Between You and Me Podcast

20/09/2021

20/09/2021

I'd like to jump on to this page because tomorrow one of us is 50! (and hint, I already had my party 18 months ago so it's not me!)

I met Maria maybe 2/3 years ago, introduced by a great mutual pal. We were similar enough to grab each other and go "OMG me too!" at so many aspects of our lives, and dreams and ambitions... yet different enough to challenge and inspire, excite and influence each other. The best kind of friend to have: the one who hugs you when you need it, and who kicks you up the arse when you need that too.

We no longer run this podcast together but the friendship remains. I'll be starting my own MidLife Matters podcast soon, and continue to coach women, and Maria is taking the business world by storm with her incredibly successful authentic Get Noticed masterminds, and a new business partnership to boot.

One of the most exciting things about midlife is occasionally finding new people who make your world a little brighter, experiment with new ideas no longer wrecked by the savagery of being afraid to try, and feeling free to be audacious, bold and authentic at long last.

Happy birthday Maria!!

08/01/2021

I cannot believe it is a year since this glorious woman began a wonderful adventure with me, as we recorded and launched our first podcast episode.

We began Between You & Me, for fabulous (but possible frazzled) women and men, who wanted to live life large, but were perhaps feeling a little lost, or a lot overwhelmed; who wanted to cope, but the laundry basket and TO-Do list was too demanding; who felt fire in their belly, but were too distracted putting fires out all around them as they juggled work, relationships and family; people just like us who want to live well, live boldly and beautifully, live creatively and courageously (but perhaps also needed a hug).

Over the course of the season we used our personal experiences of coming out from under the overwhelm in our own lives, along with our professional skills and knowledges as journalists and qualified life, leadership and NLP coaches to cover topics such as sleep, how our thoughts are fake news, battling body image batterings, getting comfortable with discomfort and many, many more.

We laughed, we cried, we swore, and from the feedback we got from listeners, we provoked, guided, supported and informed about ways we can make this thing called life feel more like living.

All episodes are still available so here is the link if you fancy some company on your next walk, or while you hoover / potter in the garden / stare at the fridge looking for a meal to magically appear / are bored of zoom. https://www.themidlifecoach.org/podcast

And I raise a glass to my podcast colleague Maria, who has become a lovely friend..... here's to more adventures! And thanks to the incredible Vanessa Fox O'Loughlin who saw the potential in us both and brought us together.... We still owe you that drink!

04/10/2020

I don't know about you but it's easy to feel a bit meh in this weather. Well, I might just have the perfect rain-resistant solution.

It's a rainy October Sunday in lockdown, I've just put away the garden furniture and I miss the summer sun already! It feels like there's a long hard winter ahead.

But while I await those spritely Spring signs that light the landscape with hope again, I know I've the choice to also make the very best of this time. Walking my dog in the rain this morning, the glorious red fallen leaves up-lifted my down-bent eyes. There is always something to be grateful for

So I've come home to dry off and lit the first fire of the season. A different kind of soothing warmth from a different kind of blaze. It's not quite as great as a sun-grazed tropical beach! But it's good enough.

Life can't always be played out in the sun; we have to learn to dance in the rain.

If anyone is finding that hard, I'm running a free webinar Tuesday 13th October at 11am to help you make sure this time is as sunny as can be, and if it has to rain, you've learned how to dance.

All details are on https://www.themidlifecoach.org/midlife-makeover-webinar...... really hope to see you there!

16/07/2020

Who could have imagined this year? I remember January being full of exciting plans and projects, thinking I had full control of my business and my life. How little did we know! In this Season 1 finale of Between You & Me, we look back over the topics and guidance we covered (as two coaches often having to coach ourselves through this extraordinary time!), and highlight some of our own personal techniques for thriving, not just surviving this tricky thing called life..

https://www.headstuff.org/between-you-and-me/season-one-summary/

Season 2 will be back in the autumn but for now enjoy our Season One summary as Maria and Alana discuss their favourite topics

01/07/2020

Despite the fun parks being closed during lockdown, it didn't stop many of us from feeling we were on a rollercoaster of emotions the last few months. In my latest blog I explore why this isn't the 'new normal' but just normal..... The goal of living well is not that there are no ups and downs, but that we ride them to our advantage.

https://themidlifecoach.org/how-to-ride-life-to-your-advantage/

I’m not a fan of rollercoasters. That slow crescendo to the top, that gut-out-your-mouth rapid descent, repeated several terrifying times is not how I choose to seek thrills. My kids love them, an…

26/06/2020

There have been days over the last 15 years when I would look up from the mayhem of balancing laundry, laptop and laughing / crying child to see when the clowns were being sent in... surely this circus I was juggling in had clowns??

