I'm back. Three months off, one enormous project, and a lot of learning about why movement is so much more than exercise.

This episode is about the magic I felt the first time I did Pilates in an attic with a reformer and a friend who was training to teach it — the clouds parting, the gremlins going quiet, something transcendental happening in my body that I couldn't explain but couldn't stop chasing.

Now I can explain it. And I want to.

We cover: why getting intellectual about movement actually makes you worse at it (and what to do instead). How stretching your fascia reduces inflammation in the body. The foam rolling study that proved attentive movement works as well as antidepressants for filtering out the negative. A crash course in Polyvagal Theory — the three modes of your nervous system and how to become its operator rather than its victim. Why Pilates breathing is regulating your nervous system whether you know it or not.

And yes — I introduce my first ever online Pilates course, Strength You Can Trust. Foundational classical Pilates infused with neuroscience and biomechanics. Open now. Use code WELLY15 for 15% off.

Next episode: the science of manifestation, money mindset, and a wild weekend in Milan.

See you there. 🥾

📚 References:
— Robert Schleip: Thinking Practitioner Podcast, ep. 144
— Deb Dana: On Being Podcast — Become an Active Operator of Your Nervous System
— Strength You Can Trust: lightwellpilates.com/strength — code WELLY15 for 15% off

— Twenty One Pilots, Stressed Out: https://youtu.be/pXRviuL6vMY?si=KNSm3TgKxXH1Yy8d

We have unfinished business, you and I.

Continuing from A Vision of the Future Part 1 — where we discovered the necessary steps to solving a life crisis (quarter, third, half, three-quarter) — I realise there's one step I keep skipping. The root of it. The thing underneath everything else:

We need to heal our trauma. But how?

In this episode I journey to London to find myself — and find my body revolting instead. We learn about the ingredients of a healthy personal narrative, and why doing this well sets the course for your entire future. We talk about jealousy, how to use it as a compass rather than a curse, and the maps — several of them — that show us the way.

Your story is your destiny.

Join me. Boots on. It's gonna be muddy. 🥾

📚 References:— Dr K / Dr Alok Kanojia: Diary of a CEO — 'The Brain Rot Dr'— The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron— The Element, Ken Robinson— The Luck Factor, Richard Wiseman— New Scientist: 'How to Think About the Human Mind'— Healthy Minds Project / Cortland Dahl: healthyminds.org— My Brilliant Friend, Elena Ferrante

Stay tuned for the next episode: personality, habits, and how they connect to identity. Plus — Dr Tara Swart and manifestation. Things are getting interesting.

And if you are interested in my Pilates course (Building Strength You Can Trust), here is the link to learn more and join the waiting list. I'd love to have you!

xJ

I had a moment, just before my surgery, when the doctor told me I'd need four to six weeks in bed.

And I thought — oh thank the Lord.

I'm Jennifer Palmer. Screenwriter, actor, Pilates teacher, mother of two. And for a long time — a person who had completely ground herself into the ground and called it fine.

This podcast is about the year I spent figuring that out. The neuroscience, the ancient philosophy, the psychopomps who showed up exactly when I needed them. The moment I stormed into my husband's study shaking and said — things cannot go back to the way they were.

They didn't.

Come walk with me. I promise laughter, heaping scoops of curious revelation, and at least one episode about sleep that will change your life.

Get your boots on. Easy does it. Let's put some welly into it. 🥾

It started with a birthday party. It ended with me realising I should not have driven my son anywhere that morning.

Which reminded me that I never told you something really important.

Matthew Walker has a phrase for what to do after a night of terrible sleep: Do Nothing. Counterintuitive, slightly torturous, and genuinely effective.

In this bonus episode we cover: what not to do when you're sleep deprived (and why your brain will confidently lie to you about how fine you are), and what you actually can do to recover in one day instead of spending a week in a fog.

Also — microsleeps. The thing that is so dangerous, not just for you but for everyone around you, that you are probably doing anyway because you feel absolutely fine.

You are not fine.

Stay tuned for the next episode: A Vision of the Future, Part 2 — jealousy, identity, your destiny, and how it all figures into healing your trauma.

xJ

📚 References:— Why We Sleep, Matthew Walker— The Matt Walker Podcast, #117: Can Creatine & Exercise Overcome Sleep Deprivation?— Huberman Lab: Dr. Matt Walker — Protocols to Improve Your Sleep (Episode 2)— Huberman Lab: Female-Specific Exercise & Nutrition — Dr. Stacy Sims

This is a big one — the episode I’ve been building toward since the very beginning.

In it we start exploring how to navigate a quarter-life, third-life, or midlife crisis successfully… so you don’t end up repeating the grade.

And yes — there does appear to be an order to the process.

In this episode we begin unpacking a concept called “Loss of the Future Dimension” and what it can mean for people carrying trauma or unresolved experiences in their past.

Along the way we also explore:

• what anger might actually be trying to tell you
• whether Reiki is fluff, science… or something in between
• how your money mindset fits into the picture of personal change

Much of the thinking behind this episode comes from the work of Dr Alok Kanojia (Dr K / Healthy Gamer), whose insights into psychology and personal development have been incredibly influential for me. I’m deeply grateful for the extraordinary amount of knowledge he has shared publicly across his website and many platforms.

