Megan 'Megzy' Waters: Reconnecting First Nations Mind, Body and Country

In this heartfelt episode of Yarning Up, host Caroline Kell sits down for a rich and inspiring yarn with Megan Waters—media presenter, host of Yokayi, Nike ambassador, and proud Warumungu and Yawuru woman. Megan is also a passionate community advocate, deeply committed to amplifying First Nations voices and supporting community wellbeing.

Together, they explore what true wellness looks like from a First Nations perspective—mind, body, and spirit all connected. Megan reflects on her childhood growing up on Larrakia Country, the powerful influence of her family and cultural roots, and how these foundations have shaped her path in media, movement, and healing.

From navigating grief and personal challenges to embracing breathwork, self-connection, and movement, Megan shares how she's been able to reclaim wellness through a decolonised and culturally grounded lens.

Whether you're mob or an ally, this is a conversation that invites you to slow down, reconnect, and tune into your inner knowing. Full of wisdom, honesty, and hope, it’s a powerful reminder of the strength that comes from healing within and building community along the way.

To learn more about Megan Waters, follow her  journey here:

https://www.instagram.com/megzyy_/?hl=en

https://open.spotify.com/show/3DECofSwJVsvAAIBZM1UTt

Follow Caroline on Instagram:
@blak_wattle_coaching and learn more about working with Caroline here.

We would like to acknowledge the Wurundjeri/Woiwurrung people of the Kulin Nation where this podcast was taped, and pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders, past, present, and emerging across Australia.

This podcast is brought to you by On Track Studio.
www.ontrackstudio.com.au
@on.track.studio

For advertising opportunities, please email: [e-mail]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Podcast Unite Our Voices. This podcast is brought to you
by on Track Studio. Welcome to Yanni Up, the podcast
that showcases First Nations stories and conversations to help us

(00:24):
learn and unlearn Australia's history to work towards a better future.
I'm your host, proud barber woman and founder of Black
Wadel Coaching and Consulting, Caroline cow. We acknowledge the Runderi
people and elders where this podcast is taped, but we

(00:46):
also acknowledge the lands that you are listening in from today.
It always was and always will be unseated Aboriginal and
tourist Red Islander Land. Well, I'm so excited for today's guest.
This sister girl is doing incredible things in community. I
think from sowing these seeds about nurturing themselves and their mind,

(01:10):
their body, their spirit, they've gone on to share their
passions and talents and love to all of our community.
So I'm so excited to be sitting down with Megan Waters.
Thank you so much for joining me on the show today,
my sis, thank.

Speaker 2 (01:25):
You for having me.

Speaker 3 (01:26):
I feel very honored actually with the caliber of people
that you've had on here is you know to be
amongst that is very special. But also you I've always
you know, and I said it to you, and we
had that conference together recently, and You've always been somebody
that I really admire. And although it's often from a

(01:47):
distance because you know, we don't get to see each
other in real life all the time, but you know,
through through the socials, I always keep up with what
you do and who you are and your voice and
your passion and staunchness, and it's something.

Speaker 2 (02:01):
That I really admire. So I'm very grateful to be
here with you.

Speaker 1 (02:07):
Oh bless you, my sys. That's so lovely. And yeah,
I just want to say the feeling is so very mutual.
Have a huge amount of respect for the work that
you're doing. You know, the glass ceilings, you're breaking down
who you are and yeah, I guess your your sort
of vision and your message. So thank you. That's so lovely.
I think sometimes we forget sometimes it can feel like

(02:30):
our work can be really thankless, or we're doing some
things maybe in isolation that we maybe forget sometimes the
impact that other people have just from like being a
part of it or sharing circles or spaces, and it's
just such a reminder for anyone who is doing things
is to keep going and saying true to what you're
doing and your passions, because you never really know who's
paying attention, do you?

Speaker 2 (02:50):
One hundred percent?

Speaker 3 (02:51):
And it's something for me that I like, I draw
a lot of inspiration and empowerment, you know, from people
like you. The just way that you approach humanity is
from this real place of just loveman, just deep compassion,
and that enables other people to feel safe to be

(03:12):
able to do the same. People have to lead, and
you lead in that space so powerfully and so please,
like you know, one hundred percent. I think it's an
important message and I often get caught in my head
sometimes about like how do I curate this message to
share so.

Speaker 2 (03:30):
It lands in the right way and you know, did it?

Speaker 3 (03:32):
I get in my head sometimes, but then I go,
you know, I always get feedback and instant feedback from
people that grow thank you for sharing this, And it
might it might whether it's to do with us as
mob or whether it's even to do with health and wellbeing.

Speaker 2 (03:46):
And opinions on things like that.

Speaker 3 (03:47):
People are listening and because you're obviously a bloody beautiful person,
it's touching lots of people. So anyway, I appreciate you,
thanks for having.

Speaker 1 (03:57):
Me, oh bless you, I mean good ways or saying
off air that you know, I'm pregnant and a hormone
So if I can get through this, yeah without crying,
that'd be a good thing. But that's so beautiful sis,
And yeah, I mean even that. I mean, I know
we're sort of digressing from introducing you properly, but just
that sort of notion about sharing things from a place
of love. If there's one thing I've learned over the

(04:19):
years is your art and your story and like who
you are, get it out there because it's such an
important part of liberation and the resistance. But also there's
someone out there who that's going to strike a chord with.
And there's been so many times on I sided this
business Black Wattle and the podcast even where I've agonized

(04:40):
as well and tried to perfect things and worry if
people are going to like me or should I say
this is And then literally the most like dumbest, sort
of off the cuff things that I'll just go, oh whatever,
they tend to strike that cord for people because it's
just it's come from a place where it's just from
love and integrity and who you are. If you can

(05:00):
stand by it and you're not wavering, then get it
out there, because there are people that, yeah, might just
need to hear that, like as gamin or silly as
that one thing is. And also to there's no perfect person,
there's no perfect page, there's no perfect cause we're all
going to make mistakes and muck it up with a
couple of times many times, so you may as well
just like get it out rather than sitting in the

(05:22):
Oh should I agonize, I've been in that state for
you know, months, or I've just been paralyzed with fear
of putting things out in the world and it's not
a nice place to be. So yeah, thank you. I
really appreciate that. And it's a nice bit of g
up for anyone listening to just get your message, your art,
your passion, get it out in the world.

Speaker 3 (05:41):
Honestly, like if it's touching one person and it lands
with one person, and it's better than not landing with
anyone at all, And if it makes a difference to
somebody's day, whether it's a message of you know, like
I'm often even sometimes I'm like, oh, I feel like
such an idiot talking to the camera about how good
it feels to go for a walk in the sunshine

(06:02):
or whatever. But I know that those little things do
motivate people or do ins bio people in some way.
So one hundred percent get out there and share because
it does make a difference.

