WELCOME to The Lee and Irene Show! 🎙️ Lee Holmes and Irene Falcone bring you real, raw, and refreshingly honest chats about wellness, beauty and life, minus the woo-woo. We’re here to keep wellness human, hilarious, and totally unfiltered.
Lee Holmes Launches Her 12th Book “Eat to Heal”, the Truth About Chronic Inflammation and Zombie Cells, and Justin Gets 'Splained on Low Testosterone.
Season 1 · Episode 14
Wednesday, July 1, 2026 • Duration 01:14:21
Show Notes: Episode 14
The Lee and Irene Show
Lee Holmes Launches Her 12th Book “Eat to Heal”, the Truth About Chronic Inflammation and Zombie Cells, and Justin Gets 'Splained on Low Testosterone.
Lee has written twelve books, and this one might be the most personal yet. Eat to Heal is about chronic inflammation, the slow-burning, mostly invisible process that Lee argues sits underneath almost every major health complaint we hear about on this show, from brain fog and fatigue to autoimmune conditions and weight gain that will not budge. Irene turns interviewer for the episode and gets Lee talking about the book's origin, the science she found genuinely surprising even after fifteen years in the field, and the very practical plate-based system she built to make all of it usable on a Tuesday night.
There are zombie cells. There is a Pac-Man analogy. There is a rocky road recipe that somehow counts as part of the plan. And underneath all of it, there is a much bigger conversation about trauma, nervous system safety, and why some people cannot absorb good nutrition until their body believes it is no longer in danger.
And in Womansplain, Justin brings a question he was clearly nervous to ask, about whether low testosterone is just something that happens with age, or something worth actually investigating first.
✨ In this episode we chat about:
• Why Lee wrote Eat to Heal, and the sentence in the introduction she is most proud of.
• What chronic inflammation actually is, and why it behaves so differently to the acute kind.
• Zombie cells, otherwise known as senescent cells, and the everyday foods that help clear them.
• The gut-brain link, neuroinflammation, and why low mood is not always a purely psychological problem.
• SPMs, specialised pro-resolving mediators, and why omega 3s do more than just block inflammation.
• The 4321 plate method Lee developed specifically for an anti-inflammatory Mediterranean style of eating.
• Why trauma and chronic stress can keep the body locked in a state where healing cannot properly begin.
• Two recipes from the book, talked through ingredient by ingredient.
• Justin's Womansplain question about low testosterone, and what is actually worth investigating before TRT.
📖 What's Popping: Lee Launches Eat to Heal
Book Number Twelve: Lee confirms it, slightly disbelieving herself, while Irene recalls the period a few years ago when Lee went fully underground to finish a manuscript and could not be reached for weeks. Irene admits she has always wanted to write a book herself, though she suspects hers would mostly be an expose of bad business dealings she could not possibly publish without being sued.
How Lee Actually Writes a Book: Lee describes it less as a plan and more as a pull. The ideas tend to arrive fully formed, sometimes within an hour of sitting down, and she credits a kind of instinctive, almost esoteric drive that has carried every one of her twelve books. The advice for anyone wanting to start is simple. Write towards something you genuinely care about, because that is the only thing that gets you through the difficult stretch in the middle.
The Cover: Unusually for Lee, she is not on the cover this time. The illustration is by a Swedish artist named Sarah, and both hosts land on the same description without quite planning to. It has the feeling of a vintage still life, fruit bowls and tea towels and faded kitchen wallpaper. Nostalgic, bohemian, and instantly homely.
What Eat to Heal Is Actually About
The Premise: Chronic inflammation, Lee argues, is not a side effect of conditions like heart disease, Alzheimer's, autoimmune disorders, depression, weight gain, brain fog, and persistent fatigue. It is a driver of them. Chapter one is titled Your Kitchen Is Your Medicine Cabinet, and that is the thesis of the entire book.
Who It Is For: Lee wrote it for the person who has been told their bloodwork is normal while their body insists otherwise. Irene relates to this directly. Her own results consistently come back clear, and the book gives her a next step beyond simply ruling things out: what can actually be done to reduce brain fog and lift energy once the medical all-clear has already been given.
Acute Versus Chronic: Acute inflammation is the immune system doing exactly what it should, the redness and swelling around a cut that signals healing is underway. Chronic inflammation is that same emergency response stuck in the on position, running quietly in the background with no specific threat to respond to. Because it is subtle, most people never connect how they feel to what is actually happening in their body.
Signs to Watch For: Persistent tiredness that sleep does not fix, brain fog, forgetfulness, digestive issues that come and go, post-meal fatigue, mood swings, migrating joint pain, recurring infections, and stalled weight loss. The book includes a sixteen question self-assessment quiz that scores inflammation as low, moderate, high, or severe.
The Research That Surprised Lee
Zombie Cells: The scientific term is senescent cells, cells that have stopped functioning properly but refuse to die, sitting in tissue and releasing inflammatory signals that disrupt the healthy cells around them. As we age, these accumulate. Certain plant compounds act as natural senolytics, helping clear them out: fisetin in strawberries and apples, quercetin in capers, onions, and berries, and curcumin in turmeric.
Neuroinflammation: Chronic inflammation does not stay contained to the body. The same inflammatory markers linked to heart disease are implicated in depression, anxiety, cognitive decline, and conditions like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. One mechanism involves a compound called kynurenine. When inflammation is high, the body diverts tryptophan toward kynurenine production rather than serotonin, meaning less of the body's own feel-good chemistry gets made. Irene shares that she was diagnosed with neuroinflammation at a holistic clinic in Byron Bay following the collapse of her previous business, alongside a SIBO diagnosis.
SPMs, the Pro-Resolution Compounds: Specialised pro-resolving mediators are a newer area of research that changed how Lee thinks about anti-inflammatory eating altogether. Rather than simply blocking inflammation the way something like ibuprofen does, SPMs actively promote the clearance of inflammatory debris and help return the body to balance. They are produced from omega 3 fatty acids, found in flaxseed, avocado, and good quality fish, strengthening the case for getting enough omega 3 into the diet.
The 4321 Map Approach
Lee built on the proven foundation of the Mediterranean diet and refined it specifically to target inflammation, with a stronger emphasis on gut health and blood sugar stability. The plate breaks down as 40 percent vegetables and leafy greens, 30 percent lean protein including legumes, 20 percent whole grains and starchy vegetables like sweet potato and pumpkin, and 10 percent healthy fats such as extra virgin olive oil, flaxseed oil, and avocado.
The philosophy is not about eliminating treats. Even dessert can fit the framework when it includes protein and good fats alongside it, which is how a rocky road bar loaded with almonds, hemp seeds, and almond butter earns a legitimate place in the book.
Two Recipes from the Book
Baked Sweet Potato Hash Browns (page 156): Sweet potato for beta carotene and skin support, chickpea flour for plant protein and fibre, turmeric and cumin for their anti-inflammatory properties, smashed avocado for monounsaturated fats and potassium, and a microgreen salad on top finished with hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, or walnuts.
Buckwheat Banana Crepes with Figs and Berries (page 159): Naturally gluten free, built on ripe banana for gut-friendly resistant starch and buckwheat flour, which contains rutin to strengthen blood vessels. Topped with fresh figs and berries for polyphenols and prebiotic fibre, plus a nut butter for additional healthy fats. Light enough for breakfast, indulgent enough for dessert.
Trauma, the Nervous System, and Why Healing Is Not Linear
One of the book's central themes is the link between trauma, chronic stress, and inflammation. Lee explains that when the nervous system stays locked in survival mode, the body prioritises protection over repair. Digestive secretions change, gut motility slows or becomes erratic, the gut lining becomes more vulnerable to damage, and the immune system grows hyper-reactive, feeding the inflammatory cycle further.
Irene connects this directly to her own experience following the collapse of her previous business, describing a period of constant hypervigilance where even opening an email triggered a physical stress response. Lee shares a parallel experience following a serious car accident and a long bout of COVID, both of which left her nervous system similarly on high alert.
Lee's clinical approach has shifted accordingly. Rather than leading with food alone, she now looks at the whole person, gut health, inflammation, sleep, stress, emotional history, and daily patterns together, often alongside referral to psychologists or nervous system specialists. She notes that healing rarely happens in a tidy order. Sometimes mood and sleep improve before digestion does, and that is not a failure of the process.
🧠 Womansplain: Justin and the Low Testosterone Question
The Question: A friend suggested to Justin that his flat energy, low motivation, and poor sleep might point to low testosterone, and floated testosterone replacement therapy as a fix. Justin's instinct was to tell his mate to mind his own business, but brought the question to the show anyway.
The Myth to Bust First: Low testosterone is not simply an inevitable part of ageing with a prescription as the automatic answer. There is a long list of lifestyle factors that can lower testosterone, and most men have not addressed any of them before reaching for a prescription.
Sleep: Most testosterone is produced overnight, with deep sleep playing a particularly important role. Poor sleep can directly affect levels, meaning a sleep problem can present as a hormone problem.
Chronic Stress: Elevated cortisol can suppress testosterone production. Under sustained stress, the body prioritises survival hormones over reproductive ones.
Gut Health: The microbiome plays a role in how hormones are metabolised and cleared, although the evidence here is still developing.
Other Contributing Factors: Alcohol, excess visceral body fat (which can convert testosterone into oestrogen), and a sedentary lifestyle all make the list.
What Actually Helps: Zinc is an essential cofactor for testosterone synthesis and deficiency is common and easy to test for, found in red meat, pumpkin seeds, and oysters. Ashwagandha is a well-studied adaptogen shown in some trials to reduce cortisol and improve sleep quality, with mixed but reasonable evidence for testosterone specifically. Fenugreek, a herb Lee was introduced to in India, has reasonable evidence behind it, possibly by affecting how testosterone is used in the body rather than blocking its conversion to oestrogen outright.
The Bottom Line: Sort sleep, stress, and gut health first. If levels remain clinically low and symptoms persist after addressing those drivers, that is the point to have the TRT conversation with a doctor, rather than starting there and risking the body's own production shutting down.
Chronic Inflammation as a Disease Driver: Chronic low-grade inflammation is increasingly recognised as a contributing factor across cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative conditions, autoimmune disorders, depression, and metabolic dysfunction, distinct from the acute, self-resolving inflammation involved in wound healing.
Senescent Cells and Senolytics: Senescent cells accumulate with age and secrete pro-inflammatory signalling molecules, a phenomenon researchers term the senescence-associated secretory phenotype. Compounds including fisetin, quercetin, and curcumin have been studied for senolytic or senomorphic activity, helping to clear or quiet these cells.
Neuroinflammation and Mood: The kynurenine pathway describes how, under inflammatory conditions, tryptophan metabolism is shifted away from serotonin synthesis and toward kynurenine production, a mechanism increasingly studied in relation to depression and anxiety.
Specialised Pro-Resolving Mediators (SPMs): SPMs, including resolvins, protectins, and maresins, are derived from omega 3 fatty acids and are involved in actively resolving inflammation and restoring tissue homeostasis, distinct from the inflammation-blocking action of standard anti-inflammatory compounds.
Gut-Brain-Immune Connection: Roughly 70 to 80 percent of immune tissue resides in the gut, and the majority of the body's serotonin is produced there, underscoring the close relationship between gut integrity, immune regulation, and mood.
HPA Axis and Trauma: Chronic stress and unresolved trauma are associated with dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which can manifest as persistent sympathetic nervous system activation, affecting digestion, immune function, and the body's capacity for tissue repair.
Testosterone and Lifestyle Factors: Research links sleep quality, chronic stress and cortisol elevation, visceral adiposity, alcohol intake, and sedentary behaviour to testosterone levels, supporting a lifestyle-first approach before pharmacological intervention in men without an underlying pathological cause.
Zinc, Ashwagandha, and Fenugreek: Zinc is a required cofactor in testosterone synthesis pathways. Ashwagandha has shown cortisol-lowering and sleep-supporting effects in several clinical trials, with more variable results for testosterone specifically. Fenugreek extract has shown modest support for testosterone-related outcomes in a number of small trials, though larger confirmatory studies are limited.
Disclaimer: This show is for educational purposes only. Please consult your qualified health professional before incorporating new wellness solutions.
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Episode 13, Naturopath Jane Papalia on the Mediterranean Diet, Longevity, Beauty, and Why Your Nonna Was Probably Right All Along, Wayne Gets ‘Splained on Reflux and Irene Busts Out a Rant
Season -6 · Episode 13
Wednesday, June 24, 2026 • Duration 01:08:22
Episode 13, Naturopath Jane Papalia on the Mediterranean Diet, Longevity, Beauty, and Why Your Nonna Was Probably Right All Along, Wayne Gets ‘Splained on Reflux and Irene Busts Out a Rant
In this episode we chat about
· What the Mediterranean diet actually is, and why it is much more than a Greek salad and a glass of red wine.
· Jane Papalia’s story, from Italian family food culture to naturopathy and clinical nutrition.
· Why the Mediterranean lifestyle is one of the most researched and respected dietary patterns in the world.
· How food, movement, sleep, stress, and social connection all work together for longevity.
· Why olive oil, legumes, herbs, seasonal produce, and quality proteins are the real stars of the show.
· How to spot the difference between authentic Mediterranean foods and supermarket imposters with suspiciously confident branding.
· Why your grandmother may have been ahead of her time without ever using the words polyphenols or microbiome.
· How the Mediterranean way of eating supports gut health, brain health, heart health, and healthy ageing.
· Why food is not just fuel. It is culture, connection, rhythm, and joy.
· A very important debate about yoghurt, feta, olive oil, and whether Italians are secretly running the wellness industry
Meet Jane Papalia
Jane Papalia is a qualified naturopath and clinical nutritionist, and the beautiful mind behind The Mediterranean Naturopath. Her work centers on the Mediterranean lifestyle as a way of eating and living that supports health, energy, digestion, beauty, and ageing well without turning life into a never-ending self-improvement project.
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Episode 12 All Hail the Sugar and Energy Queen Michele Chevalley-Hedge, and the Labels That Are Lying to You, Justin Finally Learns to Breathe, and Lee’s Rant on the Fillers Nobody Warned You About.
Season -8 · Episode 12
Tuesday, June 16, 2026 • Duration 01:16:19
Episode 12: All hail the Sugar and Energy Queen Michele Chevalley-Hedge, and the Labels That Are Lying to You, Justin Finally Learns to Breathe, and Lee’s Rant on the Fillers Nobody Warned You About.
If you’ve ever eaten clean all day and still crashed by 3pm, reached for something sweet and felt worse an hour later, or picked up a “healthy” snack and had absolutely no idea what half the ingredients actually were, this episode is for you.
Michele Chevalley-Hedge from A Healthy View, is a clinical nutritionist, author, and health educator whose books include Beating Sugar Addiction for Dummies and Eat, Drink and Still Shrink. She has spent decades working across elite sport, corporate health, and school communities, and she brings the same principle to all of it: facts over fads, nourished not punished.
Justin, meanwhile, has been breathing incorrectly for roughly 59 years. Lee and Irene fix that.
And Lee has a rant. It has a title. It is called Fillers That Fool Us, and once you hear it, you will never look at a supplement label the same way again.
✨ In this episode we chat about:
🍬 What’s Popping: Sugar, Energy and the Labels That Are Lying to You
Meet Michele
• A New Yorker in Australia: Michele grew up in an Italian-American family where food was love, community, and connection. Her father was a dedicated gardener. Her mother’s side was, in her words, the Chickarello Mafia, six sisters cooking abundantly for 27 cousins every weekend. She came to Australia in 1990 to speak at an IBM conference, fell in love with an Australian man within 24 hours, and never left. Thirty-six years later, she is still certain she made the right call.
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Episode 11: How to Get a Virgo Level of Cleaning on a Capricorn Budget, Justin Discovers Chiropractic, and Irene's Rave for the Customers Who Never Left. 🧹
Season 1 · Episode 11
Friday, June 5, 2026 • Duration 01:12:30
Episode 11: How to Get a Virgo Level of Cleaning on a Capricorn Budget, Justin Discovers Chiropractic, and Irene's Rave for the Customers Who Never Left. 🧹
Lee's house is, by all objective measures, immaculate. Irene has been trying to understand this for some time. This week she finally asks. What follows is a practical, funny, and useful guide to low-tox cleaning, from the products worth trusting, to the rooms worth prioritising, to the surprising science of why a clean space makes your brain feel safe enough to relax.
Justin, meanwhile, has concerns about chiropractors. Specifically, he is not convinced that cracking someone's back constitutes a qualification. Irene has recently seen one. Lee has done her research. Justin gets moved, just a little.
And this week the cabin gets a visitor. Tiki, Lee’s friend and the kind of person who turns chaos into calm without appearing to do anything joins Lee and Irene with a question that will resonate with a lot of women: what do you do when you're eating well, you're moving, and nothing is shifting?
And Irene has a rave. Not a rant this time. A genuine, heartfelt rave for the customers who found their way back.
