have I been to a gym class? Have I had a bit of crack?
(29:11):
And if the answer is yes to all of that, then maybe have I taken
on too much? Am I saying yes too many times?
When am I going to say no? So they would be sort of things
that I would ask. So I was really lucky to be
asked by a company called The Well-being Advantage to try out
(29:32):
something that they have worked with athletes doing.
Then they moved on to CEOs and it's all around performance and
understanding your own performance.
So they send you a heart rate variability monitor that you
wear for a couple of days and itshows the times of stress in
(29:54):
your life when you're on the go and when you are at rest and
restoring. And when you send them back the
information like, you know, obviously the machine just
records your, your, your heart rate and you send back a diary
so you can kind of merge the information together as to what
(30:14):
you were doing at the time. And to see it in red and green
was a massive eye opener to me because you just get this graph
and red is on the go. I mean, like, stress is
unavoidable. So I would be red when I was
cooking dinner, when I was in traffic, when I was probably
sitting doing my accounts, like,who knows?
(30:35):
But there was bits of red here and there.
Every now and then. There might have been a spike if
I was running late, if the traffic got bad, if, you know,
the kids weren't putting their shoes on, you know, But then it
would go back. And what Janine van Sameren, who
I worked with from the company, told me was we're never going to
avoid the stress, but to be ableto go from red to green easily
(30:57):
is the gold standard. And she said she'd be working
with people who were just awash with red.
All day was red. And then at night they might get
a bit of green when they got into a deep sleep.
And then she'd be working with them to look at their lifestyle
and see where can they bring in the green.
But I'm happy to say on my days,there were lots of red and
(31:20):
green. So when you wake up in the
morning, there's a spike of cortisol.
We all need it to get us from horizontal to vertical, and our
body is kind of set to get going.
And what I do most mornings is Iget back into bed now I'm fully
awake and I might do some meditation.
I might do some breath work. Not going to lie.
(31:41):
Sometimes I just catch up on my WhatsApp groups and my
Instagram. But that is my time.
That is my, you know, 20 minutesin the morning just for me.
That was a big spike of green. Then I'm up.
I'm getting the kids out, I'm making breakfast, I'm getting
myself ready. I'm driving to work.
That would be red. There was a massive swathe of
green one day and I had been writing an online course for my
(32:03):
website and she was like, that'slovely to see because that means
you're in a flow state. And we get so much negative,
like information around our sedentary lifestyles.
We're sitting at computers and laptops.
It's killing us. It's horrendous.
But if you were doing a job thatyou really love and you're
sitting at that computer, that can be restorative.
(32:25):
That was a real eye opener to me.
There was a spike of green one day in my day when I was getting
my nails done, something that I would have thought was really
quite frivolous, that I swore during COVID I was never going
to get back to. And sometimes I'm like, Oh my
God, why am I making time for it, for this?
And yet I sit, I put my phone away, I listen to the whale
(32:47):
song, I just chill out. And that was that.
Red to green, red to green, red to green.
There was another time I was just watching a really cheesy
show on Netflix, and I remember I kind of dropped off and I
would have kind of considered that to be a waste of my time.
But that again, was restoring me.
(33:08):
Sleep is obviously a really important one where you get to
green. And something else that I saw
was that I would fall asleep. So she could tell by my heart
rate that I was asleep. But for the first two hours, I'd
still be in red because I would have thought, and I still can be
guilty of it a bit now that whenI lie down and close my eyes,
it's kind of a good opportunity to reflect on the day and to
(33:29):
think about things and to think about, you know, what have I got
to do tomorrow and what will I wear and what will I say and
what about that and what about the kids?
And, you know, he's still on theXbox now.
So tomorrow, now I'm going to say you should cut the grass.
You know, all this is worrying in my head.
But then what Janine taught me was that that's not helpful
because you're actually robbing yourself of two hours of of
(33:50):
sleep. So while we picture stress as
being like, you know, blowing your lids, you know, freaking
out at a behind a corporate deskor really harried parent.
And yes, those stereotypes are true.
It's just that low level hum of the WhatsApp groups and the to
do lists and what you haven't done and just you can't
(34:12):
necessarily rid yourself fully of that, but you have to try and
find your moments of green. So the advice for the evening
time for me, and you know, I'm not that great at doing it, I'll
be honest, is to get out, you know, a pen and paper and write
down what's on my mind. What do I have to do tomorrow?
What's my To Do List? And then I close that book and
(34:32):
then I'm like, right, that's it,Now I'm done.
Then I pick up my book, then I start reading, then I start
getting into the green and then I, I fall asleep.
So it's just, again, it's going to be different for everybody,
but to bring in as much of that green as you can to the red and
it can come in very, very surprising places.
(34:53):
But to prioritize that rest and know that you're, I mean, we do
it for our phones, don't we? We close down all the programs.
Sometimes we turn it off, turn it back on again.
So it'll work better. And you know, we're forever
watching the battery and carrying our power banks with
us. So we need to make sure that
we're recharging our own batteries too.
So I'm a heart math coach as well, which is something that
(35:16):
measures heart rate variability.And actually the key to what
you're talking about is, is bringing is our thoughts,
because our thoughts can impact our heart rate variability.
So a negative thought can put you into the red while you might
be sitting doing something relaxing.
But if your thoughts are negative, that can set you off
(35:38):
as well. And then on the on the flip
side, you know, you can be in a work situation, but actually, if
you switch your thoughts to something like gratitude and
slow down your breath, as you will know that can shift us into
the green. So it is about, I think really
understanding, as you say, what is the, what are those small
(36:00):
things that reset? So one of the techniques that I
would use in my programs is the quick coherence technique and
literally from, you know, bringing a pause, a thought of
care or appreciation, managing your breath.
We can reset like that. And that, that is the key to
(36:20):
resilience. As you say, you know, we have so
much going on in our lives. We're all so busy.
There's times of our lives wherewe can't avoid stress, looking
after elderly parents or having the kids keeping us up in the
middle of the night. But it's, it's bringing in these
little ways to reset. And that's the key to managing
(36:44):
stress, I think, over time. Yeah, and I'm not afraid to
speak up for what I need. I'm sure there's times, you
know, my husband wishes I wasn'tthat person, but I do.
I speak up for myself and I always have done.
And it's that having your own back.
And I, you know, I, I loved whatyou said earlier about your
(37:06):
clients and they're like self love, self compassion.
It's a bit of an eye roll, but people underestimate that
negative ticker that's going on in their head all the time.
You know, people are like you stupid fool, and why did you do
that? And why did you make that
happen? You know, and even, you know,
you spill your cup of tea and you're like you idiot.
And you know, you're just constantly putting yourself down
(37:27):
and you underestimate the energyand the impact that that's
having on you. So to just flip that and just
try it and to wake up in the morning and think, Jesus, I'm
lucky, here's another day. Swing the legs out.
The way you speak to yourself, you know, it really does.
After a while, it's like a muscle you flex, you know, you
forget, and it just becomes verymuch who you are.
(37:49):
So yeah, I'd be very conscious of that.
Yeah, and that's one thing. Good thing, I suppose, about
social media, as you said at thebeginning, is, you know, prior
to social media, a lot of peopledidn't realize that we should be
working on ourselves, that personal development is
something accessible and positive.
(38:10):
Because there are so many peoplethat have never even thought of
themselves. You know, they're just so
concerned about work. They're kids looking after other
people. They're so way down on the list
of what they need that they don't even know what they want.
So, you know, that's one thing that we're bombarded with, that
(38:31):
we are enough that we should spend a bit a little bit more
time giving back to ourselves and nourishing ourselves.
So Claire, you recently qualified as a breathwork
instructor. Are you recently qualified as
this an advanced breathwork instructor?
(38:52):
Is that right? Tell us a little bit more about
that or why you felt drawn that way to actually study it.
Well, there's been a few things in life and I'd really recommend
it where I didn't really have anend goal.
I just thought something about that I'd like to do.
Go on. I will.
(39:13):
And you know, when you take a step somewhere, other doors
open, other things happen, you meet somebody else and that
leads to something else. And that lead, you know, and
just being open to that is a really lovely way I have found
to live life. So I would have met Neil O
Muraku breathe with Neil. People can often say Niall as
(39:36):
well because it's spelled the Irish way.