Referenced in this episode

• Dr K — Healthy Gamer
• Diary of a CEO: “The Brain Rot Doctor: We're All Getting More Narcissistic”
• Huberman Lab Podcast: Unlearn Negative Thoughts & Behaviour Patterns with Dr Alok Kanojia

In the next episode we’ll pick up where this one left off, delving in to the big question: how do we heal from trauma??? — and begin exploring what it actually means to create a vision of the future that fits who you really are.

Welcome back to the WellyWalk — this is the third and final episode in our little sleep odyssey. We made it!

In Part 1 (Got Sleep?) we explored what sleep actually is and why it matters so much — because, quite simply, sleep is the bedrock of our health and affects almost everything.

In Part 2 (An Orthosomniac in the Garden) we looked at how our behaviours during the day shape our ability to sleep at night, and we explored some of the key tools of sleep hygiene.

In this final episode we gather up the remaining pieces of the puzzle — a bit of a delightful sleep potpourri — including:

• a few more powerful sleep hygiene tools
• the science (and art) of napping
• dreams and lucid dreaming
• school start times and what they may be doing to our teenagers
• sleep during perimenopause and menopause, and whether supplements can help

As with the previous episodes, enormous thanks go to my psychopomps of sleep — Matthew Walker and Andrew Huberman — whose work has done so much to educate the public about the beauty, importance, and complexity of sleep.

If you know someone struggling with sleep — or someone who wants to improve their health, focus, creativity, and general wellbeing — feel free to share this three-part series with them.

And stay tuned: the next episode brings us back into the fray of my ongoing midlife adventure and to the next members of my pantheon of psychopomps guiding the way toward Welly.

References:

The Matthew Walker Podcast:

• Insomnia v Exercise:
• Sleep and Exercise pt 1, 2, &3

HRT reality v fears https://peterattiamd.com/rachelrubin/

Yoga Nidra with Swami Janakananda: https://open.spotify.com/track/7jQmbTq9cPTo5ZBsRneoXB?si=717380c41d27418a

Yoga Nidra with Ally: https://allyboothroyd.com/30-minute-yoga-nidra-for-deep-relaxation/

Non Sleep Deep Rest with Andrew Huberman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKGrmY8OSHM

James Nestor's book Breath, in which you can learn about mouth taping and sleep apnea (also the power of breathwork)

https://www.mrjamesnestor.com/breath-book

Matthew Walker's book, Why We Sleep

Andrew Huberman, Huberman Lab Podcast:

• Sleep Toolkit: Tools for Optimizing Sleep & Sleep-Wake Timing
• Essentials: Master Your Sleep & Be More Alert When Awake
• Matt Walker, The Science & Practice of Perfecting Your Sleep | Huberman Lab Essentials
• Guest Series | Dr. Matt Walker: The Biology of Sleep & Your Unique Sleep Needs
• Guest Series | Dr. Matthew Walker: Protocols to Improve Your Sleep
• Guest Series | Dr. Matt Walker: How to Structure Your Sleep, Use Naps & Time Caffeine
• Guest Series | Dr. Matt Walker: Using Sleep to Improve Learning, Creativity & Memory
• Guest Series | Dr. Matt Walker: Improve Sleep to Boost Mood & Emotional Regulation
• Guest Series | Dr. Matt Walker: The Science of Dreams, Nightmares & Lucid Dreaming
• Using Red Light to Improve Metabolism & the Harmful Effects of LEDs| Dr Glen Jeffrey PhD

How is January treating you all?

I’ve had a bit of a January surprise myself — a hiccup, an unexpected event — and in this short check-in episode I wanted to let you know what’s been going on. There’s a little boob report, and also a bit of a January Welly-ness check-in.

January can be a strange month — a little bleak, a little heavy, and often harder than we expect.

So I wanted to share some of the small tools and practices that have been helping me navigate the highs and lows (mostly lows, let’s be honest) of this poor, down-and-out month.

The question is:

Can we make January sparkle like the star it is?

Perspective, as always, is our friend.

Hello all —

This is Part 2 of my little triptych on sleep and sleep hygiene.

In the previous episode we talked about why sleep matters (hint: it’s the bedrock of your health), what’s actually happening in the brain during sleep, and how to tell whether your sleep is truly restorative.

In this episode we move into the practical side of things: sleep hygiene.

We start with the big picture of the 24-hour cycle, the forces that shape your sleep, and then unpack Matthew Walker’s core sleep protocols — the habits that help you fall asleep, stay asleep, and get genuinely restorative rest.

But…

Beware the orthosomniac, my son!

The data that bites,the hours that tick…

How do we walk the fine line of tending to our sleep whilst avoiding the trappings of sleep anxiety?

As with the previous episode, much of what I’ve learned comes from my psychopomps of sleep: Matthew Walker and Andrew Huberman, both of whom have done extraordinary work helping the public understand the importance — and the majesty — of sleep.

If you’d like to geek out further, here are some of the resources I’ve been learning from.

Matthew Walker• Why We Sleep• The Matthew Walker Podcast

Andrew Huberman — Huberman Lab Podcast• Sleep Toolkit: Tools for Optimizing Sleep & Sleep-Wake Timing• Master Your Sleep & Be More Alert When Awake• Guest Series with Dr Matthew Walker

Dr Rangan Chatterjee — Feel Better, Live MoreEpisode 250: Why Sleep Is the Most Important Pillar of Health (with Matthew Walker)

Nature Mental Health Study (2023)Light exposure patterns and mental health outcomes
https://www.nature.com/articles/s44220-023-00135-8

If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review. It really helps the show grow — and I always love hearing from you.

x Jenny