Rhapsodic Podcast

Carmen Exler

Rhapsodic is a lifestyle and wellness podcast sharing real, approachable conversations with everyday people doing incredible things. Full of passion and honesty, each episode explores the stories, lessons, and moments that shape us and bring us joy. Hosted by @busymind.redefined - new episodes every Friday

  1. S4E19 The Heart Behind Rhapsodic: A Season 4 Reflection & Wrap Up

    19 FEB

    S4E19 The Heart Behind Rhapsodic: A Season 4 Reflection & Wrap Up

    In the final episode of Season 4, instead of hosting, I’m interviewed by Kylie as we pause to reflect on the season and the heart behind the conversations I’ve shared with my guests. This season explored running, mental health, identity, motherhood, healing, and growth through honest, vulnerable stories. This episode is a gentle closing moment - a space to look back on what stood out emotionally, what surprised me, and what I hope listeners carry with them.  We also talk about inspiration, the power of imperfect conversations, and what I’m taking forward into the next season and into my own life. Thank you for being part of Season 4. 🤍 (00:00) Intro (01:25) Emotional reflections on the season (02:54) Conversations that surprised or stayed with you (04:52) Has holding vulnerable space changed you (06:01) What you hope listeners take away (07:09) Drawing Inspiration from The Imperfects Podcast (07:41) Looking ahead to next season and life (10:42) Wrap up 🤍 Connect & Follow   INSTAGRAM Podcast @rhapsodic.podcast Carmen @busymind.redefined If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to follow Rhapsodic, share it with a friend, or leave a quick review - it helps the podcast grow and reach more listeners. Thank you for tuning in - and as always, remember to keep showing up for yourself. 💛

    12 min
  2. S4E18 An Identity Shift Through PTSD, Pregnancy & Endurance Sport

    12 FEB

    S4E18 An Identity Shift Through PTSD, Pregnancy & Endurance Sport

    I’m joined by Jade Palmer - an endurance athlete and host of the Fitness With Jade podcast, who is currently navigating pregnancy while continuing to use movement and training as tools for emotional resilience and self-trust. Jade’s journey took a major shift after working in the police force, when a serious workplace incident led to PTSD and forced her to step back and re-evaluate how she was coping, who she was outside of her career, and how she wanted to move forward - including stepping into her feminine energy after years in a predominantly male industry. We talk about navigating family law, parenting through stress, identity shifts, and the role fitness has played in helping her rebuild confidence and stability. We also touch on her passion for endurance sport, both Hyrox and half Ironman training, and how her own podcast became an extension of her healing and growth. Now pregnant, Jade shares how training and goals look different in this season, and the importance of adapting expectations while continuing to use movement as a tool for managing mental health. This episode is about more than fitness, it’s about learning to trust yourself again, adapting to new seasons of life, and finding strength in places you didn’t expect. (00:00) Introduction  (07:00) Turning Point - Quit Binge Drinking  (11:02) Police Force & Workplace Accident - PTSD (12:47) Family Court - Staying Emotionally Stable (14:51) Growth Through Struggle (17:28) Mindfulness Practices  (23:00) Hyrox & Pregnancy  (24:50) Cognitive Distortions  (27:08) Advice for listeners who feel stuck  (28:39) What does intentional living look like for you  (30:34) Leaning into feminine energy after working in male dominated industry (32:02) What are you most proud of 🤍 Connect & Follow   INSTAGRAM Podcast @rhapsodic.podcast Carmen @busymind.redefined Guest: @jade_palmer 🔗 Links: Jade’s Podcast - Listen here If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to follow Rhapsodic, share it with a friend, or leave a quick review - it helps the podcast grow and reach more listeners. Thank you for tuning in - and as always, remember to keep showing up for yourself. 💛

    33 min
  3. S4E17 Inner Work, Emotional Regulation & Healing Anxious Attachment with Beck Thompson

    5 FEB

    S4E17 Inner Work, Emotional Regulation & Healing Anxious Attachment with Beck Thompson