✨ In this episode we chat about:
🧹 What's Popping: Virgo-Level Cleaning on a Capricorn Budget
• The Cabin Observation: Irene has been to Lee's house almost every week and needs to put something on record. It is immaculate. Not in a Coco Republic showroom way. More like a genuinely-lived-in bohemian fisherman's cottage where every piece of furniture was sourced from a market or a street, and yet the whole thing somehow looks like a magazine. Irene is in awe. She is also terrified to put her coffee cup down.
• The Virgo Confession: Lee is a Virgo. She cleans preventatively. Her house never requires a serious intervention because she never lets it get to one. She moonwalks across the kitchen floor in old socks to clean up after dinner. With the Michael Jackson Off the Wall album on.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
Episode 10: Mason Taylor on Mushrooms & the Ancient Art of Not Falling Apart, Justin is in a Bit of a Pickle, and Irene’s Forever Rant About Forever Chemicals. 🍄
Season 1 · Episode 10
Wednesday, May 27, 2026 • Duration 01:11:48
Episode 10: Mason Taylor on Mushrooms & the Ancient Art of Not Falling Apart, Justin is in a Bit of a Pickle, and Irene's Forever Rant About Forever Chemicals. 🍄
This week, the cabin gets a very special guest. Mason Taylor, founder of SuperFeast, Daoist philosophy devotee, and quite possibly the most passionate man alive on the subject of medicinal mushrooms, joins Lee and Irene for what may be the most downloaded episode yet
Mason takes us through the ancient Chinese three-treasure system of Jing, Chi, and Shen and why your goal should never be immortality, but rather arriving at elderhood with your full self intact. He breaks down the difference between a therapeutic mushroom product and a glorified chocolate powder, explains why Tremella made Irene's skin look extraordinary, and reveals the underground Australian fungi nobody's talking about yet.
Justin, meanwhile, wants to know if 2008 pickled onion brine counts as a sports supplement. And Irene has a rant-slash-rave about France's forever chemicals ban and why the brands who quietly reformulated their products are not getting the standing ovation they were hoping for.
✨ In this episode we chat about:
🍄 What's Popping: Welcome to the Secret Cabin
• The Cabin Guest Situation: Mason Taylor arrives, giving Justin cause for what Lee generously describes as 'wariness' and what is more accurately described as side teeth and a low growl. There is room for more than one man in the cabin. Deep breaths, everyone.
• Mason Taylor Introduction: Founder of SuperFeast, mushroom maven, Daoist, and the man whose original podcast episode with Irene over nine years ago remains her most downloaded ever. He has come all the way from Byron Bay.
• Mushroom Pun Cap: Three puns maximum. They exceeded this before Mason even sat down.
🌿 What's Popping Deep Dive: Mason Taylor on Daoism, Mushrooms & the Three Treasures
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Episode 9: Irene’s Everything Shower, Justin Tries to Win Over a One-Eyed Cat, and Lee Can’t "Liver" Without This. 🍯
Season 1 · Episode 9
Tuesday, May 19, 2026 • Duration 01:19:13
Episode 9: Irene’s Everything Shower, Justin Tries to Win Over a One-Eyed Cat, and Lee Can’t Liver Without This. 🍯
This week Irene finally reveals one of her most beloved and guarded rituals, the Everything Shower. Not a quick rinse. Not your standard weekday wash. A full Sunday reset from dermaplaning in the 4 o’clock light to sitting on the shower floor surrounded by essential oil steam. She walks us through every step, every product, and every reason why she believes this one weekly ritual does more for her face, hair, skin and sanity than any day spa visit ever could.
Hosts Lee Holmes and Irene Falcone swap notes on shower playlists, bathroom aromatherapy, oil hair masking, dry body brushing, sulphate-free shampoos, natural body scrubs, magnesium creams and the great shower filter debate. Then Justin brings us a very pressing relationship concern involving his neighbour’s one-eyed, toothless street cat, Pirate. And Lee wraps the episode with a rave about the one supplement she says she couldn’t live without.
✨ In this episode we chat about:
🚶♀️ What’s Popping: Autumn Rhythms & Rebuilding from Scratch
• Lee’s Garden Update: After proper overnight rain, not polite drizzle, every plant in Lee’s Palm Beach garden is outrageously happy. Even the tractor seat plants are standing to attention.
• Embracing Autumn: Irene’s reframe this year was to stop thinking of autumn as sad and actually lean in. Lee agrees: autumn in Palm Beach is her favourite season, with better parking, quieter streets and golden air.
• Listener Love: A beautiful message from Kim, who discovered the podcast via Episode 6 and says the sticky chai recipe has already become one of her most treasured ritual recipes and she ended with eight kisses.
• Irene’s World: Rebuilding Clean Nectarine from scratch, new staff, new stock, and a very anticipated Thelma and Louise convertible drive down to Palm Beach with the top down. (Lee is Louise. Scarf already on.)
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Episode 8: Amelia Phillips unpacks the calories conversation, Justin gets schooled on friendships and Lee rants about green powders.
Season 1 · Episode 8
Tuesday, May 12, 2026 • Duration 01:20:05
Show Notes: Episode 8 Wellness Unfiltered
Episode 8: Amelia Phillips on Energy, Weight Loss & the Science of Feeling Good. We Unpack Perimenopause Fatigue, the Calorie Conversation No One Wants to Have, and Why Sleep Might Be Your Missing Link. Plus Justin Gets Schooled on Friendships and Lee Rants About Green Powders. 🎙️
This week we have Amelia, a nutritionist-slash-exercise-scientist with 29 years of hard-won wisdom. She drops a reformed cardio-queen confession, and a Venn diagram that actually makes sense. This episode might just change how you think about energy, weight, and why your body feels the way it does.
Hosts Lee Holmes and Irene Falcone are joined by Amelia Phillips, co-founder of the Michelle Bridges 12WBT, host of the Healthy Her podcast, and all-round superstar in the women's health space. The conversation spans everything from the calorie deficit no one can avoid to the four biological pillars draining your energy, why meal delivery might be the smartest hack you haven't tried, and the one thing Irene needs to fix before anything else will work.
Then Justin asks how men can deepen their friendships (spoiler: lead with the arms), and Lee delivers a rant on green powders that will have you reading labels with fresh suspicion.
✨ In this episode we chat about:
🍽️ What's Popping: Meet Amelia Phillips (00:00)
29 Years in the Game: Amelia started in the fitness industry at 17, fell in love with exercise science, then realised nutrition was where the real challenge lay. A master's degree in human nutrition later, she's spent nearly three decades helping women understand the strawberries-and-cream magic of diet and exercise combined.
In the 90s, Amelia was all about stripping fat, driving calories down, and burning 500 calories per workout. It worked short-term. It does not work long-term, especially once you hit perimenopause. She's completely flipped her approach.
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Episode 7: Carol's MKR Confessions, Geisha Beauty Secrets, the Perimenopause Toolkit & Justin's Snoring That Registered on the Richter Scale 🎙️
Season 1 · Episode 7
Tuesday, May 5, 2026 • Duration 01:05:29
Hosts Lee Holmes and Irene Falcone are joined by Carol Molloy, a Japanese-Australian food extraordinaire, MKR contestant, and architect of unforgettable Japan food tours, for a conversation that roams from the secrets of geisha skincare to the gut-healing magic of soba noodles. Then Justin finally admits he snores loud enough to register on the Richter scale, Natalie checks in from the perimenopausal shapeshifting zone, and Lee delivers an acupuncture rave that will have you booking an appointment before the credits roll.
Get ready for MKR behind-the-scenes gossip, a 15-minute Japanese weeknight dinner that will change your life, the truth about what geishas actually invented in beauty, and the perimenopause toolkit that no one tells you about; from flaxseed and creatine to magnesium baths and why your sleep is the most important lever you can pull.
✨ In this episode we chat about:
🍽️ What’s Popping: Meet Carol; Food, Japan & the MKR Confessional (00:00)
• Fifteen Years, One Road, One Cabin: Lee and Carol go back over 15 years, teaching yoga together, and then somehow ending up across the road from each other in a sea-side location. Irene meets Carol for the very first time, live on air.
• Food Is Love: Carol’s philosophy, shaped by a mum who is a brilliant Japanese cook and a dad with MS who meant the family always entertained at home. Cooking for people is Carol’s love language in its purest form.
• The MKR Truth: Is it real? Is it staged? Carol delivers the unvarnished answer. Producers do nudge things in a direction, but everyone cooks their own food and says what they actually think. It is reality TV not scripted, not entirely real life ;).
• The Raspberry Cheesecake Incident: Carol made two beautiful cheesecakes and forgot the raspberries. Adam sprinted to Coles. They still got a great score. The cheesecake, for the record, was spectacular!
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
Episode 6: Healthy, Wealthy & Wise in the Cost of Living Crisis. Freezer Hacks, Gut Basics, Kitchen Beauty, Why Your Nespresso Is Quietly Robbing You and Fighting the Man Flu🎙️
Tuesday, April 28, 2026 • Duration 01:17:51
Episode 6: Healthy, Wealthy & Wise in the Cost of Living Crisis. Freezer Hacks, Gut Basics, Kitchen Beauty, Why Your Nespresso Is Quietly Robbing You and Fighting the Man Flu🎙️
How do you stay healthy when every trip to the supermarket feels like a financial mugging? In this episode, Lee Holmes and Irene Falcone ditch the expensive wellness theatre and get back to the brass tacks of genuine, affordable health. From Lee's legendary freezer-stocked "renewable table" and Wednesday-night supermarket markdown raids, to Irene's single-magnificent-purple-suit philosophy on spending, they cover food, beauty, bills, business, and the one organ that outperforms every overpriced supplement on the market. Plus: Man Flu season is upon us, paramedic-in-training Kaya joins the show, and Lee lights a righteous fire under the wellness industrial complex.
Get ready to raid the freezer, ditch the gym membership, negotiate every bill, and prove that looking after your gut is the cheapest wellness investment you'll ever make.
✨ FREE GIFT: The Renewable Table E-Book
Lee is giving away her signature e-book to help you cook once and eat four times. Learn how a single roast chicken can transform into a stir-fry and then a broth, or how a pot of lentils becomes a soup, a side, and then a fritter. [Download Your FREE Renewable Table E-Book Here]
In this episode we chat about:
🛒 What's Popping: Living Healthy & Wealthy in the Cost of Living Crisis (01:00)
• The Harbour Bridge Confession: Lee's origin story; a broken boom gate, police sirens, a 55-dollar fine, and the moment she decided to make every dollar stretch. Every word of it is true.
• Irene's philosophy in a single garment, spend once on something extraordinary, keep it forever, and never look at fast fashion twice.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
Episode 5: Ultra Processed Foods (UPFs), The Frankenstein in Your Fridge, Supermarket Minefields, and Why Your Nut Milk Might Be a "Gut Detergent"
Tuesday, April 21, 2026 • Duration 01:00:45
Show Notes Episode 5
Wellness Unfiltered Episode 5: Ultra Processed Foods (UPFs), The Frankenstein in Your Fridge, Supermarket Minefields, and Why Your Nut Milk Might Be a "Gut Detergent" 🎙️
How do you spot ultra-processed foods (UPFs) hiding in "healthy" aisles, and why are they linked to leaky gut and inflammation? In this fiery episode, Lee Holmes and [Irene Falcone] rip open the UPF files, decode confusing labels, and share simple swaps to reclaim your pantry. They dive deep into the "Frankenstein" world of industrial foods, from fake meat burgers to sneaky plant milks, exposing emulsifiers like CMC (E466) and carrageenan (E407) that scrub your gut lining raw. Plus grooming tips for men and a listener's take on trusting health advice.
In this episode we chat about:
✨ What’s Popping: The "Low-archy" of Processing (02:04):
Defining "Ultra": Lee breaks down the difference between standard processing (like olive oil or sourdough) and industrial ultra-processing that uses ingredients your grandmother wouldn't recognise. Plus outlines lab-reassembled foods with maltodextrin, soy lecithin (E322), and preservatives that stay fresh for weeks.
Gut Detergents: Why we call emulsifiers "gut detergents" and how they keep your oils and waters from separating, at the cost of your stomach lining.
The Bread, Milk and Protein Bar Trap: The truth about mass-produced white bread, why most plant-based milks are more chemistry than cooking and supermarket traps such as protein bars as candy bars .
🛒 The Hidden Science of the Supermarket (13:26):
The Top 6 E-Numbers to Avoid: Lee shares her "avoid list," including Carrageenan (E407), , and .
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Jane grew up in a very food-focused Italian family, where her Sicilian grandmother shaped the way food, family, and nourishment were understood long before anyone in the household was talking about anti-inflammatory diets, gut health, or longevity science. In Jane’s world, food was never just calories. It was care, connection, culture, and the kind of love that arrives in a saucepan.
She brings that lived experience together with her clinical work in a way that feels both practical and deeply grounded. The result is a philosophy that feels refreshingly sane. Eat well, move your body, share meals, and stop trying to bio hack your way out of being human.
Her journey
Jane shares how her mother’s cancer diagnosis became a turning point in her understanding of health. That experience deepened her appreciation for the fact that wellbeing is built through the everyday things. How we eat, sleep, move, connect, and support the body consistently over time.
It’s a powerful reminder that health is not one perfect supplement stack or one heroic clean-out Monday. It’s the pattern of your life. It’s the stuff you do when nobody is applauding. It’s also the thing your grandmother probably knew instinctively while everyone else was making turmeric lattes and calling it wisdom.
Jane’s perspective is gentle, real, and refreshingly free of extremes. She reminds us that the body responds to consistency, not punishment.
What Mediterranean means
If your version of the Mediterranean diet is basically olives, pasta, and one highly committed bottle of red wine, then this episode broadens the picture beautifully.
Jane explains that the Mediterranean way of eating is built around:
· colourful plant foods
· extra virgin olive oil
· legumes
· whole grains
· seafood
· quality proteins
· herbs
· fermented foods
· seasonal produce.
But it’s also about how you eat. Slower meals, social connection, family, rhythm, and a less frantic relationship with food are all part of the picture.
This is not a restrictive plan. It’s a living pattern. And unlike many wellness trends, it does not require a label printer, a subscription box, or a complete personality transplant.
Why it matters
Jane talks through why the Mediterranean dietary pattern is so strongly associated with better health outcomes. It’s not because of one magical ingredient. It’s because the whole pattern works together.
The benefits discussed include:
· improved digestion
· better blood sugar regulation
· heart health
· brain health
· cognitive support
· healthier ageing
Because this way of eating is rich in fibre, plant diversity, healthy fats, and antioxidant compounds, it also nourishes the gut microbiome, which then has downstream effects on mood, immunity, inflammation, and resilience.
So yes, the humble lentil is doing some very glamorous work behind the scenes.
The longevity piece
One of the strongest themes in the episode is that longevity is not just about nutrients. It’s also about social connection.
Jane talks about how family, friendship, community, and meals shared with other people all play a measurable role in wellbeing. That’s part of what makes the Mediterranean lifestyle so powerful. It supports the body and the nervous system at the same time.
Meals are not rushed. Food is not eaten in isolation while scrolling. There is a rhythm, a social thread, and a sense that life is meant to be lived with other people around the table.
Which is lovely, and also mildly insulting to the modern habit of inhaling lunch between emails.
Olive oil and polyphenols
Jane explains why extra virgin olive oil is one of the standout foods in the Mediterranean pattern. It’s rich in polyphenols, including hydroxytyrosol, which contributes to the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits associated with the diet.
Extra virgin olive oil is mechanically pressed and retains more of its beneficial compounds than refined olive oils. It brings flavour, protection, and a bit of actual joy to food, which, frankly, is more than can be said for many healthy products.
There’s also a useful clarification around cooking. Yes, olive oil can absolutely be used in cooking, especially at moderate temperatures. So no, your family did not accidentally sabotage their health by cooking with olive oil for decades. They may have been onto something.
The food detective bit
There’s a very entertaining stretch of the episode where the conversation turns into a full supermarket investigation.
You’ll hear about:
· how to identify proper Greek yoghurt
· what makes a feta authentic
· why ingredient lists matter
· and how to tell when a product is only pretending to be Mediterranean
The yoghurt rule is beautifully simple. Fewer ingredients usually means better quality. If the label starts sounding like a laboratory internship, it may not be the product you want
And feta? Also a bit of a minefield. The conversation makes it very clear that not all feta is equal, and that the version in the supermarket may be a cheese impersonator with a Mediterranean accent
Herbs and flavour
Jane brings a lovely herbal lens to the discussion, highlighting the medicinal and culinary value of:
· oregano
· rosemary
· thyme
· sage
· fennel
· lemon balm
These herbs are not just decorative little green bits trying to look sophisticated on a plate. They have real digestive, cognitive, hormonal, and calming benefits.
Rosemary is linked with memory and circulation, sage is often used in the context of hormonal support, and fennel and lemon balm are especially lovely for digestion and nervous system support. It’s a reminder that the food culture of the Mediterranean is rich in flavour and function at the same time.
Which is a very nice trick.
A Mediterranean day
· One of the best things about this episode is how practical it becomes.
· Jane outlines a real-life Mediterranean-style day:
· Breakfast might be Greek yoghurt with berries, nuts, and honey.
· Lunch might be lentil soup, minestrone, roasted vegetables, or chickpeas.
