Feel Fitter, Think Clearer, and Perform Better in Your Consultancy

If you’ve ever wondered why you feel drained, foggy, or stuck in survival mode no matter how hard you push... This episode is for you.

I sat down with Emma Jay, a wellbeing coach who specialises in helping busy professionals finally take control of their energy, health, and mindset — without crash diets, extreme routines, or unrealistic demands.

In this conversation, you’ll discover practical, doable changes you can make right now to start feeling better, thinking clearer, and showing up stronger in your business and life.

Here's what you'll discover:

• The simple lifestyle shifts that give you more energy without stealing more time.
• Why the “do more, push harder” approach is holding you back — and what to do instead.
• How to balance your sleep, stress, and nutrition so you can perform at your best every day.
• Why looking after your health is the fastest way to sharpen your focus and confidence.
• Practical tips for building healthy habits that actually last, even with a busy schedule.

This isn’t about overhauling your entire routine.

It’s about finding simple, sustainable shifts that make a real difference — without taking more time or willpower.

So if you’re ready to feel fitter, sharper, and more in control — both in your life and in your consultancy — tune in.

This one could be exactly what you’ve been waiting for.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction to wellbeing and performance for self-employed HR consultants
01:20 – Understanding menopause, perimenopause, and hormonal changes in busy professionals
03:00 – Why crash diets and over-exercising keep you stuck in survival mode
05:00 – How stress and cortisol drain your energy, focus, and motivation
07:15 – The benefits of resistance training over endless cardio for lasting results
09:30 – Fuel your brain and body: smarter nutrition for better focus and productivity
12:00 – Small, sustainable lifestyle changes that create long-term energy and balance
14:00 – The science of sleep: how better rest improves performance and decision-making
16:30 – Breaking the cycle of stress, poor sleep, and unhealthy habits
18:30 – Walking, steps, and movement: easy ways to stay active without the gym grind
20:00 – Building awareness: how to listen to your body and adapt your routines
22:00 – Balancing nutrition, exercise, and recovery for consistent energy and clarity
24:00 – The mindset shift that helps you build habits that last
25:30 – Free resources and next steps to improve your wellbeing and performance

Want My Help to Build Your £70K+ HR Consultancy?

1️⃣ Grab a copy of my book – The Complete Guide to Building a £70K HR Consultancy – and discover how to get every lead and client you need.

2️⃣ Apply to Join The Fastlane Formula – so we can work together 1-to-1 to get you earning £70K+ faster (and easier) than going it alone.