So it can be confusing, but he it's pronounced Neil.
When I first started doing the show, ice baths and Wim Hof and
everything was only sort of coming into the, the public
consciousness and somebody said,why don't you go out and meet
this guy? So I went to his house and I did
(39:56):
breath work on his sitting room floor.
And that's a very intense. Type of breath work that nearly
leaves you in a in a hypnotic state.
And I remember him saying to me now look, you know, I'm going to
leave you now you're going to change like I have my swim
swimsuit on underneath my tracksuit or whatever I was
wearing and I'm going to meet you out in the garden.
But let's not break this. We're going to walk straight to
(40:19):
the ice bath. You're going to get into the ice
bath. You know, you're focused on your
breathing, you know, So that wasthe kind of setup.
Went out to his garden, got intothe ice bath.
And that was the start of my friendship with Neil and his
gorgeous wife Josie. They're just a lovely, lovely
couple and lovely people to be around.
So I suppose that was step one. And I've been to many of his
(40:40):
events over the years and I'm always interested in looking
under the bonnet of something and trying to understand why it
helps us rather than just being told.
And a couple of times I have tried to do this in the Wellness
world and it's brought up surprising results.
So I did during COVID, A mindfulness based stress
(41:05):
reduction technique course, which I know is a bit of a
mazeful. But again, I thought I was going
to be getting under the bonnet of what's happening in the brain
when we are meditating so that Icould really understand why it
was that I'm sure didn't Verticom is be doing this.
But actually it was a lovely sixweek program where we all came
(41:27):
together as a group on Zoom and there were people who were
really struggling with mental health issues, with severe
anxiety, depression and learningto come back into our bodies and
to do the body scan and to do these.
These techniques became a real eye opener.
It was totally different to whatI had initially thought I was
(41:47):
setting out to do. And the breath work has kind of
been the same. I thought we were going to be
sitting in a classroom and Neil was going to be saying, and when
you're breathing like this, thisneuro is neurotransmitter begins
to fire that brings down the central nervous system.
And I was going to get the science behind it, but actually
it's been an incredible experience.
(42:08):
I've done 3 levels now and it's almost like a retreat of a
weekend where again, you bond with all these people, you get
to experience it in real time. I thought a lot about my
neurodivergent son who really struggle, struggles in the
academic system, this very practical way of learning.
You know, I first walked in, I don't think Neil, mind me saying
(42:30):
to the room and it's a, it's a hotel that we do it in.
I check in to the hotel for the weekend, say goodbye to my
family, which is lovely to do aswell and fully immerse myself in
it. And I walked into this function
room and he had all these big, you know, like white board, not
white board, flip, flip charts, sheets up against the wall and
(42:50):
everything on it with pen. And I have thought to myself,
wouldn't it be better for him tohave a bit more of a
professional setup, you know, like the laptop and the, you
know, the PowerPoint and the bigpresentation.
But actually it was so I was so wrong.
He says, come on over here. And we all just walk over to
this one area and now come on over here and we walk over to
this other area and now come on.You're going to try this in
(43:10):
groups of three and now you know, somebody's going to stand
up and do it for the room and you're just watching, learning,
talking. And it was an amazing, amazing
way to learn. I'd have to confess it was a
friend of mine again, someone I've met to the Wellness world,
Elaine, she runs a hiking group called Shoe Lane and we've
(43:32):
partnered on a couple of events.She's become a gorgeous friend.
And she said I'm going to do thebreath work in January.
And that was just a nudge that Ineeded.
And I was like back and I'm going to do it as well.
And I signed up and I didn't really know why or I was just
interested. And, you know, I'm 3 levels in.
Elaine was pregnant, so she has shelved it.
(43:54):
She just had a little boy this week, which is amazing.
So she decided to put her energies into that and she'll
get back to breath work again. But yeah, I just went alone.
It's opened up so many doors. I've held so many events with it
now, and it's become another string to my bow, not only as
(44:16):
something that I can offer in mywork, but something that's made
a big difference to me as well. So yeah, sometimes you never
know where the journey is going to take you, but just take the
first step. Yeah, yeah.
And I attended one of your lovely events with Elaine open.
Hope you did. Yeah, that was fabulous.
So we won't. You won't be doing one of them
(44:38):
in the next while with her newborn baby, will you?
Not with Elaine, but she may need a bit of guidance with
breath work because her life hasjust turned upside down and
inside out. But in the the best way.
Yeah, absolutely. And congratulations to Elaine.
Oh, Claire, your book. Tell us a bit about this book
(44:59):
that's coming soon. So it's going to be out in
January, it's called. Would you be well, cutting
through the overwhelm to find a happier you?
And it's basically my story and my journey and some of the
learnings I found along the way about some of the things we've
talked about that overwhelm, that pressure we put on
(45:22):
ourselves to be living our best life.
And I have pretty much written it.
It's gone back to the editor now.
So we're going to do a little bit of refining and a little bit
of back and forth. But they've sent me the cover.
So yeah, it's really exciting. I'm really happy to have it out
there. And it felt crazy to be sitting.
(45:42):
It kind of just flowed out of mebecause I'm so lucky.
I have sat in front of, you know, sometimes 6 experts a week
in the area of health and well-being.
So between that and my own personal journey with us, I have
amassed a huge amount of information.
Like I'm all these things were flying out of my fingertips and
(46:02):
I was like, when did I get all of this knowledge?
But I suppose when you reach midlife, you do have a thing or
two to say, you know, through life experience alone.
So yeah, I've really enjoyed theprocess, I'd have to say.
And it sounds like you were in the green while writing that
also. Yeah, lots of green flowing out
(46:23):
of you. I think so.
And I I took to the bed to writeit because I just didn't want to
be at my desk. I'm at my desk a lot anyway,
writing my scripts, you know, doing my research, doing
whatever, you know, we have to do at our laptops.
So I don't know why the the bed called me.
So I would sit up in the bed. I have this big orthopaedic
pillow that wasn't, you know, it's too hard for anybody.
(46:45):
But that kept me upright, a pillow on my knee.
And I just used to sit there with the sun streaming through
the window. So.
Yeah, I had notions about, you know, renting a cottage down in
Clare and walking the beach, butI haven't seemed to manage to
fit that in. I had to just.
Yeah. So that was my version of it.
I did it. I did it on my bed.
Me neither. Yeah.
And all the books I've written, I've never quite got away.
(47:07):
But I had a friend actually, when she was writing a book and
she used and you'd give her a call and say, what are you up
to? I'm betting.
So this was her editing in bed. Yeah, I think it's nice because
it's nice to be relaxed, especially if you're having a
conversational tone. It seemed to be the right place
for me anyway. So yeah, I think that added to
the enjoyment. And try that out.
(47:28):
I'll, I'll do that next. So my mission, as you might
know, is to bring more high vibration.
I think we're all very stuck in low vibrational habits.
A lot of, you know, mindless watching, mindless scrolling,
maybe alcohol, eating badly. And as we mentioned, it's not
(47:50):
that these things are are inherently bad, but when we fall
into doing it too much and too habitual.
It affects us. Claire, what does high vibration
mean to you? Well, a big influence on me has
been Tony Robbins. So I mentioned the personal
(48:12):
development side of things and Ithink it might have been through
some of those that I was introduced to Tony Robbins.
It was because in that same company, like there was a guy
called Jack Black. He's a Scottish guy, not the
Hollywood actor. And he was talking all about
that. If you could believe it, you can
achieve it. And I was lapping it up.
(48:33):
And there was another lovely woman that I worked with.
She's gone on to do incredible things in the area of technology
and diversity and inclusion. Sandra is her name.
And Sandra had just gone to walkacross hot coals with Tony
Robbins off in America somewhere.
Sandra Healey. Sandra Healey, amazing, amazing,
(48:57):
amazing woman. You should get her on the
podcast now as well. Sandra had said to me, I think
you might like this guy. And she gave me CDs.
That's how long ago it was to put it into the car.
And I used to just listen to them over and over again.
