Move it Mama - The Sparkle Pod

Kia ora pals, another week and here we are. We start today's episode talking about Leece's mindset this morning and current struggles - of which, as you can appreciate, there are many and so it's a bit of a sombre start. In amongst this though we discuss the power of Move it Mama and community - and how blessed are we (that includes you, our listeners). Over the weekend we put out a Q&A to our social media and so in the rest of the episode we answer a series of random questions. Including but not limited to (!) - protein powder chat, an update on Leece's knee, parenting four year old boys and subsequent tips, fav foods/cuisines/snacks, motivation when life's tough, the notion of 'when I feel crap, I look crap, what can I do', and how to survive the silly season. On reflection the silly season answer is perhaps quite a stoic stance but we hope and trust you'll hear what we're saying. Love you guys, thankful every day. Connection - this is it.

Hello pals, how are you? Time for the weekend debrief, as per. It's been an eventful week and a hard one at that. We talk in quite a bit of detail with a life update from the Sunshine Coast. Things are really very hard and at this point we want to thank Leece for being so open in her experience. We know many of you are interested and care, and also really appreciate her vulnerability and honesty through the situation they find themselves in. A few little tangents about much less important matters like the rules of the sissy chat, f**king Fortnite and kids birthday parties. Once again, we are so grateful to you.

Hello hello, welcome to the weekend debrief. Leece wasn't feeling super up to the chat today and so decided instead to quiz me about the half marathon and a weekend in Auckland. Some days are just harder than others so with Leece taking somewhat of a backward step from the mic I hope you're not feeling a total snooze fest. In the episode we go over the weekend which included the Auckland half marathon, my visiting friends, the current struggles of life on the Sunshine Coast, some book chat and some other little bits in between. As I ran around the Auckland half track I had some beaut smiles off in the distance and one or two 'go Move it Mama' chants from the little pockets of crowd. It was just another reminder of the power of this community and how fortunate we are to have you.

Welcome back to the weekend synopsis with Leece and Jess. Leece is sipping her cacao as we record today, so you're blessed with a slurpy start. In today's episode we talk the tradition of ceremonial cacao (and coffee lol), finding and taking the time to stop for a second, musings about life just being all round hard (sorry if this is downer), today's LIVE workout and boobs, and the anxious ins and outs of Dan. Halfway through we take a trip down memory lane and somehow end up discussing one night stands and so thank goodness for that, with its ability to lighten the mood. Listeners of a younger age should probably not be around. We also cannot stop swearing - we'll do better! Love and thanks <3

Today's episode of the sparkle pod is the usual Monday debrief you've come to expect. From the time of the month and what it might do to ones bowel, the weekend synopsis - including the journey of Dan - longing for a bender (jokes), lessons in the loss of Liam Payne and among other bits, continuing to clutch at straws for a sparkle spreader. Although the sparkle spreader does come easily to Leece thanks to the wonderful community that is you. Your messages, thoughts, dreams and love are just so wholeheartedly, gratefully received. An early HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the sunshine girl, Lisa Fong. We f**king LOVE and adore you.

How obvious is it that we're constantly looking up alternatives to 'chew the fat' as a podcast title? Don't answer that. Here we are on your Monday morning just running off at the mouth on all things weekend. Sometimes it takes a bit of time to find our feet each week, particularly with the current themes of life, but we somehow find our groove today and end up yabbering for 110 minutes. Over achievers aren't we!? Thanks again for being here. Week on week we're messaged in reference to the podcast, about some topic of chat you relate to, and it makes us smile every time. In today's episode we're talking super important hair decisions, theatre performances and the associated envy, kids and phones and of course the situation with Dan and all that comes with that. And of course, sprinkled throughout the episode are the lols and mispronunciations you've come to expect. Love you.