Transcript

00:02 Hello there, and welcome back to another episode of Marketing Made Easy for HR Consultants with me, Nick Poninski. As you know, sometimes we talk about marketing and sales, sometimes we talk about how to be the best you that you can possibly be.
00:16 Today's show falls into that second bracket, and we have Emma Jay with us. Emma is a mental and physical well-being coach for specifically for ladies in their 40s, 50s and beyond and she has very great gracefully, gratefully, agreed to come on the show and share some snippets and some wonderful advice
00:39 with you all. So thank you for joining us Emma. Hi Nick, thank you for having me, yes. So as you said, I'm a mental physical wellbeing coach.
00:48 To answer my business actually, workplace wellbeing in and privately coaching women, as you said, over 40. It's that tricky time for us women, isn't it?
00:57 We go through such a change within our bodies and our minds. Get in the exercise and nutrition part of white.
01:04 Can be difficult for some, you know? Yeah, yeah, for sure. Definitely. And this is one of those things that I think I see so much, you know, talk about it online, you know, certainly on the 10.
01:15 There's a much greater awareness about, as you say, that women of a certain age, the 40s, 50s and beyond. And, you know, I've obviously got family members who've gone through those situations, but it's not something I know about.
01:31 So thank you for coming on the show, educating me and those listening along, because even if they're not in that market, they will know somebody in that market, right?
01:41 Absolutely. And hopefully from today, you'll know a little bit more. Yeah, so basically, we're talking parry menopause, menopause, you know, different stages of our lives.
01:53 And talking about, you know, you've got women that are professional women, they may be running their own business or a high powered job.
02:00 So stress may be high as well. And that actually plays an impact too. So what we look at around this time is that change in hormone balance.
02:09 So the drop in and progesterone, going through a parry menopause, but then relative you to that, cortisol stress hormone goes up because they've lowered and possibly if you're running your own business or you have a very professional role, you're working lots of hours, you're juggling a family as well
02:26 because we know that that's tricky as well. And as we know, every woman in this day and age wants to be super woman, yeah.
02:34 We can do it all, I promise you, we can do it all. Absolutely. believe me there is no such thing as superwoman and as somebody that has crashed and burned very badly i can promise you that and you need to look after yourself and really understand what's going on personally i think it's really important
02:52 that we that people don't do things to the extreme you know when people start thinking about exercise nutrition they dive in at the deep end they They take on everything, you know, they hit the gym, boot camps, crash diet, and unfortunately what they don't understand is that actually is causing more 
03:11 harm than good. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think we've all been there, right? We're like, oh, I'm going to lose some weight.
03:17 I'm going to go on a diet for 30 days and I'm not going to eat crisps, chocolate, sweets, or even bread.
03:23 And it's like, well, how can you, that's not, that's not sustainable. No, no and and what we have to recognize is what those things do hormone really as well So it was actually a little bit more important if women are pairing men and porcelain and stand that hormone real affect that that had So let me
03:38 just touch on the fact that exercise is actually a stress on the body Yes, but incorrectly it's a positive stress and it helps us get fitter, get stronger, etc But when you're crashed dieting and overexorcising to the extreme, there can be the worst things you can do because you're raising quarters all
03:57 , putting the body under more stress. You're not fueling it, the way it needs to be fuel world, and you're asking it to do more, if that makes sense.
04:04 Yeah, yeah, recipe for disaster. 100%. And what happens is the body then fights back, and it'll store fat instead of burning fat, specifically all of that hormone imbalance.
04:15 Wow, wouldn't know that. So when we're looking at exercise and nutrition specifically 40 plus, you do need to adapt your whole lifestyle, not just focus on those two things.
04:29 So how you sleep is really important, your rest and recovery, just as many hormones reset, the body repairs and recovers.
04:37 So I've spoken and touched on the hormone cortisol, which is our stress hormone. If we're not sleeping properly, that's staying elevated for a prolonged period of time, which is actually quite detrimental to us both mentally and physically.
04:50 So when you need to gain the body that you want, pushing yourself to the extreme actually moves you further away from it.
04:57 It's about trying to get it right and having that bit of a balance, not a lover of that word, but that balance where you do a little bit, you don't overdo it, and you try and get, you know, the Goldilocks effect, I suppose, a little bit not too much, yeah?