And he's a big, big proponent ofhigh vibe energy and being in
(49:21):
high vibe energy and empowering us to know that we can change
our energy in a heartbeat. And being really conscious of
how is my energy And like that saying check in kind of idea,
how is my energy? Is it low?
Why is it low? And my husband, he was my
boyfriend at the time. I gave him the CDs, He had them
(49:45):
going around. I think they're actually still
in. We're still driving the same
beat up Merck. So there's every now and then I
hit off it and it's either him or the Trolls soundtrack can can
jump in at any moment. But he was really into it as
well. And we went to something in
town. I, I don't know where I came
(50:06):
across it and it ended up like it's quite clever really.
It ends, it ends up being like afree event, but it's really a
sales event to get you to the bigger event.
So we were jumping around this place in, in a hotel in town,
and then they were saying, right, and these are the events
that are coming up and you do get that refresh and that, you
know, we get one life and if youbelieve it, you can achieve it.
And how are you living your lifeand what do you want to change?
(50:27):
And I just really, I really buzzand connect off that.
I love all that stuff. And anyway, on the TV screen
came up the upcoming events and Tony Robbins was coming to
London on the weekend of my 40th.
And we just said, look, we're going.
So that's what my hubby got me for my birthday and we went and
we walked across the hot coals and we bounced around the
(50:50):
stadium. He uses music a lot, high vibe
music. And I've started to do that a
little bit myself in the car. So I would have this playlist, I
call it healing, even though I have issues with that word
myself, particularly when I, youknow, would use it on the show.
But that's what I call that playlist.
And I have a lot of the things that I would have heard as
(51:11):
Wellness events that, you know, have really resonated with me.
And I have a little playlist of them.
And I have a few in particular that if I am feeling quite
nervous about something, a big talk or a big interview that I'm
going to, I will play that and it'll bring my energy down.
But I started to add a few high vibe ones in there, you know, a
few old dance tracks that I usedto love in my big clubbing days.
(51:35):
And it just really does lift your energy and your mood.
So I think having those little tools and allowing these things
that lift your mood. I love a spin class.
I love something that's real high energy, sweaty music
pumping, you leave and you feel invincible.
I love a night with the girls belly laughs.
(51:56):
I think that's real high vibe energy.
I love being out in nature, whether it's dipping in the sea
or being surrounded by trees. And I love living a life that
makes me happy. And it has been by design and
it's taken years and tweaks and I'm still tweaking it now.
(52:18):
But I did decide as well, you know, as I touched on midlife,
that I was going to stop lookingat the horizon all the time
because I found certainly becoming apparent that first
decade, I mean shot by in what felt like a blink of an eye.
And I thought, well, if the nextfew decades are going to go with
that speed, I want to be in it. I want to be in this life that I
(52:40):
am lucky to have. And I think that really adds to
the high vibe energy as well to be in it and to realize how
lucky I am. There's times I drive along and
I say, I love my life. I love my husband, I love my
kids, I love my family, I love my job, I love living in
Ireland, you know, all this stuff.
(53:00):
I mean, there's times I don't necessarily feel like that, but
most of the time I 100% do. And if I don't, it's usually
because I need a good night's sleep.
Fabulous advice, and it really is.
Yeah, it's about being present, but making, as you say,
designing your life to be the way you want it to be.
Tell us, have you any events, any high vibe events coming up
(53:23):
that we can go to and raise our vibe?
I think I'm going to try and do a good bit around the launch of
the book. So that's going to be January.
January's a really good time because everybody's like, right,
that's it, I'm getting healthy. And, you know, we can feel a bit
sluggish after Christmas and nobody wants to see a selection
box anymore. But I think that's the worst
(53:44):
time to start punishing yourselfbecause, you know, the cupboard
is bare. I hate putting away the fairy
lights. I love the twinkle of Christmas.
All of a sudden you're back, youknow, and the social calendar
has dried up. The bank balance is looking a
bit low, and now all of a suddenyou're going to start surviving
(54:05):
on crackers and water. So, you know, I want to tap into
those people and I want to really help them to embrace a
life where they nourish themselves, mind, body and soul
and have a bit of fun with it and have a bit of high vibe.
Energy. So yeah, watch this space.
(54:26):
Fantastic. We'll definitely be watching
this space when a time where we all need it.
But listen, Claire, it's been wonderful as always, connecting
with you and learning from you. Thanks for giving us so much
time and so much wisdom. And yeah, we're waiting
(54:48):
patiently for that book and to see what's coming next.
And thank you and not only for having me, but you've been a big
help. Your book has been a big help
and your productivity diary, I find it great.
You know, it can be hard to findtime to sit and ask yourself
those questions. And your journal is brilliant
because it does make you say what worked today, what didn't
(55:11):
work, what have I still got going on?
And that's where the reflection just starts to come in.
And when you start with that, itjust automatically starts to to
happen. It just really, it really does.
So yeah, thank you for helping me.
Thank you. Thanks for listening in, and I
hope you enjoyed the conversation.
(55:32):
You can find out more about Claire on her website.
The link is below in the show notes.
And if you're enjoying the podcast, please share this
episode with your friends and you can support us by following
on whatever platform you're listening to.
And don't forget, the Lifelow community is currently free, but
(55:53):
just for a limited time, and we'd love to meet our listeners
there. So click on the link below and
come say hi. I'm looking forward to meeting
you on the inside. So a big hug for your week and I
wish you a wonderful inner day.
You're listening to the High Vibration reset, your boost of
energy alignment and high impactinspiration.
I'm Kyra Conlan, your host and guide to simplifying
transformation so that you can create success with a lot more
ease and flow. In this episode, I speak to
(00:22):
broadcaster and health coach Claire McKenna.
Claire has worked in broadcast media for over 25 years.
You will probably know her from presenting News Talk's health
and Wellness show Alive and Kicking.
She is a qualified health coach and an advanced breathwork
practitioner. Claire's goal is to help people
(00:45):
cut through the overwhelm of theWellness message and empower
them to find out what works for them.
I've admired Claire for quite some time.
She has such a down to earth personality.
There's Noble just a busy mothergetting on with it and doing
great work in the world. In this conversation we chatted
(01:07):
about how she got interested in the world of personal
development. She gave us some tips for
cutting through all the health noise to find out what works for
us. She spoke about her own high
vibration habits and how and whyshe became a breathwork
facilitator. We also spoke about her upcoming
(01:30):
book. Before we get into the
conversation, I wanted to let you know that the Lifelow High
Vibration Community is currentlyfree to join for a limited time.
Inside the community you get access to high vibration
challenges and practices, weeklylive meditations, a meditation
(01:51):
library, as well as monthly goalsetting sessions.
Now is the time to join. It's free and if you Join Now,
your membership will always be free.
So you've nothing to lose and everything to gain from joining
a high vibe community. Supportive community where you
can connect with lots of like minded souls.
(02:15):
Now let's jump into the conversation with Claire.
Hello and welcome to the wonderful Claire McKenna.
I'm so delighted that I managed to nab her between all the
events that she's been busy withup and down the country.
So, Claire, thank you for joining us.
You are very, very. Welcome.
(02:38):
Thank you so much for having me.I'm looking forward to having a
nice hour chat with you. We've kind of sparked together
working in this industry. So yeah, I'm as happy to speak
to you as you seem to be to speak to me.
Thank you. Amazing.
So do you want to start, Claire,by just telling us a little bit
more about the background? So how did you go from being,
(03:01):
you know, a current affairs presenter to getting into health
and Wellness and being a great advocate for the area now?
It sort of happened by chance. So I had been working away
through the various radio stations.
They're all owned by the same company.
I've been with the the same group since I started at the age
(03:25):
of 24. And it's a small industry in
Ireland. So often the people you work
with on one show will then, you know, work up the ranks and be
the boss of either another radiostation or be working at, you
know, one of the TV channels. So you meet the same people all
the time. And I had rang one of my old
bosses from a previous job to see was there any cover going at
(03:48):
News Talk? And he said, we're looking for
somebody to present a health andWellness show.
Doctor Kira Kelly had done this before.
She moved on to lunchtime live. She's now on breakfast.
And they asked me, would I be interested in auditioning for
it? And I remember thinking, why
didn't I pitch a health and Wellness program?