We've learned many things during lockdown but realising how real the struggle to juggle work and family is definitely one of them.

It's a struggle women have been juggling since we were told we could have it all......because if we're not careful, it can feel a lot like just doing it all.

In our latest podcast episode, we explore how easy it is to forget to put ourselves on the To-Do list, and give advice on how to drop some of those juggling balls without your world falling apart. Yes, like everything else, the answer is your responsibility.

https://www.headstuff.org/between-you-and-me/13-struggle-to-juggle/

Often filed under 'Women's Issues' the struggle to juggle the needs of family and work can be overwhelming. Between You and Me is here to help

10/06/2020

Success. What does it mean to you? For many of us, if we don’t actually define what it means for us, we can end up striving for someone else’s idea of success, and let’s face it, who likes sloppy seconds?

If you really think about what success means for you, it becomes about how you live every day, not some distant goal to strive for.

In this episode, we explore how to really succeed at life; why it’s vital to think about your ideal of success, and how to go about defining, and then living, it.

And when I mentioned my definition of success meant finding calorie-free wine, I was only half joking 😅

https://www.headstuff.org/between-you-and-me/12-how-to-really-succeed-at-life/

How to really succeed at life; why it's vital to think about your ideal of success, and how to go about defining, and then living, it.

28/05/2020

Fake News!

No, not another twitter-storm, but a thoughts-storm.

We have up to 70,000 thoughts a day - and it's not unusual for the vast majority of these to be on the loo-la side (or is that just me??!)

But here's something to think about - many of our thoughts are random and meaningless...... yet we believe them. Yes, even, and especially the loo-la ones.

We think we’re in control of everything in our life except our thoughts… but the truth is, the only thing in our lives we have control over is our thoughts.

In this episode, we shatter the thought that thoughts are real, and explore how we can stop being driven by damaging ones, and start driving our thoughts to create a mind that minds us.

https://www.headstuff.org/between-you-and-me/11-your-thoughts-are-fake-news/

We have 70,000 thoughts a day... and if you're anything like us, the majority of those are bats**t crazy. Tune in to the latest Between You And Me now.

13/05/2020

Do girls just wanna have fun???

In our latest podcast, we explore why we do, but why we don't often make time for it....

Life is too serious not to be fun.

https://www.headstuff.org/between-you-and-me/10-fun/

We tried not to unleash our inner Cyndi Lauper on you and blast out Girls Just Want to Have fun at full volume on this episode we are all about the fun…

29/04/2020

Sit back with a cup of herbal tea / glass of wine, a handful of nuts or a fistful of chocolate - whatever is your Covid-connection to food today (mine changes hourly!).

By the time we get to the prime of life at mid-age, we’ve more than likely been battling body image for decades. It’s hard to feel comfortable in our own skin, when some faraway fashionista is dictating what size our skin should be. We forget that our bodies are an ever evolving, changing creation. In this episode we talk big buts, wine bellies and fashion freedom and why embracing our bodies is the best accessory we can wear.

https://www.headstuff.org/between-you-and-me/9-battling-body-image/

By the time we get to the prime of life at mid-age, we've more than likely been battling body image for decades. BY&M discuss in the latest episode.

20/04/2020

We may be keeping a socially acceptable distance via Zoom, but we can still be together in spirit - this time chatting about keeping those socially distanced spirits up in our latest podcast episode

https://www.headstuff.org/between-you-and-me/8-covid-19/

15/04/2020

Between You & Me podcast, 8

Conversations in a time of, but not about, Covid-19

We were torn between not adding to the onslaught of Covid-conversations that are pelting us from the airwaves and social media, but not ignoring the socially-distanced elephant in the room.