05:12 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, that's very true. It's very insightful, as well, because, you know, like I think it's very simple to say, oh well, I want to lose some so I will do the exercise, but what you're saying is that we've got to listen to our bodies, right?
05:27 We've got to balance those stressors as well. So tell us a little bit more about how these hormones affect, because we've obviously talked on the fact that they affect sleep.
05:40 How does it affect mental health? So obviously as we move in, I mean, you know, when I say mental health, I'm not talking about stress and things that well, stress certainly, but you're not anxiety, depression.
05:51 I'm talking more in terms of how does that affect moods? Perfect. That's exactly what I meant. Yes. Well, obviously, when women are going through this hormone change, everything changes.
06:01 You know, I look back at pictures of me when I was 26, so now I'm 46. I think I want that body back.
06:06 When I had that at 26, I wasn't really appreciated. But yeah, things change, our skin tone changes, our body changes, we saw a little bit more fat, we get more wrinkles, all of those types of things.
06:17 and we become a little bit more attached to that because it's upsetting, right? We haven't got what we used to have.
06:24 But if we're not sleeping properly, then again, that affects us mentally, doesn't it? We have low mood. By not sleeping properly, as I said, it raises cortisol.
06:34 So we're under a little bit more stress. What cortisol does is it encourages us to refuel primarily with sugar. So we have to go think going on all day.
06:44 You're not sleeping properly. that could be due to paramanopause, it could be due to stress, it could be anything. And then the following day you're hungry all the time and you just want to eat sugar.
06:55 So you're eating sugar, you're then panicking about that, you're overdoing things in the gym, which is raising the cortisol again and you go back into this vicious cycle.
07:03 What you find a lot of women doing as well is loads and loads and loads of cardio at this time of their life.
07:09 They think like fat burn, fat burn, fat burn. Instead of slowing down on the cardio adding in walks but leisurely walks so that that lowers quarters off.
07:20 So that's where you're managing that. You're trying to get that hormone balance and then your actual workouts need to be weights.
07:28 Wow. And so many women are scared of weights. Ladies, please do not be scared of weights. Naturally, we do not produce enough testosterone to build big bulk as women.
07:40 So unless you're take in a lot of additional supplements, that won't happen, I promise you. What you need to do is incorporate resistance training, even if that is only body-weighted to start because it's all new for you, but then go into some form of weight training.
07:56 And again, we don't mean Arnie Schwarzenegger weight training, we just mean more than what you're doing now, and creating that bit of muscle mass on the body actually helps metabolism do its job properly at burning fat.
08:09 So you will burn more fat, the more muscle you have on your body. Okay, excellent. And how does that help someone perform as a professional?
08:20 Because obviously, I'm getting the message loud and clear about how that helps the body as a professional. My audience are all self-emplaced.
08:28 How does this help them turn up as the best you that you can be? Because you're looking after yourself. So the way the brain works, brain attaches to negativity, shall we say, at the brain's primary roles to protect us.
08:40 Yes. When positive things for yourself, looking after yourself, it's a positive feedback loop to the brain and gradually builds your confidence.
08:49 We all know that once we go to the gym, we release endorphins, we feel good. You start making that consistent and that positive feedback loop grows and it grows and it grows.
08:59 The same with food, you know, if you're eating foods that are nourishing, you're eating a lot of protein, a lot of vegetables, which keep you fuller for longer, prevent cravings instead of carbs all of the time.
09:13 How many people that have businesses are rushing around, they grab in a sandwich and a packet of chests on the run, they've got toast for breakfast, and then they've got like a high-blinking pasta meal or something for tea, yeah.
09:27 So, you know, it's carb-carb-carb overload. Where's the protein, where's the fiber, where is the satiating foods that are going to prevent you from overeating.
09:37 Because the more carbs we eat, we have that influx of energy than that drop and we look for more carbs.
09:43 So it's not trying to get, I suppose, with all of it right and I don't mean perfect by the way.
09:49 So I'm not saying you have to be chicken and broccoli all day long by any means, but having a bit more of an awareness than an understanding.
09:57 Making sure what adding proteins and vegetables in as often as you can, making sure you're adding weight or resistance training as often as you can.
10:06 Don't overload yourself with cardio, it actually won't initially it may work, but you get to a point where you plateau and it doesn't work for you.
10:14 Slow things down, and I know a lot of women don't want to hear that. Again, that's not for women. Eros here, isn't it?
10:21 You don't want to hear as slow down, but believe me, your body will thank you for that. Yeah, 100%. As well, I think it can go against like our culture, our habits, like everyone's like, oh, yeah, I want something.