· Snacks might include nuts, grapes, or vine leaves.
· Dinner might feature oily fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines, or anchovies, alongside vegetables and legumes.
· The message is simple. This is not a diet that depends on fussy recipes or expensive health-store ingredients. It depends on real food, prepared well, and eaten regularly.
· Soup is also having a very good moment here and should be recognised accordingly.
Womansplain
In our Womansplain segment, we bring a very confused man into the cabin and extract a question that is relevant, useful, and just the right amount of chaotic.
This episode’s Womansplain focuses on midlife digestive changes, particularly reflux, heaviness after meals, and that general sense that your body has suddenly decided to become more opinionated about dinner.
Lee shares practical advice around:
· eating earlier in the evening
· slowing down at meals
· reducing trigger foods where needed
· being mindful of portion size
· not lying down immediately after eating
· paying attention to hydration and alcohol intake
The overall message is beautifully boring in the best possible way. The basics matter, especially when digestion becomes less forgiving with age.
Irene’s rave
In Irene’s rave, Irene gives a big and heartfelt shout-out to the Clean + Conscious Awards, celebrating brands and products that are doing things more thoughtfully.
It’s a lovely reminder that wellness doesn’t just live in our kitchens and clinics. It also shows up in the products we choose, the businesses we support, and the standards we keep asking for as consumers.
This rave captures that very satisfying feeling of seeing more people care about clean, ethical, responsible products without turning everything into greenwashing theatre. Very refreshing. Very welcome
Lee’s nerd notes
Here’s the sciencey bit, the part where we lovingly put the nerd back into the conversation.
The Mediterranean diet and health
PREDIMED trial. Landmark randomized trial showing cardiovascular benefit from a Mediterranean diet pattern.
The Mediterranean diet is one of the most researched dietary patterns in the world, with evidence linking it to improved cardiovascular health, better metabolic outcomes, and support for healthy ageing. Its strength lies not in one ingredient, but in the overall dietary pattern.
A major reason this way of eating works so well is that it naturally increases plant diversity and fibre intake. That helps nourish the gut microbiome, which plays a role in digestion, immune function, inflammation, mood, and brain health.
Extra virgin olive oil contains bioactive compounds, including polyphenols such as hydroxytyrosol, which are associated with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Quality matters here, because refined oils do not offer the same concentration of beneficial compounds.
Legumes are one of the underrated heroes of the Mediterranean table. They offer fibre, plant protein, minerals, and prebiotic benefits that support microbial diversity and satiety.
Herbs like oregano, rosemary, sage, fennel, and lemon balm contribute far more than flavour. They also contain plant compounds that may support cognition, digestion, circulation, and hormonal balance.
Perhaps one of the most overlooked nutrients in the Mediterranean lifestyle is social connection. Research consistently shows that strong social relationships are associated with better health outcomes and longer life. Shared meals, community, and ritual are not extras. They are part of the medicine.
• From IT to Nutritional Medicine: Michele originally studied technology, business, and education, and worked in the IT industry before retraining. After her third child, she returned to study medicine and found her direction in her first nutritional medicine class, an emerging field at the time with relatively little evidence-based research. She recognised the opportunity and stayed.
• The Modern Nutritionist: Michele describes herself as the nutritionist who loves a little coffee, wine, and chocolate. Her business is called A Healthy View for a reason: no extremes, no punishment, no all-or-nothing thinking.
Sugar 101: What’s Actually Going On
• The problem is added sugar, not natural sugar: Natural sugars found in dairy, fruit, and vegetables are not the concern. The issue is the added sugar hidden in foods that look, and are marketed as, healthy.
• The recommended maximum is 6 teaspoons of added sugar per day. Most Australians consume 36 or more. Michele’s analogy: if you took 6 times the recommended dose of any pharmaceutical drug every single day, there would be consequences. Sugar is no different.
• What overconsumption actually does: Sustained excess sugar affects energy, cognitive function, neurological health, libido, mood, fertility, and sleep. These are not abstract risks — they are things Michele sees in clinical practice every week.
Is Sugar Addiction Real?
• Clinically, it acts like one. It is not classified as an addiction in the same way drugs are, but it produces a dopamine feedback loop that drives repeated behaviour. The mechanism is hormonal, not just psychological.
• The good news: the palate can be reset. Small, consistent changes, without punishment or deprivation, are enough to shift the feedback loop over time. As the body begins to regulate more effectively, sleep improves, energy stabilises, mood lifts, and the improvements become more compelling than the sugar itself
The Blood Sugar Roller Coaster: A Real Life Example
• The morning: A chai latte from a cafe (8 to 10 teaspoons of added sugar) and a banana muffin (another 8 to 10 teaspoons). Two things that look healthy, with 15 to 20 teaspoons of sugar already on board before 9am.
• The crash: Ninety minutes later: fatigue, brain fog, irritability. Not low iron. Not early menopause. A blood sugar crash. The higher the spike, the harder the fall. At the bottom of that fall is where hunger, mood dysfunction, and energy collapse live.
• The cycle: The response to the crash is more coffee or more sugar, which starts the cycle again. By 3pm, after a salad lunch with no fat, protein, or smart carbs, the body is running on empty and reaching for anything it can find.
• Every spike drives inflammation. And chronic inflammation is the underlying pathology in virtually every major disease — cardiovascular disease, diabetes, insulin resistance, Alzheimer’s, autoimmune conditions, depression, and more.
The Gut-Brain Connection
• Research from Deakin University’s Food and Mood Centre is producing world-class randomised controlled trials on food and mental health. The field is still in early stages, but the direction is clear.
• Real whole foods support the gut microbiome, which in turn supports serotonin production, immune function, and cognitive performance. Fibre, diversity of plants, and the absence of ultra-processed ingredients are the primary levers.
• The SMILES Trial: A landmark randomised controlled trial studying the effect of a real whole food diet on depression and anxiety. All foods in the study came from Coles and Woolworths. The results showed greater improvement in mood disorders than antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication alone. This is not a supplement. It is just eating real food.
Sugar by Any Other Name
• Sugar has at least 25 different names on ingredient labels, including agave, rice malt, brown rice syrup, evaporated cane juice, barley malt, dextrose, and fruit concentrate. If it sounds like a yoga retreat in Byron Bay, it is still metabolically sugar.
• The label detective hack: Find the sugar number on any nutrition panel. Divide by four. That is approximately how many teaspoons of sugar the product contains. A can of Coca-Cola: 40 grams, 10 teaspoons. A ginger beer: 14 teaspoons. A commercial healthy smoothie: often 21 teaspoons of added sugar from concentrated fruit syrups.
• If sugar appears in the first five ingredients, question the product. The placement on the label tells you how much of it is in there.
Better Sweeteners, Worse Sweeteners
• Natural sweeteners Michele supports: coconut sugar (low GI, contains inulin as a prebiotic), honey, dates, pure maple syrup (for its polyphenols and micronutrients). These come with context; fibre, nutrients, and a lower glycaemic impact than refined sugars.
• Sugar alcohols (anything ending in ‘-ol’): Mannitol, sorbitol, erythritol, and others are used in sugar-free products to allow the “no sugar” claim. For people with sensitive digestion, these cause significant bloating, gas, and diarrhoea. Michele sees this regularly in school-age girls consuming sugar-free energy drinks. Even for people without obvious sensitivity, she recommends avoiding them.
• Stevia and monk fruit: Michele’s preferred alternatives for those wanting sweetness without added sugar. Both have a reasonable safety profile and do not disrupt blood sugar.
• Real Coke over Diet Coke: Michele and Lee are both on record: if it comes to a choice, the artificial sweeteners in diet drinks are more concerning than the sugar in the original. Aspartame has emerging research linking it to neurological effects. Neither endorses soft drink, but the message is to be more afraid of the synthetic substitutes than the sugar itself.
What to Eat for Sustained Energy
• Every meal should answer three questions: Where is the fat? Where is the protein? Where is the smart carb? This combination blunts blood sugar spikes, supports satiety, and keeps energy stable across the day. Michele’s term: no naked carbs.
• Breakfast: Eggs with avocado and a good piece of bread or leftover roasted vegetables from dinner. Fat, protein, and smart carb in one bowl. Not a sugary muffin and a cafe chai.
• Lunch: Ideally leftovers from the night before, with legumes or brown rice added for smart carb content. Simple, affordable, and effective.
• Hydration first: Most people confuse hunger for thirst. Starting the day with water and staying hydrated throughout is a non-negotiable foundation for energy. Without it, everything else is harder.
• Fast food navigation: Guzman y Gomez and Fishbowl are workable if you build your bowl with protein, fat, and smart carbs. Skip the chips from the fryer; have homemade chips in olive oil at home if you want them.
Where to Find Michele
• Michele’s clinical practice focuses on personalised nutritional medicine, including work with schools, corporate clients, and elite athletes.
• Recommended peanut butter brands: Fix and Mayver’s (both available at major supermarkets). Look for products with one ingredient: peanuts.
🧠 Womansplain: Justin Finally Learns to Breathe
• The Question: Justin has been shallow breathing through clenched teeth for, by his own estimate, most of his life. He knows from yoga that belly breathing is the goal. He does not always remember to do it. He wants practical instructions. Numbered, if possible.
• Shallow chest breathing: Keeps the body in a low-grade stress state. The nervous system reads it as a signal that something is wrong, even when nothing is. The result is a constant, low-level sense of depletion that most people have simply accepted as normal.
• Nasal breathing as default: The nose filters, warms, and humidifies air, and supports nitric oxide delivery. Mouth breathing is technically for emergencies, singing, or loud complaints. Nasal breathing is the resting standard. A larger nose, Justin was informed, offers superior filtration and is, in Lee’s words, a premium air processing unit.
• Diaphragmatic (belly) breathing: The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle below the lungs. When it contracts downward, the lungs expand and the abdomen rises. The test: one hand on the chest, one on the belly. The belly rises on the inhale, the chest barely moves. If the shoulders are going up, the technique is wrong.
• Box breathing: Inhale for four counts, hold for four, exhale for four, hold for four. Repeat. Used by military personnel before high-pressure situations. Activates a manual override on the stress response within about a minute.
• The physiological sigh: A double inhale through the nose followed by a long, slow exhale. One of the fastest ways to offload excess carbon dioxide and reset the nervous system. The exhale being longer than the inhale is what activates the parasympathetic, rest-and-digest response. Sighing, it turns out, is clinically validated.
• Synchronised breathing in rugby league: Justin noticed that modern rugby league teams gather in a circle and breathe together after scoring. Lee confirmed this is deliberate and evidence-based. Synchronised breathing, particularly with a shared extended exhale, pulls multiple nervous systems out of sympathetic overdrive simultaneously. Research suggests it also builds cohesion and trust between people. The shared exhale is, literally, getting on the same wavelength.
Justin’s homework:
• Close the mouth. Nasal breathing only, on default.
• Hand on belly at the desk. Three deep belly breaths every time you sit down.
• When the jaw clench arrives, box breathe. Four in, four hold, four out, four hold.
🚨 Lee’s Rant: Fillers That Fool Us
• The rant has a title. It is called Fillers That Fool Us. Lee is not calm about this.
• Maltodextrin: A highly processed starch made in a lab. It spikes blood glucose faster than many foods people feel guilty about eating. It also acts as a feeding ground for the wrong gut bacteria, contributing to dysbiosis. Some products carry low-FODMAP certification while containing maltodextrin as an ingredient, a situation Lee considers a significant consumer betrayal. Maltodextrin is added for one reason: it is cheap, it bulks products up, and it makes expensive ingredients go further. It was not added by a nutritionist. It was added by someone looking at a spreadsheet.
• Citric acid (the manufactured version): There are two types. Natural citric acid exists in lemons and other citrus fruits. Manufactured citric acid, found in almost all processed foods and many supplements is produced by fermenting black mould on corn sugar. For people with gut inflammation, this is the last thing they should be consuming dressed up as something citrusy. Symptoms of sensitivity include headaches, itching, watery eyes, sinus congestion, and digestive upset. It is in protein bars, bliss balls, potato chips, sugar-free lollies, and the majority of supplements on the market.
• These are boardroom ingredients, not wellness ingredients. They were not included to improve the product for the consumer. They were included to reduce costs, extend shelf life, prevent clumping, and improve the visual presentation of the product. The irony is that consumers have become so conditioned to perfectly flowing, non-clumping supplements that they file complaints when they encounter a pure product without anti-caking agents.
• Lee’s call to action: Audit your pantry this week. Flip over the packs. Find the products containing maltodextrin or citric acid. Tag Lee on Instagram at @leesupercharged with what you find.
• Brands that don’t use them: Lee’s Supercharged Your Gut range contains neither. Eden Health Foods also produces a vitamin C powder without maltodextrin which does clump, because purity behaves differently than processed fillers, and that is entirely the point.
• The 6-teaspoon guideline comes from the World Health Organisation and is aligned with recommendations from leading researchers in cognitive, metabolic, and cardiovascular medicine. The average Australian consumes six times this amount daily.
• Glycaemic response: When blood glucose rises rapidly, the body releases insulin to bring it back down. The speed and height of the spike determines the severity of the corresponding drop. Chronic spiking keeps inflammation elevated, which is a known driver of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, Alzheimer’s, autoimmune conditions, and depression.
• Insulin resistance develops when cells become less responsive to insulin due to sustained overexposure. This makes fat loss harder and increases the risk of type 2 diabetes over time.
• Natural sugars in fruit, dairy, and vegetables behave differently from added sugars. They come packaged with fibre, water, and micronutrients that slow absorption and blunt the glycaemic response. The 6-teaspoon limit applies to added sugars only.
Dopamine, Habit Loops, and Palate Reset
• Sugar activates the brain’s dopamine reward pathway, which is the same system involved in habitual behaviour patterns. This is why consumption can feel compulsive and why restriction without substitution tends to fail. The more effective intervention is crowding in whole foods until the preference shifts.
• Palate adaptation is real and measurable. As added sugar intake decreases over several weeks, perceived sweetness from natural foods increases and cravings for highly sweetened products tend to reduce.
Gut-Brain Axis and Mood
• The gut-brain axis refers to the bidirectional communication network between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system, operating via the vagus nerve, the enteric nervous system, and the immune system.
• Approximately 90% of the body’s serotonin is produced in the gut. Disruption to the gut microbiome through poor diet, ultra-processed food, or inflammation has a measurable downstream effect on mood, cognition, and stress response.
• The SMILES Trial — Food and Mood Centre, Deakin University (Supporting the Modification of lifestyle in Lowered Emotional States) was a 12-week randomised controlled trial examining the effect of a Mediterranean-style whole food diet on major depression. Participants eating from the intervention diet — foods available at standard Australian supermarkets — showed significantly greater reduction in depressive symptoms than the social support control group.
Sugar Alcohols and Sweetener Considerations
• Sugar alcohols (-ol endings: sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, erythritol) are used in sugar-free products as a labelling loophole, they technically allow a “no sugar” claim. For people with sensitive digestion or IBS, these compounds cause osmotic diarrhoea and bloating. They are FODMAPs for a reason.
• Erythritol: A 2023 Cleveland Clinic study found an association between high erythritol blood levels and increased cardiovascular risk. A subsequent small trial found that 30 grams of erythritol — roughly the amount in a tub of keto ice cream — temporarily increased platelet aggregation for several days. The research is not conclusive, but Michele’s clinical approach is to apply a precautionary principle and recommend stevia and monk fruit instead.
• Aspartame: Classified in 2023 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B). The evidence is not definitive, but given the availability of alternatives, both Lee and Michele recommend avoiding it.
Maltodextrin and Manufactured Citric Acid
• Maltodextrin is a highly processed polysaccharide derived from starch (corn, wheat, potato, or tapioca). It has a glycaemic index higher than table sugar. It also feeds gram-negative bacteria and can contribute to dysbiosis in susceptible individuals. It is used as a bulking agent, anti-caking agent, and texture modifier.
• Manufactured citric acid is produced through Aspergillus niger fermentation on glucose substrates, typically corn syrup. It is chemically distinct from naturally occurring citric acid in lemon or lime juice and has been reported to cause inflammatory and allergic responses in sensitive individuals, including headaches, skin irritation, joint pain, and digestive upset.
• Neither ingredient was designed with the consumer’s health in mind. Both serve manufacturer interests: reduced cost, extended shelf life, improved texture, and enhanced product appearance.
Breathing: The Physiology
• Shallow chest breathing activates the sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight response), maintaining low-grade cortisol and adrenaline elevation. Over time, this contributes to fatigue, anxiety, poor sleep, and immune suppression.
• Nasal breathing supports nitric oxide production in the paranasal sinuses. Nitric oxide is a vasodilator with antimicrobial properties. It improves oxygen delivery and reduces airway resistance.
• Diaphragmatic breathing activates the vagus nerve and promotes parasympathetic tone. It is the breath pattern associated with rest, digestion, and recovery.
• Box breathing (4-4-4-4) is used in military and emergency services training for rapid cortisol reduction. Research supports its effectiveness in reducing subjective stress within 1 to 5 minutes of consistent practice.