We opted for a well washed hand-wringing in the middle.

In this episode we discuss the ways in which we can stay sane as well as safe during these strangest of times.

https://audioboom.com/channels/5014542

Between You & Me: the podcast for fabulous (but maybe slightly frazzled!) women who want to take charge of their lives. Because let's face it - we'd all love to press pause and get our lives together! Co-hosted by journalist and NLP coach Maria McHale, and writer and The MidLife Coach Alana Kirk...

08/04/2020

Really hope everyone is keeping safe and sane during these times. Well we all know how to keep safe (stay in!!) but if you need any help on staying sane staying in, our podcasts might help give you some practical tools.

You can stick your earphones in and lock yourself in the bathroom, or walk around your garden 25 times (depending how large or small your garden might be if you have one), or walk up and down the stairs so you get to work your body out as well as your brain. Alternatively, grab a cuppa (or a glass), sit back, close your eyes and chill.

If you like what you hear, and think it might help a pal, please do subscribe and share. Links below at Headstuff, or subscribe from your favourite podcast platform.

https://www.headstuff.org/between-you-and-me/

Between You And Me Between You and Me #2 | Wake Up and Sleep! Between You and Me Jan 22, 2020 0 We talk incessantly about the lack of it, yearn for it, sabotage it, would pay a fortune for it, underestimate it, and even (weirdly) dream of it; a good night's sleep. Sleep has become a currency we just...

01/04/2020

While this podcast was recorded just prior to the current (very uncomfortable, for most) Covid challenges, it couldn’t be more relevant. Most of us are all now feeling discomfort on many levels, and there just may not be enough wine left in the house to deal with them. Thankfully, we have a better (and healthier) option than sucking the dregs of the cooking Sherry bottle.

We think that uncomfortable feelings are something we should avoid, ignore or gloss over, when in fact if we learn to acknowledge them, accept them and even try to understand them, we are far more likely to deal with them effectively.

Discomfort is an emotion, and often we feel that we are our emotions. In this episode, we tell you why this isn’t true at all, and we give you practical advice and tips on how to become comfortable with discomfort, so that you can spend more time getting comfortable with the things we really want to enjoy in life. Cooking Sherry optional.

https://www.headstuff.org/between-you-and-me/7-learning-to-get-comfortable-with-discomfort/

Most of us are all now feeling discomfort on many levels, and there just may not be enough wine left in the house to deal with them.

18/03/2020

As if any of us need reminding right now that for all the best laid plans in the world, life can throw you a curve ball.

In this episode of Between You And Me, we explore how to handle situations that don’t go according to plan, and explain useful techniques to help you catch those curveballs, rather than stand frozen in fear as it hurtles towards you, knocking you to the ground. Here’s what to do when it all goes to s**t!

https://www.headstuff.org/between-you-and-me/6-what-to-do-when-it-all-goes-to-s**t/

Life can throw you a curve ball. In this podcast Alana and Marie explore what to do when it all goes to s**t! Tune in to the latest episode here.

18/03/2020

Episode 6 is here - and it's a keeper!

As if any of us need reminding right now that for all the best laid plans in the world, life can throw you a curve ball.

In this episode of Between You And Me, we explore how to handle situations that don’t go according to plan, and explain useful techniques to help you catch those curveballs, rather than stand frozen in fear as it hurtles towards you, knocking you to the ground. Here’s what to do when it all goes to s**t!

https://www.headstuff.org/between-you-and-me/6-what-to-do-when-it-all-goes-to-s**t/

Life can throw you a curve ball. In this podcast Alana and Marie explore what to do when it all goes to s**t! Tune in to the latest episode here.

05/03/2020

Episode 5 is here!

We think every day should be a day to celebrate women, but this Sunday, the whole world joins in to recognise what still needs to be done to achieve gender equality, but also to recognise women’s wonderfulness on International Women’s Day.

This episode is a personal perusal of some of the women who have inspired us, role-modelled for us and reminded us that bravery and courage is part of our female DNA.

Between You & Me is part of the HeadStuff Podcast Network.

https://www.headstuff.org/between-you-and-me/5-international-womens-day/

25/02/2020

So nice to hear that the podcasts are making a difference... tune in next week for another one!