10:35 I want it yesterday. We're so used to having our phones with us. Do I remember, like, when we were kids or whatever, you know, you couldn't think of the answer to a question.
10:43 You drive yourself mad, and now I can just pull my phone out. Like, it's an instant, instant, and there's no boredom.
10:49 And I think that transfers itself into, I want to lose weight, I will lose weight, and I will hit the cardio, but that doesn't necessarily obviously work.
11:01 No, as I said, you know, everybody is different. I'm a big believer in that there is not a one size fix or method for us.
11:09 And I think that the key to this is absolutely in the detective of your own body, you know, really taking a step back.
11:17 What isn't working for me at the moment because you have so many people that keep doing what they're doing and keep getting what they're getting right, you know, which isn't working for them.
11:26 So stop and take a step back and what can you change? And instead of trying to change everything at once, change one thing, I'm a big believer But being in business, you'll understand this, Nick.
11:37 And for us, we're told to eat that frog, do the hardest thing first, you know? I don't believe that with well being.
11:44 And I say this all of the time because if you do something and fail, that creates a negative feedback loop to the brain.
11:53 And then we have that negative self-talk of, I'm a failure, I can't complete anything. I didn't know it again, all of that is going on.
12:01 Whereas you take the easiest thing off that list and you achieve it. it's a win, right? You celebrate it, it lifts you up, it's a positive feedback to the brain.
12:11 You then do the next one because you're keen, you're motivated, you want to do the next thing, right? Because already you've achieved something.
12:18 So do that, take something off, master it, then do the next thing. Take that off and then master something else.
12:25 But take baby steps and don't try and change the world in one day. Yes, I like that. That is very good advice.
12:32 We've stepped away from a little bit from the health and the nutrition, but it is solid advice, like, you know, instead of eating the frog, I like that a lot.
12:41 Do something easy. But it doesn't happen, doesn't it? If you're looking at it now, you're not exercising any food as rubbish, right?
12:47 And you want to dive in and change both at the same time. Why don't you take a step back and go, okay, well, where can I possibly manage this?
12:55 How can I manage it? I tell you what, I'll change my breakfast first. No. I'd wait for first and I'm going to try and get out lunchtime for a walk as often as I can.
13:04 So do that for a week or two and take that off the list. And then, you know, in a few weeks, you may get out every day for a walk.
13:10 Then you change your lunch. So what I'm saying is in regards to thinking that, you know, your new healthy habits are such a chore or you've got such a huge, I don't know how many when I used to have my gym.
13:23 I had lots of people message and they say, I really want to join, but I'm going to lose the weight first.
13:28 I'm like, oh, okay. Impression. I know, and I get that. And it was self-conscious. And you know, for them, it was, I want to achieve something first, then come.
13:38 But that was just really the wrong way to look at it. Wasn't it? Because coming to the gym was going to help you lose the weight.
13:44 Yeah. You know, what I'm saying is, take that little step first. If you feel that you have so, so much to change, doesn't have to be as big as you perceive it to be.
13:53 I think we put a huge amount of pressure on ourselves as humans. We look at everything in its most complicated way.
14:00 It's got to be really expensive or very hard or time-consuming. It doesn't have to be that way. No, nothing. And do the next.
14:09 Baby steps. And it takes time as well. So yeah, so okay, so we're here in loud and clear. Sleep is super important.
14:19 We're talking eight hours a night. They say seven to nine, which I know is difficult, but I think what is quite important that you have a regular, steep pattern.
14:30 A bedtime. So, I mean, if you think of children, isn't it, we sort of pricked them for beds, don't we?
14:37 If I'm a bath, you turn the lights down, all of that, we forget about that as I have done. Some we watch, like high-paced action movie maybe, and then go to bed, eyes wide open and can't go to sleep, you know, and our brains are still working.
14:50 So I think it's important that we understand that the mind of the body workers one, I think for years we've separated the two, you want to get fitter and healthier, you have to change your mindset towards that and put things in place to manage what you have going on mentally as well, whether that is 
15:08 just overload, you know, because we have a really busy day you can't switch off, maybe going and watching high-paced TV is not going to be able to do that, it's keep the brain fired and wired which will impact your energy levels to do the exercise, which will also impact your food choices.
15:28 So what people don't realise is all of this stuff is intellect. Yes. You know, and I teach sort of foundation steps to mental and physical well-being and I believe that they're all important.
