Get a Move On (with Amy Slevin)

Sleep is a big deal. And insomnia can be torturous. So what can you do to change it? Joining Amy today is Tracy Hannigan, a sleep therapist specialising in the use of evidence-based approaches. Tracy advocates for positive habit building, regular bedtimes and breaking routines to help get you back on track. Join as we dive into sleep effort, anxieties and why some people find it harder to sleep and wake up than others.

What's the big fuss with New Year's resolutions? Jamie and Amy break it down - from setting your sights too high, to being put off by it taking too long to achieve, to breaking these barriers and finding happiness in the process. Self growth is a constant journey. Our hosts cover everything you need to know about goals, pathways and achievements - for all months of the year.

Be honest - are you a fan of Christmas day? In this Christmas special, Amy takes you through how to handle the trials and tribulations of the day itself. A day filled with pressure, expectations and occasionally family conflict, this is your guide to manage the Christmas period.

How do you create a space for healing? To find out, Amy sat down with renowned sound healer, yoga teacher and music therapist Charlie Merton. Charlie performs gong baths - a form of sonic meditation in which she uses mallets and beaters to produce different frequencies from one, or several, gongs. She describes her job as the leader to create a ‘safe holding space' for participants, creating sound of varying volume and timbre to allow inner troubles, both mental and physical, to arise. A true expert in her craft, Charlie is quizzed by Amy on all things sound healing - its origins, methods, and potential benefits.

How can we prepare for hardship? What steps can we take to process the unprocessable? In this episode, Jamie and Amy tackle head-on the tricky topic of grief. They touch on their own experiences of loss, and how to pull through. From our traditional perspectives to the taboo, no stone is left unturned in this frank discussion of a particularly tender subject.

Well, almost. On this episode of the podcast, Amy sits down with The Bare Foot Podiatrist, Paul Thompson. They chat all things ‘feet' - from the very practical origins of shoes, the surprising benefits of going shoeless and how to train your feet. Covering the mechanics of walking and a range of common ailments (and how to fix them), this is not one to miss for everyone with feet (and those without!)

What's the problem with a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment? In this episode, Amy speaks to Ben Cormack about all things pain and pathology. Together they cover evolutionary perspectives, pain receptors, placebos. It's time to break down what's going on in our bodies.

Take a walk with Barefoot Ted. In this episode, Amy chats to living legend ‘Barefoot Ted' McDonald about his movement and exercise philosophies. Tuning in from Santa Barbara, Ted recounts his Californian upbringing and describes what led him to becoming a runner at 40. An avid skateboarder, surfer and advocate of pausing a run to take in a view, climb or dip in the sea - Ted is all about finding the ways that make movement work for you. An all-round inspiration.

Relationships are about 'values'. What? On this episode, Amy explores the mechanics of what makes so many relationships frustrating. Diving into the role expectations, framing and the importance of making conscious links to what you care about most, she covers a number of hacks that can totally transform your relationships - romantic and platonic.

This week's episode is just slightly controversial. Traditional wisdom presumes that rest is the single most important thing after getting an injury. Amy says - yes - but only sometimes. In this episode, she explains the importance of early mobilisation, the limitations of RICE, how to over-emphasising rest can send the wrong signals to your brain.

In this (potentially controversial) episode, Amy shines a both skeptical and balancing light on yoga: is it all its cracked up to be? Is it mistakenly touted as the only path to spiritual enlightenment? Join Amy as she journey's through the promises and pitfalls of a Yoga Practie - talking guru's, mindfulness and expectations.

Join Amy and Jamie as they dive into the world of 'values'. Values are a fancy word for your psychological priorities, or the things that fulfil you. Here, Amy explains how understanding others' values can improve relationships, how you're happy to put up with 'more shit' when you're acting in your values, and why we so often pursue things that are unfulfilling.

Let's admit it - most of us have a complicated relationship with rest. It's easier to suggest for others than do ourselves. But even today, rest - both physical and mental - is criminally under-rated. On this episode of the pod, Amy and Jamie get stuck into the irony of our usual approach to taking a break, as well the relationship between fatigue and doing what you love.

Today's episode is all about the importance of doing exercise you like. Forget forcing yourself through sports you think are a bit rubbish - because it's unsustainable. Amy also covers the psychological 'hack' of having realisitic expectations and the mechanics of pursuing something difficult.

Amy discusses 'magical movement modality' Feldenkrais with expert Victoria Worsley who explains how it can help us feel at ease in and connect with our bodies, help heal injuries and restore function. We discuss the fundamentals of feldenkrais and functional integration, the nervous system and how subtle movements can help us rewire our movement so we are free to move our way.

This week, Amy takes-on the sometimes controversial topic of student-teacher dynamics. She covers ‘morality complexes', repression and the politics of sleeping with your guru. She also indulges in (the new national pastime) Matt Hancock bashing.

This week, Amy shares the gold on all things fear. The gang discuss the nature of fear, how to manage it practically and how it can effect your movement practice. One for all the scaredy-cats out there. PS. That's all of us.

On this week's episode, Amy and Jamie get to grips with Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. DOMS is all too often the bane of those who like getting strenuous with their exercise - but no longer. Amy leads a discussion into the suprising benefits of DOMS, before the team get into grind culture and other worthwhile tangents.

Today's episode is all about the mechanics of persistence. Amy and Jamie touch on why being persistent is disproportionately effective, the impact of a task having high barriers to entry and chat through Amy's handstanding injury.

Amy and Jamie get into that trickiest of topics: progress. Discussion includes a wrestle over the relevant definition of progress, the relationship between progress and satisfaction, and the danger of under-indulging in the things you like. Lots of nonsense too.

Just sometimes, cliches are worth using. In this episode, Amy and Jamie speak about the inevitably of life going (seriously) wrong and what you can do about it. Hint: it's not mitigating bad things from happening, but turning those experiences into something tangibly good. Recommended for anybody human.

Today's all about the myth of motivation. If you regularly feel as if you need an external boost to get through your day-to-day, this pod is for you. Listen in for discussion about the role of authenticity, comparison and the differences between intrinsic and extrinsic.

In this episode, Amy and Jamie take on the complicated roll of stress in exasperating injury. Conversation also turns to the importance of expectations and the various ways relationships can take on strain.

In the first episode in our series on common misconceptions, Amy explains why the core is slightly 'overrated'. There are also discussions on the brain's role in regulating and limiting peformance, and the 'retirement mistake' that leads to regret. Enjoy!

In today's episode, we talk about meditation: the benefits, the pitfalls and the ways that spirtualism materialsm can play out. Amy then challenges common perceptions on infidelity as Jamie looks slightly mortified. Which is not something to miss!

In today's episode, we discuss getting yourself out of emotional pits, relationship satisfaction and how to find the help you need. We also touch on the challenges you choose versus the challenges you don't. And dealing with overwhelm. So quite a meandering conversation between Jamie and I. Enjoy!

In today's episode, we're talking about tiredness: physical and mental fatigue, some surprising causes of fatigue and some natural pick-me-ups. And a couple of other bits and pieces too. Enjoy!

Hey everyone! And welcome to the very first episode of Get a Move On! This episode is (kind of) about what I'm calling ‘movement snacks'. We also delve into purpose, psychedelics and the relationship between attention and time. And then finish up with more movement snacks. Enjoy!

Welcome to Get a Move On (With Amy Slevin) - here's our trailer! First episode to come..