    Beck Thompson from The Relationship Circle returns to Rhapsodic Podcast almost four years after her first appearance. This episode focuses on the inner work behind healthy relationships. We explore attachment styles, especially anxious attachment - where it comes from, the childhood beliefs that shape it, and how it shows up in dating and long-term relationships. We talk about blurred attachment patterns, the importance of repair after arguments, expressing needs clearly, and how unlearning old patterns creates space for healthier connection. Beck explains why emotional regulation isn’t about suppressing feelings, but learning how to stay present and grounded inside them. This conversation is about self-awareness, healing, and learning the skills that allow relationships to feel safer, calmer, and more secure - including the message that you are worthy of secure, healthy love. (00:00) Introduction   (03:04) The Relationship Circle Course (05:50) Attachment Styles (09:54) Attachment Styles Overlap (15:06) Nervous System Regulation (18:35) Why Emotional Regulation Matters (22:49) Window of Tolerance  (24:38) Repair After Conflict (26:49) Expressing Your Needs (28:17) Teaching Kids Emotional Regulation (30:15) Unlearning Old Patterns (31:20) Healing From Anxious Attachment (34:47) You Are Worthy - Final Message 🤍 Connect & Follow   INSTAGRAM Podcast @rhapsodic.podcast Carmen @busymind.redefined Guest: @the_relationship_circle 🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned: Beck’s previous episode - Listen here  Rhapsodic used to be called Balance Lifestyle Podcast and had a co-host named Ash. In this episode Carmen and Ash had a chat with Beck about narcissistic traits and red flags in relationships. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to follow Rhapsodic, share it with a friend, or leave a quick review - it helps the podcast grow and reach more listeners. Thank you for tuning in - and as always, remember to keep showing up for yourself. 💛

    36 min
  4. S4E16 Rest, Healing & Relearning Self-Worth with Kylie

    29 JAN

    S4E16 Rest, Healing & Relearning Self-Worth with Kylie

    In this episode, Kylie returns to Rhapsodic to share a deeply honest chapter of her life - one that unfolded when injury forced her to step back from running, the thing that had always felt like her safe place. Together, we explore what happens when your coping mechanism is taken away, and how that space can become a catalyst for healing, self-awareness, and growth. Kylie opens up about her injury journey and RED-S, including missed stress fractures, working with multiple specialists, and the mental challenge of eating more for recovery while navigating body image and identity. She also shares the turning point that came after working with a sports dietician and the return of her period.  We talk about her infertility journey, the weight of self-blame, and the process of closing that chapter with compassion and acceptance. Kylie reflects on the personal growth that came from forced rest, her realisations around self-worth, and a powerful shift in perspective during her time at Eden Health Retreat. Finally, Kylie shares what her return to running looks like now - not as an escape, but as something more balanced, intentional, and grounded in self-love. Trigger warning: This episode includes discussion of infertility and miscarriage. Please listen with care. This conversation is for anyone who has experienced injury, burnout, identity shifts, or the challenge of learning to sit with themselves when the thing they love most is taken away. (00:00) Introduction   (03:41) First Injury and Step Back From Running (06:36) Return to Running - PB GCM Half  (09:53) Second Injury - Grade 4a Stress Fracture (17:28) Running As a Coping Mechanism (19:24) RED-s  (22:10) Healing Weight and Self Image (24:20) New Coping Strategies  (26:13) Eden Health Retreat - Healing (29:13) Infertility and Healing Journey (40:48) Relationship With Running Now  (42:34) What Is Next For You  (43:34) Message To Your Old Self 🤍 Connect & Follow   INSTAGRAM Podcast @rhapsodic.podcast Carmen @busymind.redefined Guest: @kylieosborne88 If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to follow Rhapsodic, share it with a friend, or leave a quick review - it helps the podcast grow and reach more listeners. Thank you for tuning in - and as always, remember to keep showing up for yourself. 💛

    46 min
  5. S4E15: Grey Area Drinking with Karen – Lived Experience, Coping & Compassion