Speaker 1 (06:14):
So true, And it's I don't know, like I mean,
the world can be pretty heavy and pretty gloomy, and
so you know, to have a glimpse into people's lives
and what they're actually doing and doing it in like
also that real way of like hey, I've just done
this thing or I've gone for this walk. I think
it's like showing people, Hey, we're just trying our best
through this as well, you know. So, and people love

(06:35):
being dories in people's lives. That's one thing I really noticed,
even some of the people I follow, I'm like, should
I be watching all this stuff? But I'm here for it,
you know, I'm like, tell me what's going on behind
the scenes, Guys still dat you know. It's kind of weird. Yeah,
And because like a mob, we don't really we don't
usually send to ourselves as usually issues and causes. And

(06:55):
I remember one of the ladies that I work with
Carli and Christina. They were like, well, you know, you
can actually talk about your story too, and I was like, nah,
it's about mob and some about me and like no,
you're you're part of the brand and I was like
oh okay, and then yes, some sort of shap people.
People really resonated. But people are here to connect with
you, you know, not just what you're doing. So yeah, anyway,

(07:18):
oh my god, great way to kick off the show. Anyway,
that's a quick tip in social media and business where
everybody's listening. But I guess I want to start, you know,
as we do on this show as always, is just
like to sort of start by introducing you. So if
you could tell us your name, your mob, a little
bit about yourself, and yeah, just anything about your story

(07:38):
that you feel called to share in this moment.

Speaker 3 (07:40):
Wow, my name is Megan, but everyone calls me Megsie.
I feel like I somewhere along the way adopted that
nickname and it's just totally stuck. The only time I
ever usually get called Megan is when I'm back home
and Mum's yelling at me about something. But yeah, speaking
of home, I grew up, I was born and raised

(08:03):
online country up north, in the in the tropics, in
the heat, which I'm so grateful that I still get
to call that little slice of paradise my home. My
most of my family still live up there, my mum,
my brother, and sister on my mom's side.

Speaker 2 (08:19):
So I go home and it's.

Speaker 3 (08:21):
Always a really special opportunity for me to just shift
my energy. I've lived in an arm for I reckon
maybe thirteen or fourteen years now, so I've definitely put
some roots down here, but yeah, I'm always getting back
up to usually defrost during the months. Yeah, my mobs
were amongu yau So my grandfather who was just both

(08:46):
my nun and my grandpa just like the absolute king
and queen of our family. My grandpa was from TenneT
Creek Way and we only lost him not that long
ago twenty twenty one now, but he was just such
an integral part of our family system and dynamic and
a big part of my connection to who I am,
my identity was him and my nana Yaru so Broom.

Speaker 2 (09:09):
The big part of my family from there.

Speaker 3 (09:11):
And yeah, really really grateful that I now, like I said,
I've got family all over, but I really kind of
have that duality between living in hustle bustle and big
city and opportunity and all my work and career.

Speaker 2 (09:27):
And life is very much here.

Speaker 3 (09:29):
But as much as I can, I just appreciate so
much getting home and just reconnecting and being around family and.

Speaker 2 (09:38):
Very special that I get the best of both worlds,
I feel.

Speaker 1 (09:41):
Oh and it's a beautiful slice of country up there
on Larikir country, as you say, And wow, what an
interesting journey from your ancestors and your old people from
Broom to Tenant Creek to Dahwen to here now in
Nam where you've called home for the last thirteen fourteen years.

(10:02):
I mean, what's led to you on this journey of
coming to Melbourne And what was yeah, your your vision
in leaving home, because imagine it would be quite challenging
leaving yeah, family and country behind.

Speaker 3 (10:14):
Sometimes A yeah it was, and it still is even
though I've lived away for so long.

Speaker 2 (10:20):
Every time I leave, it's always like oh, you know.

Speaker 3 (10:22):
Yeah, and now that I'm older and way more appreciative of,
you know, just home, like that little nest of coziness
that you have back home, I you know, now realize,
like my mum said to me at Christmas, and it
got me all choked up because she was like, you know,
I only really get to see you maybe like twenty

(10:44):
or thirty days.

Speaker 2 (10:45):
Of the year.

Speaker 3 (10:46):
And I was like, shit, that's that's when you put
it in context like that, it isn't much time spent
with family. So I really cherish the time that I
do spend when I get home. But what brought me
here initially back all that, you know, all those years ago,
was just the desire to explore and opportunity. I just knew,

(11:09):
like I did all of my schooling back home in Darwin.
Finished year twelve and I came out of school, and
I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I
didn't have like a strong calling to go to UNI
or study or anything like that. But I always had
like my mum and my dad when I was younger,
we always traveled around and explored and we did lots

(11:30):
of road trips here, there and everywhere, and that was
something that I always remember really loving. And I was
always like a bit of a free spirit like that.
I've always connected with people quite effortlessly, and so I
just had this eyes for bigger city lights and wanting to,
you know, explore what other opportunities were out there outside

(11:52):
of a smaller town. So that was kind of really
the driver, and I just kind of knew that if
I did maybe want to study, then there was probably
more opportunity to do it somewhere like, nah, I'm being
a bigger, bigger city and that's and then so yeah,
I left, and I've been here pretty much ever since then.
It's been a big journey since I've been here, and
you know, you stumble along the way and try to

(12:14):
figure things out as you go, and now I've kind
of finally landed in a.

Speaker 2 (12:19):
Place where I feel really where I'm supposed to be.

Speaker 3 (12:23):
It's taken a long time to get here, but I'm
really kind of I'm really grateful for where my journey
has brought me to this point. Wow.

Speaker 1 (12:32):
Yeah, I mean it's like it's it's a fairly common
story for many black fellows in some ways, isn't it,
especially from like regional rural or places where there just
is a lack of opportunity and lack of black opportunity
as well, to sort of have to leave their homes
and their countries. And I guess it's always been like

(12:52):
a part of the story of black followers too, to
sort of move around for work seasonally and to sort
of seek out new opportunities as well. So yeah, but
I imagine yeah when you say that, like when you
put it late that year, twenty thirty days of family,
that must be tough, but how beautiful to sort of
cherish that time be present. I think sometimes we even

(13:12):
we do have families in our lives, you know, we
might not always be very present even if they're around
twenty four to seven, like hello, my family. So you know,
I think it is beautiful and you know that you're
creating something bigger than yourself that you can go back
and share with your family too.

Speaker 3 (13:27):
And that's exactly like what you were just saying in
that element of presence, Like it forces me to be
much more present because I know, and to be honest,
it hasn't always been that way. You know.

Speaker 2 (13:40):
It's only been as.

Speaker 3 (13:41):
I've probably entered into my thirties and I've just gained
a lot more conscious awareness of life and myself. You know,
I now really understand the importance of you know what,
I'm not going to go out and socialize when I'm
at home and when I was home over Chrismas, I
actually didn't see anyone except my mum and my family,

(14:01):
which is pretty rare.

Speaker 2 (14:03):
I'm normally, because I know I'm only home for little
pockets of time.

Speaker 3 (14:06):
I usually try to squeeze in a visit, see my
friends here, go there, do this, here, there and everywhere.
But this time I was like, you know what, I
really need to just be at home.

Speaker 2 (14:14):
I just need to be with my mum.

Speaker 3 (14:16):
And I really soaked up every second of that opportunity there,
and I now am much more conscious of that feeling
of actually really genuinely being present.

