In a world where our attention is constantly pulled in multiple directions, how do we regain control of our focus? Professor Gloria Mark from the University of California, has spent her career studying what's happening to our attention spans and she joins Francesca and Louise to share some surprising statistics. It's a wonder we get anything done at all! But don't panic, Gloria also shares plenty of great advice to help us reclaim our focus. This is the last episode of The Little Things for 2025...
Oct 17, 2025•52 min
When our kids worry, we worry. Especially when we don't know what they're worried about! This week, Dr Justin Coulson is back to talk about what really bothers kids and young adults most, and how parents can help. He shares some of his top tips for helping parents support their children through these challenges by fostering connection, understanding perfectionism, and encouraging open conversations about tough topics See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Oct 10, 2025•51 min
Are you ready to face the AI revolution that's already transforming our daily lives? Join Francesca and Louise as they step into the world of artificial intelligence with nanotechnologist and science communicator Dr Michelle Dickinson. From the benefits of AI as a productivity tool to the concerning lack of regulation in New Zealand and the ways we might be unwittingly sharing our children’s data to train AI, Dr Dickinson brings clarity to complex concepts while also offering practical advice fo...
Oct 03, 2025•1 hr
When a loved one experiences dementia, grief does not wait for a tidy ending. Francesca and Louise sit down with resilience researcher and grief expert Dr Lucy Hone to talk about living loss and how to cope when someone you love is in ongoing cognitive decline. Later in the episode Helen Frank from Alzheimer’s Taranaki shares clear guidance on early signs, getting a diagnosis,and the support available for carers. 'How Will I Ever Get Through This?' - pre-sales for the new book from Dr Lucy Hone ...
Sep 26, 2025•55 min
Many women are blindsided in their 40s by a sudden return of explosive anger. Clinical neuropsychologist Caroline Gurvich joins Francesca and Louise to explain how hormonal changes can intensify stress, spark mood swings and leave women feeling unrecognisable to themselves. She also shares what helps: lifestyle shifts, medical support and the importance of not simply putting up with it. Plus, a look at brain fog, the overlap with ADHD symptoms and weighing up treatment options for perimenopause ...
Sep 19, 2025•52 min
What do top athletes know about pressure that the rest of us don’t? Dr Kylie Wilson is a mental skills and performance coach who has worked with Olympians, rugby stars and world champions. She joins Francesca and Louise to share some of the mental skills sports stars use that can also help us regular folks in our everyday life. Prepare to take notes on learning from failure, reframing negative stories, and building focus through routines and visualisation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...
Sep 12, 2025•58 min
Coast FM's Lorna Riley has been through two divorces and is now engaged again. Her message to women staring down a midlife separation is clear: it is hard, it is heart-breaking, but you can still build a good life on the other side. Lorna joins Louise and Francesca to talk about the financial and emotional toll of separation, finding herself back in the dating pool in her fifties, a simple screen for red flags and the two year recovery arc. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 05, 2025•50 min
Many women have a complex relationship with alcohol and how it impacts our health and wellbeing as we age. Master health coach, Ree George, joins Louise and Francesca to talk about the role alcohol plays in women's lives, how it impacts us physiologically and psychologically, and why many of us find ourselves drinking more as we deal with the stresses of middle age. Ree shares practical, compassionate advice about reflecting on your relationship with alcohol, whether it's time for a "reset", and...
Aug 29, 2025•59 min
Rising costs are hitting every household in Aotearoa, but for many women there’s an added weight – the invisible job of managing the family’s money. In this episode of The Little Things , hosts Francesca Rudkin and Louise Ayrey admit they’ve ended up as the “household CFOs”, juggling bills and budgets by default. They’re joined by financial advisor and Herald columnist Nadine Higgins, who shares why women are often better investors than they think, how to reframe a restrictive “budget” into a pr...