(04:10):
Why didn't I think of this? And one of my pals in the
industry had always been saying you need to find your niche.
You need to find your niche and niche is important and it helps
you really carve something out. But I was kind of happy that my
niche was people and people's stories.
And that's why I loved doing it and I loved presenting.
So lifestyle, current affairs, what's going on in the world
(04:33):
that was suiting me. I was like, no, that is my
niche. But I had always had a real
interest in health and Wellness.I worked for a company many
years ago back in my corporate beginnings in a marketing
department. And the HR manager there, I owe
a huge amount too, because she sent us on lots of personal
(04:55):
development courses. And now of course, we have
Instagram, we our social media, we have the Internet.
People are a lot more au fait with personal development.
But back then you didn't have all this parlance around
manifesting and mindset and all of that.
And if you did, it was basicallyaround corporate leaders and
(05:17):
helping salespeople to make better sales.
But either way, we went off on all of these courses and people
were sort of saying if you can believe it, you can achieve it.
And that really sowed a seed inside me for this one chance we
have at life. So that kind of led on that.
I was always interested in what was known then as kind of self
(05:38):
help or, you know, personal development.
I loved, you know, going to the gym.
I had tried every single workoutclass.
I loved going on a retreat. I loved going to, you know, yoga
and mindfulness and meditation. And that was the kind of journey
I had been on. So lucky enough, I got the show.
I had to audition like everybodyelse and I was thrilled to get
(06:01):
it. And that sparked a massive
change in me because it's the first time I really reflected on
what I considered health and Wellness to be.
So that's really how it came about.
And I have heard you say before though that you always did have
an interest in health. Is that right?
Where did that come from or, or was it something growing up that
(06:24):
you were interested in? I think it came from those
personal development courses. I think that idea of feeling the
best you can and getting the best out of life.
And that's not just about setting goals, setting targets.
That's sort of about fueling yourself correctly.
That comes into it. Whether I consciously knew that
or not, I was allergic to anything like this when I was a
(06:46):
teenager. I hated team sport, PE, anything
like that. I loved speech and drama,
debating, like all that sort of stuff.
That was all my space and I did lots of amateur dramatics and
all that kind of carry on. I loved the stage and doing all
my exams and I did piano and they were the things that I sort
(07:09):
of did outside the school. PE, as I say, or team sports
were not for me. But when I left school and got
into the gym, all of a sudden just competing with myself,
there's something about that. I quite like that goal, setting
that, achieving that, investing in myself.
I was always known for carrying a massive bottle of water
(07:29):
everywhere with me. I still do.
I would try anything. You know, if somebody said
flaxseed is good for this, flaxseed would be in my
cupboard. I had a array of herbal teas,
nettle tea. This is good for this.
This is good for that. I was just interested in all
that type of thing. It just, it just pulled me in.
So when you started then when you got the gig, how did that
(07:53):
change how you saw this whole world of personal development
and health? Did you start to become a little
overwhelmed with all the potential possibilities or roads
that you could go down? Yeah, I didn't realize I was
overwhelmed until this brilliantopportunity to sit for two hours
(08:16):
of every week and really reflectas well as my kind of prep time
and my research time. I would go in, you'd never get
every guest in live on a Sunday morning.
So I'd go in one day of the weekand do some pre records and then
I'd be in live on a Sunday morning.
So I was spending a lot of my week thinking about health and
Wellness. And when I started out like that
(08:38):
kind of 20 year old that I, I spoke about there that started
to get into the gym, that started to drink water, that
started to look at what I was eating and how I was eating
something I wouldn't have reallythought of before.
The main messaging was eat less,move more, you know, through one
way or the other. I grew up in the 90s where there
(08:59):
was a massive focus on the body.Beautiful.
And in fact, we were criticized for gaining weight, having
Cellulite and all the really popular magazines that were
going. That was a real focus.
So that was sort of informing how I was approaching my own
health and well-being. So I was being quite restrictive
(09:20):
in my in my eating and kind of putting foods into good
categories and bad categories and being good during the week
and bad at the weekend and all this kind of carry on.
And it's just becomes the water in which you swim.
I didn't really think about it at the time.
It was just very normal. And a lot of the conversation,
(09:43):
particularly around other women that I would meet, you know,
you've lost weight. How have you lost weight?
What have you been doing? Or this is great, That is great
sharing all these tips. It was coming from my mom.
She would have all kinds of things on the go, slim fasts.
So that was sort of the world that I had been moving within.
And I found with social media then and the Internet, it just
(10:07):
got a bit noisier and louder anda bit more confusing because now
it was paleo and carnivore and plant based.
And you know, there were all these different discussions and
layers to it and I just couldn'tkeep up.
And what was considered to be healthy and inverted commas was
(10:28):
confusing me. I was picking up things in in
supermarkets because it said paleo across the front.
And I was like, I would never have necessarily.
Why not never, but rarely have eaten, say, a chocolate bar
because I think, you know, this is not good for me on my
mission. And if I did, there might be
guilt associated with it. But now I was picking up things
(10:50):
because they said paleo on the front that weren't really a, a
jump away from that bar. You know, the whole thing was
just a big mess. And even when I speak like that
now, I'm so far away from that. I'm thinking what a waste of
time and energy. But as I say, it becomes the
water in which you're you're swimming, the air you're
breathing, you're not even noticing that you're doing it.
(11:11):
And yeah, I just was tired. I was just really tired and,
and, and overwhelmed. And I had a few guests in front
of me that gave me a sort of penny drop moment.
And I really started to tune in and think, is what I'm doing
healthy and am I healthy or haveI just been following every fad
(11:33):
and diet going? And that was the big turning
point. Brilliant.
Brilliant. Yeah, I'm gluten free and
that's, you know, for a while it's like that.
Anything that looks gluten free,you think it's healthy, but
actually it's full of a load of additives and rapeseed oil and
all these things, inflammatory things.
(11:53):
So, yeah, I hear you on that one.
And I'm also the youngest of five girls and a brother at the
top. So I grew up in a household
where somebody was always on a diet.
And I probably knew every diet that existed by the by the age
of 12, you know, and it is there's just too much noise.
(12:14):
And, and I think a lot of women are like that, Claire, that they
go from one to the next because we try something, it doesn't fit
in with our lifestyle and then we move on.
There must be something else outthere.
Yeah. And it's a, it's a tough circle
to be in because you're constantly berating yourself and
you're constantly assessing yourself and, you know, coming
(12:39):
up to every trip away, every, you know, wedding or event that
I was going to, it was like, better do this because of the,
you know, and it's just, it's anendless, endless cycle.
So it was a great opportunity for me to actually observe that,
decide it wasn't serving me anymore, and move on.
(13:01):
Yeah, yeah. No, in the fortunate situation
to be able to do that. But actually last on the last
episode of the podcast I had on Valeria Lopez, excuse me, who is
a nutritionist, and she made a very good point in terms of, you
(13:22):
know, we use that language, goodfoods or bad foods.
And she said no food is bad, I would say, but surely there are
bad foods that we put in, in ourmouths.
And she said that's not food, that's a product.
So, you know, the crisps that weput in or the Coca-Cola or
whatever, it's not really food. These things are manufactured.
(13:44):
So you know, that's another thing that we start to question
our beliefs around what we're putting in our mouth, our foods,
our our habits overall. So for.
You there's no, there's no question, sorry, Kira, there's
no question that nutrition is important and what you're eating
is important. But I've noticed one of the new
(14:07):
trends is still around this thisidea of this clean eating and
this obsession with ultra processed foods.
And look, I think the food industry has a lot to answer for
and putting profits over people's health is 100%
something that needs to be looked at.
But just on a micro level for ourselves to be obsessing all
(14:31):
the time and reading packets, it's just replacing 1 obsession
with another. There's going to be a time where
you're going to be on your holidays or you're going to be
sitting on a hot day or you're going to be in a freezing cold
day and you're going to go, do you know what I'd love an ice
cold Coca-Cola. You're going to drink it.
It's going to be OK. This demonizing of our behaviors
and what we're putting into our body.
(14:53):
I just don't think it's a healthy place to start.