15:38 So you're talking your mindset, how you eat, how you sleep, how you move, your hormone balance, your stress strategy and your environment, so where you live, where you work, and where you socialise, all impact one another.
15:56 So if you want to exercise to get fitter and eat better, all of the other components apply, they will impact it.
16:04 I like this. I like that you're sharing this. This is touching on things that I've been talking to my audience about on my Sunday sessions.
16:12 I've been talking to them about the circle of life. You know, the life coach, they get that circle, yeah, and it's built into a and you have to review when they make improvements and then I'm going to have to do an episode on sleeping, but sleep is super important like you say, but I have to do an episode
16:31 on walking because that is super important. Thank you. And as well, I told everyone to download an app I use called StayFocus because it locks your phone.
16:41 So 9 p.m. my phone turns like not off but I cannot access it. And this is what you're talking about when you say get to sleep, have a sleep routine.
16:50 9 p.m. my screens go off. Not just my TV, there's not TV in my bedroom and my phone is locked so I can't even use it.
16:56 So that means I'm reading a book, it means I'm getting ready to go to sleep. And yeah, I cannot agree with you I mean, more than I already am because sleep is so important.
17:08 I understand. We're so devoted to our phones now, aren't we? As business owners, it is possibly slightly worse because, I mean, I have, you know, I have online clients and I will check it.
17:22 Maybe when my little girl has gone to bed, I'll just check that everything's okay. But the same as you, I make sure that everything's off.
17:28 So I have no connectivity, no Wi-Fi, no internet on. If my family needs me as an emergency, my phone works.
17:34 There you go. Yeah. Any connectivity. And I don't forget your sleep space and your wake space are separate, right? For a lot of people, they've got TVs in their bedroom.
17:42 Yeah. No, they go to bed. And the brain cannot distinguish a difference between wake space and sleep space if you have a TV in your bedroom and all the lights blare in all of the time.
17:54 You know, realistically going to bed means to be going to bed, doesn't it, you know? regional fashion book, you know, like shelf full of books.
18:03 Read one. Yeah, 100%. There's a really good book that someone wrote called the Complete Guide to Building a 70K HR Consultancy.
18:12 So that's a good one. But in all seriousness, so we've got the sleep bit, so what about the health bit?
18:23 So obviously when we're talking about exercise, we're talking about resistance training, three times a week, four times a week, eight days a week.
18:31 Yeah, eight days a week, absolutely. I would say, I mean, realistically, three weighted sessions a week, but probably eight sessions, you know, not just doing 10 wasted curls.
18:43 And then, like I said, I mean, you've had a little bit of cardio as in warm up, maybe cool down.
18:50 But for me, I mean, when we're talking about women 40 plus, I mean, obviously if you're an athlete or you're training for a marathon or that's completely different.
18:58 We're talking about, you know, average women like myself who run a business and just wanted to be fit and healthy.
19:05 They want to manage their wellbeing and I think that just making sure you get in out and having the walks is enough cardio if you do in that three times a week as well, and then have a day rest.
19:18 But your food choices are important too. Yeah, I was just about to say so we've got that we've got strength training we've got walking So strength training free days a week walking the other three days.
19:30 Yeah, love it and then a day off Steps in every day to be honest, you know if you're getting them and I'm your sort of seven to ten thousand steps a day That's great cardio for you your strength training sessions And then managing your food as I said, but here's here's a really good tip for you So a 
19:50 lot of people, when they're looking at losing weight, then let's call it that, will crash diet Monday to Friday, they'll go to the gym every single day, then on the weekend, they don't do anything, either then sit on watch movies and then double their calorie intake.
20:03 Well, I think a key component as well, Nick, is for people to actually be very self aware. What is my routine?
20:11 Where am I? What am I doing? Is it a busy day? Is it an exercise day? is it sat on my laptop working from home day because don't forget you have to eat a cord into that and adapt your calorie intake because obviously to lose weight you do need a calorie deficit.
20:27 What we don't want so that we offset hormones is to have a massive calorie deficit where we're actually putting ourselves into starvation mode isn't it and crash dieting but what we do want is to recognise the days where we possibly need more calories than others.
20:44 Yeah, yeah, I think your body will tell you that as well, you know, when it starts to, when you're losing focus and concentration, when you're feeling physically exhausted, when your legs are difficult to move, you know, listen to your body, right?
20:58 100% yeah I think you need to start there in everything I teach whether it's as you said life coaching so do a lot that's massively incorporated in my program whether I'm in a business delivering a workshop or a full day's training I Embracing the thing starts with awareness nice where do you know so