20/02/2020

Episode #3 is here! We take the woohoo out of Gratitude and explore the science, the impact and the ways to incorporate a practise that can really enrich your life. You'll be so grateful you listened ;-)

https://embeds.audioboom.com/posts/7507852/embed/v4

An episode by Between You and Me

17/02/2020

So grateful to be releasing Episode 3 this week on.... yep, gratitude. In the meantime, another fabulous practise that can really help us keep on top of our lives and health is Pilates.

Pilates has become a big part of my life and I've committed to two classes every week, non-negotiable - and yes, that means on the morning of my 50th birthday next week, I'll be rolling out my mat at the 8.45am class and starting the day with a twist (and a stretch, and a tone up).

Why is Pilates so good for you? Well, I interviewed my fabulous instructor Michele for the My Second Spring website to get the lo-down (and the downward dog down).
https://mysecondspring.ie/blog/the-power-of-mid-life-pilates?fbclid=IwAR0ZTybmiiOdST8g54Bt1ZNKm8Qm63Lnf50yxWbtZ-cJXeH3jn0Bxp-XlWg

Pilates helps with balance, flexibility and posture all very important aspects of the physical health of women at menopause and midlife.

05/02/2020

You won't need a face mask, and you won't need a vaccine...All you need is ears! Episode 3 is here!

Between You & Me,
Episode Three - Protect Yourself from the Plague!

Today's episode is about inoculating ourselves from the terrible affliction that has beset many of us.... and no, you won't need a vaccine or a face mask. The infection we're discussing is the painful, damaging disease of People Pleasing. As the grown up child of the Good Girl Syndrome, the belief that we have to please all of the people all of the time can leave most of us feeling drained, overwhelmed and frankly, more than just a bit pi**ed off.

In this episode, we look at how is has become so deeply embedded in our DNA, why it's really not doing us any favours, and how we can learn to set boundaries that allow for some self-pleasing, in a way that won't leave you abandoned by your family and friends (because this is often the fear behind the People Pleasing Plague).

https://www.headstuff.org/between-you-and-me/3-people-pleasing/

On this episode of Between You And Me the infection we're discussing is the painful, damaging disease of People Pleasing.

29/01/2020

We'll be getting to this subject on the podcast for sure, but I know that with many of the women I coach, finding the time to do stuff for themselves (and guilt-free!) can be a real problem. So here are my top ten tips on how to get the stuff YOU want done, rather than what others want you to do....

https://themidlifecoach.org/how-to-get-stuff-you-want-done-done/

We can have all the wants and wishes in the world, but if we can’t find a way to get them done, wishes is all they’ll ever stay. Coaching my Live Life by Design, not Default group this January, we’…

22/01/2020

Some of us can do it standing up.

Some of us do it in cars.

Some of us have done it in a chair.

Some of us like the floor.

I prefer a bed myself!

Yes, I'm talking about sleep, of course!

In the latest episode of Between You and Me, Alana and I discuss the how to get more quality time between the sheets.

You can find our podcast on itunes, Spotify and the other usual spots. Link is below in the first comment...

22/01/2020

Episode 2 is here!
We dream of getting more of it, have nightmares about not having it, and rarely feel satisfied with what we do get. No, this is not the S*x Episode... it's the Sleep Episode!

Wake Up! (and Sleep)...

Sleep has become a currency we just can’t seem to get rich in as we juggle busy lives, screens and responsibilities. How did something that is (was?) such a normal, natural part of the human life cycle, seem to have become so totally fecked up?

Exploring the difference between Hygienic and Dirty sleep, we’ll be chatting about the importance, disruptors, and science of sleep, and how it affects the very consciousness of how we live our lives, especially as women.

https://www.headstuff.org/between-you-and-me/between-you-and-me-2-wake-up-and-sleep/

We talk incessantly about the lack of it, yearn for it, sabotage it, would pay a fortune for it, underestimate it, and even (weirdly) dream of it; a good night’s sleep. Sleep has become a currency we just can’t seem to get rich in as we juggle busy lives, screens and responsibilities. How did so...