Speaker 2 (14:27):
And I reflect and I think back, and I think.

Speaker 3 (14:31):
When my grandpa was pretty sick, and again another time
I'm really grateful that I was able to spend a
decent chunk of time back on country was during COVID,
and during that time, across those two years, I was
able to be by his bedside and listen to his stories.

Speaker 2 (14:46):
And my phone is just fall.

Speaker 3 (14:48):
To the brim of like me setting up the camera
in the corner of us too, in his little hospital
bed and just capturing him talking and like just listening
to him and being so present with him. It's so important,
and that's something that I to integrate into my life
as much as possible now because I'm just forced into

(15:09):
it now when I'm home. And you know, unfortunately we
haven't figured out the magic system to make time go backwards.

Speaker 2 (15:16):
It just keeps going forwards.

Speaker 3 (15:17):
And I every time I go home, you know, my
mum gets older and a little slower, and I'm like,
you just got to cling and cherish that time.

Speaker 1 (15:26):
How special to be able to capture those those stories
and those moments, and yeah, to really cherish the slowness
of going home. And it's kind of a lesson for
all of us when we're in the company of our
families and our elders, and yeah, to just just know that, yeah,
this time is finite. How are we going to spend it?
You know, what are our priorities? I mean, I feel

(15:48):
like this might be a little tongue in cheek, but
you know, it feels like for me like you've been
on a bit of your own journey in sewing down
like your mind and your body and your spirit and
been on this like real path of a fitness and
a late breath work and trying to slow all of
our faculties down along the way. I guess I mean

(16:10):
I'd love to sort of just ask, yeah, where did
that all come from for you? When did you Was
there a moment in your life or journey where you
decided that you were going to get more active and
really nurture yourself or have you always been quite active
and into sports and it's just been a part of
who you are growing up as a Darwin Bush kid.

Speaker 2 (16:33):
Kid.

Speaker 3 (16:34):
No, there's a big element of that, for sure. I'm
really fortunate that my mum has my dad's passed away
now and that that is a very big contributing factor
to where the passion for just taking else seriously steps from.
That's for sure a part of it, and I'll circle
back to that. But yeah, growing up, I mean when

(16:55):
you grow up in a place like Darwin and the
weather is always good and sports was always I was
always just somebody, especially as a kid, that excelled sport
in school.

Speaker 2 (17:04):
And you know, my mum.

Speaker 3 (17:06):
Still lives in the same house that I think I
must have only been nine or ten when we moved there.
So it's out Bush, it's in how it brings a
two and a half acre block, and so I just
had I just ran around as a kid and always
shoes off climbing trees. That was my lifestyle and I
think from there, you know, that's that element of just
being active and sport has been embedded in me from

(17:29):
a young age.

Speaker 2 (17:30):
But also when there's.

Speaker 3 (17:33):
Two components to this, and I think I want to
talk to the mind and the spiritual side and then
the health and the fitness side, I think the mind
and the spiritual side for me has also I mean
for one again, it's just we're inherently born with that.
As you know, your connection to your spirit and your

(17:55):
connection to that realm is I don't know. I just
think that that's just something that's always been there. And
I've witnessed that through my mum and my sister and
my beautiful matriarch in my nanna.

Speaker 2 (18:06):
Is like their connection to that spiritual side of us has.

Speaker 3 (18:10):
Always been really present for our family, and just in
little ways, like I remember when I was and even
still now that I'm adult, my Mom's never left let this.

Speaker 2 (18:21):
This is like one of her daily things.

Speaker 3 (18:23):
She is very big on like visualization and manifesting and gratitude.
And I remember when I was younger though, going in
and if I'd be getting ready for school, she would
always stand in her bedroom window. She has a little
note that she reads out. She stands there and she
reads her note out of her bedroom window. And that's
just something that I always saw growing up. So I

(18:43):
always had this belief in like energy and you know,
if you think positively and you you know, try to
show up in the world and the best possible energy
that you can, you know, the flow on effect. You know,
you are what you weremit essentially, and so you know,
I think that that's where my conditioning for that stemmed from.
Is my mum and then my sister, my big sister

(19:07):
or one of I'm one of three sisters, two brothers.
Mum and dad had different kids before they met, but
my sister, or my mom's side.

Speaker 2 (19:15):
She's also very spiritual, was always.

Speaker 3 (19:17):
Really into meditation and hands on healing and raiki and
all of that kind of thing, and so growing up
she would always practice her you know, her healing on me.
And so I feel as though that, you know, my
connection to that sort of energetic side of the human
being and nurturing your spirit and your mind very much
stems from my adolescence. Like I just grew up with

(19:40):
that in my family, and I think it's a big
part of why now as an adult, I'm really conscious
of what's happening in my mind. And if I noticed
myself feeling really heightened or stressed or worried, It's like,
hang on, I know, I've got these ways and practices
of just connecting to your breathing and praying to or

(20:03):
you know, yeah, I guess praying is the right word.

Speaker 2 (20:05):
Praying to our ancestors and praying.

Speaker 3 (20:07):
To this higher energetic source that protect me and provide
good spiritual energy.

Speaker 2 (20:12):
And all of that kind of thing.

Speaker 3 (20:14):
So I know the power of that because I've really
integrated it into my life for as long as I
can remember, and now I'm just so passionate about sharing
that because I know the difference that it makes, and
it doesn't always necessarily need to be this.

Speaker 2 (20:28):
Big wuru spiritual thing.

Speaker 3 (20:29):
It can simply be just breathing, breathing deeply and breathing consciously.
And so yeah, that connection to the mind and that
sort of side of things I think really stemmed from there.
But then the connection and the passion for just wellbeing
and fitness and taking care of my body and wanting

(20:50):
to be strong and healthy has stemmed from well watching
really pivotal people in my life disappear because of things
like cancer. I lost my dad to cancer, and that
was definitely one of the most defining, challenging, heartbreaking experiences
that you know, I've ever been through. Watched my nana,
my mom, my beautiful nana on my mom's side. She

(21:12):
was just like literally an angel. She was just an angel.
And I remember just when I was I lost her,
pretty young mom lost her. My mum was in her forties.
But I just used to love got finishing school, I
would go to Nana and Grandpa's house. I'd walk there
because my school wasn't too far away, and my Nana
was just like the most nurturing angel in our family.

(21:33):
And you know, I just think watching her pass away
from a young age with cancer. And I must have
been maybe a nine or ten around thereabouts when she passed,
I was still in primary school, and I just remember
how much that hurt my mom because.

Speaker 2 (21:48):
They were just so tight.

Speaker 3 (21:49):
And then I just remember, I remember how much that
hurt me because I just loved going to Nano and
Grandpa's every day after school and she would just we'd
play cards together and we'd sit in the back and
she'd have a cup of tea, and you know, we
had mango trees at the back of Nana great pars
and we you know, always have these picking mangos, and
so losing her when I was young again to something

(22:11):
like cancer, just it's embedded the importance of for one
shit like life is not finite, as you said before,
it's very fragile actually, and our health is everything. It's
it's literally everything, like we only have one chance to
live life. I mean, I'm sure there's we will come
back in past lives and there'll be other other souls

(22:32):
that carry on, But in this lifetime, I want to
be well. I want to make the most of it.
I want to have a strong body. I want to
have a strong mind. I want to have a strong heart.
And I think that that stems from just seeing people
that I love so much fade away.

