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
The Little Things usually talks about the issues facing women of a certain age - but sometimes, those issues can be caused by their husbands or partners. So today, Francesca and Louise are turning their attention on middle-aged men - why do men get so down as they get older, how can they open up, and is 'male menopause' really a thing? To discuss this, their joinged by broadcaster and A Life Less Punishing author, Matt Heath, and clinical psychologist Dr Dougal Sutherland. See omnystudio.com/lis...
Sep 20, 2024•51 min
When it comes to nutrition and what you put into your body, there is so much information out there about what not to do and what to do instead that it can be difficult to know the truth. This week, Francesca and Louise are joined once again by NZ-based leading expert on women's health and fitness, Dr Stacy Sims, to discuss all things nutrition, hydration, food and gut microbiome. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 13, 2024•46 min
Making friends as a kid is easy work. As an adult? Not so much. From knowing how many friends you should have, to working through relationships that might be too toxic, juggling friends in adulthood is sometimes as complicated as your playground relationships. This week, Francesca and Louise are joined by Dr Hannah Korrel, author of How to Break Up With Friends, to discuss all the advice you need to know for navigating, maintaining and building friendships in adulthood. See omnystudio.com/listen...
Sep 06, 2024•43 min
Parents always want to keep their kids safe in any circumstance, and always have. But with the rise of social media, that has become a more difficult task. Today, Francesca and Louise talk with US-based Kiwi journalist Olivia Carville on her investigation into the extent of sextortion scams targeting teen boys there, and then get advice on what parents can do to help their kids navigate the internet safely with NetSafe's Sean Lyons. Suicide and depression help services: If it is an emergency and...
Aug 30, 2024•51 min
The physical effects of ageing can be difficult for many of us to accept. Whether we’re going grey or starting to develop wrinkles, a lot of us will do anything to avoid watch our bodies change. But there are plenty of cosmetic procedures available to help slow down those signs of ageing, from botox to dying your hair, that can help people feel more comfortable in their own bodies. For this week’s episode, Francesca and Louise speak first with acclaimed hairdresser and stylist Brad Lepper about ...
Aug 23, 2024•1 hr 1 min
It’s a topic no one ever wants to think about, but people are being urged to plan early for their parent’s care as they got older. New Zealand’s population is continuing to grow - Stats NZ estimated in 2022 that the number of people 65 years or older would hit 1 million by 2028, which would equate to 1 in 5 New Zealanders. With more of us getting older and living for longer, it also means more families working out how to care for their loved ones. This week, Francesca and Louise are joined by Es...
Aug 16, 2024•46 min
There are plenty of barriers in place when it comes to women in the workplace - not just from the gender pay gap, but the way mothers and middle-aged women are treated by their employers. To discuss how to break down those walls and be valued by your employer, this week Francesca and Louise are joined by women's employment advocate and head of her consulting agency, Jo Cribb. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 09, 2024•46 min
The Little Things is back for Season 3, and for the first episode, Francesca and Louise are digging into one of the most contentious topics in women's health at the moment - Hormone Replacement Therapy. Dr Samantha Newman joins to discuss all you need to know about the treatment and hormone changes in women, and why she thinks HRT is worth trying. For more from Dr Newman, head to: https://allaboutus.teachable.com/p/is-it-hormones-discuss-perimenopause-with-your-gp and use discount code LITTLETHI...