• The physiological sigh (double nasal inhale followed by extended exhale) is one of the most rapid mechanisms for offloading carbon dioxide. Dr Jack Feldman have published research identifying it as the most effective acute breath pattern for nervous system regulation. The long exhale is the key: it is what activates parasympathetic response.
• Synchronised breathing between groups has been shown in research to increase interpersonal trust, social cohesion, and collective attentional focus. This is why team breath practices before athletic competition have measurable performance and cohesion benefits beyond the physiological effects of the breath itself.
• The Five-Star Review: Pia gives the show five stars and calls Lee and Irene a 'dynamic duo' who unravel the mixed messaging in wellness media while keeping things interesting, fun and educational. Lee jumps out of her pants. They have two reviews now. They want more.
Why Conventional Cleaning Products Are the First Thing to Swap
• The Toxin Load Argument: Irene makes a case that if you had to choose just one area of your life to detox, cleaning products would be it. You eat off the surfaces you clean. You breathe the fabrics you wash. Your children crawl on the floor you've just mopped. The synthetic fragrances, antibacterial agents, and endocrine disruptors don't disappear after cleaning, they stay on every surface in the home.
• Indoor Air Quality: Studies have suggested that indoor air quality with certain conventional cleaning products can be as toxic as smoking in your home. Ventilation matters. The irony of making your house look beautiful while compromising the air in it is not lost on either of them.
• Nicole Bijlsma, Building Biologist: Irene interviewed building biologist Nicole on her podcast over a decade ago. Two things have stayed with her: the number one way to stop toxins entering your house is to take your shoes off at the door (you're tracking glyphosate from footpaths inside), and the cleaning products you use on your surfaces are one of the biggest contributors to indoor toxic load. Nicole later created the cleaning range Abode
What to Actually Look For in a Natural Cleaning Product
• Cleaning Labels Are Less Regulated Than Cosmetics: Irene notes that regulatory standards for cleaning product labelling appear to be looser than for cosmetics. Brands may not be required to disclose whether fragrance is synthetic or natural. Brand trust matters more here than ingredient scanning.
• The Basics to Avoid: Sulphates, parabens, and artificial fragrances are the starting point. But Irene goes further her banned ingredient list at Clean Nectarine extends to things like phenoxyethanol, which many other 'natural' stores still stock.
• Plant and Mineral-Based: A useful filter, but not always sufficient on its own. Not all natural formulations perform well on every surface. Testing and brand reputation still matter.
The Products Worth Trusting
• Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap: Irene's starting recommendation for anyone transitioning away from conventional products or DIY lemon-and-vinegar. One product, multiple surfaces, naturally fragranced with essential oils. Use it on dishes, floors, even your dog. Available in one-litre bottles. A few drops mixed with water covers most of the home.
• Ecostore: Available at Woolworths and Coles. Irene used to stock it in her first business. A solid natural range at accessible price points.
• Abode: Irene considers this the benchmark for natural cleaning products in Australia. Fragrance-free options available. Was Irene's biggest seller to the Home and Away wardrobe department, whose cast members with eczema couldn't tolerate conventional detergents. Affordable. Does everything from laundry to dishes to soakers.
• Koala Eco: Australian-made, certified toxin-free, multiple independent certifications. Naturally fragranced with Australian botanicals including lavender, eucalyptus, and lemon myrtle, all of which have antimicrobial properties. The packaging is beautiful. Irene loves it in the bathroom. Unlike Abode, it actually looks good sitting on a shelf.
The Priority Order for Swapping Products
• First: Dish Soap. You're eating off what you wash with it. Make the swap here first.
• Second: Laundry Detergent. You're breathing it all day through your fabrics.
• Third: Dishwasher Tablets. Again, eating off those dishes.
Room by Room: Lee's Cleaning Order
• The Fridge: Every shelf, every wall, every compartment. Natural all-purpose cleaner for the interior. Half a lemon to absorb odours naturally (or dry coffee grounds, or fresh orange peel, left overnight in a small bowl). Cotton buds or a toothbrush for the door seal folds. Bicarb in the dishwasher, not the fridge. Dry everything properly after.
• Windows: White vinegar and water in a spray bottle, buff dry with a lint-free cotton cloth. No streaks, no residue. The newspaper-and-vinegar hack their parents used no longer works, modern newspaper ink is different and can leave residue. The same vinegar and water bottle works on benches, stovetops, and splashbacks.
• Bathroom Grout: Bicarb sprinkled directly onto grout, white vinegar sprayed over the top, scrub gently with an old toothbrush, rinse off. The fizzing is the acid and alkaline reacting, it lifts the grime without requiring force. Be gentle with grout.
• Floors: Steam mop. No soap required, just water. Lee uses hers regularly on hard floors. For walls, she prefers by hand.
• The Washing Machine: One cup of bicarb soda into the drum plus a splash of white vinegar, run a hot cycle, once a month. Dissolves build-up, eliminates the damp smell that transfers to clothes. Also clean the front door seal and the glass door panel, the build-up in the folds is, in Lee's words, staggering.
• Dusting: Damp cloth, not a feather duster. Dry dusting just moves particles back into the air where they can remain airborne for days. Work top to bottom. Wash cleaning cloths at over 60 degrees to kill dust mites.
• Cutting Boards: Not plastic (microplastics). Wood or glass. Lee uses wood, cleans with Dr. Bronner's and water. For anything requiring proper antibacterial treatment, a plate is a practical alternative. A HEPA filter vacuum handles mould on furniture and other soft surfaces.
Dust Mites: What They Are and Why They Matter
• What They Are: Microscopic insect-like pests that live in house dust. Invisible to the naked eye.
• What They Feed On: Dead skin cells.
• Symptoms: Itching, allergies, and asthma. Particularly significant for people with respiratory conditions living in dusty environments.
• Their Preferred Environment: Humidity between 70–80 percent.
• How to Manage: Damp microfibre cloths for dusting, HEPA filter vacuum, change bedsheets regularly, wash fabrics at over 60 degrees.
The Psychology of Cleaning
• Cortisol and Control: The act of cleaning actively reduces cortisol and creates a sense of control over your environment. Particularly useful when things feel chaotic.
• Behavioural Activation: A concept from psychology. Doing something purposeful and completing it lifts mood. Cleaning is one of the easiest forms of behavioural activation, you can see the before, the after, and the result is immediate and visible. Even one drawer or one bench will shift your mental state.
• Irene's Wardrobe Moment: Irene spent the previous evening colour-coordinating her wardrobe after letting it build up for months. She arrived at the recording noticeably calmer. She has decided this was not a coincidence.
• Lee's Rule: Clean before you go on a trip so you come home to a clean house. Then clean again when you get back. A clean ordered space tells your brain it is safe to relax.
🧠 Womansplain: Justin and the Chiropractor Question
• The Question: Justin cannot take chiropractors seriously. It sounds, he says, like someone monetised their party trick. Cracking your back or your fingers at a party and then expecting a framed certificate for your efforts. He is open to being wrong.
• The Pop Has a Name: It is called cavitation. The sound comes from the synovial fluid inside your joints, the lubricating fluid that contains dissolved gases including oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide. When the joint moves quickly through its range of motion, a rapid pressure change causes a gas bubble to form and release. That is the pop. An MRI study suggests it is the bubble forming, not collapsing, that creates the sound. Nothing is breaking. Nothing is cracking. It is a gas bubble in fluid.
• The Qualifications Are Real: In Australia, chiropractors are registered with AHPRA, the same national body that registers GPs, nurses, and physiotherapists. They complete a five-year university degree. This is not a weekend course with a folding table.
• The Evidence for Back Pain Is Solid: Research strongly supports spinal manipulation for musculoskeletal conditions, particularly lower back pain and neck pain. In 2022, the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare released a low back pain clinical care standard that formally recognises chiropractors as relevant practitioners alongside GPs and physiotherapists.
• The Bigger Claims: Treating asthma, ear infections, immune dysfunction, or colic through spinal adjustment is a different matter. Evidence-based chiropractors focus on musculoskeletal conditions. The profession has a spectrum, and the claims at the fringes are not endorsed by any serious health body.
• Justin's Position at End of Segment: He has been moved slightly. He will not be going himself. He does get a pun in ('I'm not going to give it a crack'). The standards remain what they are.
🎤 On Speaker: Tiki on Weight That Won't Shift
• The Guest: Tiki. Her superpower, in her own words, is turning chaos into calm. She describes herself as a doer who doesn't get stuck in drama. She organises other people's lives comprehensively and is the last person to look after herself. She is also a Mahjong enthusiast. Justin has to have Mahjong explained to him.
• The Question: Tiki is eating well, staying active through incidental movement (dog walking, shopping, cleaning, cooking), and not seeing any change in her body. What does she look at first?
Lee's Assessment
• Sleep Is the First Place to Look: Tiki admits her sleep has always been disrupted, she gets the hours in bed, but not deep restorative sleep. Phone beside the bed, waking in the night, ruminating, drifting off again. She has accepted this as normal for a busy life. Lee does not want her to accept it as normal.
• What Poor Sleep Actually Does: Disrupted sleep increases hunger hormones and reduces leptin (which signals fullness), meaning you can be hungrier and less satisfied from the exact same meals. It also affects insulin sensitivity and energy levels, influencing how the body uses fuel. Poor sleep can quietly make fat loss significantly harder, not because of willpower, but because of physiology.
• Stress and Cortisol: Tiki holds everything together for everyone else and is the last person to receive that support in return. Chronic, unrelieved stress is associated with elevated cortisol and, over time, increased abdominal fat storage. This is particularly common in midlife and is not about willpower, it is about what the body is adapting to.
• Incidental Exercise Has Value: Lee doesn't dismiss Tiki's daily movement. Dog walking, shopping, housework, and general activity provide a solid base for mobility and cardiovascular health. The gap is structured strength training, a few weight or bodyweight sessions a week to build muscle and support metabolism.
• Protein: Around 100 grams per day is a useful target for active women in midlife, roughly 30 grams per meal. Most people underestimate how far short they fall. Three days of tracking is enough to get an accurate picture. Protein supports fullness, muscle maintenance, and efficient energy use.
Lee's Three Things for Tiki to Focus on This Week
• 1. Treat Sleep as Non-Negotiable. Consistent timing, a sleep routine, and yes, the phone in another room or at least off the bedside table.
• 2. Add Some Structure to Movement. Keep the dog walks and incidental activity as the base. Add two or three strength-based or bodyweight sessions to support recovery and metabolism.
• 3. Track Protein for Three Days. Not forever. Just long enough to see the gap between what you think you're eating and what you're actually eating. Most people are surprised.
✨ Rave: Irene and the Customers Who Found Their Way Back
• The Rave: Irene cannot believe her customers. After selling her first business, Nourished Life, to BWX, and eventually go into liquidation, Irene started again with Clean Nectarine. A completely new business, a new URL, years later. And her original customers came back. The same people who had been burned by BWX. The ones who had stopped receiving their orders, whose trust had been broken by a company Irene no longer ran. They found her again.
• Why She Thinks They Came Back: Not, Irene is quick to clarify, purely because they love her. She thinks they came back because nobody else is doing what she does. They're not looking for fake natural. They don't want to scan every ingredient at the health food store and wonder which ones have slipped through. They want one destination they can trust completely. That's what she built. That's why they're back.
• Fifteen Years of the Same Names: Irene recognises the names. Customers who bought from her out of her garage in 2011 and 2012 are now ordering again through Clean Nectarine. People ordering Lee's Love Your Gut powder through Irene's store, just like they did in 2013.
• The Lesson: Great products and genuine trust are longer than any business disruption. People remember who fought for them.
• VOCs in Cleaning Products: Many conventional cleaning products emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including formaldehyde, benzene, and acetaldehyde. Indoor VOC concentrations can reach levels significantly higher than outdoors. Studies have likened chronic exposure from cleaning products to the equivalent respiratory impact of smoking in the home.
• Endocrine Disruptors in Common Cleaners: Triclosan (antibacterial agent), synthetic musks, phthalates (used to fix fragrance), and nonylphenol ethoxylates (surfactants) are all classified as potential or confirmed endocrine disruptors. They do not dissipate after use — residue remains on cleaned surfaces and accumulates in indoor dust.
• Surface Absorption and Dermal Exposure: Cleaning product residue on food-contact surfaces (bench tops, dishes, cutting boards) can transfer to food and be ingested. Residue on floors is a particular concern for infants and young children who spend time on the floor. Dermal absorption through hand contact with recently cleaned surfaces is also a documented exposure route.
• Essential Oils as Functional Antimicrobials: Lavender, eucalyptus, lemon myrtle, and tea tree essential oils have documented antimicrobial, antifungal, and antiviral activity. These properties support their use as functional rather than merely cosmetic fragrance ingredients in cleaning products.
• HEPA Filtration: High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters are mechanical air filters capable of trapping 99.97% of particles 0.3 microns or larger. In vacuum cleaners, HEPA filtration captures mould spores, dust mites, pet dander, and fine particulate matter that standard filters allow back into the air. Recommended for anyone with allergies, asthma, or visible mould.
Dust Mites: Clinical Context
• Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and D. farinae: The two most common household dust mite species. Microscopic arachnids, not insects. They do not bite. Allergic reactions are triggered by proteins in their excrement and shed body parts, not the mites themselves.
• Allergen Exposure and Asthma: House dust mite allergy is one of the most common triggers for allergic asthma and rhinitis globally. The Der p 1 and Der p 2 proteins are major allergens. Reducing dust mite load through regular washing of bedding at above 60 degrees Celsius, HEPA vacuuming, and low humidity environments (below 50%) is evidence-based for symptom management.
Chiropractic: What the Evidence Actually Shows
• Cavitation: The technical term for the sound produced during spinal or joint manipulation. Caused by the formation of a gas bubble in the synovial fluid within the joint capsule due to rapid pressure change. A 2015 MRI study (Kawchuk et al.) confirmed it is bubble formation, not collapse, that produces the audible event. The sound is not an indicator of therapeutic effect and is irrelevant to clinical outcome.
• Musculoskeletal Evidence Base: Multiple systematic reviews and meta-analyses support spinal manipulation for acute and chronic lower back pain, neck pain, and some types of headache. The evidence is most robust for low back pain. The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare's 2022 Low Back Pain Clinical Care Standard formally includes chiropractic as part of recommended care.
• AHPRA Registration: Chiropractors are registered health practitioners in Australia under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law. The Chiropractic Board of Australia, under AHPRA, sets standards of practice, continuing education, and professional conduct requirements consistent with other registered health professions.
• The Subluxation Model: Traditional chiropractic is based on the concept of vertebral subluxations (spinal misalignments) affecting nerve function and systemic health. The evidence base for systemic health claims beyond musculoskeletal conditions, including claims related to immune function, ear infections, or organ disease, is not supported by current research. Evidence-based chiropractors do not make these claims.
Sleep, Appetite Hormones, and Weight
• Ghrelin and Leptin Disruption: Sleep deprivation is consistently associated with increased ghrelin (appetite-stimulating hormone) and decreased leptin (satiety hormone). This produces a state of increased hunger and reduced satisfaction from food, independent of caloric intake.
• Insulin Sensitivity: Even partial sleep restriction (6 hours versus 8 hours) is associated with measurable reductions in insulin sensitivity, impairing the body's ability to use glucose efficiently and increasing fat storage tendency.
• Cortisol and Abdominal Fat: Chronic stress elevates cortisol. Sustained cortisol elevation promotes visceral (abdominal) fat storage, increases appetite (particularly for energy-dense foods), and reduces the effectiveness of fat loss strategies. This is a physiological response, not a willpower deficit.
• Protein Targets for Midlife Women: Research supports higher protein intake in women over 40 to preserve lean muscle mass, support metabolic rate, and improve satiety. A target of approximately 1.2–1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight per day is commonly cited in the literature. For a 65kg woman this equates to roughly 80–105 grams per day, consistent with Lee's recommendation of around 100 grams. Approximately 25–30 grams per meal maximises muscle protein synthesis.
• Incidental Activity (NEAT): Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) refers to the energy expended in all physical activity outside of formal exercise: walking, cleaning, cooking, shopping, fidgeting. NEAT can vary by up to 2000 calories per day between individuals and is a significant contributor to total energy expenditure. Tiki's active daily life represents meaningful NEAT and should not be discounted.
• Behavioural Activation: A therapeutic technique from cognitive behavioural therapy. The principle is that engaging in purposeful, completable activities produces a mood-lifting effect through a sense of achievement and efficacy. Cleaning is a particularly accessible form of behavioural activation because it has a visible, immediate, measurable outcome.
• The Dao (Taoism): An ancient philosophy for moving through life more synergistically with people and the world. Mason describes it as 'real deep personal development, frameworks so life happens a little more smoothly.'
• Longevity ≠ Immortality: The goal isn't to live forever. The goal is to arrive at elderhood with enough vitality that you've done your work, tackled new projects, contributed to community, and refined yourself, without projecting unprocessed baggage onto everyone around you.
• The Real Question: As Mason puts it: Does the world really need David Asbury forever? He only cares that this podcast beats his on the Australian charts. It will, after this.