And when you rid yourself of allthose rules and you just start
to really tune into what do I need in this moment?
I mean, that sounds really woo woo that you sort of sit and you
tune in, you bang a gong. Like that's not necessarily it,
but to be able to say, what do Iwant?
Do you know what I'd love a bag of chips.
(15:14):
Let's go walk the beach. Get a bag of chips.
Joy, every ounce of that and flood them with, you know, salt
and vinegar. But there are other days where
you're like, you know what? I've been running on empty.
I'm going to make a veg soup. I'm going to eat that for lunch
for the next couple of days. I'm going to sit down.
We're going to make a Stew. Whatever it is, it's that TuneIn
and just letting go of all of those rules and that obsession
(15:37):
because diet culture is startingto hide itself.
We're not necessarily talking about weight loss, although
that's still very pervasive. We're talking about this clean
eating and you know, I, I just think people need to be careful
with that too and just just relax a little bit on it and go
easy on yourself. And that's the best starting
(15:58):
point with which to bring in anyhealthier behaviors.
So that's a good point in terms of, you know, a good starting
point. But how do you get to that place
where you are conscious enough, I suppose or intuitive enough or
in touch enough to know you knowwhat your body wants or or when
(16:20):
it's OK to have the chips or thecoke?
Because I think for a lot of people they can fall into the
doing that too often. So where would you advise kind
of to start or how do you get tothat healthy place?
It takes time. Like consider I started
presenting alive and kicking sixyears ago.
(16:43):
So six years ago, I started to think, am I healthy?
Is the way I'm living serving me?
What way do I want to live? I know I was very lucky.
I embarked on a year long experiment on the show.
I worked with a team of experts that I'd met through the show.
I wrote about it in one of the newspapers and I spent that time
(17:04):
doing a really deep dive on it because that's my job.
I'm a journalist and I was really interested in it
personally and professionally. And I felt there must be other
people who are like, what is health and Wellness?
I mean, am I supposed to be getting up at 5:00 AM, 4:00 AM,
what you know? And it's just been really
overwhelming. So I really wanted to pare it
all back. But I think my number one advice
is you have to have that check in.
(17:27):
You have to find space in your day to check in with yourself.
I think the start of the day is a really good one.
But I'm at a stage with my family where I don't have a
toddler standing up in a Cos, you know, at 5:00 AM calling my
name. I don't think I would have made
that time then. So we all have different
chapters in our lives. But if it's something that you
(17:50):
can do, you know, shift work is also very difficult.
When I was getting up doing breakfast radio and breakfast
tvi wasn't really finding the time for it.
But again, that might be the evening time before you go to
bed. So you're sort of just checking
in and you're saying, how am I? And of course, like here in
Ireland, we're like grand, grand.
I'm fine. And no one is suggesting
otherwise. And yes, there are horrendous
(18:11):
things happening in the world right now, but how am I?
Like, are you tired? Is your energy zapped?
What could be contributing to that?
And are there little changes that you can make that sounds
really formalized and you can formalize it, like you can get
out your your journal and your notebook and, and see what comes
(18:31):
up. But that's where you learn
because it's different for everybody.
That's what I learned. We're sold this sort of
one-size-fits-all, like eat less, move more was supposed to
just cover a multitude. But like I just said, we're all
a very different stages in our lives.
We're all very different people with different metabolisms,
lifestyles, upbringings, mindsets, challenges.
(18:56):
So you have to work out what's right for you.
Because up until now we've sort of been following, you know,
whoever was leaving Big Brother or reality TV series and what
were they eating? And they look amazing.
So I'm going to do that and I'm going to look like them.
And that's just not, unfortunately, how it goes.
So you have to be checking in with yourself.
(19:18):
And sometimes it's not about what's going on your plate.
Sometimes it's about, is work too stressful?
Are there tweaks that you need to make around your working
life? Of course, they're not going to
happen overnight. Is it stress within your
relationships? Maybe it's family, maybe it's
colleagues, maybe it's friends. Is there an uncomfortable
(19:38):
conversation that needs to happen?
Is there a boundary that needs to be put up?
These are all teeny little tweaks that you begin to make
and you begin to move towards the life of your own design.
Now that's an amazing thing to be able to do.
I've certainly done it for myself.
(19:59):
It hasn't happened overnight. I've made mistakes, I've pulled
back from things, I've changed things again and unfortunately
it's ever evolving. So you get to 1 spot and then of
course your kids are at a different stage or your
relationship's at a different stage or something.
Financial hits or your family or, you know, things just keep
evolving and moving and you haveto recalibrate with it.
(20:21):
But. Working out with that daily
check in, what are the pillars that work for you?
And yes, there are the health pillars around, you know,
movement, nutrition, stress management and sleep.
And they are, you know, something that will keep you
well. But how you manage those in your
(20:42):
life is very individual. And you know, like I said, we're
going to have weeks, months, years where sleep could be going
out the window or stress could be at an all time high.
But my number one tip is that daily check in, how am I?
How am I really and what do I need?
(21:05):
And, and you just start to answer your, your those
questions and you're doing it from a place of self love, which
again, sounds really woo woo. But I think people underestimate
how much self loathing goes on about how they're not doing
enough. They don't look good enough,
they're not toned enough, they're not smart enough,
they're not achieving enough. They're not doing as much as
(21:28):
you're 1 next door or you're oneon Instagram.
I mean, we're getting fed all these people living their best
life. You just drown all of that out
and figure out what is living your best life for you and how
are you going to get there? And you just, you just tiptoe or
crawl and drag yourself there one step at a time.
(21:49):
That's great advice, you know, but it is, I think in my
experience as well, it's, it's the consistency of that.
So don't do a daily check in once and then leave it for a
couple of weeks. It's really that daily
consistency and then getting that awareness, because it is
awareness, isn't it, of what's going on because sometimes we're
(22:09):
too busy with the hectic nature of life that we don't even know
the habits that we're engaging in or what's working for us and
what's not. So, yeah, thanks for that tip,
Claire. A good place to start for anyone
who doesn't know what to do next.
Yeah, and I think just notice, like, you know, 'cause look, I
(22:32):
fall off the wagon as well. Like I'm always really, it's
really important to me that I'm honest.
Like I don't have my shit together all of the time.
I don't wake like a guru every morning, light my candle, do
myself reflection and live this perfect life.
That's not how it works. But when you begin to notice
yourself and check in with yourself the next time you let a
(22:55):
roar at your partner, at your kids, say, and where's that
coming from? What's going on for me?
And then you're thinking, well, you know what?
I haven't actually had a good night's sleep in the last couple
of weeks. I haven't sat down for a meal.
We haven't had a date night in awhile.
I haven't gone and met the girlsand had a laugh.
I haven't moved my body. Could that be because all, all
(23:18):
of our behaviors are communication.
So if you are more irritable, ifyou your energy is low, just
assessing what that is and what tweaks you can make, you know
that. That's when you realize you've
gone off track and that's when you know what works for you and
what brings you back. That that's the kind of key to
it all, I think. Yeah, it's very empowering to
(23:39):
have that knowledge because thenyou can take action.
Yeah. And Claire, what what for you,
in all of the wisdom that you have now, all the knowledge that
you've gained, what has been thebiggest shift for you?
What one thing has it been that daily check in?
Or is it another habit that you do consistently that keeps your
(24:00):
energy high for all of the. Different activities that you
engage in. Well, I have walked the walk as
well as talk the talk. So the reason I'm talking about
this is because I've experiencedit.
So I know how it feels. I know what it's what it's like.
And I think the big shift has been that self compassion piece.
(24:23):
So everything I do is motivated from a place of like, am I OK?
I don't berate myself for, you know, not sleeping well or
snapping at my partner. I mean, I don't like that and I
don't want that, don't get me wrong, But I I've let go of all
that sort of negative self talk and I think that's been the
(24:45):
biggest shift. Things that I do come from a
place of self compassion and allthe little tweaks that I've made
in my life from the work that I do to the way that I live to the
people I have in my life has made it a lot easier because
it's kind of been intentional. I, I don't for one second not
(25:06):
recognize my privilege and how lucky I have been, but I've been
very intentional with the decisions I've made about how I
live and that's why I'm reaping the benefits.
