Joyful Balance Podcast

by Meera & Denise

Join us (Meera & Denise) on the exciting journey of the brain, mind and body and how they're connected. We provide the human element to understanding the relationship between the three. We will share our personal experience and guidance to enable you to feel less alone in the journey towards healthier relationships with your mind and food, your existence and your everyday self.

Podcast episodes

  • Season 3

  • The Neuroscience of Depression

    The Neuroscience of Depression

    We know the January Blues are a real thing, and that this month can be a bit of a struggle. We’re no stranger to this, both personally and professionally. If you’ve ever wondered what depression is, what it can look like in people, and what causes it (from a neuroscience perspective), this is the episode for you. Whilst it’s impossible to put all of the information and science out there in this episode, we’re putting this episode together as a gentle introduction to the topic to expand your knowledge on the subject. Don’t worry, there will be plenty more episodes from us on this subject to come! SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffee If you’re struggling with feelings of low mood and/or depression, please seek help. Consider speaking to a friend, colleague, family member or your GP as soon as possible. If you’re in crisis, please consider calling 116 123 to talk to Samaritans, or email: jo@samaritans.org for a reply within 24 hours or Text "SHOUT" to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line, or text "YM" if you're under 19 On this episode, we cover: What is depression What are the signs and symptoms to look out for What causes depression Brain chemistry and depression 101: neurotransmitters and how they contribute to depression and how antidepressants can work Changes in brain activity we see with depression If you like what you hear, please do consider supporting us to keep our little show running: Instagram: @joyful_balance.me Email: hello@joyfulbalance.me —-Work with us CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION) CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

  • New Year, Same Me

    New Year, Same Me

    Happy New Year! We’re back with an episode all about a controversial subject: New Year's Resolutions, health habits and how to work towards your health goals. Here’s a clue: we’re not all that into New Year’s Resolutions! Intrigued? We’ll tell you all about why they can often fail, and we’ll tell you how to set yourself up for success when it comes to habit change. Some topics we cover: Our Christmases Habits we want to pick up (again) this year How to start building new healthy habits Why New Year’s Resolutions often fail How hypnosis helps habit change Habits we want to stop The importance of starting small when it comes to habit change Like what you hear? Give us a like, follow and/or subscribe and you’ll always receive out latest episode right there wherever you listen to your podcasts. SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffee YouTube: Joyful Balance Podcast Instagram: @joyful_balance.me Email: hello@joyfulbalance.me —-Work with us CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION) CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

  • How to Eat Well at Christmas

    How to Eat Well at Christmas

    We’re back to you after yet another (unplanned but much needed) hiatus. We’ve been busy trying to get all our ducks in a row to come back to you more regularly with episodes. We’ve missed you and the podcast! Now is a perfect time to be back in your ears and minds in the lead up to what feels like the biggest celebrations that we’ve had in a while: Christmas and how to eat well during this time period. We’re the first to point out that (we hope) this is a time to let your hair down a little, but to do so consciously - which means being less conscious during specific meals, but more conscious of what you’re doing around those specific celebrations to stay well. Not sure what we mean? Don’t worry we’ll help! In this episode, we’ll discuss What we’re up to over the festive period Are Christmas dinners unhealthy? How to eat well over the festive season The importance of keeping up healthy routines and habits during Christmas Our views on celebrations and managing our health during this period How to cope when Christmas isn’t a happy time SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffee Instagram: @joyful_balance.me Email: hello@joyfulbalance.me

  • The Problems with Diet Culture

    The Problems with Diet Culture

    After a little break, we’re happy to come back with a stellar podcast episode: the issues we have with Diet Culture. We cover a huge amount of topics within this umbrella term: diets, the culture of dieting and wacky diets being introduced to help with weight loss. We discuss a little bit about weight loss and about the nutritional considerations when it comes to eating more optimally for your goal weight. However, this isn’t a podcast that offers weight loss advice - we’d always encourage you to read up on nutrition and consult a specialist who can help you with your personal health needs and goals. On this episode, we cover:What we think about calories Diets based on body shape Weight, BMI and health Thinking about weight loss as the side effect, rather than the main goal Why many weight loss diets fail Our problem with diet culture The dangers of yo-yo dieting The illusion of quick fixes in weight loss Why giving up your control to an app isn’t helpful Why reading nutrition labels is key Making intentional choices with lifestyle changes The value of small changes SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: hello@joyfulbalance.me—-Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

  • Emotional Eating

    Emotional Eating

    Welcome back to the Joyful Balance Podcast with your two delightful co-hosts, Meera Malhotra (Nutritional Therapist) and Denise Iordache (Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapist). Today we’re tackling a topic that hits home for most of us: emotional eating. At some point, we all fall victim to stress eating, eating more comfort foods in times of low mood, or being unable to stick to our health goals sometimes out of boredom. We cover the following:How we’re doing What is emotional eating and what isn’t Our own experiences with emotional eating Hedonic and homeostatic hunger Why noticing hunger and habits is very important for health How to address emotional eating patterns We hope you enjoy the episode, and if you do, please follow us on any/all of the channels. Feel free to leave us a comment too!SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeYouTube: Joyful Balance PodcastInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: hello@joyfulbalance.me—-Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)