14/01/2020

We are so happy to be a part of this fantastic line up of new podcasts unleashed this week by Headstuff.. and episode 2 coming next week!
https://www.headstuff.org/podstuff/headstuff-podcast-network-new-shows-2020/

True crime, millennial life, food, fiction, comedy, life coaching, cinema, and more. The HeadStuff Podcast Network launch new shows for 2020

09/01/2020

Thanks everyone for all the amazing likes, loves and even a few emoji love bombs. We can't wait to share more content in coming weeks, but we want this to be the best it can be, so once you've listened to the first episode any thoughts, comments, feedback and ideas for future episodes are always welcome. Gin is also welcome. And chocolate. Gin chocolate, wrapped in feedback would be the best. 😊

08/01/2020

08/01/2020

It's here!

Between You & Me has been unleashed on the world, and we are so excited we might just have to go and have a large bar of chocolate despite it being purge-January.

Thanks to everyone who shared whoops of joy, exclamations of 'about time!' and supportive messages of 'can't wait' when we first announced we were launching this podcast. You have kept us excited, thrilled and it has to be said, just a little bit emotional, as we planned, prepped and podcasted this new venture into life.

Serendipity is one of life's little gifts.. and so when we first met (thanks to Vanessa for the intro!) and our minds met in a whirl of wonder that we connected so well that we started finishing each other's sentences by the end of the first evening (copious amounts of Gin, notwithstanding), we knew this was more than an instant friendship!

We knew we had found a partner to help us on our individual missions to share our skills, experience and energy to guide others to a life well lived.

Between You & Me is the podcast for fabulous (but maybe slightly frazzled!) women who want to take charge of their lives. Because let's face it - we'd all love to press pause on life to get our s**t together!

Co-hosted by journalist and NLP coach Maria McHale, and writer and The MidLife Coach Alana Kirk, this podcast is for and about women, we think men will enjoy it too.... if only to help you understand the wonderful women in your life a little better.

Released every two weeks, we'll be covering a smorgasbord of topics from gratitude, people pleasing, sleep, s*x, money, feminism, ageing in an age of anti-ageing, overwhelm, mental health, menopause, leadership, food, weight, body image, anxiety, self-care, and many more issues that women face today.

As qualified, practising coaches, we both see every day how easy it is to be held hostage to the thoughts in our heads, the pressures of perfectionism, or the expectations of 'society' as we work with clients to help them switch off autopilot and start living a life with intention and direction.

Now we'll be bringing all those skills to the studio, and sharing techniques and practises that will help women come out from under the overwhelm.

We liken this to sitting around the kitchen table with a cup of tea or a glass of wine; two women sharing their stories, and making sense of the challenges and opportunities life is throwing at us at this time of life.

We'll be covering some serious s**t, but we'll be doing it with a light-hearted touch, because we know laughter is the best medicine (well, Gin is, but we promised not to drink on the job).

So we hope you enjoy the first episode, and we would love it if you can share, subscribe and comment below with feedback and ideas, so that we can bring you the best podcast it can be, to as many women (and men) as possible.

https://www.headstuff.org/between-you-and-me/middlescence/

Because Between You & Me, life's too short for missed chances - it's time for full on fun!

03/01/2020

Between You & Me

Episode One - Embracing Middlescence - coming soon...

This introductory podcast explores the concept of Middlescence, and how we can shake off that midlife malaise that often creeps up on us.

It's not really a crisis, but a deep sigh of "Really? All this effort and this is it?"

We follow some well-followed signposts assuming we'll arrive at Destination Happy, only to discover that the room is too small, it overlooks the bin area and the Welcome Cocktail has run out. But often it's because we are living on autopilot, running on empty, driven by lists and expectations that bear no resemblance to what actually makes us shine, and we're totally exhausted.

In this episode we chat about the importance of pressing pause. Because what's really exciting about this time of life is that even though it is often the busiest and most overwhelming time of our lives, we also now have a gift that no other generation of women before us have.

This episode reveals that gift, explores how to use it, how to make self-care about self-awareness, and how to kick some serious ass at this time of life which has the potential to let us run our own lives, and not let our lives run us.

How to stop living that "If only...." life, and live a life that is about us.