Take A Breath

Polly Warren
  • 4.6 (31)
  • HEALTH & FITNESS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

A podcast for creating practical calm in the messy middle of midlife. This is your space to pause.  Because life in midlife is full-on. Between work, family, menopause, and the mental load, your nervous system can easily end up in constant overdrive — leaving you feeling exhausted, reactive, and overwhelmed by even the smallest things.  Each week, I’ll share my own tools, alongside honest conversations and practical nervous system support —  to help you create more calm, peace, joy, and inner steadiness. Not by escaping your life, because that’s totally unrealistic, but by meeting it differently. So when you're ready, let’s take a breath together… 

  1. 8H AGO

    Step Two to a Regulated Nervous System: How to Come Back to Calm

    I’m continuing our series on how to build a more regulated nervous system. We've already explored Stage One: Awareness — learning to notice when your nervous system is calm, when stress is creeping in, and when you’ve tipped into that more activated state of anxiety or overwhelm. In this week's episode episode, I’m guiding you through Stage Two: Regulation & How to Come Back To Calm — the practical ways you can bring your nervous system back to calm once you notice it’s been activated. Because stress, pressure and emotional ups and downs are part of being human. The real skill isn’t avoiding stress altogether, but learning how to guide yourself back to a steadier, calmer state. I’ll walk you through several simple body-based “portals” that help your nervous system shift from stress back into safety — tools you can begin using straight away in everyday life. In this episode I share: Why we often can’t think our way out of stress — and why the body needs to feel safe firstHow the brain and body communicate through the nervous system, including the 80/20 body-to-brain signal pathwayFive simple “portals” into nervous system regulationHow your everyday breathing habits influence your nervous system throughout the dayWhy developing body awareness helps you notice stress earlier and respond before overwhelm buildsTo find out more about how your breathing may be affecting your nervous system, download for FREE The Breath Check up.   If you’d like some guidance with the breathing techniques I mention in this episode, you can explore my Rapid Calm Toolkit or Breathe Better Basics, where I guide you through simple practices to help you calm and regulate your nervous system whenever you need to. Download 15 Breaths to Calm Anxiety - a FREE 5 minute audio to calm you down in real time. Download The Breath Check-Up - your FREE guide to understanding how well you're breathing right now. Download my energising 5 Minute Morning Practice to get your day started in the best way possible. To find out more about my membership The Inner Space go to: https://www.pollywarren.com/theinnerspace Email me at: info@pollywarren.com https://www.pollywarren.com/ https://www.instagram.com/pollywarrencoaching/

    41 min

  2. 5D AGO

    Thursday Thoughts - The Amount of Good Things in Your Life Depends on Your Ability to Notice Them

    On this week's Thursday Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking about how the amount of good things in your life depends on your ability to notice them. With so much fear and negativity in the news right now, it’s easy for your attention to be pulled towards what feels heavy and overwhelming. That’s why being intentional about where you place your focus matters more than ever. This conversation is a gentle reminder that you can train your brain to look for more of what’s uplifting and good. It’s not about ignoring reality — it’s about strengthening your capacity to see the positive alongside it. We hope you find something that resonates in here. Love, Polly & Lucy xx Download 15 Breaths to Calm Anxiety - a FREE 5 minute audio to calm you down in real time. Download The Breath Check-Up - your FREE guide to understanding how well you're breathing right now. Download my energising 5 Minute Morning Practice to get your day started in the best way possible. To find out more about my membership The Inner Space go to: https://www.pollywarren.com/theinnerspace Email me at: info@pollywarren.com https://www.pollywarren.com/ https://www.instagram.com/pollywarrencoaching/

