Challenges That Change Us

Try our FREE burnout quiz.Grab your burnout workbook HERE. The problem with burnout is that it can take an absolute mountain of disasters to truly make us realise how hard we are pushing ourselves and for Janella Purcell it took a major natural disaster amongst other things.Janella Purcell is an award-winning Naturopath, Herbalist, Nutritionist, Chef, author, and host of the Toxic Silence podcast. With nearly 3 decades of clinical experience, she is considered a pioneer of Australia's natural health movement, helping shape public understanding of food as medicine, holistic healing, and chemical-free, sustainable living. Janella is widely known for her television appearances on Good Chef Bad Chef, The Biggest Loser, and on morning TV in Australia, as well as her five bestselling and award winning books on natural health and wellbeing. She has been awarded a Fellowship by the National Herbalists Association of Australia in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the profession. Today, her work continues to focus on whole-person healing, integrating nutrition, herbal medicine, trauma recovery, and mind-body wellness.In this episode she shares:-     How a lifelong pattern of overachievement was actually rooted in unresolved trauma.-     Why she sold her dream property to create a healing retreat for others.-     What happened when she took on the enormous challenge of regenerating seven acres of neglected land.-     How the 2022 floods wiped out years of work and pushed her to breaking point.-     The lessons she learned about resilience, independence and backing herself.-     Why burnout forced her to rethink the way she worked, rested and lived.-     How menopause brought old traumas and unhealthy patterns to the surface.-     The connection between trauma, gut health, the nervous system and chronic stress.-     Why learning to slow down has been one of her greatest challenges.-     How she's creating a more sustainable and fulfilling life by embracing rest, healing and self-care.Key Quotes"I learnt that there's always a way to get through things in life.""It felt like there was a curse on that property.""I cried my heart out for a long time."More about JanellaFollow Janella on social media, learn more on her website or find links to all info and resources here.You can get involved with the podcast online On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeusOr on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeusIf you want to contact the podcast, email us here: support@challengesthatchangeus.comOr check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website:http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au

Try our FREE burnout quiz.Grab your burnout workbook HERE. Money troubles might be considered common for many of us, but no one speaks about them, and because money is so rarely spoken about, some of us can end up in very real, and stressful money situations.That’s what happened to Nell when she moved to LA to chase her acting career, only to find a lack of financial education completely undermined her.Now, Nell is the founder of The Savvy Creative and Maiden Media and the newly launched podcast How To Be A Savvy Creative.Having started out her professional career as an actor, appearing in two seasons of A Place to Call Home, several award winning films, commercials and stage shows across Australia and the US, Nell pivoted her focus in 2021 and attained her Masters of Screen Arts at AFTRS to focus on Screen Business and Leadership.Since then Nell has been producing and working in partnerships in the brand space. Nell launched Maiden Media in late 2025 and is keen to break the mould when it comes to producing content in Australia.In this episode she shares:-     Her decision to move to LA to pursue acting.-     How an inheritance and credit card led to major money mistakes.-     Why nobody taught her how to manage money.-     The panic and shame of watching her savings disappear.-     Her experience of returning home feeling defeated.-     How she paid off $25,000 of debt and rebuilt from scratch.-     The money lessons that completely changed her mindset.-     Why she gave LA multiple chances before finally letting it go.-     How old money fears resurfaced when starting a business.-     Why she now helps creatives build better financial habits.Key Quotes"There's something that happens to you when you're just watching a bank account just go down and… I kind of felt powerless to fix that situation.""You can't think about things clearly because you're too worried about the money situation.""For so long, I was paying off past self and I didn't even get anything for it."More about NellYou can follow Nell on Instagram, follow The Savvy Creative on Instagram and Maiden Media on Instagram.You can also listen to How To Be A Savvy Creative online.You can get involved with the podcast online On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeusOr on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeusIf you want to contact the podcast, email us here: support@challengesthatchangeus.comOr check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website:http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au

Grab your window of tolerance worksheet hereTW: MiscarriageAny pregnancy loss can be traumatic, but Hollie Farmer experienced multiples losses, health complications and trauma on her journey to motherhood.Hollie is a beautiful woman who is very special to our family. She has been a babysitter of my 3 girls over the years and I have watched her grow into an incredibly strong, thoughtful and deeply compassionate woman.Her story is one of great heartache, adversity and incredible resilience.In this episode she shares:-      Her instant connection with her husband and their decision to start a family young-      The extended period of infertility after assuming pregnancy would happen easily-      The heartbreak of multiple miscarriages after finally falling pregnant-      How she lost excitement around pregnancy and it was replaced with fear and anticipatory grief-      When she discovered she was carrying an undiagnosed ectopic twin pregnancy that nearly killed her-      The trauma of emergency surgery, losing a fallopian tube and feeling failed by her body-      How infertility consumed every part of her identity, relationships and daily life-      The emotional and financial toll of IVF, including spending over $30,000 trying to conceive-      How she fell pregnant naturally after reaching the point of emotional exhaustion and wanting to stop trying-      How she navigated a pregnancy filled with fear, hypervigilance and the inability to trust her bodyKey Quotes“I had to go back to work. I had to work for two weeks knowing that the pregnancy had ended and I was still carrying that pregnancy.”“I lost the ability to trust my body and to trust my intuition.”More aboutYou can reach out to Pink Elephants if you need support.You can get involved with the podcast online On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeusOr on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeusIf you want to contact the podcast, email us here: support@challengesthatchangeus.comOr check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website:http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au