So people are always saying to me, 'cause you're so busy and
you're mentioning my energy, butI love what I do.
I have found something that I love doing and I have made it
(25:27):
happen and it hasn't always comeeasy.
I've had lots of doors thrown inmy face or closed in my face,
lots of nose, lots of disappointments and sometimes
it's taken me a while to dust myself off, but I've just gone
again and gone again. There were times when I went
freelance because I really decided I can't sit at a desk
(25:47):
for the same amount of time day in, day out.
So I, I've tweaked it and made it so that I can still cover my
bills. But for the first year, because
I was paying for childcare when I was paying for parking, I had
to borrow my tax bill from the credit union.
So then I was like, right, I need to work around the kids.
(26:09):
I can't afford to pay for the childcare.
And I've just built it and builtit over time.
But like I said, I've made mistakes and I've made
adjustments based on those mistakes to get to a point now
where all of the work I do I love.
So that's energizing in itself. I get a lot of autonomy over my
(26:30):
decisions and my time, which is amazing.
So I get to spend time with my family, with the people that I
love, leaning into the things that make me feel good.
And I think that's made all the difference.
Yeah, yeah, self compassion is huge, isn't it?
And as you say, it's not something, you know, I have a
lot of clients and you talk about self love or self
(26:52):
compassion and you just see their faces go into this
contortion because most people are not comfortable with that
concept. We've just been programmed to
not be enough or not be worthy. And that actually for me as well
was the clincher when I'd be seen as a habit expert.
(27:15):
And I spent years trying to figure out how to create habits
and failing. And then that was when I
realized, oh, forgive yourself, forgive yourself and, and try
again. Do something different, tweak
it, try a different method. And that really was how I
started to be able to do it. And like you say, you know, none
(27:38):
of us are perfect every day, butit's about understanding that if
things go off track, you realizewhat you're you've been not
doing that normally works for you.
That's how I realize, you know, if I'm starting to feel a little
bit of stress, OK, maybe I haven't been grounding myself
enough or I haven't been doing enough yoga or whatever it is.
(28:03):
So in terms of then here's a question for you.
Do you suffer from stress? Yeah.
Absolutely. I think stress is unavoidable
and especially with the modern age and this always on culture,
I do get really overwhelmed because I I have a million
(28:25):
spinning plates on the go and WhatsApp groups and forms to
fill out and you know, at times it can get really, really
overwhelming. So what I do is I really try and
think of things in a transactional way.
So what energy am I expanding and how am I putting that back
(28:48):
in? So I feel stress is unavoidable,
but it's how we manage that stress is the one thing we have
in our control. So look, there's times where,
you know, I fly off the handle. Absolutely.
But again, I come back to that. Am I getting enough sleep?
Am I eating well? Am I moving my body?
Have I been to a gym class? Have I had a bit of crack?
(29:11):
And if the answer is yes to all of that, then maybe have I taken
on too much? Am I saying yes too many times?
When am I going to say no? So they would be sort of things
that I would ask. So I was really lucky to be
asked by a company called The Well-being Advantage to try out
(29:32):
something that they have worked with athletes doing.
Then they moved on to CEOs and it's all around performance and
understanding your own performance.
So they send you a heart rate variability monitor that you
wear for a couple of days and itshows the times of stress in
(29:54):
your life when you're on the go and when you are at rest and
restoring. And when you send them back the
information like, you know, obviously the machine just
records your, your, your heart rate and you send back a diary
so you can kind of merge the information together as to what
(30:14):
you were doing at the time. And to see it in red and green
was a massive eye opener to me because you just get this graph
and red is on the go. I mean, like, stress is
unavoidable. So I would be red when I was
cooking dinner, when I was in traffic, when I was probably
sitting doing my accounts, like,who knows?
(30:35):
But there was bits of red here and there.
Every now and then. There might have been a spike if
I was running late, if the traffic got bad, if, you know,
the kids weren't putting their shoes on, you know, But then it
would go back. And what Janine van Sameren, who
I worked with from the company, told me was we're never going to
avoid the stress, but to be ableto go from red to green easily
(30:57):
is the gold standard. And she said she'd be working
with people who were just awash with red.
All day was red. And then at night they might get
a bit of green when they got into a deep sleep.
And then she'd be working with them to look at their lifestyle
and see where can they bring in the green.
But I'm happy to say on my days,there were lots of red and
(31:20):
green. So when you wake up in the
morning, there's a spike of cortisol.
We all need it to get us from horizontal to vertical, and our
body is kind of set to get going.
And what I do most mornings is Iget back into bed now I'm fully
awake and I might do some meditation.
I might do some breath work. Not going to lie.
(31:41):
Sometimes I just catch up on my WhatsApp groups and my
Instagram. But that is my time.
That is my, you know, 20 minutesin the morning just for me.
That was a big spike of green. Then I'm up.
I'm getting the kids out, I'm making breakfast, I'm getting
myself ready. I'm driving to work.
That would be red. There was a massive swathe of
green one day and I had been writing an online course for my
(32:03):
website and she was like, that'slovely to see because that means
you're in a flow state. And we get so much negative,
like information around our sedentary lifestyles.
We're sitting at computers and laptops.
It's killing us. It's horrendous.
But if you were doing a job thatyou really love and you're
sitting at that computer, that can be restorative.
(32:25):
That was a real eye opener to me.
There was a spike of green one day in my day when I was getting
my nails done, something that I would have thought was really
quite frivolous, that I swore during COVID I was never going
to get back to. And sometimes I'm like, Oh my
God, why am I making time for it, for this?
And yet I sit, I put my phone away, I listen to the whale
(32:47):
song, I just chill out. And that was that.
Red to green, red to green, red to green.
There was another time I was just watching a really cheesy
show on Netflix, and I remember I kind of dropped off and I
would have kind of considered that to be a waste of my time.
But that again, was restoring me.
(33:08):
Sleep is obviously a really important one where you get to
green. And something else that I saw
was that I would fall asleep. So she could tell by my heart
rate that I was asleep. But for the first two hours, I'd
still be in red because I would have thought, and I still can be
guilty of it a bit now that whenI lie down and close my eyes,
it's kind of a good opportunity to reflect on the day and to
(33:29):
think about things and to think about, you know, what have I got
to do tomorrow and what will I wear and what will I say and
what about that and what about the kids?
And, you know, he's still on theXbox now.
So tomorrow, now I'm going to say you should cut the grass.
You know, all this is worrying in my head.
But then what Janine taught me was that that's not helpful
because you're actually robbing yourself of two hours of of
(33:50):
sleep. So while we picture stress as
being like, you know, blowing your lids, you know, freaking
out at a behind a corporate deskor really harried parent.
And yes, those stereotypes are true.
It's just that low level hum of the WhatsApp groups and the to
do lists and what you haven't done and just you can't
(34:12):
necessarily rid yourself fully of that, but you have to try and
find your moments of green. So the advice for the evening
time for me, and you know, I'm not that great at doing it, I'll
be honest, is to get out, you know, a pen and paper and write
down what's on my mind. What do I have to do tomorrow?
What's my To Do List? And then I close that book and
(34:32):
then I'm like, right, that's it,Now I'm done.
Then I pick up my book, then I start reading, then I start
getting into the green and then I, I fall asleep.
So it's just, again, it's going to be different for everybody,
but to bring in as much of that green as you can to the red and
it can come in very, very surprising places.
(34:53):
But to prioritize that rest and know that you're, I mean, we do
it for our phones, don't we? We close down all the programs.
Sometimes we turn it off, turn it back on again.
So it'll work better. And you know, we're forever
watching the battery and carrying our power banks with
us. So we need to make sure that
we're recharging our own batteries too.
So I'm a heart math coach as well, which is something that
(35:16):
measures heart rate variability.And actually the key to what
you're talking about is, is bringing is our thoughts,
because our thoughts can impact our heart rate variability.
So a negative thought can put you into the red while you might
be sitting doing something relaxing.