The Three Treasures: Jing, Chi & Shen
• Jing (Foundational Essence): Your superannuation of vitality. Bones, sex drive, the ability to age without degenerating early. Think of it as the ship. If you're burning the candle at both ends, you're leaking Jing.
• Chi (Vitality): The crew that runs the ship. Your capacity to integrate life, mobilise yourself, animate the machine of your body. Diet, breathwork, doing work that generates charge.
• Shen (Spirit/Mind): The cargo. The culmination of your personality, your mind, the refined diamond of who you are. The goal: protect it through the journey so your wisdom is fully intact in old age.
• Cultivating vs Leaking: You are always doing one or the other. Any practice, herb, work, or lifestyle choice either cultivates your treasures or leaks them. This is the core Taoist health question.
SuperFeast A Purpose-Driven Organisation
• Built from Six Moments: Mason mapped six 'lightning strike' moments across his life that gave birth to SuperFeast, not for public branding, but as an internal compass. Every product, strategy, and company virtue derives from them objectively.
• The Purpose Statement: To dramatically lower disease and degeneration, creating superhumans who may enter into the realms of elderhood.
• The Business-Dao Wrestling Match: Mason openly wrestles with the tension between commercial and contemplative. His resolution: build the organisation like an ecosystem. Integrate all tiers, animism, hierarchy, flat family structure before graduating to an autonomous, purpose-driven one.
• Getting Back in the CEO Chair: Mason is currently back at the helm, reviewing marketing strategy to realign it with SuperFeast's founding essence.
The Superior Herbs: A 2,000-Year-Old Framework
• The Shen Nong Ben Xiao Jing: The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica one of the founding texts of Chinese medicine. It identified a handful of superior herbs; Reishi, Ginseng, Rehmannia, Goji, Schizandra, Eucommia Bark, Astragalus and specified not just which herbs, but exactly which microclimate conditions were required for them to carry their therapeutic treasure.
• The Herbs and What They Do: These aren't symptom-treatment herbs. They're taken over a long period to protect the treasure of the body and prevent degeneration. The earlier you start, the more constitutional shifting you do.
• Why They Work: These herbs are adaptogenic, they intelligently restore regulation in the body. Think of them as 'little friends' that come in and help the body find its own balance, rather than forcing a pharmacological outcome.
Irene's Personal Mushroom Story
• Nine or so years ago, Irene had Mason on her first podcast. It was her most downloaded episode. She started taking Jing and Tremella. The difference in how she felt and looked was, in her words, 'unexplainable.' She has since lost her way (largely due to selling a business, stress, and the natural chaos of life) and is now deeply, publicly committed to starting again.
• Tremella and Skin: Irene describes eating it 'by the tablespoon' and never looking so good. She is emphatic: this was not placebo. It shone from the inside out.
• The Plateau Question: When you stop feeling a big effect, that's not a sign the herb has stopped working. It may mean you've done the constitutional shifting it was bridging. Next move: dose up, or pivot to another formula for a different season.
• The Wrong Time to Stop: The most stressful, depleting moments of your life are precisely when you should be ramping up, not stopping. Mason's rule: when you're hammering your body, that's when these allies matter most.
Lion's Mane: The Neuroscience Catches Up
• Mason's Mother's Stroke Recovery: Mason used Lion's Mane during his mother's stroke recovery at a time when it was considered extremely fringe. She has now made what some doctors call a miraculous and Mason calls a practical recovery.
• The Research Has Arrived: Lion's Mane is now being studied as a primary neuroprotective agent. The science has caught up with what Daoist herbalists knew centuries ago.
• Why It Exploded: The fear of neurodegeneration is visceral. Watching a loved one lose their mind is one of the great fears of our time. Whoever was 'doing the branding' for Lion's Mane in the Taoist immortal realms, Mason says, absolutely nailed it.
• The 2-Minute Noodle Problem: Mason's term for venture capitalist brands that spot a market gap and add a token amount of Lion's Mane extract to a gummy or chocolate. He is visibly pained. Particularly when people with serious diagnoses, MS, immune deficiencies, reach for the quick, cheap version because they don't have time to research.
How to Know You're Getting the Real Thing
• Look for Fruiting Body: Not mycelium grown on grain. The fruiting body is what has the therapeutic compounds. Check the label.
• Look for Extract: You want the mushroom to have been extracted (as in a traditional tea or tincture process), not just whole-ground dried mushroom. If the label shows 'herb equivalency', it may just be whole ground product.
• Wood-Grown: Mushrooms should be grown on wood, not grain substrate. Organic certification is a reasonable starting filter, but SuperFeast operates beyond organic, testing for way more pesticides and heavy metals than required, to standards exceeding US and Australian organic certifications.
• Trust Through Time: Mason has been doing this since 2011, shows up everywhere, and has never had to change a product due to a quality or integrity issue. He started at markets where mothers would return after three months and tell him directly if something didn't work. That accountability never left.
• TGA Listed: SuperFeast is now TGA-listed as a registered medicine in Australia, which Mason notes is an almost impossibly expensive and opaque process for a small company, but gives independent credibility to the therapeutic claims.
• The Supply Chain: SuperFeast's herbs and mushrooms come from small, obscure farms in remote mountain regions, far from any industrial zone. Mason visits them. They are not mass production. Wild harvesting is used when responsible; when an herb approaches unsustainable harvesting levels, they move to growing in wild-simulating conditions five years ahead of when it becomes a problem.
Psychedelics vs Functional Mushrooms
• The Line: Clear to most people now. Functional/tonic mushrooms are non-psychedelic, legal, accessible, and taken for cultivation and long-term vitality. Psychedelic mushrooms are a separate category.
• Where They Overlap: Mason is a sponsor of MIND Medicine Australia, which runs psychedelic-assisted therapy training. SuperFeast supplies mushrooms to graduates specifically for integration, using Lion's Mane, Cordyceps, Chaga and Reishi to help the body and nervous system process and recover from deep psychedelic or shamanic work.
• Jing for the Deep Dive: If you don't have the foundational Jing energy to undergo a deep dive, spiritual, psychedelic, or otherwise, Mason recommends getting on Jing herbs first to build the reserves you need to do that work without depleting yourself.
The Underground & Emerging Mushrooms of 2026
• Tiger Milk Mushroom: Not widely known outside Singapore, where most of the research has been conducted. Offers an interesting new pathway to immunity. Worth watching.
• Cordyceps Gunnii (Australian Native): A native Australian cordyceps found in Tasmania and Victoria. Grows on the snow moth caterpillar and turns it inside out into a mushroom. Being wild-harvested by small Australian mycologists and appearing at specialist markets. Mason encourages supporting these producers.
• Ganoderma Applanatum (Artist's Conch): Gaining serious attention in oncology research. Endemic in both Australia and China. Mason expects it to become a significant area of therapeutic focus.
• Australian Adaptogens: Mason is enthusiastic about the growing attention to native Australian varieties, noting that while Australian indigenous medicine was not documented and systematised in the same way as Chinese medicine, the knowledge exists and deserves respect and support.
Personalised Recommendations from Mason
• For Everyone Starting Out: Begin with Jing to see whether you have a gap and leakage in that kidney-water foundational system. Take it for 2–3 months, especially going into winter.
• For Irene (and women who have 'graduated' from Jing): I AM Gaia, SuperFeast's women's regulatory blend. Blood-building, blood-invigorating, uterine toning, and relevant across the whole female lifecycle from teen to post-menopause.
• For Everyone (daily baseline): Mason's Mushrooms, eight mushrooms in one formula. Add to coffee, chai, smoothies, or soups. Heat-stable. Consistent daily intake is what matters. Do it for 2–3 months going into winter and watch what happens to immunity.
• Tremella as Bonus: The 'dessert' mushroom. Yin-nourishing, lung and stomach tonic. Acts like hyaluronic acid, carries 500 times its molecular weight in hydration and delivers it through the lung to the skin. Radiance from the inside out. Irene will be eating it by the tablespoon again.
• Schizandra Berry (Ancient Beauty Elixir): The five-flavour fruit, hits sweet, sour, astringent and more. A yin tonic, liver herb, and beauty elixir in one. Takes all the organs and brings them into song and harmony. A different kind of radiance from Tremella. Even more famous as a beauty herb.
• Silica + Tremella Combo: Mason and Lee both flag the synergy between silica (which Lee and Irene have just launched) and Tremella for skin beautification from the inside.
How to Take Mushroom Powders
• They are heat-stable. You would have to hard boil them for a very long time to damage the therapeutics. You can add them to boiling water, stir into tea, blend into smoothies, mix into soups or savoury mince.
• Schizandra is better in drinks than food. Mason's Mushrooms powder can go in the spag bol.
• Stop thinking of these as supplements. Think of them as a herbal practice. Once they're integrated into your daily rhythm, in your coffee, in your chai, they become invisible and consistent.
• Capsules are available for those who can't do powder. Consistency is everything.
• The Tremella Raw Dog: Teaspoon straight from the jar, directly into the mouth. Mason's suggestion. A perfectly viable method.
The Much Love Program
• SuperFeast runs a program where anyone going through a serious diagnosis or extremely difficult circumstances can reach out to receive complimentary mushroom products. The pun in the name makes Mason roll his eyes, even though he came up with it.
🥒 Womansplain: Justin & the Pickle Juice Question
• The Question: Justin has been watching footy and noticing that athletes keep chugging pickle juice. His friend Bustin (of gut-girth fame from Episode 7) is reportedly at 43% adherence to Lee and Irene's previous recommendations. Bustin is walking, playing tennis, going to the gym, and people have 'remarked on his shred.' Justin has been told, firmly, not to say 'shred' again.
• The Science of Pickle Juice for Cramps: There is a famous study in sports science where athletes were given pickle juice mid-cramp. The cramping stopped in approximately 85 seconds; significantly faster than water alone.
• The Surprise Finding: It works too fast to be about electrolytes absorbing. Electrolyte absorption takes longer. What researchers now believe is happening: the vinegar triggers a neurological reflex in the throat and stomach that tells the misfiring nerves to calm down. It's a nerve reset, not just a salt top-up.
• The Electrolytes Are Still There: Sodium and potassium. For people sweating heavily during physical exertion, it does replenish what's lost. The key phrase being: 'during physical exertion.'
• Justin's Situation: As a sedentary sports viewer rather than sports doer, his electrolyte situation during the match is, in Lee's assessment, probably fine. A glass of water and some nuts will see him through.
• The 2008 Jar: Justin has a jar of pickled onions from 2008 in his fridge. Pickling is a preservation method, so technically it may still be viable. The consensus is to retire it.
• Night Cramps: Pickle juice is a legitimate remedy for that 2am cramp that makes you leap out of bed feeling tasered.
• PMS Cramps: Irene raises the question of whether it may help with period cramps given its muscle relaxant properties. The science is not yet there but the curiosity is noted.
• Irene's Pickle Love: She is enthusiastic about all pickles. Bread and butter. Sweet chilli. Sour. New York deli style. Large. Small. She will take the pickle from your burger if you don't want it. She has a cucumber salad and adds pickles. She is aware that pickles are cucumbers. She does not care.
✨ Rant (and Rave): Irene on Forever Chemicals, France, and the Quiet Reformulation
• The Rave: France has banned PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, 'forever chemicals', think Teflon and similar compounds) in cosmetic and beauty care products. This ban came into effect in January 2026.
• What Are Forever Chemicals? PFAS are synthetic chemicals used in many long-lasting beauty formulations, particularly foundations and waterproof products for their durability, texture, and film-forming properties. They are called 'forever chemicals' because they do not break down in the environment or in the human body and accumulate over time.
• The Quiet Reformulation: Estée Lauder Double Wear, one of the most beloved long-wear foundations in the world has been reformulated. TikTok and Instagram are currently flooded with side-by-side comparisons, with creators noting changes in finish, formula, and feel. Almost nobody is asking why it was reformulated. The answer, Irene argues, is the French ban.
• The Waterproof Mascara Wave: Clinique and other brands with long-wear or waterproof formulas have also quietly reformulated. Waterproof products were among the highest-PFAS categories in beauty.
• The Rant: These brands have had these chemicals in their products for years, in some cases, decades. They did not remove them out of passion for their customers' health. They removed them because they were legally required to. Irene is clear that this distinction matters, even if the outcome (cleaner products) is positive.
• The Media Silence: There is no mainstream coverage of this on Channel 7, Channel 9, or the major news outlets. No equivalent of the TGA sunscreen saga. Nobody appears to want to upset Estée Lauder. Irene regrets nothing she has said.
• The Silver Lining: Because these brands are global, the cleaner reformulation has rolled out worldwide including to Australian consumers, even though Australia has not banned PFAS in cosmetics. The French regulation has effectively improved products for everyone.
• Still Worth Scrutinising: Even the reformulated products are not clean beauty. Silicones and other questionable ingredients remain. But the removal of PFAS is a meaningful step, even if it was reactionary rather than principled.
• Jing: In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jing is considered the foundational essence stored in the kidneys. Pre-natal Jing (inherited) and post-natal Jing (replenished through food, herbs, rest, and lifestyle) govern constitutional vitality, reproductive health, bone density, hair, and the rate of ageing.
• Chi (Qi): The vital energy that circulates through meridians and animates all physiological processes. Influenced by food, breath, movement, emotional state, and environment.
• Shen: Often translated as spirit or mind. In Chinese medicine, the Shen resides in the Heart and governs mental clarity, emotional wellbeing, sleep quality, and presence. A calm, bright Shen is considered a sign of good health and cultivation.
Adaptogenic Herbs & Medicinal Mushrooms
• What Makes a Superior Herb? The Shen Nong Ben Xiao Jing (Divine Farmer's Materia Medica, ~200 CE) categorised herbs into three classes. Superior herbs; Reishi, Ginseng, Rehmannia, Schizandra, Astragalus, Goji Berry are tonic herbs taken long-term, non-toxic at any dose, and purported to restore balance across multiple body systems.
• Adaptogens: A modern term (coined by Soviet pharmacologist Nikolai Lazarev in 1947) for compounds that help the body adapt to physical and psychological stress without disrupting normal physiology. Key adaptogenic mushrooms include Reishi, Lion's Mane, Chaga, Cordyceps, and Turkey Tail.
• Beta-Glucans: The primary active immunomodulatory compounds in medicinal mushrooms. These polysaccharides bind to receptors on immune cells (NK cells, macrophages, dendritic cells) and help regulate immune response supporting it when suppressed, calming it when overactive.
• Fruiting Body vs Mycelium: The fruiting body (the visible mushroom above ground) contains significantly higher concentrations of beta-glucans and other bioactive compounds than the mycelium grown on grain substrate. Whole-grain mycelium products have been shown to contain high levels of starch filler from the grain medium.
• Extraction Matters: Many beneficial compounds in mushrooms (particularly beta-glucans and triterpenes) require hot water or dual extraction (hot water + alcohol) to become bioavailable. A whole dried and ground mushroom powder, while containing these compounds, is less bioavailable than a properly extracted product.
Lion's Mane (Hericium erinaceus)
• Neurotrophic Compounds: Lion's Mane contains hericenones (in the fruiting body) and erinacines (in the mycelium) compounds shown in research to stimulate the production of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF). These proteins support the survival, growth, and maintenance of neurons.
• Neuroregeneration Research: Preclinical studies have shown Lion's Mane may support remyelination, neuroplasticity, and protection against neurodegeneration. Human trials have shown improvements in mild cognitive impairment. Research is ongoing.
• Neuroprotective Use Post-Stroke: Early and consistent use of neuroprotective compounds post-neurological event is an active area of clinical interest. Mason's anecdotal report of his mother's recovery aligns with the direction of current neuroprotective research.
Tremella (Tremella fuciformis) The Snow Mushroom
• Polysaccharide Hydration: Tremella contains highly bioavailable plant-based glucuronoxylomannans — polysaccharides that function similarly to hyaluronic acid in their ability to attract and hold water. Some research suggests Tremella polysaccharides may outperform hyaluronic acid in hydration retention due to their smaller particle size, allowing deeper tissue penetration.
• Lung-Skin Axis: In TCM, the Lung organ system (which governs the skin and is responsible for distributing Wei Qi (protective energy to the body surface) is nourished by Tremella as a yin tonic. This is why Mason describes it as 'working on the lung' first and the skin as the downstream outcome.
• Antioxidant & Anti-Ageing: Tremella polysaccharides have demonstrated antioxidant activity and some evidence of skin-protective effects in UV damage studies. It is one of the primary herbs used in traditional Taoist beauty formulations alongside Schizandra and Goji.
Schizandra Berry (Schisandra chinensis) The Five Flavour Fruit
• Five Tastes, Five Organs: Schizandra is unique in Chinese herbal medicine as a herb that simultaneously affects all five major organ systems (liver, kidneys, heart, lung, spleen) through its five flavours; sour, sweet, bitter, salty, and pungent. This makes it a powerful systemic tonic.
• Liver Support: Schizandra has among the best evidence of any adaptogen for liver-protective effects, with research into lignans (schisandrin B in particular) showing hepatoprotective activity.