Aug 02, 2024•41 min
Season 3 of The Little Things is coming out soon - but before that happens, Francesca and Louise are catching up on everything they've learnt from the first two seasons - what have they changed, what are they still working on, and what do they still need to learn? Season 3 returns from August 3rd. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 26, 2024•13 min
For the last episode of the season, we're revisiting one of the key topics all women need to know about - menopause. A lot has changed in just a few years, with Dr Ginni Mansberg re-releasing her book, The M Word, later this month to address the latest research. And with the latest research come some myths that need debunking. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 19, 2024•48 min
The Mental Load Project is advocating for a change in how heterosexual relationships operate - and that means not placing all the burden of organising kids, the household, and sometimes the partner, on the wife and mother. Dr Robyn Miller joins Francesca and Louise to discuss the mental load, how to recognise it, and how to have the conversation about delegation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 12, 2024•40 min
This weekend marks the end of daylight saving - and that means a big jolt to our sleep cycles. Looking at the other 354 days of the year, how do we get a good night's sleep? This week, Francesca and Louise talk with Dr Michael Mosley, author of the new book 4 Weeks to Better Sleep: A life-changing plan for deep sleep, improved function and feeling great. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 05, 2024•51 min
The last few years have seen a spike in people being diagnosed with a neurodivergent condition, such as ADHD, autism, anxiety or OCD. It's something Francesca has had personal experience with, so to help other parents and adult women going on their own journeys, she and Louise talk all things neurodiversity with Anton Ashcroft, registered psychologist and co-founder of Divergent Thinking. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Mar 29, 2024•42 min
Worries about body image are one of those issues that transcends age, gender and shape - whether worrying about being too skinny, too fat, not muscly enough, plenty of us have concerns about how we look. Registered nutritionist Claire Turnbull joins the podcast this week to discuss how women can come to terms with their own bodies, and what to do when discussing things with their kids. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Mar 22, 2024•45 min
Going for a run, going to the gym, or just starting to exercise in general after a long pause can be pretty daunting. So how do we get back into it, where should our focus be, and how can we do it from home if we don't want to go to the gym? This week, Francesca and Louise talk with personal trailer and resistance strength specialist Kyra Seiler. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 15, 2024•43 min
Most women pre-menopause menstruate every month. However, a recent New Zealand study showed functional menstrual literacy is as low as 50 percent, while 38 percent of those who menstruate don’t know the normal length of a period. So what do we need to know about our menstrual cycle? And from endometriosis to hysterectomies, what do we need to know to about our uterus? Today, Francesca and Louise are joined by Auckland-based gynaecologist and obstetrics specialist Dr Amelia Ryan. See omnystudio.c...
Mar 08, 2024•42 min
It's hard to avoid being bombarded with advertisements and different products that all vow to reverse the signs of ageing - but do any of them actually work, or are there some very inexpensive methods we can use that are a lot more effective? Dr Cara McDonald, co director and principal dermatologist at Complete Skin Specialists in Melbourne, joins Francesca and Louise today to discuss everything skincare related - including what you children really need to know about it. See omnystudio.com/liste...
Mar 01, 2024•44 min
It's tough being a teenager these days, with constant access to phones not helping with anxiety - and it's just as hard being a parent, often for the same reasons of competitiveness and comparison with others. Dr Justin Coulson has written one of the definitive modern books on parenting, all while raising six kids himself. He joins Francesca and Louise to discuss the pressures parents put on teens and themselves, and how to manage expectations, anxiety and typical teen problems. See omnystudio.c...
Feb 23, 2024•51 min
Until 2020, Elise Loehnen seemed like she had it al. As the Chief Content Officer at Gwyneth Paltrow's GOOP, she was helping lead the way at one of the most talked about brands in the world. That's until her anxiety caught up with her, and she realised that was she was chasing after an impossible lie. She joins Francesca and Louise to discuss how that realisation led to her book, On Our Best Behaviour: The Price Women Pay to be Good, and what she learned about the pressures placed on women. See ...
Feb 16, 2024•46 min
Mobility may not be the sexiest topic around - something fitness advocate Juliet Starrett is very aware of. However, more and more data shows how poor mobility can be a major health risk as you get older - and something as basic as struggling to get up off the floor should spark warning signs. Juliet joins Francesca and Louise today to discuss simple advice for anyone looking to stay mobile. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Feb 09, 2024•44 min
The Little Things is back for Season 2! And as we leave summer holidays behind and settle back into our regular routine, how do we avoid getting overwhelmed and hitting a wall in all aspects of our lives? Today, Francesca and Louise are joined by Jude Walter from Brainfit.World to discuss her experience with burnout, and the tips she has learned over the years to help people deal with their concerns. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Feb 02, 2024•50 min
