In this episode of Inside-Out Connections, I’m joined by Steve Collins, founder and CEO of My Way Up. Steve is an exercise physiologist with extensive experience in health, human performance, and gut health, and his approach is grounded in evidence-based practice with a focus on long-term wellbeing rather than quick fixes. We talk about how Steve’s own health challenges became the catalyst for his work, why stress is an underrated driver of gut and skin symptoms, and how to think about collagen and gut support in a way that’s practical, sustainable, and truly inside-out.

What We Cover

• Steve’s path into health and wellbeing, including his time working on Harley Street in London
• The moment gut health became impossible to ignore and how it showed up through skin, IBS symptoms, and inflammation
• How stress impacts digestion, bowel regularity, bloating, and the gut–skin and gut–brain connections
• Why food often gets blamed when the real issue is the digestive system underneath it
• The Three Rs philosophy at My Way Up: relieve symptoms, repair the gut and gut wall, restore the microbiome
• What makes My Way Up Collagen Restore different, including the inclusion of a research-backed prebiotic
• The difference between grass-fed (bovine) collagen and marine collagen, and how to choose what suits you
• Probiotics vs prebiotics, and why prebiotics can be a powerful lever when introduced gently
• A powerful client story about rebuilding health through fundamentals like nourishment, calm, and consistency
• What living from the inside out means to Steve, plus the daily practices that keep him grounded

Where to Find Steve

• My Way Up: mywayup.com
• Steve’s book: Gut Health for Life (available via mywayup.com)

Closing Share Line

If this conversation resonated, please share it with a friend who’s navigating gut or skin struggles — and if you can, leave a quick review so more people can find Inside-Out Connections.

Pelvic health is central to our strength, stability, sexuality and confidence — yet so many women were never taught how to care for it. In this episode, Kim Vopni (The Vagina Coach) shares how pelvic floor health impacts everything from exercise performance and back pain to bladder and bowel control, prolapse risk, and sexual pleasure. We talk myths, why so many women dismiss symptoms, and the practical foundations that help you feel empowered in your body at every life stage — especially through perimenopause and post-menopause.

What We Cover

• Kim’s origin story and why pelvic health became her life’s mission
• Why pelvic health is the foundation for quality of life, longevity and confidence
• The biggest myths: it’s normal, it’s just ageing, or surgery is the only fix
• Kegels explained: why most women do them wrong, and why breath matters
• Core breath basics: inhale to expand, exhale to lift and engage
• Training the pelvic floor dynamically and integrating it into workouts
• The link between pelvic floor dysfunction and low back pain
• Tight versus weak pelvic floors and why holding tension can worsen symptoms
• The Buff Muff Method: applying fitness principles to pelvic floor training
• Lifestyle foundations that matter: hydration, constipation, and bladder irritants
• Night-time waking and bladder “training” (and how to interrupt the urge cycle)
• Pelvic health, sexual pleasure, confidence and communication with partners
• Surgery: when it can help, and why prehab and rehab are essential

Where to Find Kim

• Website: VaginaCoach.com
• Socials: @VaginaCoach
• Buff Muff program: BuffMuff.com
• Book: Your Pelvic Floor (available via major bookstores and online)

If this episode helped you feel more informed, share it with a woman you love — because these are the conversations that change lives from the inside out.

In this episode, I’m joined by Sarah De Jonge, founder of 1000 Hearts — a kindness project that began in Hobart and has grown into a global community of makers and givers. Sarah shares how a tiny, handmade felt heart can carry comfort, courage, and connection from one person to another — and why kindness isn’t just a nice idea, but something that can genuinely soften our health, our homes, our relationships, and our inner world.

We talk about the deeply personal season that sparked the first hearts, the powerful stories that came back from recipients, and what Sarah has learned about tenderness, self-kindness, and living in alignment with your values.

What We Cover

• Why “every moment of life asks for kindness” — and what Sarah learned supporting people through grief, fear, and diagnosis in hospital settings
• The origin of 1000 Hearts: a handmade gesture created for a memorial service, and how it turned into a global ripple effect
• The intention behind the first hearts — comfort, compassion, and something tangible to hold onto
• The moment Sarah realised she was on a path to something “magical” (and the stories that confirmed it)
• Two unforgettable impact stories: a six-year-old boy finding courage at bedtime, and hearts reaching those affected after the Manchester concert attack
• The “heart fell from the sky” moment — and why Sarah trusts these hearts land where they’re meant to
• What makes a pocket-sized heart so powerful: hand-made intention, hope in humanity, and kindness as something contagious
• The science Sarah loves: why kindness feels good in the body (and why it’s good for us)
• How 1000 Hearts spread organically — without pushing, chasing, or forcing a “big movement”
• Recognition, sustainability, and staying aligned with mission (and avoiding “mission creep”)
• Where Sarah hopes to take 1000 Hearts next: accessibility, sponsoring schools/charities, and strengthening the foundations
• Who gets involved: schools, hospitals, community groups, aged care, and individuals around the world
• The family behind the scenes: Sarah’s daughter wrapping thousands of community hearts
• What Sarah stitches into each heart — love, hope, courage — and her honest “light and dark” balance
• Making your own hearts: where to start, free templates, and why it can become wonderfully addictive
• The moment Sarah almost gave it away — and what anchored her back (including the leap to go full-time in January 2024)
• What the hearts have taught Sarah about tenderness, self-kindness, and living from the inside out
• Sarah’s season of life: transition, menopause, empty nest, and choosing rest and presence over constant busyness
• Sarah’s message to women: learn what self-kindness really is — beyond “treats” — and practice unconditional compassion

Where to Find Sarah

• Website: 1000hearts.com.au
• Follow and connect via the 1000 Hearts social channels (linked on the website)

If this episode moved you, share it with someone who could use a little softness today.