Hello hello, another Mondae another chew the fat episode between Leece and Jess (the 'dae' will make sense soon). In today's episode we're fresh off the weekend, with Dan currently home at the Sunny Coast Fong household (unfortunately just for a few more days now), and Jess in the middle of her first school holidays. Somehow we find a lot to talk about today, as you can see from the length of this episode lol - of course a fair bit about Dan; how he's doing at the moment and what's been going on there in general, the school holiday juggle and associated musings, life just being hard, the power of human connection and bunch of other semi-rubbish chatter (but obviously super important at the time hehe). Special mention to the extra 20 minutes post sparkle spreader because sometimes that's just what we do. Also special mention to sis Leece (or Leaky Titties) who shows up on here like it ain't no thing and talks so openly about such a sh*tshow of a time, and we are so grateful to her for so many things. Thanks to you, too - our listeners - for being here.

Hey pals, back with the Monday debrief again but at a time that throws us. Some DAYS YA KNOW (welcome to school hols). Leece is home with Dan - it's a nice patch in that respect but of course not without its challenges. Naturally we cover that, a trip to Bunnings, boil up, school holiday routines and our seemingly regular rigmaroles. Leece throws a spanner at the end and gives away the orange cardigan - if at all familiar to you, be in to win lol. Thanks for listening to our sisterly catch ups, for all of your messages of kindness and love, your ongoing support and so on.

Our typical Monday morning debrief recorded early afternoon Wednesday and straight into your ear holes for Wednesday night. Going into this chat we really felt we had nothing to give, but between Tresemme haircare and Leece's mispronunciation we had quite a lot of fun. We were also a bit anxious today, for reasons we explain, and to mention now that the news has been received and it was positive news at that so, WOW, just wow. We chat lots of bits, visitors in and out, what's been going on, hair care lol, Ritual42. school holidays and so on. Thanks for being here.

Hello to our sparkly friends - thank you for being here. This was a bit of a tough recording today. We know you will understand that things for Leece are pretty rock bottom, and so naturally our conversation is a little tough and generally low. If you find this kind of chat hard to listen to, maybe consider diving in at a later stage. Things are tough, life is beyond hard, and in today's episode we end up talking quite a bit about Leece's inner thoughts, what's going on and how it's all feeling for her. There's a smidge of lightness in here but in all, it's just tough. Jess talks about a shopping incident at the weekend and just wants to make mention that it was a LOL only and it perhaps isn't as judgemental as it sounds (!!). Thank you for all your support and love, as always. We're really grateful to you every day. OH, we do talk about running off to Ibiza to do a three day bender which is a bit more upbeat (hehe). X

In our house growing up, if ever the phone rang after 3pm it was, 'hi is Lisa there please?'. It became quite annoying, that much we remember. Eventually, it's as if every afternoon was a battlefield of who got to the house phone or the Mavis Beacon typing disc (or later msn messenger) first. The joys of siblings - and aren't we grateful. Grateful to chew the fat together on a Monday afternoon, to debrief the current state of affairs, how we're tracking and what the current rigmaroles are. Once again so great to have Leece be so open on the podcast about the current, very challenging and quite truthfully gut-wrenchingly hard at times (most of the time), day to day. We hope you enjoy our catch up. There's even a sparkle spreader! xx

First of all a bit of an apology - we are lacklustre today and believe it comes through in this episode. As we do preface at the beginning - this podcast is not at all for financial gain or even marketing or reach. Really the podcast has become simply about bringing you more - more of our conversations, more of our thoughts, more of our lives - a way for us to share more with you than just our workouts. So with that, our conversations are honest and real-time - REAL being the key word. As we know Leece is in the thick of Dan's treatment and life being flipped on its head; forever changed. Naturally this is where our conversation is. We talk briefly about some lighter stuff like actors and authors falling into genres, Ritual42 - and the fact it isn't motivating Leece lol - and unsurprisingly a fair bit of chat around food. Sorry if it puts you to sleep but such is life today and we hope you still enjoy our catch up. Thank you for your continued support.