• Skin Benefits: Historically used as a Taoist beauty herb. Modern research has looked at Schizandra's antioxidant and adaptogenic properties in the context of skin ageing, stress-related skin changes, and luminosity.
• Yin Tonic: In TCM, Schizandra is used to consolidate and nourish yin, the cool, moist, receptive principle associated with hydration, tissue lubrication, and restorative rest.
Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) The Mushroom of Immortality
• Immune Modulation: Reishi contains beta-glucans, triterpenes (ganoderic acids), and polysaccharides that have been extensively researched for their effects on NK cells, T-cells, and macrophages. It is considered the most studied immunomodulatory mushroom.
• Adaptogenic & Nervine: Reishi is also studied for its calming effects on the nervous system, with some research suggesting GABAergic activity and cortisol-modulating properties.
• Exohormesis (Hormetic Stress): Mason references this concept: growing Reishi in stressful, wild-simulating conditions causes the mushroom to produce more complex secondary metabolites (including triterpenes) as a survival response. This mirrors the hormesis principle seen in exercise, cold exposure, and fasting — a mild biological stressor that produces a stronger adaptive response.
Pickle Juice, The Sports Science
• The 85-Second Study: A frequently cited 2010 study (Miller et al.) found that ingesting 1ml per kilogram of body weight of pickle juice stopped exercise-induced muscle cramping 37% faster than drinking the same volume of water, and 45% faster than no treatment. The cramping relief occurred too quickly to be explained by electrolyte absorption.
• The Neurological Reflex Theory: The leading hypothesis (Schwellnus et al., 2009 and subsequent work) is that compounds in pickle juice — particularly acetic acid (vinegar) — activate transient receptor potential (TRP) channels in the oropharynx, oesophagus, and stomach. This triggers an inhibitory nerve reflex that suppresses the alpha motor neuron hyperactivity responsible for muscle cramps.
• Electrolyte Content: Pickle juice does contain sodium (around 500mg per 100ml), potassium, and some magnesium. For heavy sweating during intense physical activity, this may offer meaningful electrolyte replacement. For watching the footy on the couch, it does not.
• Night Cramps: The same neurological mechanism may explain anecdotal reports of pickle juice helping nocturnal leg cramps. Worth trialling if this is a regular issue.
PFAS (Forever Chemicals) in Cosmetics
• What Are PFAS? Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are a class of over 10,000 synthetic chemicals characterised by extremely strong carbon-fluorine bonds, making them resistant to heat, water, oil, and microbial degradation. They do not break down in the environment or in the body, hence 'forever chemicals.'
• Use in Cosmetics: PFAS have been widely used in long-wear foundations, waterproof mascaras, lip products, and sunscreens for their film-forming, water-resistance, and longevity properties. Research has identified PFAS in a significant proportion of tested cosmetics products across multiple global markets.
• Health Concerns: PFAS are associated with disruption of hormone and immune function, increased risk of certain cancers (particularly kidney and testicular), thyroid disruption, and reproductive effects. They bioaccumulate in blood and tissue and are found in almost all tested human blood samples globally.
• The French Ban: France's regulation restricting PFAS in cosmetics took effect in January 2026, making France one of the first nations to impose such a ban. It applies to products manufactured in or sold into France.
• The Global Ripple Effect: Because major cosmetics brands manufacture globally and cannot easily maintain different formulations for different markets, the French regulation has effectively driven reformulation for global product lines, benefiting consumers in Australia and elsewhere who have no equivalent domestic PFAS cosmetics ban.
• Ongoing Concerns: Removal of PFAS does not make a product 'clean beauty.' Other synthetic film-formers, silicones, and preservatives remain. The reformulation is meaningful but partial.
Reishi: Immune powerhouse, adaptogen, nervine. Known as the Mushroom of Immortality. Requires wild-simulating stressful conditions to produce its full triterpene profile.
Lion's Mane: Neuroprotective, stimulates NGF/BDNF, supports nerve health and cognitive function.
Tremella: Snow mushroom. Yin tonic for lung and skin. Hydration from the inside out. Acts like hyaluronic acid through the lung-skin axis.
Cordyceps: Energy, adrenal, and athletic performance adaptogen. Native Australian variant: Cordyceps Gunnii (Tassie/Victoria).
Schizandra Berry: Five-flavour fruit. Liver protective, yin tonic, beauty herb. Takes all organs into harmony.
Tiger Milk Mushroom: Emerging. Researched primarily in Singapore. Immunity focus.
Ganoderma Applanatum (Artist's Conch): Gaining oncology research interest. Endemic in Australia and China.
Sourcing: Look for fruiting body + wood-grown + extracted. Beyond organic. Heavy metals tested to standards exceeding both US and Australian organic certification requirements.
• Why a Shower Is So Much More Than Cleaning: Irene makes the case that the shower is one of the most underrated wellness spaces in the home. You step in carrying the day (or the whole week) on your shoulders and step out having literally washed it away.
• The Sunday Reset Ritual: Irene’s Everything Shower is a weekly Sunday ritual, starting at 4pm to catch the best light in the house. It takes around an hour from start to finish and she considers it equivalent to a facial, a body treatment and a mental reset combined.
• Creative Clarity in the Shower: Lee’s shower has its own Spotify playlist (today featuring Gary Numan and Willow). Irene uses hers to solve problems, including the famous story of the shower that made her delete a proposal to work for free for her old business, and instead start Clean Nectarine from scratch.
✨ The Everything Shower: Step by Step
STEP 1: Dermaplaning / Face Shaving (Pre-Shower, 4pm)
• Why 4pm: Best natural light in Irene’s house. Good light is non-negotiable for face shaving.
• How to Dermaplane at Home: Use a dermaplane blade on completely dry skin. No water, no oil (for this version). Remove all peach fuzz and any stray chin hairs. Do eyebrows at the same time.
• The Myth: Hair does NOT grow back thicker. It grows back exactly as it was before. Full stop.
• Frequency: Once a week. Irene sells the blades and has done a face shaving demonstration on her Instagram.
• Skip the TikTok Spray Trends: Those shaving cream sprays going viral? Whatever they are, they’re being inhaled through the nasal passage. Hard pass.
• The Oil to Use: Irene uses a hair oil with rosemary in it. Rosemary is well-researched for hair growth. Castor oil is another excellent option for thickness. Irene is currently using a Vanessa Megan argan oil blend.
• Two Types of Hair Oil (important distinction):
◦ Wash-out oils (what we’re using here): Designed to be massaged into the scalp and lengths and washed out. Yes, they make hair greasy. That’s the point.
◦ Finishing serums/oils: Applied to dry or damp hair after washing for frizz control. Completely different product. Don’t confuse them at Mecca or Sephora.
• Ayurvedic Hair Oiling: In Ayurveda, different oils suit different constitutions. Coconut is moisturising for damaged hair. Sesame suits Vata types. Brahmi stimulates growth for thinning hair. Neem helps with dandruff and scalp irritation.
• How to Apply: Section the hair and massage oil into the scalp and all the way to the ends. Wrap in a warm towel. Leave at least 30 minutes before showering.
• For Fine or Limp Hair: Use brahmi, castor oil, and rosemary. Yes, it will feel greasy going in. It washes out. This is what builds thickness over time.
STEP 3: Dry Body Brushing (Pre-Shower, while hair oil soaks in)
• Why: Lymphatic drainage, circulation, exfoliation, skin-smoothing, reduced appearance of cellulite. You can actually feel a buzz while doing it.
• How to Brush: Always brush toward the heart in long strokes, starting from the feet upward. Great for the back of the arms if you have keratosis pilaris (those little bumps).
• Brush Choice: Irene’s current brush is a medium bristle (softer than the original cactus-bristle UK brand she used to sell). Soft enough to go a little harder, but don’t scratch yourself.
• How Often: Ideally more than once a week, but once a week as part of the Everything Shower works perfectly. Do it on dry skin only, never after shaving.
• Cleaning Your Brush: Tap it out, give it a wash with warm water and a little Dr Bronner’s peppermint soap, then leave it in the sun to dry (not in the bathroom, or it goes mouldy). Wash every week or fortnight.
• Face Brushing: Some battery-operated face massager tools exist for lymphatic work on the face. Irene uses one with small dots. Do this at the same time as body brushing.
STEP 4: The Shower Itself
• Shower Filter: Non-negotiable. Chlorine in the steam is inhaled directly into the lungs and can make hair go brassy and cause skin itching. A vitamin C-based shower filter neutralises chlorine. They’re cheap and easy to install.
◦ Bonus hack: Put chewable vitamin C tablets in a pantyhose sock and drop it in your bath to neutralise chlorine in the water. Irene tested it. It works.
• Essential Oils: Add a few drops to the bottom of the shower (not directly on skin). Irene loves lemon myrtle and eucalyptus. Lee loves lavender, rose, and peppermint. Endota’s certified organic spa blends (patchouli, ylang ylang, etc.) are a great shortcut for that day-spa-at-home smell. Check they’re the certified organic ones.
• Temperature: Irene has hers so hot she sits on the shower floor. Steam opens pores, softens skin, and clears airways. Lee loves the steam for creativity and idea generation.
• The Shower Cream: Irene’s current hero is the Weleda Rose Shower Cream. Completely natural and certified. The scent is so potent and beautiful that Irene’s husband used the entire tube without permission. She is still annoyed.
• Weleda also makes a range of other shower creams — citrus, skin food scent and others. Link in show notes.
STEP 5: Shampoo
• Frequency: Irene washes her hair every two weeks. Lee washes hers once a week. If you wash daily, your scalp will adjust to weekly washing within a few weeks.
• Must Be: Sulphate-free AND silicone-free. Watch for dimethicone or cyclomethicone on ingredient lists, they’re silicones that slip under the radar in ‘natural’ brands.
• Irene’s Favourite: 100% Pure Sour Cherry Clarifying Shampoo. Smells like actual cherry, cleans thoroughly even after heavy oiling, and is believed to have some chlorine-neutralising properties. Makes hair feel genuinely clean without stripping.
• Other Good Options: Vanessa Megan and Mukti do great shampoos for shorter or fine hair.
• Lather at least 3 times after the oil treatment to fully remove the product.
• Cold Rinse: A final cold rinse makes hair 10x shinier. Irene knows it works. She also knows she’s not going to do it.
STEP 6: Conditioner
• Rule: Mid-lengths to ends only. Never on the scalp. For fine or oily-root hair this is especially important, conditioner on roots creates build-up and weight.
• For thick hair: Same rule applies. Thick hair tends to have naturally healthy roots that don’t need conditioning.
STEP 7: Body Scrub (Not on Everything Shower day — but worth knowing)
• Irene skips the scrub on Everything Shower day because dry body brushing has done the job. She scrubs in the daily shower instead.
• Best Natural Scrub: Three Warriors body scrub made for fake tan removal but extraordinary on everyone. Irene thinks it’s made with Tasmanian olive oil and pink sea salt. Available at Clean Nectarine.
• DIY Alternative: You can make this yourself. Sea salt + olive oil. Or try the Ayurvedic way: ground lentils rubbed onto the face and body. Irene met a woman in India doing this whose skin was the most extraordinary she’d ever seen.
• Lee’s Bonus DIY Mask: Ripe banana + yoghurt on the face. The enzymes in banana and the probiotics in yoghurt can genuinely make skin glow before a big event.
• (Frank Body coffee scrub also a solid option, available from Mecca and Sephora.)
STEP 8: Post-Shower Body Oil
• Apply body oil to damp (not dry) skin immediately after turning off the shower. Pat yourself off but don’t fully dry oil absorbs better into damp skin.
• Massage it in properly (this is an Ayurvedic technique traditionally done before the shower Irene does it after). Tap off the excess with a towel.
• Budget option: Coconut oil, sesame oil, or olive oil work perfectly. Irene uses whichever beautiful body oil she’s loving from her store at the time.
STEP 9: Magnesium
• Irene’s Pick 1: Elektra Magnesium (food grade, in the blue packet). A handful in the bath is incredible. You can also dissolve some in water and drink it.
• Irene’s Pick 2: Moo Goo Magnesium Cream (purple tube). Completely unscented, non-greasy, absorbs like a beautiful moisturiser. Irene rubbed it on her 15-year-old’s legs for growing pains. They both fell asleep within 15 minutes. She will say this until the cows come home.
• Magnesium oil is also available but Irene prefers the creams for the texture and absorption.
🌿 A Note on Ingredients
• Irene’s rule of thumb: If a product has more than 10 ingredients and you can’t pronounce them, put it back.
• Triclosan: Was a common ingredient in soaps that has now been banned in Australia for general consumer products. You only need to check for it in pharmacy-grade products for specific skin conditions. No longer a concern for everyday shopping.
• Essential Oils Safety: Never apply undiluted essential oils directly to skin unless experienced. Always dilute in a carrier oil. A few drops at the bottom of the shower or in a diffuser with water is safe. Don’t add undiluted oils to bath water; they don’t disperse evenly and can cause irritation (and may stain a stone bath purple).
🐈 Womansplain: Justin Tries to Win Over a One-Eyed Cat (approx. 01:02:00)
• The Situation: Justin’s neighbour’s cat, Pirate, is a one-eyed, toothless former street cat who has survived considerable hardship. He visits Justin’s flat but largely avoids meaningful connection.
• The Complication: Oscar the dog (on a month-on, month-off schedule) is also in the picture. Pirate likely perceives Oscar as a threat.
• Lee’s Cat Insight: Stop making direct eye contact. Prolonged eye contact is a threat signal in cat communication. Greet Pirate with a slow blink instead, the cat equivalent of a handshake.
• Irene’s Cat Insight: Cats love being around you but on their own terms. Create a calm environment with sunlight. Don’t chase connection. Let it come.
• The Boy-Cat Rule: Apparently boy cats prefer girl humans and girl cats prefer men. Justin may simply not be Pirate’s type.
• Nutrition as Love Language: Feed Pirate consistently. Kangaroo mince (human grade, from Coles) is high protein, lean, and rich in iron, zinc, B12 and omega-3s. A tip from Shay at Black Chicken Remedy who is also a noted cat person.
• The Strategy: Month off Oscar = full charm offensive. Feed, soft voice, slow blinks, no eye contact. Justin’s aim is to make it to Bosun. He’s not expecting First Mate.
• Side mission: Irene’s cat Trixie Belle uses the actual toilet (girl cat, aims true). She also sits at the family dinner table. She hasn’t spoken yet but the year is young.
• Bonus: Justin received the Kora Organics Noni Glow Face Oil from Irene (following up from the grooming episode). He now understands what a jojoba is. Approximately.
✨ Rant (or Rave!): Lee on Beef Liver — Nature’s Multivitamin (approx. 01:25:00)
◦ Complete amino acid profile for muscle repair and gut lining integrity
• Lee’s Personal Story: After gut ulceration from long-term NSAID use, her small intestine, where B12 and iron absorb was severely compromised. After two years of research, she developed her freeze-dried grass-fed beef liver capsules. Transformational for her energy, skin and brain.
• Irene’s Testimonial: Can walk up Lee’s stairs again. Felt the difference noticeably. Now thinks about it differently since learning about the skin and anti-ageing benefits of real Vitamin A.
• What to Look For on the Label:
◦ One ingredient: freeze-dried grass-fed beef liver
◦ No excipients, no fillers, no binders, no flowing agents
◦ No smell if freeze-dried correctly
◦ Can be taken as capsules or emptied into smoothies (no taste)
• The Beef (the rant part): Expensive multivitamins with long ingredient lists deliver a fraction of what this single ingredient delivers. Don’t spend more for less.
• Lee’s Grandma Reminder: Our grandmothers forced us to eat it on weeknights with a look that left no room for negotiation. They were onto something. The capsule just means you can leave the table in seconds.
Sports Nutrition vs Lifestyle Nutrition: If you're an elite athlete, protein bars and ultra-processed quick-energy foods have a place. For everyone else, the middle aisles of the supermarket are a minefield marketed as health food.
Energy Balance Is Non-Negotiable: If you want to lose weight, you must be in an energy deficit. 7700 calories in deficit equals one kilo lost. That's roughly 500 calories per day for modest half-kilo-per-week loss. There's no magic formula that bypasses this math.
🔢 The Calorie Conversation (Without Counting)
TDEE Calculators: Google "TDEE calculator" (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), plug in your stats, and you'll get a ballpark for maintenance calories. For most women, it's somewhere between 1500 and 2000 calories per day.
The Meal Delivery Hack: Amelia recommends going on a calorie-controlled meal delivery service for one month as a form of portion-size education. She did it herself, dropped 3% body fat in four weeks, and learned what a 300–500 calorie meal actually looks like.
Be Fit Food Recommendation: High protein (20–30g per meal), five serves of vegetables, lower sodium, lower carbohydrates. Not keto, not forever, just a stepping stone to understanding what your body needs.
Lee's 4-3-2-1 Plate Approach: 40% protein, 30% vegetables, 20% good carbohydrates, 10% fats. Visualise a pie chart on your plate.
⚡ The Energy Crisis: Why You're So Tired
The Three-Circle Venn Diagram: Optimal energy sits at the intersection of biology, physiology, and psychology.