Speaker 1 (22:49):
Gosh, I'm so sorry, Yeah to hear hear that that
story of loss, and yeah, gosh, there really is nothing
that can really be said about losing people to cancer
and such an awful condition and to see people in
their most yeah unwell states. Yeah, it sounds like, yeah,
a combination of some really painful moments in your early

(23:10):
life and some beautiful moments too, and some of those
like routines and rituals that mum had, and some of
those moments you share with your old ones. All of
these things have like cumulatively work together to sort of, yeah,
help you in your vision in helping us all think
about our health and wellbeing and our connection to our

(23:32):
wind and spirit too. So yeah, it's kind of crazy
when you think about like that for a moment, that
like you're now helping other people have conversations about making
better choices and connecting in community and gathering their routines
and their rituals based off some of those yeah, painful
and beautiful lived experiences. I really appreciate you sharing that

(23:56):
with me.

Speaker 3 (23:57):
Yeah, thanks, And I appreciate your level of ability to
just be really reflective, and you know, even just you
say that, I'm like, oh, yeah, shit, Like I haven't
actually sat down and.

Speaker 2 (24:06):
Really thought about like why do I care.

Speaker 3 (24:09):
I know that losing my dad and losing my manner
and just just you know, people that they're not the
only people that I've ever seen be ill and that
I've ever identified the importance of how our health is
so imperative to take care of but yeah, it's not
that thought that's always at the forefront. It's like I

(24:32):
just care about it because I like feeling good. But
when you actually extrapolate it all back and you go,
oh wow, I no, like you know, and I was explaining,
and I just had these vivid memories of like sitting
under the mango tree with my nunner, and like I'd
always have friends over and they'd be playing cards and
my un would be there and honey evon and all
these this just the family and connection. But I just

(24:53):
had this vivid memory of that, and I thought it
is so it's so interesting when you can pinpoint like
these moments that have been so impactful to the human
that you are today crazy.

Speaker 2 (25:07):
Yeah, sorry's going to tangent now.

Speaker 1 (25:10):
No, And it's like, you know, this is the thing
I remember sadly we lost I lost my mum to
cancer too in twenty twenty one, and really really suddenly
and aggressively, and I remember being just so angry and
moment more so, maybe angry at myself because I didn't
say the things that I wanted to say because I
didn't realize it would affect her so quickly. But I

(25:30):
guess it was also just this sort of like reminder
for me that our old ones, they live on in us,
in our legacies, and the choices that we make today
are not just coincidental for our own self, their you know,
a culmination of their lived experiences. They say that we
have like fourteen genetic ebigenetics of our families within us,
and so we were carrying their legacies and their stories

(25:52):
every day and they show up in rooms and spaces
where we might not even otherwise know, and so yeah,
it's kind of like upset. Then I was just reminded, like, no,
we get to male carve out this next leg and
she's still a part of that. She was, you know, foundational.
So yeah, I think we find ourselves in these places,
and they can be hard when we're one of maybe

(26:12):
one of the only black women, or in media where
there's not a lot of you know, to have these yarns.
But you know, circling back to that sort of sitting
under the mango tree and eating fresh food on country
with family, we aren't really as sick people as black followers,
you know, we have had these beautiful ways of eating
good foods and connecting with each other and having that

(26:33):
like more spiritual connection about ourselves and our relations and
our connections to each other, working in reciprocity. It's often
not us that are making us sick. It's the systems
and structures that we operate in that make us so
on well. Not having access to good food, not having
access to rest, not being able to slow down, unpaid

(26:54):
laybor care responsibilities, you know, not having money for food
and medicine on the table, not being able to seek
out counseling and support. So, you know, I think having
these yarns and seeing like sisters like you and me
and others who are sort of like trying to make
sense of this and have conversations about what does our
health and well being look like? How do we reimagine it?

(27:14):
And you touched on something before about it just being
the small things, you know, doesn't always have to be
this big grandeur or twelve step programs health and wellbeing
retreats like they're deadly. Don't get me wrong, Like I
love a good program, and I love going and healing
and doing that work, But it's about those those quiet
moments will be back, you mob right after this short break.

(27:56):
I want to just sort of you know, link in
with that, you know, what does your practices and your
routines look like for you, like and I know that
you're a busy woman too, so I know you're in media,
you're working with people at mits, you're presenting, you know,
you're on TV, You're doing a lot of things. So
what does those small moments have coming back to yourself

(28:17):
look like for you? Masis?

Speaker 3 (28:19):
Well, firstly, I just want to say to you thank
you for sharing about you know, your mum and your
pain and your experience there too, and it reminds you
that when it's so not isolated in what we go through,
We've all most people that I know have been touched
by things like that, that that pain usually instills this drive,

(28:40):
you know sometimes from the darkest things that you go
through that make you want to push further forward. And
that speaks to so many different facets of our lives
as Zabridge and shadown and people lack the pain is
the driver often most of the time.

Speaker 2 (28:56):
So yeah, just want to acknowledge that you've obviously gone.

Speaker 3 (29:00):
Through your journey with similar things, but like you said,
they make it so fucking hard for us and something
that I you know, when you were talking then just
about like access to things.

Speaker 2 (29:10):
And I just think about, you.

Speaker 3 (29:11):
Know, these mobs that are out in community, and I
was having a conversation recently when I was back home
just about like even just things like getting sentiling payments
or whatever it might be. A lot of these mobs
don't use absentee, you know.

Speaker 1 (29:23):
The way that we you know, airth certificates, documentary don't stuff.

Speaker 3 (29:27):
But they've got to, you know, in order to get
you know, enough money to have food. That also in
these communities, and the price that they put the food up,
it's so heartbreaking and frustrating. And when you were talking
about all of that, I'm like, it's no wonder where sick.

Speaker 2 (29:43):
It's no wonder where.

Speaker 3 (29:45):
Our young ones, especially like the trigger warning, but speaking
about suicide and stuff like, they don't make it easy
for us and for our people and in communities and
to have health access to good, healthy food and things
like that.

Speaker 2 (29:59):
It's just frustrating that it is the way that it is.

Speaker 3 (30:03):
But like you said, when it comes back to these
big grand things and following these lavish food programs or
lavish exercise routines, having to meditate every day for twenty
minutes as good as all those things are, it does
It can just be as simple as connecting to a

(30:25):
really slow breath something that I do and I probably
do this like well, I definitely do it every day,
but depending on what is on my plate in terms
of busyness, I might even do it three or four.
I'm very fortunate to live that there's like a outside
of my house. There's like a nice little park where
I can go, and there's the ocean. I live in Elwood,

(30:45):
so there's a beach across their salt water. And so
for me, if I'm really noticing that my stress and
energy is heightened, I'll go outside and I'll just listen,
like just listen and breathe. What can I hear? What
sounds are around? How far away do I think that
bird is that's chirping in the distance, Or how much can.