It's been a while since Leece has been with us and wow, we have leapt at the chance. This podcast has evolved in time; it began with Leece at the helm and Char and I alongside her, until Char's day job became a little too hectic for her to sustain the pod, and so naturally Leece and I became the more frequent chatterboxes. We dabble in guests, including the dear extended team, but do end up doing a lot of the waffle ourselves but regardless, just LOVE having so many of you tune in to us every week. It's been nothing short of SH*T not having Leece on the podcast and we know how much you've missed her. Now, and as we discuss today, things are just different. We feel different, with what's going on, and everything has somehow shifted. Despite this, and even though Leece was worrying she was a bore, I know you will really, really enjoy hearing Leece open up again today about what has been the worst rollercoaster ride you just want off of - over the last 3-4 months. Grateful for Leece, deeply so, and so grateful to you, our friends.

Hi everyone, I'm back in the 'robe with my friend Kirsty G. It was fun to welcome Kirst back to the pod after a little while and good to have a chuckle to her latest little stories. We take many a tangent today - in no particular order - from the struggle of mum life and overwhelm to buying thrush cream, subway, awkward social chats and more. We had quite a bit to cover and didn't get to all your questions at all but just goes to show, we have plenty of material left up our sleeves lol. Thank you for always being so kind in your feedback to our podcast and for all of your downloads. We are so lucky to have you and this community - never taking it for granted. Thank you Kirst for your time, LY.

Hello again - we were feeling somewhat flat ahead of recording this one but we're hopeful that in spite of this, you can enjoy our weekly dose of babble. We go over a few bits in today's episode, but first off the bat Char opens up for some story telling. Such stories include a poo in Tommy's eyelashes and vomit in Char's hands. We eventually move on to some less filthy chat like Char's impending trip to the Olympics in Paris (she leaves tomorrow!) and Nina's first day at school. Some days feel a little more challenging to front up to - we're sure you understand that - but regardless, hope you still enjoy the chatter. Thanks to our bomb community for being the best there is. PS - can you tell we googled 'synonyms for the word 'waffle'?

HELLO, welcome back. I've got Hobbsy back with me today and after our introductory chat - (this takes time as a result of plants, school holidays and bowels) - we get into some book reviews. We discuss recent 'hits', 'misses' and what we're currently a little 'curious' about. I do believe Hobbsy has skill in this area - that I absolutely lack - however am hopeful it might give you some new reads to seek out (many of you hang around for Hobbsy's stretch sessions purely for the book reviews so here you go). In today's episode we also chat first about Sarah's upcoming speaking gig at the Real Women Raw Stories event to be held in Christchurch August 8th and 9th, where she will share their story of Sophia. There are still tickets available and it's always a great time FYI (we'll link below). Following our book review chatter we briefly turn to the etiquette surrounding leaving a pre-school and throwing a birthday party for your kid. Why do I find this such a rigmarole? Hobbsy didn't give much lol, but I know I'm not the only one. Anyway, happy listening - to chat-shit-city. All our love and thanks. Book recommendations - Hit for Jess - Prima Facie by Suzie Miller Hit for Sarah - How to be remembered by Michael Thompson; The Wife and the Widow by Christian White Miss for Jess - The Seven Sisters (book 1) by Lucinda Riley; Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton (no offence on both of these!!!) Miss for Sarah - Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Curious for Jess - Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, Thursday murder club series by Richard Osman Curious for Sarah - The Life of Dai by Dai Henwood, The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes You can purchase tickets to Real Women Raw Stories here - https://www.realwomenrawstories.co.nz/

Well there's a first for everything and in this episode of the sparkle pod, Char hosts Jess. It definitely feels a bit backward what with Char being the more lucrative 'guest' (lol) but here we are just trying to bring some light hearted waffly, sprinkle cones your way. In Char's first hosting gig she quizzes Jess with 21 questions - surprisingly they are all answered in roundabout ways and as a result some story telling takes place. It's a bit of fun (we think), but also, sorry if you fall asleep (Char nearly did). Thank you guys for everything.