But if your thoughts are negative, that can set you off
(35:38):
as well. And then on the on the flip
side, you know, you can be in a work situation, but actually, if
you switch your thoughts to something like gratitude and
slow down your breath, as you will know that can shift us into
the green. So it is about, I think really
understanding, as you say, what is the, what are those small
(36:00):
things that reset? So one of the techniques that I
would use in my programs is the quick coherence technique and
literally from, you know, bringing a pause, a thought of
care or appreciation, managing your breath.
We can reset like that. And that, that is the key to
(36:20):
resilience. As you say, you know, we have so
much going on in our lives. We're all so busy.
There's times of our lives wherewe can't avoid stress, looking
after elderly parents or having the kids keeping us up in the
middle of the night. But it's, it's bringing in these
little ways to reset. And that's the key to managing
(36:44):
stress, I think, over time. Yeah, and I'm not afraid to
speak up for what I need. I'm sure there's times, you
know, my husband wishes I wasn'tthat person, but I do.
I speak up for myself and I always have done.
And it's that having your own back.
And I, you know, I, I loved whatyou said earlier about your
(37:06):
clients and they're like self love, self compassion.
It's a bit of an eye roll, but people underestimate that
negative ticker that's going on in their head all the time.
You know, people are like you stupid fool, and why did you do
that? And why did you make that
happen? You know, and even, you know,
you spill your cup of tea and you're like you idiot.
And you know, you're just constantly putting yourself down
(37:27):
and you underestimate the energyand the impact that that's
having on you. So to just flip that and just
try it and to wake up in the morning and think, Jesus, I'm
lucky, here's another day. Swing the legs out.
The way you speak to yourself, you know, it really does.
After a while, it's like a muscle you flex, you know, you
forget, and it just becomes verymuch who you are.
(37:49):
So yeah, I'd be very conscious of that.
Yeah, and that's one thing. Good thing, I suppose, about
social media, as you said at thebeginning, is, you know, prior
to social media, a lot of peopledidn't realize that we should be
working on ourselves, that personal development is
something accessible and positive.
(38:10):
Because there are so many peoplethat have never even thought of
themselves. You know, they're just so
concerned about work. They're kids looking after other
people. They're so way down on the list
of what they need that they don't even know what they want.
So, you know, that's one thing that we're bombarded with, that
(38:31):
we are enough that we should spend a bit a little bit more
time giving back to ourselves and nourishing ourselves.
So Claire, you recently qualified as a breathwork
instructor. Are you recently qualified as
this an advanced breathwork instructor?
(38:52):
Is that right? Tell us a little bit more about
that or why you felt drawn that way to actually study it.
Well, there's been a few things in life and I'd really recommend
it where I didn't really have anend goal.
I just thought something about that I'd like to do.
Go on. I will.
(39:13):
And you know, when you take a step somewhere, other doors
open, other things happen, you meet somebody else and that
leads to something else. And that lead, you know, and
just being open to that is a really lovely way I have found
to live life. So I would have met Neil O
Muraku breathe with Neil. People can often say Niall as
(39:36):
well because it's spelled the Irish way.
So it can be confusing, but he it's pronounced Neil.
When I first started doing the show, ice baths and Wim Hof and
everything was only sort of coming into the, the public
consciousness and somebody said,why don't you go out and meet
this guy? So I went to his house and I did
(39:56):
breath work on his sitting room floor.
And that's a very intense. Type of breath work that nearly
leaves you in a in a hypnotic state.
And I remember him saying to me now look, you know, I'm going to
leave you now you're going to change like I have my swim
swimsuit on underneath my tracksuit or whatever I was
wearing and I'm going to meet you out in the garden.
But let's not break this. We're going to walk straight to
(40:19):
the ice bath. You're going to get into the ice
bath. You know, you're focused on your
breathing, you know, So that wasthe kind of setup.
Went out to his garden, got intothe ice bath.
And that was the start of my friendship with Neil and his
gorgeous wife Josie. They're just a lovely, lovely
couple and lovely people to be around.
So I suppose that was step one. And I've been to many of his
(40:40):
events over the years and I'm always interested in looking
under the bonnet of something and trying to understand why it
helps us rather than just being told.
And a couple of times I have tried to do this in the Wellness
world and it's brought up surprising results.
So I did during COVID, A mindfulness based stress
(41:05):
reduction technique course, which I know is a bit of a
mazeful. But again, I thought I was going
to be getting under the bonnet of what's happening in the brain
when we are meditating so that Icould really understand why it
was that I'm sure didn't Verticom is be doing this.
But actually it was a lovely sixweek program where we all came
(41:27):
together as a group on Zoom and there were people who were
really struggling with mental health issues, with severe
anxiety, depression and learningto come back into our bodies and
to do the body scan and to do these.
These techniques became a real eye opener.
It was totally different to whatI had initially thought I was
(41:47):
setting out to do. And the breath work has kind of
been the same. I thought we were going to be
sitting in a classroom and Neil was going to be saying, and when
you're breathing like this, thisneuro is neurotransmitter begins
to fire that brings down the central nervous system.
And I was going to get the science behind it, but actually
it's been an incredible experience.
(42:08):
I've done 3 levels now and it's almost like a retreat of a
weekend where again, you bond with all these people, you get
to experience it in real time. I thought a lot about my
neurodivergent son who really struggle, struggles in the
academic system, this very practical way of learning.
You know, I first walked in, I don't think Neil, mind me saying
(42:30):
to the room and it's a, it's a hotel that we do it in.
I check in to the hotel for the weekend, say goodbye to my
family, which is lovely to do aswell and fully immerse myself in
it. And I walked into this function
room and he had all these big, you know, like white board, not
white board, flip, flip charts, sheets up against the wall and
(42:50):
everything on it with pen. And I have thought to myself,
wouldn't it be better for him tohave a bit more of a
professional setup, you know, like the laptop and the, you
know, the PowerPoint and the bigpresentation.
But actually it was so I was so wrong.
He says, come on over here. And we all just walk over to
this one area and now come on over here and we walk over to
this other area and now come on.You're going to try this in
(43:10):
groups of three and now you know, somebody's going to stand
up and do it for the room and you're just watching, learning,
talking. And it was an amazing, amazing
way to learn. I'd have to confess it was a
friend of mine again, someone I've met to the Wellness world,
Elaine, she runs a hiking group called Shoe Lane and we've
(43:32):
partnered on a couple of events.She's become a gorgeous friend.
And she said I'm going to do thebreath work in January.
And that was just a nudge that Ineeded.
And I was like back and I'm going to do it as well.
And I signed up and I didn't really know why or I was just
interested. And, you know, I'm 3 levels in.
Elaine was pregnant, so she has shelved it.
(43:54):
She just had a little boy this week, which is amazing.
So she decided to put her energies into that and she'll
get back to breath work again. But yeah, I just went alone.
It's opened up so many doors. I've held so many events with it
now, and it's become another string to my bow, not only as
(44:16):
something that I can offer in mywork, but something that's made
a big difference to me as well. So yeah, sometimes you never
know where the journey is going to take you, but just take the
first step. Yeah, yeah.
And I attended one of your lovely events with Elaine open.
Hope you did. Yeah, that was fabulous.
So we won't. You won't be doing one of them
(44:38):
in the next while with her newborn baby, will you?
Not with Elaine, but she may need a bit of guidance with
breath work because her life hasjust turned upside down and
inside out. But in the the best way.
Yeah, absolutely. And congratulations to Elaine.
Oh, Claire, your book. Tell us a bit about this book
(44:59):
that's coming soon. So it's going to be out in
January, it's called. Would you be well, cutting
through the overwhelm to find a happier you?
And it's basically my story and my journey and some of the
learnings I found along the way about some of the things we've
talked about that overwhelm, that pressure we put on
(45:22):
ourselves to be living our best life.
And I have pretty much written it.
It's gone back to the editor now.
So we're going to do a little bit of refining and a little bit
of back and forth. But they've sent me the cover.
So yeah, it's really exciting. I'm really happy to have it out
there. And it felt crazy to be sitting.
(45:42):
It kind of just flowed out of mebecause I'm so lucky.
I have sat in front of, you know, sometimes 6 experts a week
in the area of health and well-being.
So between that and my own personal journey with us, I have
amassed a huge amount of information.