    22 JAN

    S4E15: Grey Area Drinking with Karen – Lived Experience, Coping & Compassion

    In this episode, I’m joined by Karen for an honest conversation about grey area drinking and why so many women find themselves quietly questioning their relationship with alcohol. Karen shares parts of her personal journey and what led her to become passionate about helping women rethink drinking, raise awareness around grey area drinking, and reduce the shame that often keeps these conversations silent. We explore how alcohol can shift from something enjoyable to a coping tool, particularly in the context of emotional regulation, nervous system overwhelm, anxiety, and ADHD traits. We also talk about why being “high functioning” can make it harder to recognise when something isn’t serving you anymore. This conversation isn’t about labels or hitting rock bottom. It’s about self-awareness, curiosity, and understanding yourself with more compassion - and knowing when it might be time to reach out for support. (00:00) Introduction (04:52) Meet Karen (06:39) Understanding grey-area drinking (12:50) Karen’s personal relationship with alcohol (17:43) Supporting others through lived experience (22:33) “Is this me?” - what to do next (24:15) The story you’re living from (27:27) Anxiety, hangovers, and mental health (35:06) Losing - and rebuilding - identity (40:24) Self-belief and the “I am enough” shift (47:02) Not feeling like a grown-up: the brain connection (50:43) Why stopping drinking is often the easy part 🤍 Connect & Follow   INSTAGRAM Podcast @rhapsodic.podcast Carmen @busymind.redefined Guest: @thebossshiftcounselling 🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned: Podcast episodes: Alexis Fernandez Brain Fact about hangovers Merie Burton - Managing Stress and Anxiety If this episode brings up questions or feelings around alcohol, support is available: Alcoholics Anonymous AustraliaFree, anonymous peer support through in-person and online meetings🌐 aa.org.auAlcohol and Drug Foundation – DrugInfoConfidential information and support, 24/7📞 1800 250 015🌐 adf.org.au/druginfoLifeline Australia24/7 crisis support📞 13 11 14🌐 lifeline.org.auBeyond BlueSupport for anxiety, depression, and emotional distress📞 1300 22 4636🌐 beyondblue.org.au📩 BetterHelp – Online Therapy SupportBetterHelp is an online counselling and therapy service connecting individuals with licensed mental health professionals via messaging, live chat, phone, or video - offering support that can be accessed from home.  If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to follow Rhapsodic, share it with a friend, or leave a quick review - it helps the podcast grow and reach more listeners. Thank you for tuning in - and as always, remember to keep showing up for yourself. 💛

    54 min
  6. S4E14 Caity | Running toward Clarity: ADHD, Sobriety & Self-Understanding

    15 JAN

    S4E14 Caity | Running toward Clarity: ADHD, Sobriety & Self-Understanding

    This is part 2 of Caity's story. Caity shares her personal story of using running to support her mental health and how that led her into group run coaching. She talks about being diagnosed with ADHD in her 30s and the years she used alcohol as a coping mechanism throughout most of her adult life. Now almost 1000 days sober, Caity reflects on sobriety and healthier ways to cope. Make sure to listen to part 1 in S4E13 for some ADHD tips and tricks shared by our neurospicy community. (00:00) Introduction   (02:29) OVERLAP Run Coaching  (05:54) Growing up in the world of fitness culture (10:29) Self-image shaped by fitness culture  (12:29) Alcohol - A Coping Mechanism (20:54) Running - Ambassador Opportunities  (27:15) Getting an ADHD diagnosis (33:45) It is AuADHD - it makes sense now (37:38) Grief associated with a late diagnosis (41:45) Being a better parent to a neurodivergent child (44:20) Acknowledging & Regulating Emotions (48:52) Final Words  🤍 Connect & Follow   INSTAGRAM Podcast @rhapsodic.podcast Carmen @busymind.redefined Guest: @caitlynmulraney_runs Zac from OVERLAP running episode If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to follow Rhapsodic, share it with a friend, or leave a quick review - it helps the podcast grow and reach more listeners. Thank you for tuning in - and as always, remember to keep showing up for yourself. 💛

    51 min
  7. S4E13 Making ADHD easier: Real-Life tools from Neurospicy Women (Part1)

    14 JAN

    S4E13 Making ADHD easier: Real-Life tools from Neurospicy Women (Part1)

