The Rest Effect Podcast

Holly Allen

The Rest Effect Brought to you by Rest Easy Collective, The Rest Effect is your go-to podcast for practical rest in modern life. What began as the official podcast of Rest Easy Expo Podcast has now evolved into something deeper — a space to explore the everyday impact of rest, sleep, and self-care. Hosted by Holly Allen, massage therapist and founder of Rest Easy Collective, each episode offers real conversations, expert insights, and supportive strategies to help you pause, reset, and feel more like yourself again. From behind-the-scenes chats with wellness professionals to honest stories about burnout, boundaries, and nervous system support — this podcast is here to remind you: rest isn’t a luxury, it’s the starting point. Because when you make space to rest, everything changes. Whether you're a long-time listener or just tuning in, don’t worry — all previous episodes are still available, and there’s so much more to come. 

  1. AUG 17

    Healing Through Clay: Creative Arts Therapy with Tanya Ramprasad

    In this episode of The Rest Effect Podcast, I sit down with Tanya Ramprasad from Inner Atman Expressions to explore the healing power of creativity, presence, and expression. Tanya shares the story of how she was called to become a Creative Arts Therapist and Holistic Counsellor, and why she believes art-making can reach places that words alone can’t. We talk about the benefits of her unique approach—how combining creative arts, somatic awareness, and counselling offers a safe, supportive way to release what’s been held inside and reconnect with your inner calm. Tanya also opens up about the therapeutic power of working with clay—the grounding, tactile experience of shaping something with your hands, and how this simple yet profound process can unlock emotions, bring clarity, and create a sense of flow. She’ll be bringing this practice to Breathe – Self Care in Practice on Saturday, 30th August, with her session Clay Mandalas. Tanya explains what participants can expect, what the process feels like, and why this is an opportunity to step out of your head and into a deeper connection with yourself. If you’ve ever wondered how creativity can be a path to healing—or if you’re curious about Tanya’s beautiful session at Breathe—this is an episode you won’t want to miss. Follow Tanya at https://www.instagram.com/inner_atman_expressions/ or https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085922886646 Visit her website https://inneratmanexpressions.com/ ✨ BREATHE – Self Care in Practice ✨ 🗓 Saturday, 30th August 🕐 1:00 pm – 8:00 pm 📍 Kakowan Community Facility, Bunya A beautiful day designed to help you rest, reconnect, and restore through creativity, movement, stillness, and community. Event Schedule: 🌀 1:00 pm – Welcome Circle A gentle moment to arrive, exhale, and settle into calm connection.🎨 1:30 pm – Clay Mandalas with Tanya A creative, grounding practice to express your inner world—no words needed.☕ 2:30 pm – Break Nourish, wander, connect, or simply be.🌬 2:45 pm – Breathe Like an Olympian with Anna-Liza Mopio-Jane Harness the power of breath with an inspiring Olympian and breathwork coach.🫖 3:45 pm – Break Refill your cup—snacks, stalls, and soulful chats.💤 4:00 pm – The Pause That Heals with Amanda Cremonini Group hypnosis to rest deeply and remember: you are enough.🍲 5:15 pm – Shared Meal A warm, nourishing meal shared in good company.🌙 6:15 pm – Evening Session (You can let me know if you’d like this section fleshed out—I’ve seen a couple of variations in drafts.)✨ 8:00 pm – Closing Circle Coming together to reflect, integrate, and close the day with gratitude.Get your tickets here https://RestMassageStudio.as.me/Breathe