Speaker 2 (31:08):
The tide come in?

Speaker 3 (31:10):
Because I can hear the you know, I can hear
the sound of the water coming in and out. And
it's just like paying attention to your surroundings. And that's
a practice that I lean into all the time because
it's so simple.

Speaker 2 (31:23):
It doesn't require a lot of time.

Speaker 3 (31:24):
It just recly requires you to just be able to
close your eyes and actually think about breathing versus like,
you know, we obviously have to breathe to exist.

Speaker 2 (31:33):
In this world as a human, but.

Speaker 3 (31:36):
Actually think about where is the breath arriving in my body?
Where is it landing? Is it in my chest or
is it in my belly? Am I breathing in through
my nose or am I breathing in through my mouth?
Just creating conscious awareness of the breath. And then once
you do that, which is relatively simple, you know, it's
just just thinking, and because it's quite active, like you've
got to think about it, I find that you can

(31:58):
kind of drop into that relatively simply, and then once
you're in that paton of longer and slower deep breathing,
then you can start to gain consciousness with your surround. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (32:08):
I love that. Such a beautiful practical tool for people
who might be feeling yeah, stimulated or activated. Just what
a gift it is to give yourself too, is like
to give yourself a little bit of time and space,
even if it's between the one thing to the next thing,
just to go outside, you know, maybe take your shoes off,

(32:31):
as you say, sort of be intentional soft breath in
through the nose out through the out, listening and paying attention.
I think like it's such a powerful act because even
you know, there's this sort of juxtaposition between well being
and you know the other things are talking about with
harm and care for our mob, but the colony wants
to take us out of our bodies. It wants to
take us out of so where in survival, you know,

(32:54):
they can control like not to go all you know,
soapboxy good ways, but you know, and so that is
a powerful gift that you can just give yourself and
you can return to at any moment of the day
to get you out of that state of fight or flight.
I don't myself in terms of my wellbeing journey, you know,
I really focused a lot over the years of getting

(33:17):
into my body. I lived in my head problem solving
and deep thinking and you know, trying to get into
my head. And I fell in love with movement and
met a community Peak club which I saw you did
some work with laws and the mob. They shout out
love Laws. They were so instrumental to my healing post
pandemic and things. And breath work has been something that

(33:39):
I have just in the last two years kind of
started to integrate into my life. And the thing is,
what I will say is someone who's new and learning
is I remember when I started to first do it,
I'd have these thoughts in my head, I'm not doing
it right, I'm not doing enough, I'm not doing it perfect.
It's like that's the whole colonial programming telling me I've

(34:01):
even got to do breath work perfect. It's like, oh
my god. And so it feels maybe a little bit
scary at first because it's a new thing that you're doing.
But if it's a minute, then an extra minute, then
ten minutes, then you know, you go into like a
class or whatever it is, sitting circle coregulate, like it's

(34:23):
just that sort of like building it up, just like
you would with any other practice, you know exactly. It's
like you don't go to the gym one day and
walk out ripped. Otherwise, we you know.

Speaker 3 (34:35):
I just know that would that would that would solve
a lot of problems.

Speaker 2 (34:40):
But I was about to use that exact analogy.

Speaker 3 (34:43):
You It's like, it's exactly that you don't get mustards,
you don't get these big, strong, bulky muscles from going
and doing ten bicep curls one time, it's the same
like with your breath and expanding your diaphragm, and but
also just like building confidence and then to speak to
the other side of feeling well, like you know, that's

(35:04):
definitely that simple practice is something that keeps me really calm.
And I noticed when I do that regularly and then
what that's flowed into for me, especially coming off the
back of the Christmas period where I was able to
be a bit more disconnected and been way more present.
Then I was like, oh, now I'm going to start

(35:26):
listening to longer form meditations. So then I've come home
and now I'm like that two three minutes standing outside
listening to birds chirping and the leaves in the trees
has evolved into me now laying down and doing ten
to fifteen minute meditations every couple of days, and that
helps massively. But that's because I've flexed that mind muscle

(35:46):
enough to be able to lay in that moment and
not every day. But that then applies to movement as well,
like not every day do I want to go to
the gym. Let's be real, like that's hard sometimes and
I've really learned as I've grown. I think back to
my younger version of me and the way that I

(36:09):
used to view exercise in training, and it was just
it was always about like, as a black woman especially,
you've got to work extra hard to try to be
seen and like and fit in and you know, and
I think by going to school and stuff, and like, again,
very very grateful.

Speaker 2 (36:27):
That I was went.

Speaker 3 (36:29):
You know, I always had like a pretty a very
safe group of friends and went to a school that
for me, like I felt as safe as I could.
But I think back to things where, you know, a
lot of the time you're always getting called out for
being like the token black kid or like, you know,

(36:51):
I remember sports trips and different people that I would
go to school with would always bully me, or like
not bully, but just make comments about, oh, you know,
you'll get that netball trip funded, you know, because.

Speaker 2 (37:05):
At that point it was like at sick or something.
I don't know, I was like a little kid, but
and those little comments from a young age really stuck
with me, and so I always felt like I had
to overcompensate in like the way that I appeared, and
so I fixated when I was younger on like, you know,
having this physically appealing appearance because at least that was

(37:30):
something that wouldn't get caught out, you know. And I
just think now that I'm again older and much more
consciously aware of the fact that I don't just like,
don't let that kind of energy even in my radar.
Now my view on exercise and appearance and feeling good

(37:54):
and all of that is so much more nowadays about
a feeling versus looking a certain way to be able
to fit into this certain mole then like to.

Speaker 3 (38:04):
Be who they want me to be. And that's been
such a big shift. And now if I miss a
gym session, if I don't go for a whole week,
I'm like.

Speaker 2 (38:12):
I don't fucking care.

Speaker 3 (38:13):
Yeah, Like I can go for a walk or like
there's other ways, like and sometimes going into a gym
or a group training setting can be really daunting for
a lot of people, So you know, I think for
a lot of people again, like, don't underestimate the power
of just going for a walk. Yeah, and even better
if you can walk and have a yarn with a
family member or a friend, and then that might turn

(38:35):
into a run next time and just start.

Speaker 2 (38:38):
Slow and go light and take pressure off.

Speaker 3 (38:41):
And I wish I could go back so much sometimes
to that younger version of me and say, don't stop
trying to fit.

Speaker 1 (38:47):
In, Yeah, don't need to yeah, and just go back
and love them up a bit. Because that story that
you shared about like racism and racist taunts about us
getting things, it's a really common story that we see
too in our practice that leads to this sort of
like overperformance and black excellence and burnout and also this

(39:10):
kind of like I have to have it all together
all the time otherwise people are going to like catch
me out or they're going to say, oh, wet's see,
you got all this thing. And so this is like
a really pervasive phenomena that we absolutely see. It's such
an interesting thing what you said about. I don't know,
maybe it is with age, and I don't want to
like shame people up who are younger, our younger listeners,

(39:31):
but just to share maybe some of the gifts of
hindsight that you do grow as you get a little
wiser and you love yourself a bit more. Like the
world is going to not love us as black women,
as women, and especially as blacken It's like everything is
designed too, and so like we have to make it
our purpose in life, our intention to be so deliberate

(39:53):
and kind and loving how we speak to ourselves, what
we're feeling our bodies with. Because there's this small but
subtle shift I think that where you go from going
to the gym to lose weight and feed the man's
gaze and to go I'm going to move today because
it feels good for my body and my spirit and
it's just for me, and it's just for me. Yeah,

(40:15):
I might walk today, I might go to the gym tomorrow.
I might do pilates with the friend. I might you know,
go just sit on country and just sit have some breath.
Some days I'm going to need movement. Some days I
might need some breath. Sometimes I might need to lay
up on the couch and rot and do nothing, all
of which are okay. I'm concerned.