    In this first episode of Caity's 2-part story, we’re keeping things practical and relatable - sharing our own tried-and-tested tips and tricks for making life with ADHD feel a little easier, along with hacks sent in by our wonderfully neurospicy listeners and followers. These are everyday tools, not expert advice or fixes - just real-life strategies that help with executive function, transitions, and the general challenge of functioning day to day. And because Caity’s personal story deserves space, part two will focus on her journey - from late-diagnosed ADHD and the signs that were missed, to masking, sobriety, running, motherhood, and how understanding herself better has changed the way she shows up in her life now. Our hope is that this first episode feels validating and practical, and that the next allows for deeper understanding and connection. Just a gentle note before we begin - this episode is based on lived experience only and is not medical or psychological advice. (00:00) Introduction   (01:43) Overstimulated Mums & School Holidays (05:46) Caity discusses Carmen’s ADHD episode (11:44) Awareness, Therapy and Medication (15:26) Lists and Visual Calendars (17:15) Let’s talk Hacks (18:53) Diary & Journal Graveyard (21:51) Task initiation: Timers & Time Blindness (25:16) 5 minute rule  (27:53) Check yourself alarm   (29:31) Helpful Apps  (31:21) Subscriptions (32:54) Themes and Novelty  (36:29) Overstimulation & Burnout Prevention  (37:17) Organisation and Memory Support (38:35) Communication, Support & Friendships (45:42) Final Thoughts 🤍 Connect & Follow   INSTAGRAM Podcast @rhapsodic.podcast Carmen @busymind.redefined Guest: @caitlynmulraney_runs Kmart 365 JournalFinch AppMinimalist Phone App  Voicenotes App If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to follow Rhapsodic, share it with a friend, or leave a quick review - it helps the podcast grow and reach more listeners. Thank you for tuning in - and as always, remember to keep showing up for yourself. 💛

    47 min
  8. S4E12 Running on Empty: How RED-S Went Unnoticed - with Bec

    8 JAN

    S4E12 Running on Empty: How RED-S Went Unnoticed - with Bec

    In this episode, clinical dietitian and runner Bec Bennett shares her personal experience with RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport) and how the early warning signs went unnoticed - even with her professional background. This highlights how it can truly happen to anyone, and there is no shame in missing the signs. We talk through how RED-S can present in everyday athletes & runners, why it’s often missed or misdiagnosed, and the common signs to look out for. Bec also walks us through the timeline of specialists she saw before receiving her diagnosis, offering insight into who to seek support from when you’re not sure where to start. This conversation aims to raise awareness, reduce shame, and help athletes recognise the signs sooner so they can get the right support earlier. (00:00) Welcome & episode overview (08:01) Understanding RED-S through Bec’s experience (15:35) Injury as a turning point (21:15) Underfuelling and the importance of carbs (25:33) Attributing symptoms to other causes (27:42) Clinical vs sports dietetics: key differences (30:16) Navigating shame after missing the signs (35:38) Injuries, burnout & stepping back (39:52) Finding the right specialists (44:56) The first real indicator something was wrong (46:26) The role of a sports dietitian (49:26) The most challenging part of recovery (Listener Q) (51:51) Something you learnt about yourself (Listener Q)  🤍 Connect & Follow   INSTAGRAM Podcast @rhapsodic.podcast Carmen @busymind.redefined Guest: @run_with_bec_ If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to follow Rhapsodic, share it with a friend, or leave a quick review - it helps the podcast grow and reach more listeners. If you can relate this this episode feel free to leave a comment to share your experience. Thank you for tuning in - and as always, remember to keep showing up for yourself. 💛

    59 min
See All (63)

Trailers

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Rhapsodic is a lifestyle and wellness podcast sharing real, approachable conversations with everyday people doing incredible things. Full of passion and honesty, each episode explores the stories, lessons, and moments that shape us and bring us joy. Hosted by @busymind.redefined - new episodes every Friday

Information

  • Creator
    Carmen Exler
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    63
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Carmen Exler
  • Show Website
    Rhapsodic Podcast