    20 min
  2. JUL 22

    Breathe Like An Olympian with Anna-Liza Mopio-Jane

    What if your breath was the key to unlocking clarity, resilience, and inner strength? In this episode, I chat with Olympian, breathwork coach, and speaker Anna-Liza Mopio-Jane. A proud Papua New Guinean and former elite swimmer, Anna-Liza represented her country at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, three Commonwealth Games, and five World Championships. Today, she helps high achievers—from CEOs to athletes—regulate their nervous systems, reconnect with their truth, and rise into their fullest potential. We explore how Anna-Liza unknowingly used breathwork as an athlete to calm her mind and prepare for competition, and how those same techniques now support her in motherhood, leadership, and daily life. She shares how her two boys remind her to pause and breathe, and how breathwork has become a tool for connection, presence, and purpose. In this conversation, we talk about: Breathing like an Olympian—what that really meansHow to use the breath to manage stress, calm the nervous system, and gain clarityLetting go of the “push harder” mindset and trusting your body’s signalsRewriting the story of success to include rest, regulation, and self-trustWhy sharing breathwork brings her so much joy—and how it can shift your life too✨ Anna-Liza is also our guest speaker at Breathe – Self Care In Practice, a soulful self-care gathering held on Saturday 30th August from 1pm to 8pm at Kakowan Community Facility, Bunya QLD. She’ll be delivering her energising keynote Breathe Like an Olympian in person. 🎟️ Tickets are still available but very limited – just $169 for a full afternoon and evening of nourishment, rest, and connection.  https://RestMassageStudio.as.me/Breathe 📲 Follow Anna-Liza and dive deeper into her world of breath and empowerment:  Website: www.annalizamopiojane.com Instagram: @annalizamopiojane Facebook: Anna-Liza Mopio-Jane 💨 Tune in and get ready to breathe deeply, live boldly, and lead from within.

    22 min
  3. JUL 18

    The Pause That Heals with Amanda Cremonini

    What actually is hypnosis—and what isn’t it? In this powerful episode, I chat with Amanda Cremonini, founder of the Worthy AF Club, Self-Worth Coach, and Rapid Transformational Hypnotherapist. If you’ve ever been curious about subconscious programming and how hypnosis can help you shift deep patterns of burnout, people-pleasing, and perfectionism—this one’s for you. Amanda shares her personal journey from chronic overachiever to self-worth advocate, how hypnosis became a life-changing tool in her healing, and why she believes rest is something we don’t need to earn. We also dive into what Amanda will be offering at Breathe – Self Care in Practice, our upcoming in-person event designed to be a nourishing space to rest, reconnect, and reset. Her session, The Pause That Heals, is a calming and restorative group hypnosis experience that helps you release the belief that your worth depends on how much you do—and instead remember who you are beneath the busyness. ✨ Event Details: Breathe – Self Care in Practice 🗓 Saturday 30 August | 1pm–8pm 📍 Kakowan Community Facility, Bunya QLD 🎟 Early bird tickets just $149 (save $20 – limited time!) Your ticket includes:  ✔ Group Hypnosis with Amanda – The Pause That Heals ✔ Yoga Nidra & Journaling with Kirsty Hagen ✔ Clay Mandalas with Tanya ✔ Singing Ring® Sound Bath with Kayoko ✔ Keynote with Olympian Anna-Liza Mopio-Jane ✔ A nourishing vegetarian dinner + snacks + refreshments This is your invitation to slow down, exhale, and remember: You are already enough. 🎧 Listen now and get ready to breathe a little deeper. 🎟 Grab your ticket: https://RestMassageStudio.as.me/Breathe Follow Amanda at https://www.instagram.com/theworthyafclub

    28 min
  4. MAY 22

    Wellness in a Sip: Sherree Sparks on Menopause, Hydration & Empowerment

    In this episode of the Rest Easy podcast, I’m joined by Sherree Sparks, CEO and founder of SipSistah, a wellness brand born from a deeply personal journey through menopause, hydration, and healing. After struggling with the frustrating symptoms of menopause, Sherree discovered something unexpected during her research into hydration: hydrogen water. Unlike regular water, this supercharged version is infused with extra hydrogen molecules, providing a powerful antioxidant boost that neutralises damaging oxygen radicals and dramatically improves cellular hydration. It’s natural, 100% safe, and doesn’t come with the hefty price tag or monthly subscription you might expect from a product with such big benefits. When Sherree saw the transformation in her own health—especially her menopausal symptoms—she knew she couldn’t keep it to herself. Her passion sparked months of research, testing, and innovation, eventually leading to the creation of SipSistah—a portable, everyday hydration solution that’s making waves in the wellness world. Tune in to hear how Sherree turned her personal breakthrough into a business, why hydrogen water might just be the upgrade your body has been craving, and how SipSistah is helping women everywhere hydrate with intention. Come along to Rest Easy Expo on Sunday 25th May and take advantage of the expo special price and get your own SipSistah Hydrogen Water Bottle.  Lean more about SipSistah https://sipsistah.com/ Puchase your ticket to Rest Easy Expo here:

    18 min
  5. MAY 21

    The Power of Rest – A Chat with Rebecca Roberson from One80Coaching

    In this episode, we're joined by Rebecca Roberson from One80Coaching – a returning vendor and speaker from last year’s Rest Easy Expo. We start by reflecting on the beautiful energy of last year’s event—the atmosphere, the community, and what makes Rest Easy so different from your typical expo. Spoiler alert: it’s all about real connection, genuine care, and unapologetic self-care. Becc shares her refreshing take on rest and self-care, reminding us that rest doesn’t always mean sleep. It might be a quiet moment with a book, a walk alone, journalling your thoughts to ease the mental clutter, or simply doing something that fills your cup. We explore the different kinds of rest and how creating space to slow down can transform your mood and mindset. We also dive into why we often “don’t have time” for self-care—when really, it comes down to what we value. If we don’t make time for it, it’s likely because we don’t yet see its importance. You’ll also hear about Becc’s upcoming appearances at this year’s Rest Easy Expo: she’s joining Cassandra Roberts from Finding Your Wild Potential on our panel The Power of Rest, and will be facilitating a group session called Better Moods—a practical and empowering workshop sharing six simple steps to shift your energy and boost your mood in doable, everyday ways. This chat is a beautiful reminder that rest is powerful, self-care is essential, and you are worthy of both. Rest Easy Expo is on Sunday 25th May at Pendicup Community Hall, Warner QLD Grab your ticket and join in Becc's workshop Better Moods: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/rest-easy-expo-tickets-1298152612409?aff=oddtdtcreator

    19 min
  6. MAY 12

    Mental Health First, Values Always: A Conversation with Cassandra Roberts

    In this episode, Holly is joined by Cassandra Roberts from Finding Your Wild Potential—a social worker with over eight years’ experience in the mental health field, a Dare to Lead trained practitioner, and a qualified Mental Health First Aid instructor. Through her work, Cassandra helps people reconnect with themselves, their mental wellbeing, and what truly matters. Cassandra shares what it means to be a Mental Health First Aid Instructor and why she believes everyone should have mental health training, just like CPR. We often don’t know how to respond when someone says they’re not okay—this conversation explores how we can all feel more confident and capable in supporting others. We also talk about how values and self-identity impact our mental health. Why do we sometimes feel stuck or unfulfilled, even when we’ve ticked all the boxes—career, family, home? Cassandra unpacks how understanding what we truly value can help us make more aligned decisions and create a more meaningful life. 🌱 Cassandra will be at Rest Easy Expo on Sunday 25th May at Pendicup Community Hall in Warner, QLD. You’ll be able to visit her stall to learn more about what she offers through Finding Your Wild Potential. She’ll also be part of our Speakers Corner: The Power of Rest, a panel conversation with Rebecca Roberson from One80 Coaching. At the panel, they’ll explore:  🌀 Why rest is necessary and empowering  🌀 How to move past guilt and blocks to rest  🌀 Practical tools to incorporate rest into daily life  🌀 Their own powerful personal journeys ✨ With a love for people, sea turtles, St Kilda footy, and good pizza, Cassandra brings heart, humour, and grounded wisdom to everything she does. 🎟️ Tickets for Rest Easy Expo are on sale now – group sessions are filling fast! Get your ticket here:

    24 min

About

The Rest Effect Brought to you by Rest Easy Collective, The Rest Effect is your go-to podcast for practical rest in modern life. What began as the official podcast of Rest Easy Expo Podcast has now evolved into something deeper — a space to explore the everyday impact of rest, sleep, and self-care. Hosted by Holly Allen, massage therapist and founder of Rest Easy Collective, each episode offers real conversations, expert insights, and supportive strategies to help you pause, reset, and feel more like yourself again. From behind-the-scenes chats with wellness professionals to honest stories about burnout, boundaries, and nervous system support — this podcast is here to remind you: rest isn’t a luxury, it’s the starting point. Because when you make space to rest, everything changes. Whether you're a long-time listener or just tuning in, don’t worry — all previous episodes are still available, and there’s so much more to come.