Speaker 3 (40:33):
You know.

Speaker 1 (40:34):
It's like that shift from going from like what do
I think I have to do? Tick off to get
to an outcome to this actually feels really good for
me today, and I'm going to trust that I know
what I need. You know, it comes from that such
loving place. I remember when I was like in my
early twenties, I'd set all these ridiculous goals for myself.
Like I'm going to go to the gym five days

(40:55):
a week and to read I'm going to do this
and and I would never achieve them. And I was
like because I wasn't doing it from a place of
like love, I was doing it from a place like
self loathe really, and you know, it's a really vicious space.
And so when you finally get to that shift where
you're like, oh, you know, I just did this, say
and I know I'm going to feel good or even
I don't know about you, but I made a decision.

(41:17):
I said to myself, I'm going to move my goal
from that girl who was like, got to get this done,
five year plan overperform to like my goals are like
I'm going to move when I can. That's the goal,
you know, you know, don't have anything attached to it.
And so when I do it, I'm like that feels good.
And now I'm at a point where I've done this
so much that my feet are hit in the pavement

(41:39):
before I even think about it, you know, And if
I don't, I don't, I feel like it's like it's
like breathing. It's like I need I need this to
me to be able to survive. I think it just
comes with a little bit of growth. And so if
there are people out there who feel like, you know,
they're maybe setting themselves up for some failure or being
a bit harder than themselves, you know, I guess my
invitation would be, you know, where can your routine become
more flexible and loving, you know, and not so hard

(42:01):
because we've got so much other shit to do as well.

Speaker 3 (42:06):
And honestly, as soon as that lid is lifted on
the pressure cooker of all of that, like, I've got
to tick this, got to do this, got to do this,
got to look a certain way.

Speaker 2 (42:16):
So I get taken seriously in this.

Speaker 3 (42:17):
Next room that I walk into because I want this job,
but because I'm black and a woman, I probably don't
belong here, and so I've got to overcompensate, overcome, like
a little rat on a wheel. And when you just
zoom back out and you take that lid off, and
then you realize, hang on, if that is so irrelevant,
if I don't actually, if I'm not doing things with

(42:39):
purpose and intention and doing it for myself. And then
when you start to, yeah, like you said, gain that
perspective and you grow and you can go. You know what,
Today is not a day for movement. Today is a
day for rest, And I need rest because that's actually
going to make me better the next day. And I'm
actually going to show up into this room as a
much better version of myself because.

Speaker 2 (43:00):
I slept last night and I.

Speaker 3 (43:02):
Didn't force my self to go and do something that
felt outside of my realm. Then you start to not
like then then the payoff is even bigger. Whether it's
in that setting where it gives you a bit more confidence,
but also I see it a lot.

Speaker 2 (43:16):
In you know, a gym setting.

Speaker 3 (43:17):
Given I've worked in the fitness industry for so long
with especially with women, is like the minute that they
lift that pressure valve of I'm not doing this for
my husband, I'm not doing this. Yes, of course it's
going to benefit my family and my kids and all
of that, but I'm actually doing it for me. That's
when the results start happening. That's when the weight loss happens,
and their desire to want to eat a little bit

(43:40):
better or not snack on a block of you know,
like because they're like, oh, I'm not doing it for
someone else, I'm doing it because of me.

Speaker 1 (43:48):
Yeah. Yeah, And it's like, I mean, obviously this is
you would have so much more experience in this space.
But I think a part of the sort of like
reacquainting yourself back to health and wellbeing or routine even
post or a loss or children or anything. Often it's

(44:08):
like about building just a bit of self trust with
yourself again, you know, and so like it's not always
like the outcome, it's just that that act, and I
think it's a really powerful thing, just a small those
small acts, because you build that a bit of self
trust with yourself and you start to say like actually
I know what I need, Like I actually know what
I need. I don't know I need you doctor or

(44:29):
whoever telling me what I should be doing or Instagram
to tell me what I need to do. It's like, no,
this is what I need to do. And that is
like the most empowering thing when you can really just
honor your own needs. And it looks so different for everyone,
you know, everyone's And the other thing that like has
I've realized is that there's no perfect person and there's
no perfect routine. Like you know, we fluctuate, we change,

(44:53):
sometimes we're really feeling ourselves. Sometimes we actually for me recently,
I've actually found like with being pregnant, I can't do
the things that I normally would do. So I've really retreated.
And you know, my meditative practice or my practices look
like just sitting and being like next water and it's
like beautiful. You know that that in and of itself.

(45:13):
It's like Western co option of well being will say
you have to do, but like we know spiritually that
we can just be and like that's enough to get
what I need, you know, And so it looks very different.
I mean, what what advice would you give somebody who
might be starting out with something right now start of
the year, maybe a routine, have started stopping starting, Like

(45:34):
is there anything that you would tell them in sort
of helping them to persevere? Building on this conversation because
there's probably people out there.

Speaker 3 (45:41):
For sure, And I like what you said about how
you use that reference of like when you're in your
early twenties and it was like I need to do this,
I need to do this, I need to do this
and this big all these big ticking off the least
tasks instead of that like start with the most simplest
thing and just want once like and that's like where

(46:01):
that trust trust muscle starts to grow. And it might
just be as simple as like, honestly, starting with that,
go outside and breathing once a day, one time a day.

Speaker 2 (46:12):
For two minutes, five minutes. Even then you build that.

Speaker 3 (46:15):
Trust and you're like, then you realize, holy shit, it
feels really good to be present. It feels really good
to like just for my mind to stop operating at
the speed of light for a couple of minutes. And
then and then you gain like a little bit of
inspiration inside and motivation and that's that. Then that becomes
like a bit of drive to do the next thing.

(46:35):
And it's like, well, you know what, maybe today I
might turn this breathing into a thirty minute war. And
then that might be you know, I'm breathing while I'm
walking and I'm listening to the sounds. Then it's like,
don't it's like anything. You know, you're about to have
a baby, and imagine if your baby came out sprinting
and running a marathon.

Speaker 2 (46:53):
You.

Speaker 3 (46:55):
Might Yeah, she's gonna be I'm just so excited for you.

Speaker 2 (47:01):
You're going to learn to she's going to learn.

Speaker 3 (47:03):
To sit up first, and then she's gotta once she
sits up, she gotta learn to stand.

Speaker 2 (47:07):
And then once she learns to stand, it's like, how
did we go from that's how we learn?