    28 min

  3. MAR 3

    Embracing The Benefits of Cold Water Exposure with Wendy Heine

    In this episode of Take a Breath, I’m joined by Wendy Heine — certified Wim Hof instructor, breathwork coach and yoga teacher. Wendy shares her journey from avoiding the cold completely to embracing it as a powerful tool for healing, particularly following her cancer diagnosis in 2021. We explore both the science and the nervous system side of cold exposure — what’s actually happening in the body, why it can lift mood and energy so quickly, and how breathwork completely changes your experience of stepping into discomfort. This isn’t about bravado. It’s not about forcing yourself into freezing water. It’s about intention, regulation, and building resilience in a calm, grounded way. Inside this conversation, we explore: Why cold water can lift mood, sharpen focus and boost energyHow long is long enough to trigger the key physiological benefitsWhat “cold enough” really means (and why it doesn’t need to be extreme)How to use your breath to stay calm and in controlWhy cold exposure is a form of positive stress that can strengthen both body and mind when approached safelyIf you’ve been curious about cold showers or sea dips but feel hesitant, this episode will help you understand how to approach it in a way that feels empowering rather than overwhelming. It’s about learning to stay steady — even when things feel uncomfortable — and taking that steadiness back into everyday life. To connect with Wendy, go to: https://www.instagram.com/longevitylifestylecoach/ Download 15 Breaths to Calm Anxiety - a FREE 5 minute audio to calm you down in real time. Download The Breath Check-Up - your FREE guide to understanding how well you're breathing right now. Download my energising 5 Minute Morning Practice to get your day started in the best way possible. To find out more about my membership The Inner Space go to: https://www.pollywarren.com/theinnerspace Email me at: info@pollywarren.com https://www.pollywarren.com/ https://www.instagram.com/pollywarrencoaching/

    51 min

  4. FEB 26

    Thursday Thoughts - Staying Present While Moving Forwards

    On this week's Thursday Thoughts, Lucy and I talk about all manner of things including where we’re at with our goals and habits, the importance of staying present in the moment, and how crucial awareness is if we want to make any kind of change in our life. We hope you’ll find something useful in here! Love, Polly & Lucy x Download 15 Breaths to Calm Anxiety - a FREE 5 minute audio to calm you down in real time. Download The Breath Check-Up - your FREE guide to understanding how well you're breathing right now. Download my energising 5 Minute Morning Practice to get your day started in the best way possible. To find out more about my membership The Inner Space go to: https://www.pollywarren.com/theinnerspace Email me at: info@pollywarren.com https://www.pollywarren.com/ https://www.instagram.com/pollywarrencoaching/

    31 min

  5. FEB 24

    Step One to a Regulated Nervous System: AWARENESS

    In this episode of Take a Breath, I’m sharing why awareness is always the first step in nervous system regulation — and why, without it, even the best tools and techniques won’t truly stick. So many of us are living on autopilot, reacting before we even realise we’re reacting. I know this deeply, because that was me for most of my life. In this episode, I gently unpack how awareness takes us out of automatic mode, creates space, and gives us back choice — without forcing, fixing, or judging ourselves. This is a foundational episode if you want to feel calmer, more grounded, and less hijacked by your reactions in everyday life. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why awareness always comes before breathwork, tools, or techniques when it comes to regulating your nervous systemWhat awareness actually looks like in real life (and what it isn’t)How awareness creates “the gap” between feeling and reacting — and why that gap is where regulation beginsHow simply noticing and pausing can begin to rewire your nervous system through neuroplasticityHow to start making awareness more natural and automatic in daily lifeIf you’ve ever thought, “I know I’m overreacting but I can’t seem to stop,” this episode will help you understand why — and, more importantly, offer a much gentler way forward. Download 15 Breaths to Calm Anxiety - a FREE 5 minute audio to calm you down in real time. Download The Breath Check-Up - your FREE guide to understanding how well you're breathing right now. Download my energising 5 Minute Morning Practice to get your day started in the best way possible. To find out more about my membership The Inner Space go to: https://www.pollywarren.com/theinnerspace Email me at: info@pollywarren.com https://www.pollywarren.com/ https://www.instagram.com/pollywarrencoaching/

    36 min

  6. FEB 19

    Thursday Thoughts — Breaking The Cycle Of Negativity

    On this week's Thursday Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking about breaking the cycle of negativity. We explore how easy it is to get caught in those negative spirals where one thought leads to another and suddenly we're knee-deep in a full-on wallow, feeling pretty rubbish about everything. We chat about how the way we feel most of the time becomes the energy we're putting out into the world — and how that energy attracts more of the same right back to us. We also share some of the practical things we both use to gently interrupt a negative spiral and shift our state when we notice ourselves heading down that familiar path. We hope that you enjoy this conversation. Love,  Polly & Lucy x Download 15 Breaths to Calm Anxiety - a FREE 5 minute audio to calm you down in real time. Download The Breath Check-Up - your FREE guide to understanding how well you're breathing right now. Download my energising 5 Minute Morning Practice to get your day started in the best way possible. To find out more about my membership The Inner Space go to: https://www.pollywarren.com/theinnerspace Email me at: info@pollywarren.com https://www.pollywarren.com/ https://www.instagram.com/pollywarrencoaching/