21:19 not who you were or where you were 20 years ago because we like you can back there don't we but who are you now you know you can't eat the same or exercise the same, whether you have to adapt around that and I think that that's really important to understand that.
21:36 Let me use the car as an example. If you're a rep and you drive around in your car all day long, you have to keep putting petrol in it because it's the source of fuel, it's its energy.
21:46 We need energy too. So when people crash diet in or not eating enough, we're not giving the body what it needs.
21:52 Luckily this machine is really incredibly intelligent and will keep going but you will, as you said, feel exhausted, you will feel lethargic, you will feel moody and miserable, you will, you know, you won't function properly, you're just in survival mode.
22:07 So it's about, I mean I love this right, because I think this is really important. This body, this person, this is the one thing you will have all of your life for the rest of your life, doesn't matter what car you own, what house you own, what partner you have, how many children you've got that none
22:27 of that will be with you as much as this body will be with you. Yes, like after it. Oh, I like that.
22:34 That's good. Yeah, because well, like, look after yourself, because no one else is going to come and do it for you, right?
22:40 Yeah. Yeah. Fair enough. So any tips on nutrition, because we've touched on it a little bit, but But what would you say to someone who wanted to start off down this path of being healthier for one to the better for us?
22:58 What I would say is the biggest thing I would say is have a look at your carbohydrate intake and even farm things that you feel are healthier, like your pasta, rice, potatoes, obviously those are actually healthier carbs.
23:11 And have a look, do you really need the amount that you're eating specifically if you're less active on certain days and increase your proteins and your vegetables.
23:20 They'll keep you fuller for longer, prevent hunger and prevent cravings. So where can you add your game on those two food groups?
23:28 Love it. Okay, some takeaway tips for everyone there. Well, I don't really have any more questions to be honest, if you ever.
23:36 That has been a really wonderful and insightful deep dive. If you know, I think not just for women, perimenopausal, many pausal, et cetera, but also, you know, just hearing that stuff.
23:47 There's a lot that I could apply. And I eat too many carbs. I think we order because they're quick and easy, aren't they?
23:54 Oh, yeah. They're all so delicious. There they are. But even in Russia, that's what you do, isn't it? You grab sandwich, grab some toast, whatever it may be.
24:02 But then we've got to think about, I mean, when we're younger, perhaps we don't have to think about it. as much and we're possibly burning it more quickly, but as we roll down things start changing.
24:12 I mean, none of us want to be unhappy. Right, I love pizza and a beer on a Saturday night, and I'm not gonna change that for anybody, but the rest of the time I try and make healthier choices and far from perfect, but I try and adapt like I said to you, and know when I move in more, I eat more, when 
24:28 I move less, I eat less. Making sure I've got those satiating foods so that I'm not hungry all of the time because the more you eat carbs, even the cleaner options, you are going to have that slump after it and be quite hungry, quite quickly again.
24:45 Very true. I think we've all experienced that. Certainly as well, the post-lunch, cister requirement. Yeah. Nanadap, I call it. Nanadap.
24:55 Well, like that. Fair. Or gruddles. Whichever way you want to call it. Yeah, yeah. Well, thank you Emma, I appreciate you coming on and sharing all this information with us all.
25:08 So anyone listening along, if they want to reach out to you, where do they find out more information? So I am on all social media, so it's Emma, Jay, Life Shaper and my website is Emma-j.com and that's J-A-Y.
25:25 But I do have a new program starting soon and I've actually got a free offer whether the next few weeks to be able to enter my community see how I work and how I can help you before even contemplate and sign up to anything.
25:39 So if you're looking for some free advice and you'd like to be a part of a September reset, then I'd love to have you on board.
25:45 Oh, a free trial. That's always useful. Like that. Nice. Well, you've heard it here first. I'm going to put a link in the show now.
25:54 Is there a limit on how many people can join for free? it's no because it's only for two weeks so it's a two-week program it's a September reset and then obviously all of the details for the full program will be within that session.
26:10 Okay excellent well thank you for coming along and sharing all this wonderful information with us. My pleasure I think a lot people will take a lot away with them today, so that's been fantastic.
26:27 So those are good listening along. Hopefully that has been helpful and wonderful. And yeah, thank you for taking the time to listen along.
26:36 In the meantime, as ever, get marketing because without marketing, there's no sales. And without sales, there's no business. So get marketing.