Like I'm all these things were flying out of my fingertips and
(46:02):
I was like, when did I get all of this knowledge?
But I suppose when you reach midlife, you do have a thing or
two to say, you know, through life experience alone.
So yeah, I've really enjoyed theprocess, I'd have to say.
And it sounds like you were in the green while writing that
also. Yeah, lots of green flowing out
(46:23):
of you. I think so.
And I I took to the bed to writeit because I just didn't want to
be at my desk. I'm at my desk a lot anyway,
writing my scripts, you know, doing my research, doing
whatever, you know, we have to do at our laptops.
So I don't know why the the bed called me.
So I would sit up in the bed. I have this big orthopaedic
pillow that wasn't, you know, it's too hard for anybody.
(46:45):
But that kept me upright, a pillow on my knee.
And I just used to sit there with the sun streaming through
the window. So.
Yeah, I had notions about, you know, renting a cottage down in
Clare and walking the beach, butI haven't seemed to manage to
fit that in. I had to just.
Yeah. So that was my version of it.
I did it. I did it on my bed.
Me neither. Yeah.
And all the books I've written, I've never quite got away.
(47:07):
But I had a friend actually, when she was writing a book and
she used and you'd give her a call and say, what are you up
to? I'm betting.
So this was her editing in bed. Yeah, I think it's nice because
it's nice to be relaxed, especially if you're having a
conversational tone. It seemed to be the right place
for me anyway. So yeah, I think that added to
the enjoyment. And try that out.
(47:28):
I'll, I'll do that next. So my mission, as you might
know, is to bring more high vibration.
I think we're all very stuck in low vibrational habits.
A lot of, you know, mindless watching, mindless scrolling,
maybe alcohol, eating badly. And as we mentioned, it's not
(47:50):
that these things are are inherently bad, but when we fall
into doing it too much and too habitual.
It affects us. Claire, what does high vibration
mean to you? Well, a big influence on me has
been Tony Robbins. So I mentioned the personal
(48:12):
development side of things and Ithink it might have been through
some of those that I was introduced to Tony Robbins.
It was because in that same company, like there was a guy
called Jack Black. He's a Scottish guy, not the
Hollywood actor. And he was talking all about
that. If you could believe it, you can
achieve it. And I was lapping it up.
(48:33):
And there was another lovely woman that I worked with.
She's gone on to do incredible things in the area of technology
and diversity and inclusion. Sandra is her name.
And Sandra had just gone to walkacross hot coals with Tony
Robbins off in America somewhere.
Sandra Healey. Sandra Healey, amazing, amazing,
(48:57):
amazing woman. You should get her on the
podcast now as well. Sandra had said to me, I think
you might like this guy. And she gave me CDs.
That's how long ago it was to put it into the car.
And I used to just listen to them over and over again.
And he's a big, big proponent ofhigh vibe energy and being in
(49:21):
high vibe energy and empowering us to know that we can change
our energy in a heartbeat. And being really conscious of
how is my energy And like that saying check in kind of idea,
how is my energy? Is it low?
Why is it low? And my husband, he was my
boyfriend at the time. I gave him the CDs, He had them
(49:45):
going around. I think they're actually still
in. We're still driving the same
beat up Merck. So there's every now and then I
hit off it and it's either him or the Trolls soundtrack can can
jump in at any moment. But he was really into it as
well. And we went to something in
town. I, I don't know where I came
(50:06):
across it and it ended up like it's quite clever really.
It ends, it ends up being like afree event, but it's really a
sales event to get you to the bigger event.
So we were jumping around this place in, in a hotel in town,
and then they were saying, right, and these are the events
that are coming up and you do get that refresh and that, you
know, we get one life and if youbelieve it, you can achieve it.
And how are you living your lifeand what do you want to change?
(50:27):
And I just really, I really buzzand connect off that.
I love all that stuff. And anyway, on the TV screen
came up the upcoming events and Tony Robbins was coming to
London on the weekend of my 40th.
And we just said, look, we're going.
So that's what my hubby got me for my birthday and we went and
we walked across the hot coals and we bounced around the
(50:50):
stadium. He uses music a lot, high vibe
music. And I've started to do that a
little bit myself in the car. So I would have this playlist, I
call it healing, even though I have issues with that word
myself, particularly when I, youknow, would use it on the show.
But that's what I call that playlist.
And I have a lot of the things that I would have heard as
(51:11):
Wellness events that, you know, have really resonated with me.
And I have a little playlist of them.
And I have a few in particular that if I am feeling quite
nervous about something, a big talk or a big interview that I'm
going to, I will play that and it'll bring my energy down.
But I started to add a few high vibe ones in there, you know, a
few old dance tracks that I usedto love in my big clubbing days.
(51:35):
And it just really does lift your energy and your mood.
So I think having those little tools and allowing these things
that lift your mood. I love a spin class.
I love something that's real high energy, sweaty music
pumping, you leave and you feel invincible.
I love a night with the girls belly laughs.
(51:56):
I think that's real high vibe energy.
I love being out in nature, whether it's dipping in the sea
or being surrounded by trees. And I love living a life that
makes me happy. And it has been by design and
it's taken years and tweaks and I'm still tweaking it now.
(52:18):
But I did decide as well, you know, as I touched on midlife,
that I was going to stop lookingat the horizon all the time
because I found certainly becoming apparent that first
decade, I mean shot by in what felt like a blink of an eye.
And I thought, well, if the nextfew decades are going to go with
that speed, I want to be in it. I want to be in this life that I
(52:40):
am lucky to have. And I think that really adds to
the high vibe energy as well to be in it and to realize how
lucky I am. There's times I drive along and
I say, I love my life. I love my husband, I love my
kids, I love my family, I love my job, I love living in
Ireland, you know, all this stuff.
(53:00):
I mean, there's times I don't necessarily feel like that, but
most of the time I 100% do. And if I don't, it's usually
because I need a good night's sleep.
Fabulous advice, and it really is.
Yeah, it's about being present, but making, as you say,
designing your life to be the way you want it to be.
Tell us, have you any events, any high vibe events coming up
(53:23):
that we can go to and raise our vibe?
I think I'm going to try and do a good bit around the launch of
the book. So that's going to be January.
January's a really good time because everybody's like, right,
that's it, I'm getting healthy. And, you know, we can feel a bit
sluggish after Christmas and nobody wants to see a selection
box anymore. But I think that's the worst
(53:44):
time to start punishing yourselfbecause, you know, the cupboard
is bare. I hate putting away the fairy
lights. I love the twinkle of Christmas.
All of a sudden you're back, youknow, and the social calendar
has dried up. The bank balance is looking a
bit low, and now all of a suddenyou're going to start surviving
(54:05):
on crackers and water. So, you know, I want to tap into
those people and I want to really help them to embrace a
life where they nourish themselves, mind, body and soul
and have a bit of fun with it and have a bit of high vibe.
Energy. So yeah, watch this space.
(54:26):
Fantastic. We'll definitely be watching
this space when a time where we all need it.
But listen, Claire, it's been wonderful as always, connecting
with you and learning from you. Thanks for giving us so much
time and so much wisdom. And yeah, we're waiting
(54:48):
patiently for that book and to see what's coming next.
And thank you and not only for having me, but you've been a big
help. Your book has been a big help
and your productivity diary, I find it great.
You know, it can be hard to findtime to sit and ask yourself
those questions. And your journal is brilliant
because it does make you say what worked today, what didn't
(55:11):
work, what have I still got going on?
And that's where the reflection just starts to come in.
And when you start with that, itjust automatically starts to to
happen. It just really, it really does.
So yeah, thank you for helping me.
Thank you. Thanks for listening in, and I
hope you enjoyed the conversation.
(55:32):
You can find out more about Claire on her website.
The link is below in the show notes.
And if you're enjoying the podcast, please share this
episode with your friends and you can support us by following
on whatever platform you're listening to.
And don't forget, the Lifelow community is currently free, but
(55:53):
just for a limited time, and we'd love to meet our listeners
there. So click on the link below and
come say hi. I'm looking forward to meeting
you on the inside. So a big hug for your week and I
wish you a wonderful inner day.
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