Goals, Grit, and Some Woo Woo Sh*t

I Spent Two Weeks Talking to Midlife Women. Here's What I Learned

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2071107/fan_mail/new] A few weeks ago, I realized something. I spend a lot of time thinking about women in midlife. I write content for them, coach them, record podcasts for them, and build programs for them. But I was starting to feel disconnected from the actual humans behind the screen. So I decided to stop guessing and start listening. For two weeks, I jumped on Zoom calls with dozens of women from my community. Smart women. Successful women. Funny women. Women who know more about nutrition and fitness than most people ever will. And yet so many of them were stuck. Not because they didn't know what to do. Because life is life. They were juggling aging parents, changing careers, grief, empty nests, injuries, stress, hormones, exhaustion, and the constant feeling that they were always starting over. What struck me wasn't how different their stories were. It was how similar they were. The same three themes came up again and again. First, consistency. Almost everyone told me some version of, "I know what to do, I just can't seem to keep doing it." And what became crystal clear is that motivation isn't the problem. Motivation is a mood. What actually matters is having a system that can survive real life. Second, midlife body changes. So many women felt betrayed by bodies that weren't responding the way they used to. We talked about what is actually happening during this phase of life, why your metabolism probably isn't broken, and why random workouts and extreme diets are no longer the answer. And third, overwhelm. The internet has turned fitness into a full-time research project. Women are drowning in conflicting advice, saved Instagram posts, meal plans, and fitness programs. The truth? Most of us don't need more information. We need less noise and more trust in ourselves. The biggest lesson from all these conversations was simple: fitness is not a project you complete. It's a skill you build. The goal isn't perfection. The goal is becoming the kind of woman who knows how to recover when life inevitably throws a wrench into the plan. That's where real confidence comes from. And honestly? That's what fitness mastery looks like. What’s Inside: * Why motivation is overrated and systems are what actually create consistency * The truth about midlife body changes and why your metabolism probably isn't broken * How planning, researching, and program hopping can become a form of avoidance * The skill that healthy, fit people have mastered that most women overlook If there's one thing these conversations reminded me, it's that you don't need to be more disciplined. You need to be kinder to yourself when life gets messy and better at getting back on track. DM me on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/oonaghduncan] and tell me: which of these three themes do you see most in your own life right now?  Mentioned in This Episode: Masters of Fitness Awesomeness Program [https://www.fitfeelsgood.com/joinmfa/]Get Healthy AF Book Free [https://fitfeelsgood.com/ship] Oonagh Duncan on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/oonaghduncan]Fit Feels Good [https://www.fitfeelsgood.com]Leave me a voice note on Speak Pipe! [https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/398129/1/kopg67izwb87wor6]

When Strong Women Feel Dead Inside with Iona Holloway

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2071107/fan_mail/new] Have you ever looked around at your life and thought, "Nothing is technically wrong... so why do I feel so disconnected from it?" That is exactly what we're diving into this week with speaker, coach, and author Iona Holloway. Iona's new book, Do the Brave Thing, starts with a question that hit me right between the eyes: What happens when you've done everything right, collected all the gold stars, built the life that looks impressive on paper... and still feel dead inside? In this conversation, Iona shares the rock bottom moment that forced her to confront a life built on perfectionism, achievement, and invisible suffering. We talk about the pressure so many women carry to be strong, capable, and endlessly high-functioning, and why those qualities can sometimes become the very thing keeping us stuck. One of my favorite parts of our conversation was Iona's distinction between being strong and being brave. Strength can look like gritting your teeth and carrying more than you should. Bravery asks something different. It asks you to listen to yourself, tell the truth about what you want, and tolerate the discomfort that comes with change. We also explored how fear disguises itself as practicality, perfectionism, procrastination, and even the stories we tell ourselves about why we're the exception. The woman who can't. The one for whom it's harder. The one who should wait until she's ready. Spoiler alert: ready is not coming. Iona shared her powerful "5 and 95 Rule," the idea that a brave life is one that makes five-year-old you happy and ninety-five-year-old you proud. It is simple, memorable, and honestly one of those ideas that lingers long after the conversation ends. If you've been quietly wondering whether there's more available to you than simply being impressive, this episode is your reminder that feeling alive matters too. What’s Inside: * Why being impressive and feeling alive are not the same thing * The difference between being strong and being brave * How fear hides inside perfectionism, procrastination, and practicality * Iona's "5 and 95 Rule" for making braver decisions The thing I keep coming back to from this conversation is that bravery rarely looks cool. Most of the time it looks awkward, uncertain, and wildly uncomfortable. What's one brave thing you've been avoiding lately?  DM me on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/oonaghduncan]…I'd genuinely love to hear your answer.  Mentioned in This Episode: Brave Thing [https://bravething.com/] Do the Brave Thing Book [https://www.amazon.com/Do-Brave-Thing-Caution-Without/dp/1962341402] Iona Holloway on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/ionaholloway/] Iona Holloway on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ionaholloway/] Get Healthy AF Book Free [https://fitfeelsgood.com/ship] Oonagh Duncan on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/oonaghduncan] Fit Feels Good [https://www.fitfeelsgood.com] Leave me a voice note on Speak Pipe! [https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/398129/1/kopg67izwb87wor6]