    31 min

  7. FEB 17

    How to Embrace Your Second Spring — and Why Rest Is Part of It with Kate Codrington

    This week on Take a Breath, I’m joined by brilliant Kate Codrington — author, therapist, facilitator, speaker, and guide for women navigating the menopause transition. Kate is the author of Second Spring, named one of the seven best books on menopause by the New York Times, and The Perimenopause Journal (2024), described as “an essential resource” by leading endocrinologist Professor Annice Mukherjee. With over 30 years’ experience as a therapist, Kate brings psychological depth, nervous system wisdom, and compassion to the conversation around midlife. In this episode of Take a Breath, we explore menopause not as something to push through or “fix,” but as a natural rite of passage. A threshold. A season rich with meaning, creativity, and the potential for profound self-discovery. If you’ve been feeling unsettled, wired, more emotional than usual, or unsure of who you’re becoming, this conversation offers context and reassurance. Together, we explore: Why menopause is both a physical and psychological transition — and how it mirrors the seasons of nature and your inner lifeThe three phases of midlife: separation, surrender, and emergence — and how understanding them can reduce fear and self-doubtWhy rest is not indulgent, but a necessary nervous system reset for chronically busy, overstimulated womenHow Yoga Nidra and deep rest practices create safety, restoration, and deep repair Why midlife is an invitation to reclaim your inner authority, creative fertility, and self-trust — rather than trying to be who you once wereKate’s voice is calm, grounded, and deeply validating. This episode offers permission to slow down, let go of what no longer fits, and trust the wisdom of this season — even when it feels messy. Download 15 Breaths to Calm Anxiety - a FREE 5 minute audio to calm you down in real time. Download The Breath Check-Up - your FREE guide to understanding how well you're breathing right now. Download my energising 5 Minute Morning Practice to get your day started in the best way possible. To find out more about my membership The Inner Space go to: https://www.pollywarren.com/theinnerspace Email me at: info@pollywarren.com https://www.pollywarren.com/ https://www.instagram.com/pollywarrencoaching/

    52 min

  8. FEB 12

    Thursday Thoughts - The Patriarchy

    On this week's Thursday's Thoughts, Lucy and I are talking all about the patriarchy. This social system that historically centres white men as the default holders of power, money, status and authority, is woven into the very fabric of society. It shows up in a million subtle - and not so subtle - ways: women playing small because they’ve been taught to be pleasing, quiet, polite and accommodating; women taking on the ‘invisible load’ of housework and kid-min; women being put down at work or at home because of the inherent and subconscious belief that men are somehow superior. In this conversation, Lucy and I talk about how the patriarchy has shown up in our own lives, as well as how things are so much worse for women in other countries and cultures. And this is exactly why women need to start speaking up and standing up for both themselves, and the many, many women who are less fortunate than those of us in western cultures. We hope you’ll find something interesting in here. Love, Polly & Lucy x Download 15 Breaths to Calm Anxiety - a FREE 5 minute audio to calm you down in real time. Download The Breath Check-Up - your FREE guide to understanding how well you're breathing right now. Download my energising 5 Minute Morning Practice to get your day started in the best way possible. To find out more about my membership The Inner Space go to: https://www.pollywarren.com/theinnerspace Email me at: info@pollywarren.com https://www.pollywarren.com/ https://www.instagram.com/pollywarrencoaching/

    34 min
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4.6
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About

A podcast for creating practical calm in the messy middle of midlife. This is your space to pause.  Because life in midlife is full-on. Between work, family, menopause, and the mental load, your nervous system can easily end up in constant overdrive — leaving you feeling exhausted, reactive, and overwhelmed by even the smallest things.  Each week, I’ll share my own tools, alongside honest conversations and practical nervous system support —  to help you create more calm, peace, joy, and inner steadiness. Not by escaping your life, because that’s totally unrealistic, but by meeting it differently. So when you're ready, let’s take a breath together… 

Information

  • Creator
    Polly Warren
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    303
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Take A Breath
  • Show Website
    Take A Breath

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