Biology (The Four Pillars):
Metabolic health: Your ability to switch between glucose and fat for fuel. Think of it like a hybrid car, when it's working well, you can't tell when it switches. When it's not, you crash.
Hormone health: Not just oestrogen and progesterone, but thyroid too. Get tested annually.
Gut health: One to two bowel movements a day, no increasing food sensitivities. You know if something's off.
Physiology (The Earth Suit): Body composition; bone, muscle, fat. Under-muscled and carrying extra body fat? That's zapping energy. You've got another 50 years in this body; it needs to hold up.
Psychology (Behaviour Change): We all know what we should do. Actually doing it requires behaviour change techniques, and if you don't have them, that's another energy drain.
😴 Irene's Fatigue Deep-Dive
The Real Conversation: Irene has seen countless specialists, taken all the supplements, gone gluten-free, vegan, back to meat. Nothing has shifted her chronic fatigue.
Amelia's Assessment: Nutrient insufficiencies (iron, vitamin D), hormone fluctuations, and critically, chronic sleep deprivation. If you're only getting a few hours of sleep most nights, every other system underperforms.
Sleep Is the Starting Point: If you were Amelia's client, sleep would be priority number one. Everything else builds on that foundation. Ideally, a 7 in front of the hours.
Can't Sleep vs Won't Sleep: "Won't sleep" is choosing to stay up working or scrolling. "Can't sleep" is wanting to but being unable to fall or stay asleep. Exercise is a massive lever for the "can't sleep" group.
🏃♀️ Exercise: The Inconvenient Truth
VO2 Max Declines 10% Per Decade: From about age 30 onwards, your body's ability to use oxygen drops. By your 50s, you've lost 20–30% of your peak capacity. That directly impacts energy levels.
The Fix: Increasing fitness even modestly can reverse this within a month. You don't need to become a marathon runner.
Incidental Exercise Counts: Walking around a warehouse, chasing the Australia Post guy, it all adds up. But structured vigorous movement has an outsized return.
The Research: Every minute in zone 2 or higher (a brisk walk where you can just get a sentence out) equals about 10 minutes of lower-intensity movement for the same mortality reduction.
Lee's Fast Finish Hack: At the end of your walk, do three short sprints, 30 seconds each, even just jogging between two telegraph poles. That's hormesis: healthy stress with exponential benefits.
Irene's Commitment: Running up the stairs. Starting small. Just starting.
🍫 Nighttime Overeating: How Amelia Broke the Cycle
The Confession: Dessert seven nights a week. The popcorn-and-chocolate "bomb" at the bottom of the bowl. Sweet-then-salty cycling.
The Strategy: Three nights on, four nights off. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday no dessert. Thursday to Sunday go for it.
Environment Change: On the "no dessert" nights, Amelia didn't go to the couch or turn on the TV. Straight to the bedroom for a bath, aromatherapy, and a book. Kitchen closed.
The Outcome: After three weeks, she started to prefer the night-time ritual. It extended to Thursday. The habit broke.
Healthy Swaps: Protein-rich snacks at night, cottage cheese, a scoop of protein powder, collagen hot chocolate. Satiating, nourishing, and working toward that 100g-per-day protein goal.
💊 The Ozempic Conversation
No Judgement: Amelia has become more empathetic over the years. Significant weight issues are not a moral failing. We live in an obesogenic environment designed to make us move less and eat more.
GLP-1s Have a Place: Ozempic, Mounjaro, and similar medications are life-altering for some people. The anti-inflammatory effects are real. For the right candidate, they're a legitimate tool.
The Caveat: Don't start lightly. Once you stop, weight often returns, and the medication's effects can be diminished if you restart. Work with a specialist. Find the right dose.
🧠 The Woo-Woo Conversation
Amelia's Evolution: She started as evidence-based-or-nothing. She's become more open to the unexplainable.
The Sound Bath Experience: At Billabong Retreats, Amelia had a chakra-unlocking meditation that left her crying, glowing, and in a honeymoon period with her husband for weeks. No research paper can quantify that.
Lee's Mantra: "I'm healthy, wealthy, safe and wise." Five times a day. Every day. Part of her long COVID recovery. She's never felt better.
The DAS-21: A validated depression, anxiety, and stress assessment. Separates the three so you can see which is actually elevated. Amelia will send it to anyone who asks.
📞 Womansplain: Justin on Deepening Male Friendships (approx. 00:32:53)
Justin's Observation: Men have adopted "female-inspired" friendship behaviours, hugging, saying "I love you," sharing vulnerabilities but haven't acknowledged where it came from.
The File Never Closes: Women are archivists of each other's lives. We remember the childhood wound, the mother's name, what "I'm tired" actually means. Men tend to close the file when the hangout ends.
Practical Advice:
Follow up: If a friend shares something real, text them the next day. Not weeks later.
Stop waiting for a reason: Women reach out because they heard a song or saw a dog. The reaching out is the reason.
Celebrate publicly and specifically: Not "she's great" but "this man talked me through something really hard last year."
Organise something: Women make 100 plans, keep half. The planning is part of the friendship.
The Arms: Women greet each other like the person is the best thing that happened all day. Arms up, full-body yes. Lead with the arms, gentlemen.
✨ Rant: Lee on Green Powders (approx. 00:55:52)
The Problem: Overpriced, underdosed, proprietary blends with zero transparency. Premium prices for powdered convenience and marketing spin.
Pyramid Scheme Vibes: Influencers, referral codes, commissions everywhere. Looks more like a distribution hustle than health.
The Contradiction: Claims of gut health support while packed with emulsifiers, anti-caking agents, and artificial sweeteners that mess with the microbiome.
Powdered Greens Are Not Real Food: Little fibre, no biological signals from whole plants, unless you're finding verified, efficacious formulations.
What to Look For: Short ingredient lists where each ingredient can actually deliver effective doses. Spirulina, chlorella, wheatgrass, algae. A prebiotic or digestive enzyme if gut health is the goal. No stimulants, no artificial sweeteners, no fillers.
Formulation Matters: Look for products created by formulation experts, not white-labelled private label products with celebrity names slapped on.
Lee's Green Powder: Combines alkalising greens, medicinal mushrooms, protein, and adaptogens. Supports gut health, immunity, and sustained energy. And it tastes good.
Energy Deficit Required: 7700 calories deficit = 1kg lost. For half a kilo per week, aim for 500 calories daily deficit.
TDEE Calculator: Google "TDEE calculator" to find your maintenance calories. Most women: 1500–2000 calories per day.
Meal Delivery as Education: Calorie-controlled services like Be Fit Food teach portion sizes. Use for 4–8 weeks as a stepping stone.
The 4-3-2-1 Plate: 40% protein, 30% vegetables, 20% good carbohydrates, 10% fats.
Energy Optimisation
Annual Blood Testing: Check metabolic markers, inflammation, thyroid, and hormone levels. Ask for optimal ranges, not just normal.
The Four Biological Pillars: Metabolic health, hormone health, gut health, inflammatory response. If any are sub-performing, energy suffers.
Body Composition: Muscle mass supports energy. Under-muscled = energy drain. Resistance training is non-negotiable as we age.
Sleep
Minimum 7 Hours: Chronic sleep deprivation affects all four biological pillars.
Can't Sleep Solutions: Exercise, cooler room, no blue light before bed, consistent routine.
Won't Sleep Reality Check: You're an athlete of life. Athletes prioritise recovery. So should you.
Exercise
VO2 Max: Declines 10% per decade from age 30. Reversible with consistent training.
Zone 2 Training: Brisk walk or slow jog where you can just get a sentence out. 1 minute of zone 2+ equals 10 minutes of lower intensity for mortality benefits.
The Fast Finish: Add three 30-second sprints at the end of your walk. Hormesis: healthy stress with exponential returns.
Night-time Eating
Three Nights On, Four Nights Off: Break the cycle gradually. Cold turkey rarely works.
Change Your Environment: If the couch triggers snacking, don't sit on the couch.
Protein-Rich Swaps: Cottage cheese, protein powder, collagen hot chocolate. Satiating and working toward 100g protein per day.
• The Dish That Deserved More: A Citrus Celebration dessert with six individual elements; lemon curd, mousse, passion fruit jelly, biscuit crumb, and more. Carol will be making it for Lee and Irene very soon.
• Cold Food and Celebrity Photo Albums: Yes, the food can be cold by the time contestants eat it. And yes, Carol is now in the celebrity photo album of a Tokyo restaurant, filed alongside Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
🍣 Japanese Food: Way Beyond Sushi
• The Full Picture: Gyoza, sashimi, tempura, yakitori, hotpot; Japanese cuisine is one of the cleanest, most diverse food cultures in the world. Vegetables, tofu, fermented foods, pickles, and seafood do most of the heavy lifting.
• Why Japan Is Perfect for Clean Eating: Not heavy on oil or fat, big on vegetables, built around letting ingredients speak for themselves. The natural flavour philosophy that underpins Japanese cooking is something Carol brings to everything she makes.
• Sake Explained: Hot and cold, strong and subtle. The chilled version from the fridge in summer is genuinely refreshing. There are varying levels of intensity, and yes, it also goes on your face.
• Gut Health Built In: Fermented foods, pickles, miso, and fibre-rich vegetables mean traditional Japanese food is naturally gut-supportive. Lee points this out and she is absolutely right.
🍜 The 15-Minute Japanese Weeknight Dinner: Carol’s Soba Noodle Salad with Teriyaki Salmon
Carol makes this at least once a week and has converted everyone around her. Here is how to do it:
• The Noodles: Buckwheat soba noodles; cook, drain, rinse in cold water so they don’t stick. Naturally gluten-free.
• The Sauce: Soy (or tamari to keep it fully gluten-free), mirin (or apple cider vinegar for a health-conscious swap), a little oil. Adjust to what you have in the fridge.
• The Salmon: Marinate in a tamari and mirin-style sauce with chilli oil or chilli flakes if you want heat. 15 minutes while the noodles cook is enough.
• The Add-Ins: Pickled ginger, edamame beans, whatever is around. Cold or room temperature is the goal.
• Gluten-Free Swaps: Tamari instead of soy, apple cider vinegar instead of mirin.
✈️ Carol’s Japan Tours: The Full Experience
• What Carol Shows People: The full range; Michelin dining one day, a noodle stand under a railway station the next. Sushi, sashimi, tempura, gyoza, hotpot, hands-on noodle and sushi making.
• Art and Culture: Lee saysNaoshima, the art island, is a highlight. The contrast between ancient handmade craftsmanship and cutting-edge modern Japan is something Carol loves to show people.
• The Shinkansen: High-speed trains, snow monkeys bathing in hot springs, onsen stays, Hakuba skiing in snow so powdery that falling over feels like landing in a cloud.
• The Single Most Transcendent Moment: A shiso leaf wrapped dumpling. It was tangy, citrusy, completely unexpected. The moment when a guest tries something and their face just says everything.
🌸 Japanese Beauty: Geishas, Double Cleansing & Rice Water Secrets
• Where Double Cleansing Came From: The geisha. All that heavy white makeup required a serious removal process. Camellia oil as the first cleanse, a foaming cleanser to finish. Carol and Irene both agree: everyone should be doing this.
• Rice Water and SK-II: The story goes that women working in rice paddies had exceptionally soft, bright skin from the water. Irene stocks a natural rice water essence from 100% Pure, the clean alternative to the SK-II version.
• Sun Protection as Culture: Japanese women have always protected their skin SPF 50+, reapplication, long gloves while driving, and the most extraordinary oversized sun visors on a golf course you have ever seen.
• Layering and Hydration: Japanese skincare is built around layering: multiple steps, deep hydration, plumping. It is high maintenance and it shows.
• Geisha Culture: Based in Kyoto. Geisha begin as maiko, apprentice geishas and learn music, hosting, tea ceremony, and drinking games. It is an art form that is slowly disappearing as younger women choose other careers.
• Kimono Today: Still worn to weddings and formal events. Lee and Carol once did a full kimono photoshoot together. Photos incoming…
😴 Womansplain: What to Actually Do About Snoring (For Justin, and Everyone Who Loves Them) (approx. 00:32:53)
• The Real Talk First: Snoring that wakes you up is not just snoring. It is your body sending a strongly worded letter. The word Lee is tiptoeing around is sleep apnoea, where you actually stop breathing and your brain panics you awake. It can happen dozens of times a night.
• Why You Feel Terrible All Day: You think you slept eight hours. You did not actually rest for eight hours. There is a significant difference, and it explains the fatigue, the three coffees, the shot focus, and the questionable mood.
• Risk Factors: Over 40, weight, alcohol before bed, sleeping on your back, throat muscles relaxing with age. All of these make it worse.
• Step One. Get a Sleep Study: You sleep, you have a monitor on you, you find out whether it is sleep apnoea or garden-variety snoring. The fix is very different depending on the answer.
• Step Two. Sleep on Your Side: Back sleeping is snoring’s best friend. Positional wedge pillows help. There are even shirts with a tennis ball sewn into the back to stop you rolling over. Unglamorous but effective.
• Step Three. Skip the Nightcap: Even two drinks close to bedtime makes snoring significantly worse. The idea that alcohol helps you sleep is one of wellness’s most persistent myths. You pass out; you do not rest.
• Step Four. Losing a Little Weight: Even a modest reduction can strongly reduce snoring because it takes pressure off the airways.
• Step Five. The CPAP Machine: If sleep apnoea is confirmed, do not resist the machine. A lot of men do. They are wrong. It genuinely helps.
• Irene’s Separate Bedroom Tip: There is still a stigma around couples sleeping in separate rooms. Irene would like to dismantle it. A few nights a week in the spare room is not separation, it is excellent sleep hygiene. Her husband gets up early and does shift work. She gets her best sleep. Everyone wins.
📞 You’re On Speaker: Natalie on Perimenopause, Sleep & the Supplements Worth Knowing About (approx. 00:40:41)
• Meet Natalie: Managing partner in risk and insurance, interviewer of people, woman in her 50s navigating perimenopause, and self-described Elastigirl; constantly stretching, gliding, and shapeshifting. Presence is her superpower.
• The Shapeshifting Analogy: Natalie describes perimenopause as another one of the shapeshifting phases women move through, like pregnancy, like every major life transition. Not just physical. Emotional, spiritual, the whole thing.
• Resistance Training First: Lee’s starting point in clinic is always strength. Weight-bearing exercise supports bone health, muscle mass, and the metabolism that begins to slow during peri and menopause.
• Blood Sugar Stability: One of the most important levers women can pull during this phase. More protein especially at breakfast, healthy fats, and steady blood sugar all reduce symptoms significantly.
• Flaxseed for Hot Flushes: Two to three tablespoons per day. Lee started doing it and it really works. There is also research behind it.
• Sleep: Natalie identifies this as the biggest change she has experienced. Tips: cooler room, no blue light before bed, consistent routine. Walking every day, even ten minutes in the rain, helps regulate the nervous system and supports sleep.
• Alcohol and Perimenopause: Bodies simply cannot metabolise alcohol the way they could in their 20s and 30s. Irene’s biggest customer in her non-alcoholic drinks business was women over 40, and now she knows exactly why. Natalie cannot tolerate wine at all. Spirits seem to fare better, which her friends confirm.
• Wild Yam Cream: Traditionally used for centuries for menopausal symptoms including cramps and digestive comfort. Some promising animal and lab studies around blood sugar and inflammation, but Lee is clear: this is not a hormonal replacement. Treat it as a gentle herbal option. The cream applied topically is where Irene and Lee see the most value, partly through transdermal absorption of natural phytoestrogens, partly through ritual.
• Magnesium: Lee’s lifesaver in her 50s. Magnesium chloride bath or cream rather than oral supplementation (which can upset sensitive stomachs). Around 16% elemental magnesium absorbed transdermally. Natalie has tried it and confirms the calming effect at the end of the day.
• Creatine: What to Buy: Big moment in perimenopause and menopause for energy. The German source; Creapure, is the gold standard. It is currently sold out worldwide. An Indian source is now available that is pure and of equivalent quality. The Chinese source, Lee and Irene both warn, should be approached with caution. Irene has a clean creatine version here. Warning! Do not buy the cheap version from Amazon.
✨ Frisky Finale Rave: Acupuncture; Lee’s Whole Body Reboot (and Irene’s Facial Frankenstein Machine) (approx. 00:55:52)
• Lee’s Rave. Jameson at Magic Turtle Acupuncture, Avalon: Lee has been going every second Wednesday for three months and is now completely converted. He takes clinical notes, does a pulse reading at the start of every session (trained with one of the best pulse masters in the country), and works through three levels of pulse from traditional Chinese medicine. Lee goes in feeling like herself and floats out like a Zen hedgehog. Mind, body, soul, completely decluttered and rebooted.
• The Pulse Reading: Three different levels of pulse in traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda, not recognised in Western practice. Jameson measures all of them. It is genuinely otherworldly.
• Irene’s Facial Acupuncture Rave: A practitioner in Balgowlah (now retired) who had a specialised electrical machine originally used for Bell’s Palsy. He hooked it up to facial acupuncture needles, creating electrical impulses that literally tightened the muscles under the skin while the needles did their work. Six months of this. Irene has never looked better before or since. The machine looked like it came from Frankenstein’s den and she would go back in an instant.
