EP 24: The Science of Happiness and What Really Creates Fulfilment

EP 24: The Science of Happiness and What Really Creates Fulfilment

Do you ever feel like you should be happier than you are? Like, on paper, things might be okay. Maybe even good. But there’s still this quiet feeling of, “Why don’t I feel how I thought I would?” Maybe you’ve been waiting for the next thing to change everything. The relationship. The move. The job. The achievement. The version of yourself that finally feels successful, settled, or enough. And maybe part of you really believed that once you got there, happiness would arrive too. In this episode, I’m exploring why that doesn’t always happen. Why we can chase the things we think will fulfil us, only to find ourselves still reaching for something else. Why the life that looks good from the outside doesn’t always feel nourishing on the inside. And what actually helps us come back to ourselves, our bodies, our lives, and the present moment. This is for you if you’ve been feeling a little disconnected, a little restless, or like you’re constantly moving the goalpost of when you’ll finally feel okay. A grounded conversation on happiness, fulfilment, external validation, the nervous system, and learning how to actually feel the life you’re living.

EP 23: Treating from Within: The Integrative Medicine Approach to Hormones, Healing & Getting to the Root with Ada Ooi

In this episode of Emerge, I sit down with the brilliant Ada Ooi — London’s most sought after wellness practitioner and aesthetician — for one of the most genuinely eye-opening conversations I've had on this podcast. Ada has nearly two decades of experience working out of her renowned Harley Street clinic in London, and her approach is unlike anything conventional Western medicine offers. She doesn't just treat symptoms — she finds the root. And in this episode, she completely reframes the way I think about hormones, sleep, food, and even the way I start my morning. Fair warning: by the end of this episode, I was questioning my iced matcha habit, my cold breakfasts, and my approach to perimenopause... in the best possible way. DISCLAIMER: All case studies discussed are fictionalised and anonymised composites derived from clinical experiences. Any resemblance to specific individuals is coincidental, details have been altered to protect privacy. ⁠⁠DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE 16-MINUTE GUIDED BREATHWORK AUDIO HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://thebreathway.com/podcast] Where to Find Ada Ooi: * Instagram: ⁠@ada.ooi [https://www.instagram.com/ada.ooi/] * ⁠Website: www.adaooi.com [https://www.adaooi.com/] * Clinic: www.001london.co.uk [https://www.001london.co.uk/] Connect with Fini Cooper: * Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thebreathway ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/thebreathway/]& ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emerge.podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/emerge.podcast/] * Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠thebreathway.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://thebreathway.com/] In this episode, we talk about: * Ada’s background in Chinese medicine, aesthetics, and neuropsychology * What “treating from within” really means * Why Chinese medicine looks at the body as one interconnected system * How symptoms like low mood, hot flushes, body aches, digestion issues, and skin problems can sometimes be connected * The role of the nervous system in healing and regulation * How Eastern and Western medicine can complement each other * Why consultation time and truly listening to patients matters * Ada’s perspective on perimenopause and menopause * When hormone therapy may be helpful, and why it is important to have a longer-term plan * Why sleep is one of the most important foundations for health * Why Ada often prioritises sleep even above food * The problem with scrolling before bed * Why Chinese medicine generally recommends avoiding cold drinks and cold breakfasts * How warm breakfasts can support digestion and nervous system safety * Matcha, coffee, caffeine, and the cooling nature of green tea * Why foot baths can be a powerful evening ritual * Ada’s thoughts on cold plunges and ice baths * How seasonal changes in the UK can affect the body * Simple practices to help the body feel warmer, safer, and more regulated DISCLAIMER: All case studies discussed are fictionalised and anonymised composites derived from clinical experiences. Any resemblance to specific individuals is coincidental, details have been altered to protect privacy.

EP 22: What Silence Can Teach Us About Ourselves

What becomes possible when the noise softens and there is finally space to listen? This episode explores how silence can bring us face to face with the thoughts, fears, and patterns that quietly shape our lives. It touches on self-judgment, the search for belonging, the habit of looking outside ourselves for answers, and the deeper knowing that can emerge when we slow down enough to hear it. ⁠⁠DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE 16-MINUTE GUIDED BREATHWORK AUDIO HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://thebreathway.com/podcast] Connect with Fini Cooper: * Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thebreathway ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/thebreathway/]& ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emerge.podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/emerge.podcast/] * Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠thebreathway.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://thebreathway.com/] For anyone feeling disconnected, overwhelmed, or unsure of what they truly need, this is a gentle reflection on presence, inner trust, and the quiet truths that are often waiting beneath the surface.