Aug 22, 2025•56 min
The world of supplements can be overwhelming, but don't worry, we've got you! Naturopath Erin O'Hara joins Francesca and Louise to to help determine if you need supplements, how to select quality products, and make sense of trends and labelling. Discover when supplements can be helpful or even essential, versus when you're just wasting money (and potentially risking your health) on an unproven fad. From vitamin D to probiotics, magnesium to collagen, Erin shares her insider tips on choosing the ...
Aug 15, 2025•54 min
This week, Francesca and Louise are joined by celebrity stylist Michiko Hylands to talk fashion after 40 and 50, and how to find your confidence and style as you get older. They discuss wearing colors and styles outside your comfort zone, finding flattering silhouettes for your body type, feeling confident and vibrant with age, investing in timeless pieces, and embracing trends in a way that suits you. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Aug 08, 2025•55 min
Do you constantly feel tired and exhausted no matter how much you sleep or rest? Have you been blaming it on stress or a busy life? The answer may be simpler than you think. This week, Francesca and Louise are joined by nutritional biochemist and author of Fix Iron First, Dr. Libby, to discuss the vital role iron plays in our energy levels and overall health, and why more women need to tackle this earlier. Listen as they cover everything from the stages of deficiency and causes, to testing, trea...
Aug 01, 2025•52 min
Francesca and Louise are back for Season 5 - but before they get into the new season, they are catching up on what they took away from Season 4, from grief to gut health, and the major change Louise has implemented. And there's still plenty more to cover, including dementia, alcohol, supplements, iron, fatigue and more. Be sure to subscribe and listen to the new season of The Little Things starting August 2nd! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 25, 2025•7 min
For the last episode of the season, Francesca and Louise are joined by author, podcaster and editor with Mamamia, Holly Wainwright. The host of MID and co-host of Mamamia Out Loud, Wainwright has been telling women's stories for most of her career - but she wasn't sure what to expect when she approached middle age herself. She talks to Francesca and Louise about how times are changing for women, why mid-life is about more than just hormones, becoming invisible from the male gaze, and the best pa...
May 23, 2025•1 hr
Francesca and Louise have been trail running for several years now, and while they love it as a hobby, both know how menopause and ageing can have an impact on getting into exercise and maintaining it. So this week, they are talking to Cathy Duffy, a running coach with Mile 27 in Australia, and who also has a Bachelor of Human Movement Science. She is focused on making sure women feel safe and comfortable when it comes to exercise, not only to achieve their goals, but to train with consideration...
May 16, 2025•46 min
Self-help books and advice gurus often promise big changes to revolutionise how you live your life, or push you to strive for perfection. But what if we accept the fact that we are mortal humans with a finite time on this Earth, with only so much ability to get things done - and if we place ourselves within that reality, is that when we can truly thrive? This week, Francesca and Louise are talking about this philosophy with Oliver Burkeman, author of Meditations for Mortals, which explores why w...
May 09, 2025•47 min
In the last few years, everyone has started talking about gut microbiome and how important it is to our health. Everything from longevity to mental health to disease resistance is now being linked to the gut - but how do we achieve a healthy gut microbiome? Do we really need probiotics or can lifestyle and diet alone help our gut to flourish? This week, Francesca and Louise get a step by step gut health guide from Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, a gastroenterologist, researcher, expert in digestive disease...
May 02, 2025•55 min
Therapy can be a useful tool for many of us for a variety of reasons, but often times finding the right person for the right price can be the first barrier in seeking help. So who should you see? How can you access what you need? What does it cost? And how do we get the best out of it? To help you sort through it, this week Francesca and Louise are joined by clinical psychologist, writer and speaker Jacqui Maguire about the different types of therapy, how to be in the right mindset to seek help,...
Apr 25, 2025•50 min
Stories about millionaires doing wacky things to decrease their biological age - like plasma transfusions with their teenage sons - have been doing the rounds over the last few years. But extending your lifespan can be done cheaply and easily. This week, Francesca and Louise talk to Dr Nicholas Koemer about the study he was a co-author on that looked at the easiest ways to change your lifestyle. And they talk with NZ Herald writer Joanna Wane to share what she learned from a year spent trying to...