Speaker 3 (47:12):
Like, you know, think about how like we go from
being this tiny, little precious baby that just goes on
this journey to learning their body and like, you know,
just simple things like you know, you watch a baby
hold on to the edge of a couch and they
you know, they're like squatting and trying to figure out
how to stand up and down, and it's such a

(47:33):
fun it's just such a funda bental movement and movement
pattern for the body, you know. But somewhere along the way,
we become so disconnected from ourselves, and you know, and
you lose that mind to muscle and stepping one foot
in the front of the other becomes so hard, especially
from a like because there's so much pressure and there's

(47:53):
so much into generational stuff stuck inside of us, and
so you know, it then becomes so hard to even crawl.
But I think the key is to just don't try
to run a marathon.

Speaker 2 (48:06):
Without doing any training.

Speaker 3 (48:08):
Yeah, you start really slow, especially with exercise, and then
it's and then I think it's about finding community, Like
once you've built that muscle a little bit and you're
feeling a little bit more inspired and motivated and ready
to tackle the next step. You know, you've learnt to walk,
now let's start to jog, and that might be then

(48:30):
finding a community. You know, and there are so many
oh my god, like I even think about I m
P Indigenous Marathon, you know the marathon projects. You're like,
that's one good thing about social media. There's so you know,
there's so many deadly people in this space.

Speaker 2 (48:45):
You know. I think springs to mind Black.

Speaker 3 (48:48):
I don't know what brother's name is, but his Instagram
handle black fit Fitness.

Speaker 2 (48:52):
He's always sharing content of like in the gym. I
think you had Jai on.

Speaker 3 (48:58):
Actually he's another deadly brother. He's always sharing like content
in the gym. Like different movement patterns like find the
people that you resonate with because they're out there, you know,
our mother's group that are just gone for a walk.

Speaker 2 (49:18):
So doing a bit of polates whatever it might be.
And then you just got to ease in and take
that pressure valve off.

Speaker 3 (49:24):
But I think the key is to just don't overwhelm yourself,
start slow and then allow that trust muscle to build.

Speaker 1 (49:34):
Such good advice. And the thing is that I find
even in our conversations that we've burnout is people think it's, oh,
it's just too simple. It's like, yeah, like that's it's like,
you know, don't overthink. It starts small build up. You
know that trust and seek out community and ceremony were
you can do it with because you become accountable. We

(49:56):
now do anything in isolation. We do everything relationally. I
remember when I when I made that promise to myself
that I was going to move more regularly. I think
it was like some really other time I was like,
this is so ambiguous that I'm probably not going to
stick to it. And I was like I was almost
like testing myself. That led me from like yeah, just
walks around the block, walks up the tan. It led

(50:17):
me to Pea Club, my community. Now these women they're
my friends for life.

Speaker 2 (50:23):
Like I've got goosebumps. Who're saying that because it makes
me so happy that that's been your journey.

Speaker 1 (50:29):
Yeah, one of my best friends in the entire world,
Emily shout out. I met at a Pea retreat. I
these women will be coming to my baby shower, you know,
and my nesting and you know, these are women that
moved beyond just like gym people or whatever. We're a
community of people and they're in my local networks and
we love each other and it just it's you know,

(50:50):
that one small seed that I planted about movement led
me the four years later. And this is the thing.
I think why people get stuck is there's a fear
and a shame of getting it wrong, or there's a
fear of like putting themselves in some of these places sometimes.
But there's such power, immense power in just starting really

(51:13):
small and finding community, like that's the secret. I think
it can be life changing.

Speaker 3 (51:18):
Life changing and community like that exactly like community. And
there are so many beautiful fitness well being I mean,
if you live in come to air Locker.

Speaker 2 (51:29):
We do a mod membership by the way, So I've
got a gym in Brunswick More. You are welcome there
if you live here.

Speaker 3 (51:36):
Yeah, but there are there are there are beautiful communities
out there that are waiting.

Speaker 2 (51:41):
For you to on the other side to you when
you feel ready.

Speaker 3 (51:44):
But yes, I love that story just because that honestly
I was I was like trying to get my phone out,
so I could take a photo because I had roobums everywhere.

Speaker 2 (51:53):
But that's it.

Speaker 3 (51:54):
And I've had a similar thing like a lot of
my friends pretty much like predominantly most of my friends
because I moved to none with like not really any
I didn't really know anyone with long time to go now,
but my kind of core small friendship group that I
have now all I met them all at the gym.
I literally all of them I met at the gym,
and at that point I didn't know anyone. I just

(52:14):
went into this gym, and now I live with my
best friend. We all live in the same area, like
you know, and that changed my life because I met
those people when it's all because I like uncomfortably stepped
foot in this gym one day and I just trusted, like,
let's just do this, and my whole world change, and
now I've got these people in my life, It'll be
there forever. So I love that you shared that story
because it's so true.

Speaker 1 (52:33):
And it's nice to like, you know, coming like circling
back to some of those conversations earlier about like our
earlier stuff, Like I feel like for a long time
I had not always the best like healthy influencers around
people who wanted to just party and charge up and
you know, and so having like seeking out people who
are like minded in your local community where you can

(52:55):
do healthy, wholesome you know things where you feel good
is a beautiful thing you can give yourself. I want to,
you know, speak to you just about like this notion
of community, because you're building communities with air Locker, with
your work with myths, with your podcasts Rush Rushing Slow,
where you're sharing on the our airwaves to communities. Yeah,
I want to ask actually just a little bit about

(53:15):
your podcast Rushing Slow, because I imagine there's going to people
who are going to be resonating with this yarn, wanting
to hear more of these tips, tricks, all the things
that you're talking about. Can you just give us a
little plug about your podcast? What are people what are
you talking about over there?

Speaker 3 (53:33):
Well, the short answer is basically just trying to navigate
how do we slow down in a world that keeps
us moving so fast, especially as women, like especially as
women especially you know, I'm in my thirties, mid thirties,
like single, you know, desires to have family. I love family,

(53:54):
to care value for mine. But you know your society
tells me, I'm like falling behind.

Speaker 2 (53:59):
But it's like, so.

Speaker 3 (54:00):
It's like conversations kind of navigating those sort of you know,
how do we maintain the level of spiritual health, mental health,
and just presence whilst trying to keep up with the
demand of being always on and being striving and picking
this box and picking that box. And we drop little

(54:21):
mini meditations and breath work practices every week. We're on
a break at the moment, but you can definitely go
back and listen to some of our previous meditations and
breathwork practices. And again, it's all just about providing tools
that we've figured out along the way, but also that
we're still trying to figure out, so leaning on that
community that we're building to figure out what's worked for

(54:42):
them too, because we're definitely not executing the slowness as
perfectly as we would like to mean what is perfect.

Speaker 2 (54:50):
But yeah, that's the.

Speaker 3 (54:52):
Kind of general crux, just offering wisdoms and insights to
slow down in a busy world.