Grab your window of tolerance worksheet hereI want to introduce a framework that has become one of the most practical and powerful tools I use personally and professionally almost every single day: the Window of Tolerance.The framework was originally developed by psychiatrist Dr. Dan Siegel and helps explain the zone where our nervous system is regulated enough for us to think clearly, respond effectively, stay connected to ourselves and others, and handle stress without becoming overwhelmed or shut down.When we’re inside our window, we can cope, communicate, problem-solve and stay present.But when stress, pressure, conflict, overwhelm or unresolved emotional load pushes us outside that window, we can move into hyperarousal, things like anxiety, frustration, anger, panic, overthinking, reactivity, or hypoarousal, which can look like numbness, shutdown, exhaustion, disconnection, brain fog or withdrawal.And honestly… I think a lot of people right now are living much closer to the edge of their window than they realise.Because this isn’t just about “coping better.”It’s about building a nervous system that can actually support the life you’re trying to live.In this episode I share:-     What the Window of Tolerance actually is-     How to recognise where you sit personally-     Signs your nervous system may be dysregulated-     Why high-functioning people can still be struggling internally-     Practical strategies to regulate your nervous system-     Tools to support recovery and resilience-     And ways to reduce reactivity so you can respond rather than simply reactYou can get involved with the podcast online On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeusOr on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeusIf you want to contact the podcast, email us here: support@challengesthatchangeus.comOr check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website:http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au

Try our FREE burnout quiz.Grab your burnout workbook HERE. Imagine having a parent tell you they don’t love you, and then being left to heal from that.That was Aimee Hudsons experience in her early 20’s and it drove her to learn and understand the influence of parental attachment.Aimee is a clinically registered psychotherapist who is deeply passionate about helping people understand how they came to be ‘them’.Her work is grounded in attachment, trauma, and nervous system-informed approaches, supporting individuals and couples to make sense of their patterns and gently shift towards new ways of relating to themselves and others.She is the director of The Psych Collaborative: an online psychology clinic, co-host of The Psychology Sisters podcast, and founder of The Thriving Therapist, where she supports therapists to grow in confidence, clarity, and community.In this episode she shares:-     Her early childhood and the emotional abuse she experienced-     The moment she confronted her mother-     Her experience of estrangement and what leads to it-     The earlier relationship fractures she experienced before the estrangement-     How the fact she was forced to be an adult in her relationship with her mother showed up in other relationships-     How the internalising of estrangement impacted her-     The impact of shame-     The hardest part for her since the estrangement at the age of 22-     Strategies she suggests on handling people asking about the estranged parents-     How nervous system activation shows up for her-     How she has found a way to find comfort and safety in this worldKey Quotes“What makes estrangement so impactful is that you internalise it.”“When a mother cuts ties it feels like a loss of a safe place in the world.”More about AimeeFollow Aimee on Instagram via the Psych Collaborative, The Psychology Sisters or the Thriving Therapists. Or check out the Psych Collaborative website or the Thriving Therapists website.You can get involved with the podcast online On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeusOr on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeusIf you want to contact the podcast, email us here: support@challengesthatchangeus.comOr check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website:http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au

Try our FREE burnout quiz.Grab your burnout workbook HERE. TW: sexual abuseWhat happens when the people, places, and systems meant to keep you safe don’t? And how do you rebuild trust when it’s been broken early?In this episode, Mish shares her story of growing up without a stable sense of home or belonging, navigating a complex and challenging childhood, and carrying more than most kids should. It’s a conversation about what those experiences shape in you, and the long road back to feeling safe, connected, and able to trust again.In this episode she shares:-     How she grew up moving constantly and never felt like she belonged anywhere-     Living in a dysfunctional home and absorbing the emotions of the adults around her-     Being highly empathetic as a child and trying to fix other people’s problems-     Navigating life as a child of a deaf adult without understanding her own needs-     Moving out of home at just 14 and becoming independent very early-     How she experienced sexual abuse twice and the long-term impact it had on her life-     The horrible resolution when she took her case to court-     How she was living with severe anxiety and panic attacks for nearly 20 years-     Why she became completely closed off and unable to let people into her world-     How she hit breaking point with chronic illness and being bedridden for years-     How she rebuilt her life through meditation, movement, and nervous system workKey Quotes“All I ever felt and saw and witnessed and experienced was the effects of abuse or abuse directly.”“What I now see as challenges that I had, I thought they were normal at the time.”You can get involved with the podcast online On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeusOr on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeusIf you want to contact the podcast, email us here: support@challengesthatchangeus.comOr check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website:http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au