The Problem With "Eat Real Food, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants" with Jan Dutkiewicz and Gabriel N. Rosenberg

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2071107/fan_mail/new] For years, I've loved Michael Pollan's famous advice: Eat real food, not too much, mostly plants. It felt grounded. Sensible. Refreshingly free from diet culture nonsense. But what if one of the most trusted pieces of nutrition advice of the last two decades isn't quite as simple as it sounds? In this episode, I sit down with food systems researchers Jan Dutkiewicz and Gabriel N. Rosenberg, co-authors of Feed the People. Their book challenges a lot of the assumptions many of us have about food, health, and what it means to be a "good eater." We dig into the controversy around ultra-processed foods and why that label may not tell us nearly as much as we've been led to believe. We talk about protein powders, plant-based meats, frozen vegetables, sliced bread, and why some foods that get demonized online might actually be perfectly healthy additions to a balanced diet. We also explore a much bigger question: what happens when we put all the responsibility for fixing our food system on individual consumers? Jan and Gabriel make a compelling case that nutrition isn't just about personal choices. It's also about policy, affordability, accessibility, labor, agriculture, and the systems that determine what ends up on our plates in the first place. Some of their arguments challenged my own beliefs. A few made my jaw hit the floor. Like the idea that a Walmart can improve community nutrition more effectively than a farmers' market. Or that obsessing over every ingredient label may be doing more harm than good. Whether you agree with everything in this conversation or not, I think you'll walk away questioning some of the nutrition "truths" we've all absorbed over the years. And honestly, that's what makes this episode so interesting. What’s Inside: * Why "ultra-processed food" may be far too broad a category to be useful * The difference between food processing and actual nutritional quality * Why affordability and access matter more than food purity narratives * How policy, not individual perfection, shapes healthier communities This conversation reminded me that nutrition is rarely as black and white as social media makes it seem. Sometimes the most useful thing we can do is trade certainty for curiosity. Tell me: what's one food belief you've changed your mind about recently? DM me on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/oonaghduncan] and let me know! Mentioned in This Episode: Feed the People: Why Industrial Food Is Good And How To Make It Even Better [https://www.amazon.ca/Feed-People-Industrial-Food-Better/dp/1541603788] Get Healthy AF Book Free [https://fitfeelsgood.com/ship] https://www.amazon.ca/Feed-People-Industrial-Food-Better/dp/1541603788Oonagh Duncan on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/oonaghduncan]Fit Feels Good [https://www.fitfeelsgood.com]Leave me a voice note on Speak Pipe! [https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/398129/1/kopg67izwb87wor6]

Protein Bars, The Microbiome, Clean Beauty, And Other Lies We've Been Sold with Timothy Caulfield