Speaker 1 (54:59):
What an important conversation that we all need to be having.
I guess also like just sitting in the tension of
the muckiness that none of us are getting this right. Hello,
if that was the case, i'd be living on land
with chickens and goats and possibly just like as yeah,
many babies as possible, and you know, but yeah, we're
all sort of like straddling this very fast paced, near

(55:20):
liberal world. So there's none of us are getting it right.
But it sounds like a place to go learn and
unlearn and share some of the messiness along the way,
So we'll definitely pop that in our show notes as well.

Speaker 3 (55:32):
Well.

Speaker 1 (55:32):
It sounds like, yeah, it sounds like such a journey
from yeah, from you in Darwin to what you've been
able to create here, and we'll continue to cultivate along
the way. I feel like we've covered some beautiful ground
today and I feel like for anyone listening, you know,
who is starting this year trying to slow down, you know,

(55:53):
this is going to be really helpful for people to
just sort of, yeah, gently strip back a little bit,
go back to what they might know, and not do more,
but just be more into Penel where we.

Speaker 3 (56:04):
Can totally and if you want, even now, I can
talk you through like a two minute little.

Speaker 1 (56:11):
I would love that.

Speaker 3 (56:13):
Yes, please ground, you know, and this is how simple
it can be right, Like you know I talked about
like this is a really tangible example of like just
the breathing and how to breathe. So if you do
take that tool outside into the grass or under the
sun or wherever you might be, Like, this is the
kind of breathing that like I'd ideally kind of want

(56:34):
you to be practicing.

Speaker 2 (56:36):
To build that muscle and then slowly, you know, it
helps just your mind so much.

Speaker 3 (56:40):
If this is something that you can integrate every now
and again, this style of breath.

Speaker 2 (56:44):
So let's do it.

Speaker 1 (56:45):
Let's do it.

Speaker 3 (56:46):
I'm going to invite you to close down your eyes
just for a moment if you can, otherwise, just softening
the gaze. But really this is all about building a
connection to your breath and learning that it exists and
that it controls our energy.

Speaker 2 (57:05):
How we show up in the world.

Speaker 3 (57:07):
And as soon as we learn to breathe a little
deeper into the belly, immediately start to notice the weight shed,
the burdens shed, the stress shed. So let's together take
a big, full deep inhale into the body through the
nose and really really intentionally and slowly let it all go.

(57:38):
We're going to do two more, just big, deep breath
stuff like that.

Speaker 2 (57:42):
But this time I.

Speaker 3 (57:43):
Want you to pay attention to where that breath in
the body is landing, and I really want you to
consciously if you can allow that breath to enter deep
down into the belly. Let's inhale together, notice the way
that the ribs expand and grow when the belly rises.

(58:06):
And then just let out a really long, slow, gentle breath,
relaxing the muscles as you exhale when.

Speaker 2 (58:18):
Clenching the jaw.

Speaker 3 (58:20):
One more breath, the biggest and the fullest, the deepest
breath into the belly that you've taken all day. Inhale long, slow,
relaxed and gentle exhale often through your whole body, allow

(58:41):
the muscles, the joints, the tissue cells, everything to relax.
And when you're ready, you might want to just take
a little stretch and gently flutter.

Speaker 2 (58:54):
Open your eyelids.

Speaker 3 (58:57):
And just notice how nice it is to just take
three deep breath, Just three long, slow and deep breaths
like that can seriously shift your whole spirit and system.

Speaker 1 (59:15):
M Well, I guess apologies in advance. Anyone had to
listen to my pregnancy breath, which is a fellow.

Speaker 2 (59:24):
But.

Speaker 1 (59:26):
Me and little Sissy. Are really grateful for that, because yeah,
you really just notice a shift instantly where you can
just you know, I feel softer, feel more expansive and
open just like that. So what a gift. Thank you
for sharing that with me.

Speaker 2 (59:43):
It helps, It's so much, It helps so much.

Speaker 3 (59:46):
And I think about like, you know, work, you know,
especially especially if you're you know, you're about to be
a busy working mama, Like I imagine you must have
so many listeners who were juggling so many different hats
and caring for family and caring for community and have
so much and burden on the shoulders and so you know,

(01:00:07):
like when I'm especially with like things that I get
really nervous, Like if I'm doing stuff with media or whatever,
it might be like just I just take myself and
doesn't have to even be go outside like sometimes I
might be in an office environment, but I just go
sit in the toilet.

Speaker 2 (01:00:22):
Yeah you can do it anyway.

Speaker 1 (01:00:24):
Yeah, absolutely, I think for anyone who might be need
to this practice, we'll put we'll put of course, rushing
slowly you can seek out some of these and we'll
also pop a couple of links of some of the
breathwork that we've found to be useful. There's a really
great podcast, Dreamy. They do lovely, lovely visualizations. There's a
bunch of just really short breath work that you can

(01:00:46):
do just to sort of start. I know, for me,
it was the most transformative practice. It's kind of like
the last chink in the arm. I was like, Oh,
that's what everyone's been talking about. That's the power of
breath work. So pop some more there if you've got
a bit the taste. But thank you so so much
for that. Thank you for being here. I could talk

(01:01:08):
and listen to you all day. I encourage anyone who
is in them to go to air Locker and experience
the magic there. Head over to see Megsiano podcast will
pop all of your details in. But yeah, thank you,
my siss. You gave me so many beautiful, reaffirming things
to think about and to just go and feel and
sit and experience. So thank you.

Speaker 2 (01:01:28):
Thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 3 (01:01:30):
And likewise, I feel like there are so many topics
that we just didn't.

Speaker 2 (01:01:33):
Even get to because just so long.

Speaker 3 (01:01:37):
But I yeah, just again want to say that you
are just never ever doubt the impact that you're having,
because it's very it's massive and it's powerful.

Speaker 2 (01:01:47):
So appreciate you for having me on. It's been so nice.

Speaker 3 (01:01:51):
And you know, just to one final like leave one
final note on like wellness and the mind. And honestly,
even if you were to start like if you were
just if you've got all this pressure on yourself, you
want to try to exercise and you want to you know,
you know, you've a lot going on in your mind.
I truly believe that with you, you actually can't have
a healthy body without having a healthy mind. So even

(01:02:11):
if like starting with the mind first and just like
those single practices with the breath, and honestly that once
you start to feel a little less elevated, heightened, stress, anxious,
all of those things, because naturally, when you build that
trust muscle, then like I said, then that exploration and
growth into other spaces is just naturally happen.

Speaker 2 (01:02:32):
So honestly, start there.

Speaker 3 (01:02:35):
Just start with breathing, breathing deeply, consciously and slowly, and
watch where that takes you. And I bet you in
five weeks, five months time, I'll see you down at
the gym because you'll.

Speaker 2 (01:02:45):
Be like, well, I want to keep feeling more and
more and more and more good, so.

Speaker 1 (01:02:50):
Such beautiful advice. There you go, Start small, start with
the breath. Thank you, my sis. You're just a pocket
of wisdom and love and we're just so grateful, so
thank you, thanks, thank you so much for listening, you mob.
If you're vibing this season of yarning up, then please
head over to Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your

(01:03:13):
podcasts from to show us some love, rate and review. Alternatively,
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by visiting www dot carolinecow dot com dot au