Apr 18, 2025•42 min
The Netflix hit Adolescence has got everyone talking - in particular, it's sparked conversations around boys and young men, and what's causing them to be drawn in by the 'manosphere' online. This week, Francesca and Louise are joined by Andrew Reiner, author of Better Boys, Better Men: The New Masculinity, and a Senior Lecturer at Towson University in Maryland where he teaches courses in men's and cultural studies, who feels that the right conversations aren't being had off the back of the show....
Apr 11, 2025•55 min
Grief is something that we all experience in life - we all know what it is like to lose a loved one, be it a family member, friend, or even a pet. It doesn’t seem to matter how prepared you might be, how many times you have experienced it, or the circumstances around it, a devastating loss is just that – devastating. And finding the words to support those close to us can be difficult, let alone helping ourselves. This week, Francesca and Louise are joined by Dr Denise Quinlan, director of the Ne...
Apr 04, 2025•49 min
Our GPs are people we rely on for a lot. A visit can be as simple as a 15 min appointment to establish if our sore throat is a viral or bacterial infection, but it is sometimes the start of a long and difficult pathway of diagnosis, treatment and hopefully recovery for any one of many illnesses and injuries that could befall us. They play a big role in our health journey, but do we really understand their role in our well-being? To get insight into how to get the most from your GP, this week Fra...
Mar 28, 2025•52 min
Many of us find a makeup routine that works, even if it takes years to get it right. But that doesn't mean that routine is always going to be the thing that works. This week, Francesca and Louise are joined by acclaimed local makeup artist Lisa Matson to discuss why our old routines don't work as we get older, and what we need to do to keep it working. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 21, 2025•53 min
This year Francesca and Louise have both sent a child off to university, and it has got them thinking about the empty nest and how to cope. To discuss, Newstalk ZB host Kerre Woodham joins them to get her insights into watching her daughter leave home, leave the country, and raise a family - and why your kids leaving home isn't the end of the world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 14, 2025•45 min
Francesca and Louise are back for a new season, and to kick things off, they are joined by Christchurch-based Canadian naturopath and author of The Metabolism Reset, Lara Briden, to discuss the key role metabolism plays in maintaining our energy levels, hunger and weight, and what you need to do if things are feeling a little off. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 07, 2025•51 min
The Little Things is coming back for Season 4 next week, but before the new season gets underway, Francesca and Louise are catching up on what they learned last season, including improving their family relationships, getting more protein into their diets, and how Francesca avoided being caught in a sextortion scam! New episodes are back from March 8th. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 28, 2025•13 min
For the final episode of the season, Francesca and Louise are discussing one of the hot topics of lifestyle and wellbeing at the moment - weight loss drugs. Ever since Ozempic hit the market in the US, it's all anyone can talk about - but how do these drugs work, and can you even get them in New Zealand? To discuss this, they are joined by Professor Jeremy Krebs to answer all your questions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Oct 18, 2024•44 min
Forget New Year Resolutions - with the clocks having recently reset, and the school holidays coming to an end, now is the last chance many women will have to reset their healthy habits before the Christmas rush takes over the last few months of the year. With some tips of how to create these habits and stick to them, today Francesca and Louise are joined by naturopath Erin O'Hara. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Oct 11, 2024•51 min
Intimacy in a relationship is about more than just sex - but good intimacy and honest communication can help your relationship avoid any pitfalls in that area as well. This week, Francesca and Louise are joined by sex therapist Jo Robertson to discuss everything you need to know about intimacy, from being honest about sex, to simple things to keep your relationship alive and communicative. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Oct 04, 2024•46 min
Heart disease is the biggest killer of people in New Zealand, including women, yet it is still often seen as a male issue. This episode, Francesca and Louise discuss their own heart and cholesterol journeys and get advice and insight from leading cardiologist, Dr Cara Wasywich. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 27, 2024•47 min