(TW: anxiety) - Hello sparkle podders. In today's episode clinical psychologist and Move it Mama pal Esma discusses the massive topic of anxiety. Given how big the topic of anxiety is, what Esma and I discuss today really is just the tip of the iceberg. First off, we cover a bit about what Esma does for work, how Esma helps people with severe anxiety disorders, and what kind of therapy and strategies may be used to help people with anxiety. Esma discusses different types of anxiety (generalised, social, PTSD, OCD, etc.), and how people might present, as well as the rigmarole that is social media and phones. We discuss what we could do about our anxiety other than exercise and breathing - what are our steps? Esma has some useful tools in response to this question, including talking about exposure versus avoidance and if you're a massive worrier, useful concepts such as 'worry time' and the worry decision tree (resources below). There are some great takeaways in here, including how we might be able to help care for our loved ones with anxiety. I'm sure many of you will find the conversation useful. Towards the end of the podcast we attempt to answer some of your questions - but admittedly don't get to too many with the time we have. Please note: the information discussed contains general information rather than specific or individualised advice. Tips for managing anxiety can be a good starting point for someone looking to add some tools into their anxiety management toolbox. A reminder that if you believe you need help, or are experiencing significant distress, please in the first instance book in with your GP. Some additional resources are linked below. Finally, a big thanks to Esma for her time, and a note to our listeners that Esma was being a proper multi-tasking boss with her daughter and so you will hear her a bit throughout the second half of the pod! Thank you! Love to all, thanks for listening. Recommendations discussed in the episode - Book: The Anxious Generation - by Jonathan Haidt (covering the four foundational harms) Worry time and the worry tree - https://www.uh.edu/caps/resources/covid-19/manage-anxiety/ For an overview on Te Whare Tapa Wha: https://mentalhealth.org.nz/te-whare-tapa-wha For free online CBT course for anxiety or depression, as well as other great resources on a number of things that we discussed: https://www.justathought.co.nz If you need to talk to someone after listening to this podcast (NZ): - Free call or text 1737 for support from a trained counsellor - Lifeline 0800 543 354, free text 4357 - Youthline 0800 376 633, free text 234 - Samaritans 0800 726 666

BONUS off-the-cuff podcast time! Over the past 7-8 weeks Leece has not been on the podcast, for reasons you'll likely know a bit about. No day is the same at the moment for Leece; planning anything is a challenge and with everything that's going on, it mostly just feels a bit too confronting and hard. Today though, she had a moment where she felt she could front up and we seized the opportunity. Soon after we recorded today, Leece hit up #spreadthesparkle and delivered an impromptu workout, so get your mitts on that if you fancy a dose of Leece (we know many of you do!). There is so much more we could chat about than what we go over today, but this is just a quick catch up on what has happened over the last little while and what that has looked and felt like. We come to quite an abrupt finish as both of us had to quickly go, but we're hopeful Leece can get back on and continue the conversation sometime soon. A specific and massive THANK YOU to you all for your love and support, especially to the support on the give a little page which has blown our minds. Our community is next level - we're extremely grateful. What a privilege to have Leece back on the sparkle pod. A gentle note that Leece opens up about the journey to Dan's cancer diagnosis and so for some, this could be triggering.

Hello! Back on the waffle train with our sister in law Hobbsy - you should know her pretty well by now. Our Geraldine "shouse" based trainer, wife to our brother Nick, mother to Stanley Chops and angel girl Sophia, and the woman that with all her might will not do a workout finisher. In today's episode we're chatting a mix of tidbits - an intro to Sarah by Sarah, not to forget the part where she's a genius, her experience in body building competitions, her balance of jobs (MIM, real estate, school) and other things like chips, toothpaste, blankets and books. In a bid to bring you some light casual chat here we are with your weekly dose of waffle. Thanks again to our sparkle spreaders i.e., you.