• The Mission: Lee is going to ask Jameson whether Magic Turtle has something equivalent. Neither Lee nor Irene has Botox. They both want to find the natural version of “you can tell she’s had work done” and they are absolutely determined to locate it.
• Resistance Exercise: Weight-bearing and strength training for bone density, muscle mass, and metabolic support. Non-negotiable during peri and menopause. Research link.
• Protein at Breakfast: Stabilises blood sugar, reduces symptom severity, keeps energy steady through the day. Research Link.
• Flaxseed: Two to three tablespoons per day shown to reduce hot flushes. Add to smoothies, yoghurt, or sprinkle on salads. Research Link.
• Magnesium Chloride: Bath or topical cream preferred over oral (gentler on the stomach). Supports sleep, muscle relaxation, and mood. Approximately 16% elemental magnesium absorbed trans dermally.
• Wild Yam Cream: A gentle herbal option with some evidence for cramps and digestive comfort. Not a hormonal replacement. The topical cream may allow transdermal absorption of natural phytoestrogens. Use as part of a ritual rather than as a clinical intervention. Research on Wild Yam supplementation.
• Creatine (Creapure or equivalent): Supports energy and muscle function during perimenopause. Source matters. German Creapure is the benchmark; currently sold out. Indian-sourced equivalent is the next best option. Avoid cheap Chinese-sourced versions. Switch Nutrition Creatine
• Sleep Hygiene Fundamentals: Cooler room, no blue light before bed, no alcohol close to bedtime, daily movement, avoidance of caffeine and spicy food at night.
Sleep Apnoea & Snoring
• First Step: See a doctor and request a sleep study. Non-negotiable starting point.
• Immediate Measures: Side sleeping, positional pillow or wedge, no alcohol within two to three hours of bed, modest weight loss if relevant.
• If Sleep Apnoea Is Confirmed: CPAP machine. Do not resist it. It works.
Japanese Gut-Health Principles from Carol
• Fermented Foods: Miso, pickles, fermented vegetables, built into the cuisine naturally.
• Fibre-First: Vegetables and tofu as the base of most meals rather than a side.
• Light on Oil and Fat: Japanese cooking does not mask ingredients in heavy sauces. The food speaks for itself.
• Gluten-Free Swap for Soba Noodles: Tamari instead of soy, apple cider vinegar instead of mirin.
Acupuncture
• Magic Turtle Acupuncture, Avalon: Jameson, pulse master, clinical notes, every-second-Wednesday booking. Lee’s Zen hedgehog moment. Worth calling about the facial electrical stimulation machine.
• Facial Acupuncture with Electrical Stimulation: Originally a Bell’s Palsy treatment. When applied to the face with acupuncture needles, creates muscle-tightening impulses under the skin. Irene’s single most effective anti-ageing experience. If you know a practitioner who offers this, please slide into the DMs.
• Two Frugal Schools of Thought: Lee finds the free or nearly-free version of everything; Irene buys one brilliant thing and makes it last a decade. Different roads, same destination.
Business Wisdom: Irene’s "PhD in failure" advice: Ditch the expensive ad agencies and subscriptions, pay suppliers early to build energetic cash flow, and use AI to do your own marketing.
🥦 Food: The Freezer Is Your Best Friend
• The Wednesday Night Supermarket Raid: When markdowns happen, how to load up, portion, freeze, and carry yourself through the whole week on one smart shop.
• The Renewable Table: Cook once, eat four times. A roast chicken becomes a stir-fry, then a broth. A pot of lentils becomes soup, a side, and a fritter. Lee is giving away the e-book — link in the show notes.
• Protein at Breakfast: Why eggs are still one of the most affordable complete proteins going, and how starting the day with protein stops those expensive 10 o'clock impulse decisions.
• The Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen: Which fruit and veg absolutely must be organic (strawberries, blueberries, spinach, celery) and which ones you genuinely don't need to splurge on (avocado, bananas). Full list in the show notes.
• Grow Your Own Herbs: Microgreens, coriander, and basil on a windowsill the return on investment is remarkable, and coriander is a brilliant chelator for the gut.
• The Cheap Luxurious Dip: Cannellini beans, lemon, a little garlic, a splash of olive oil hummus that tastes like a treat and costs almost nothing.
🧴 Luxe Beauty: Less Is More (and the Kitchen Has Everything You Need) (33:00)
• The Skincare Budget Hierarchy: Spend almost nothing on cleanser and exfoliator (you're washing it down the sink), put your money into one good serum, and seal it in with something affordable like Egyptian Magic Cream or Weleda Skin Food.
• Kitchen Beauty: Crushed lentils as a face scrub (Lee learned this in India), mashed banana as a hair mask, coconut oil as a makeup remover, cleanser, and full-body moisturiser. Free, and genuinely effective.
• The Overripe Strawberry Trick: Those manky strawberries past their best? Do not throw them away. Natural AHAs and fruit acids make them a brilliant chemical exfoliator for your skin.
• The Face Razor Secret: A dermablade removes layers of dead skin so efficiently that your serum penetrates at a fraction of the usual dose. You'll use a quarter of the amount — and it shows.
• The Free Beauty Product: Water. Chronically dehydrated skin looks dull and tired. Drinking more of it plumps the skin, supports the gut, and costs nothing at all.
• The Home Spa: Magnesium salt foot soak with a few drops of pure essential oil, a frangipani from your walk in a glass on the table, and an organic candle — a day spa experience for the price of a bus ticket.
🦠 Health: The Gut Is the Best Organ Since Sliced Bread (approx. 30:00)
• Why the Gut Comes First: Nearly 80% of your immune system lives there. Skin, hair, nails, energy, mood — the gut has a role in every system of your body. Look after it and almost everything else follows.
• Irene's Testimony: Years of adrenal fatigue, chronic tiredness, and skin issues — resolved when she finally focused on her gut. Her hair has never looked better.
🏠 Household: Bills, Petrol & the Art of Asking (approx. 50:00)
• Phantom Energy: Every appliance on standby is quietly adding to your bill. Turn it off at the wall. Takes 30 seconds.
• The Quarterly Direct Debit Audit: Go through every subscription every three months. Free trials rolled into paid plans, streaming services you barely use, apps you've forgotten about entirely. I'm looking at you, Amazon Prime.
• The Irene Alarm Hack: Set an alarm three to four days before any free trial ends. Ask yourself whether you actually want it. The answer is usually no.
• The Art of Asking: Call your electricity provider, internet, insurance company, and bank. "I'm reviewing my expenses — is there a better rate available?" The worst they can say is no. They rarely do.
• Petrol at Night: Petrol is cooler and denser after dark, so you genuinely get more for your money filling up at night. Also: buy midweek (Tuesday or Wednesday) when prices are at the low point of the pricing cycle.
• The Coasting Habit: Foot off the accelerator on the downhill, tyres properly inflated, window instead of air-con. Every small thing adds up.
💼 Business Hacks from the Hard School of Experience
• Subscriptions: If you're on Shopify, audit every app you're paying for. Most of them are doing less than you think.
• Ditch the Agencies: One weekend is genuinely all you need to learn Facebook ads, Google ads, and email marketing yourself. AI has automated most of what agencies were charging a premium for.
• Pay on Time (Better Yet, Early): Your suppliers will love you, give you first access to deals, and actually want to work with you. There is also, Irene firmly believes, an energetic benefit to telling the universe your cash flow is in good order.
🥤 Womansplain Fighting the Man Flu (57:00)
Golden Gut Breakfasts: Justin shares how a "protein-forward breaky" involving turmeric and eggs has saved him coin on mid-morning snacks.
The "Man Flu" Debate: The team tackles the age-old question of whether men truly suffer more or just have a flair for the dramatic.
Dinner to the Rescue: Justin sets the scene for the discussion by recounting how Lee saved his evening with a last-minute freezer soup, the ultimate remedy for a man on the brink.
• Unflappable Superpowers: Meet Kaya: Career-changer, former fashion industry veteran, trainee paramedic, and — most importantly — a foster carer for RSPCA neonatal kittens. She is currently raising a six-day-old kitten on a syringe every two hours. An actual angel.
• The Influencer Question: How to tell a genuine product recommendation from a paid advertisement. Irene's rule: if they're being paid, don't buy the product. Lee's red flag: a hero ingredient listed at the very bottom — less than 1% of the formulation — while 90% of the budget went on the glass bottle and the celebrity photoshoot.
• The Simple Test: "They're not selling you a product. They're selling you their lifestyle with a beauty filter on.
😤 Frisky Finale Rant: The Wellness Industrial Complex (1:13)
• 80-dollar jade rollers. 50-dollar detox teas. Gym gear loaded with microplastics that shed into your skin every time you sweat. Himalayan salt lamps collecting dust and pooling water. Wireless earbuds marketed as focus enhancers. Real wellness is free and dirt cheap. Lee is fired up and she is not wrong.
• What You Actually Need: Second-hand cotton clothing, a daily walk, plenty of water, garlic when something is coming on, and the gut-health basics you've already heard about in this episode.
🛡️ Lee’s Nutritionist Nerd Notes: The "Man Flu" Defence
The Sleep Shield: People sleeping less than seven hours are significantly more likely to get sick.
Zinc is King: It directly inhibits viral replication. Source it from pumpkin seeds, red meat, and chickpeas.
Zinc Food Sources
· Pumpkin seeds — a small handful is a clinically relevant dose.
· Red meat (grass-fed where possible).
· Chickpeas and legumes.
· Hemp seeds.
· Oysters — if it's a special occasion. The richest food source of zinc going.
Garlic & Vitamin C: Use food as medicine, air-fry whole bulbs of garlic for antiviral properties and get Vitamin C from capsicum, broccoli, and Kakadu plum.
Recipe: Turmeric & Golden Gut Scrambled Eggs: A protein-forward breakfast to stop mid-morning snacking. Combine eggs with Lee’s Golden Gut Powder (for the diatomaceous earth "double whammy"), cumin, and a pinch of turmeric. [Link to Recipe] and Lee’s Golden Gut powder.
Recipe: Lee’s Best Sticky Chai: A homemade ritual that beats the local cafe price every time. [Link to Recipe]
Recipe: Affordable Cannellini Bean Hummus: Mix beans, lemon, garlic, and olive oil for a luxurious, cheap dip.
Don't need to splash out: avocados, pineapples, onions, sweetcorn, frozen peas, mangoes, asparagus, kiwi fruit, cabbage, cauliflower, rock melon, broccoli, mushrooms, bananas, honeydew melon. Guide: The Clean 15 & Dirty Dozen: Your cheat sheet for when to buy organic. [Link to Guide]
· Soak fruit and vegetables in a bowl of water with a splash of apple cider vinegar (or plain white vinegar, the cheap stuff works just as well) for 10 to 15 minutes.
· Peel where practical.
· Rinse thoroughly. Simple, free, and genuinely removes a meaningful proportion of surface pesticide residue.
Pro-Bono Work: Learn more about Lee's work helping those exhausted by the medical system.
The Home Spa Checklist
• Warm bath or foot soak: magnesium salts + two drops of pure essential oil.
• Face: dermablade first, then a small amount of your best serum straight onto fresh skin.
• Hair: coconut oil mask, left on for 20 minutes before washing.
• Body: straight coconut oil from shoulder to heel.
• Flowers from your walk in a glass on the windowsill. The experience of abundance is in the detail.
Affordable Gut-Health Foundations
• Fermented foods (sauerkraut, kefir, plain Greek yoghurt) — all affordable, all effective at supporting microbial diversity.
• Legumes — chickpeas, lentils, cannellini beans — prebiotic fibre that feeds the good bacteria. Also the cheapest protein on the shelf.
• Coriander — chelating agent, gut-supportive, and grows on a windowsill for practically nothing.
• Bone broth — gelatine and collagen support the gut lining directly. Make it from the carcass of your roast chicken, which you were going to throw away anyway.
• Garlic — prebiotic and antiviral. The double act your immune system and your microbiome both need.
Five Frugal Supermarket Rules
• Shop on Wednesday evening, end-of-week markdowns.
• Buy frozen organic blueberries instead of fresh. Nutritionally identical, a fraction of the price.
• Read the ingredients list, not the front of the pack. More than five ingredients or a number in front of something? Put it back.
• Use the fruit and veggie bags for school bags. (Yes, Lee did this. No, she is not embarrassed.)
• Take your own tea bags everywhere and ask for hot water. The savings are real and the habit sticks.
Top 10 Cost-Effective Coffee Machines (Australia 2026): Skip the expensive pods and invest in a manual machine (Justin’s $250 steamer find). Here are the "pod-free" manual and semi-auto machines currently leading the Australian market for value:
1. Bialetti Moka Pot ($50) – The cheapest way to get real coffee.
2. Anko (Kmart) Espresso Machine ($99). The absolute lowest price for a motorised machine.
3. Wacaco Nanopresso ($120). Best for travel and portability.
4. Casabrews 3700 Essential ($130). Great budget tech features.
The Leaky Gut Connection: How UPFs break down your protective mucus lining, leading to chronic inflammation and immune system triggers.
Marketing Myths: Why a "Health Star Rating" can’t always be trusted and why "Certified Organic" is a better (though not perfect) guide.
🥤 Womansplain: The Primate Grooming Guide (34:38):
Barber Basics: Moving beyond the $15 buzz cut and the importance of trimming "rogue hairs" in ears and noses.
The "Two-in-One" Hack: Simple, toxin-free grooming for men using botanical brands and a clean shave and 3-in-1 wash.
The One-Step Glow: Why Justin (and every man) only needs one good serum to look 10 years younger.
🔊 You’re On Speaker: Thrifting & Healthy Distrust (44:32):
Second-Hand Superpowers: Listener Kate shares her secrets to a 10-year streak of buying nothing new and the joy of a $2 Vinnies find .
Big Pharma & Scepticism: A deep dive into why "following the money" is your best asset when reading about medical "breakthroughs".
The TGA Hack: How to use an AUST L number to see the hidden ingredients that aren't required to be on the physical label.
😤 Epic Rant: The "Fake Natural" Takeover (54:51):
Irene’s Industry Insight: A passionate look at how "clean beauty" stores are losing their way by adding products filled with phenoxyethanol and silicones just to increase revenue.
Lee calls out gut supplements with fake sugars.
Lee’s Nutritionist Nerd Notes
The UPF Hit List
Protein Bars: Often just chocolate bars with lab-made isolates and artificial sweeteners. You’re better off with real chocolate.
Supermarket Sourdough: If it has 15 ingredients (instead of flour, water, and salt), it’s a UPF.
The "Energy Quicksand": How modified starches dump fast-digesting carbs into your blood while masking the food's true processed nature.
Simple Swaps for a Clean Gut
· Nut milks: Make your own (nuts + water).
· Swap out fruit yoghurts for plain Greek yogurt with fresh berries
· Swap Supermarket White Bread for 3-ingredient sourdough
· Hummus: Homemade is preferable to store bought (no seed oils/preservatives).
· Meat: Grass-fed organic meat or whole food proteins is better than fake burgers (soy isolates).
🛡️ Fact-Check: UPF Myths
· Plant milks/creams often have gums for "creaminess."
· Soy Lecithin (E322) can contribute to Microbiome Imbalance: Highly processed ingredients like soy lecithin can contribute to an increase in "bad" bacteria, upsetting the delicate balance of the microbiome. Consumption of these emulsifiers can lead to symptoms like bloating, gas, and a general "yucky" or tired feeling. In Australia, soy lecithin is often derived from GMO soy, but due to labelling exemptions for highly refined ingredients, this may not always be clearly stated on the packaging.
· Emulsifiers act as "gut detergents" that breakdown the stomach lining. Research, particularly on emulsifiers like carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and polysorbate 80 (P80), supports this claim. Studies in mice and human microbiota models show these substances can directly alter microbiota to increase pro-inflammatory potential, cause bacteria to encroach into the protective mucus layer, and promote chronic intestinal inflammation.
· Xanthan gum is considered safe in food-standard amounts. However, it can cause bloating, gas, and diarrhea in some individuals. Emerging research suggests it might also alter the intestinal microbiome.
· Carrageenan(E407). Research suggests food-grade carrageenan may trigger inflammation, damage the digestive system’s mucus membranes, and increase intestinal permeability (leaky gut). A 2021 review also noted a possible link to relapse in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
The Health Star Rating is a voluntary system in Australia and has faced significant criticism. Critics argue it can be manipulated by companies replacing "risk nutrients" with synthetic ingredients, such as swapping sugar for sweeteners or fats for emulsifiers to improve their score without making the food objectively healthier. About 75% of ultra-processed foods displaying stars receive a "healthy" pass mark of 2.5 or more.
Self-Care for Dudes Tips
Mindful Eating: Slow down and chew your food to reduce bloating and gas.
The Saltwater Rinse: Try Weleda Salt Toothpaste for a clean, smooth feel that lasts all day (and it's plastic-free!).
Hydration: Cut back on alcohol to help with broken capillaries and skin dullness.