EP 21: Why You Still Feel Anxious in a Healthy Relationship

Today on the podcast, I’m joined by Sarah Yudkin, founder of You Love and You Learn. Sarah is a relationship coach and breathwork facilitator who helps people connect more deeply to themselves and others, so they can feel more fulfilled in their lives and relationships. Her work focuses on helping people move from anxiety and self-doubt into greater inner confidence, self-trust and emotional steadiness. ⁠⁠⁠DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE 16-MINUTE GUIDED BREATHWORK AUDIO HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://thebreathway.com/podcast] Where to Find Sarah Yudkin: * Instagram: @youloveandyoulearn [https://www.instagram.com/youloveandyoulearn/] * Website: ⁠www.youloveandyoulearn.com [https://www.youloveandyoulearn.com/] Connect with Fini Cooper: * Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thebreathway ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/thebreathway/]& ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emerge.podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/emerge.podcast/] * Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠thebreathway.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://thebreathway.com/] In this episode, we explore relationship anxiety, something so many women experience, but often don’t fully understand or know how to manage. Sarah shares her own personal experience of relationship anxiety, including how it showed up in her relationship with her now-husband, and the moment she realised that the fear she was feeling might not actually be about him, but about the pressure, perfectionism and self-doubt she was carrying. We talk about the difference between intuition and anxiety, why advice like “trust your gut” can feel confusing when you’re already anxious, and how relationship anxiety can make even a loving, healthy partnership feel uncertain or unsafe. Sarah also shares why the idea of “when you know, you know” can sometimes be unhelpful, especially for people who naturally question, analyse or struggle with self-trust. We also discuss the power of breathwork, how it can help us come back into our bodies, regulate our nervous systems, and connect with what Sarah beautifully calls our “wise self”. This is such a helpful conversation for anyone who has ever found themselves overthinking their relationship, questioning whether their doubts mean something deeper, or wondering how to feel more secure within themselves. In this episode, we cover: * What relationship anxiety actually is * Why normal relationship doubts can become overwhelming * The difference between anxiety and intuition * Why “trust your gut” can feel confusing for anxious people * The myth of “when you know, you know” * Sarah’s personal experience of relationship anxiety * How perfectionism and comparison can affect relationships * Why social media can make relationship anxiety worse * How self-doubt can show up in love * What it means to make relationship decisions from your grounded self, not your triggered self * How breathwork can help you reconnect with your body and your wise self * Simple ways to manage anxious thoughts and sensations when they arise

EP 20: Living a Life That Feels True To You with Susanna Soma

What happens when the life you’re living looks good on the outside, but something inside you knows, “this isn’t it”? In this episode, I’m joined by the lovely Susanna Soma, a somatic mentor, embodied movement guide and long-time yoga teacher. Susanna’s story begins with a feeling so many of us know, the quiet sense that the path in front of you might not actually be yours. From Melbourne to South America, Costa Rica and eventually Mallorca, her journey has been shaped by freedom, travel, yoga, grief, embodiment and learning to listen to the wisdom of the body. ⁠⁠DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE 16-MINUTE GUIDED BREATHWORK AUDIO HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://thebreathway.com/podcast] Where to Find Susanna Soma: * Instagram: @susannasoma_ [https://www.instagram.com/susannasoma_/] * Website: ⁠www.susannasoma.com [https://www.susannasoma.com/] Connect with Fini Cooper: * Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thebreathway ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/thebreathway/]& ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emerge.podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/emerge.podcast/] * Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠thebreathway.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://thebreathway.com/] This is a conversation about the moments that ask us to be honest with ourselves. The moments when we realise something no longer fits. The moments when starting over feels exciting, but also asks deeper questions. The moments when the mind has understood something, but the body is still holding on. Susanna shares so beautifully about what it means to feel at home in yourself, to live closer to your truth, and to meet the parts of you that have been trying to keep you safe. We also touch on relationships, self-abandonment, nervous system patterns, authenticity, and the kind of freedom that is not just about where you live or what you do, but how deeply you are able to be yourself. This is such a rich, honest and grounding episode, and I hope it gives you something to feel into.