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2071107/fan_mail/new] What if I told you that your protein bar, your “clean” skincare, your microbiome test, and half the wellness advice clogging your feed are built on marketing first and evidence second? Yeah. This episode got spicy. I sat down with Timothy Caulfield, bestselling author and expert on health misinformation, to talk about why science is simultaneously one of our best tools and one of the easiest things to manipulate. We got into everything from predatory scientific journals to why putting the word “protein” on a candy bar suddenly makes us think it’s health food. We talked about microbiome mania, gluten-free panic, hormone obsession, supplements, clean beauty, and why marketers love complicated science words that most of us don’t fully understand. Tim explains how “scienceploitation” works. Basically, researchers hype findings because academia rewards attention, media rewards sensationalism, and companies swoop in to sell us products wrapped in scientific language. The result? We’re all walking around terrified of toxins, buying personalized wellness plans, and wondering if we need a stem cell smoothie or a sleep tracker to survive adulthood. We also talked about why this stuff feels so personal. Once we build an identity around a health belief, questioning it can feel like a personal attack. And honestly? I saw myself in that conversation more than once. One of my favorite parts was Tim’s reminder that health is mostly boring. It’s movement, sleep, relationships, whole foods, not smoking, not drinking too much, and doing things you actually enjoy. No magic peptide. No expensive optimization stack. No wellness guru whispering secrets from a cold plunge. This conversation made me think a lot about fear, certainty, and how badly we all want a shortcut. And honestly, it reminded me that being informed is important, but being obsessed is exhausting. What’s Inside: * Why marketers love words like “microbiome,” “toxins,” and “clean” * How science hype and predatory journals confuse the public * The truth about gluten-free diets, protein products, and personalized wellness * Why real health is usually simple, unsexy, and not sold in a supplement aisle If this episode taught me anything, it’s that critical thinking is a form of self-care. You do not need to optimize every molecule in your body to be healthy. So, tell me, what wellness trend have you totally fallen for at some point? DM me on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/oonaghduncan]…I’d love to know! Mentioned in This Episode: The Certainty Illusion by Timothy Caulfield [https://www.amazon.ca/Certainty-Illusion-What-Dont-Matters/dp/0735245886] Tim Caulfield on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/caulfieldtim/]Oonagh Duncan on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/oonaghduncan]Fit Feels Good [https://www.fitfeelsgood.com]Leave me a voice note on Speak Pipe! [https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/398129/1/kopg67izwb87wor6]

The Truth About the Loneliness Epidemic (It’s Not What You Think) with Sarah Stein Lubrano

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2071107/fan_mail/new] We hear a lot about the “loneliness epidemic,” but what if the real problem isn’t that we feel lonelier? What if it’s that we’re spending more and more of our lives alone… and slowly forgetting how to connect in the first place? This conversation with political theorist and writer Sarah Stein Lubrano absolutely blew my mind. We got into the neuroscience of what happens when we spend too much time isolated, including how our brains literally start pruning away the social skills we’re not using. Which honestly explains why texting someone back can suddenly feel like preparing for battle. Sarah shares why social interaction is a little bit like exercise. Most of us don’t feel like doing it beforehand, but we almost always feel better afterward. We talk about the surprising research on talking to strangers, why introverts probably still need more connection than they think, and how our increasingly individualistic lives might be affecting everything from happiness to democracy itself. We also got into the hidden risk that keeps people isolated. It’s not laziness. It’s fear. Fear of awkwardness, rejection, inconvenience, vulnerability, or just feeling weird for knocking on someone’s door. The less we practice connection, the riskier connection starts to feel. And honestly, this episode changed me a little. Since recording it, I joined a French conversation group, a women’s finance group, and started going to karaoke at the Legion here on Salt Spring. And guess what? Every single time I leave my cozy little house and force myself into the world, something good happens. Turns out humans might actually need other humans after all. What’s Inside: * Why we’re spending more time alone without necessarily feeling lonelier * How social isolation changes the brain and weakens social skills over time * The surprising science behind talking to strangers and why it boosts happiness * Why rebuilding community matters for our health, relationships, and even democracy This episode made me realize that connection isn’t something that magically happens. It’s something we practice, maintain, and sometimes awkwardly fight for. DM me on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/oonaghduncan] and tell me: what’s one small social risk you want to start taking again?  Mentioned in This Episode: Sarah Stein Lubrano [https://www.sarahsteinlubrano.com/] Sarah Stein Lubrano on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sarahsteinlubrano/] Oonagh Duncan on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/oonaghduncan] Fit Feels Good [https://www.fitfeelsgood.com] Leave me a voice note on Speak Pipe! [https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/398129/1/kopg67izwb87wor6]