MetaWell

25/08/2026

𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭.
𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞!

The food you eat 🥬 , the health of your gut 💩, and how your body and brain respond to stress and daily challenges 🧠 are all connected.

This is the main theme of my talk to The London Stock Exchange Group Women's Network this Wednesday.

My talk is part of the programme provided by the Faculty within The Leadership School for Women, run by Alexandra Watson.

The Leadership School for Women exists to develop exceptional women leaders.

Our multidisciplinary Faculty delivers programmes and advisory support that reflect the real realities of women's careers, helping ambitious women lead with greater confidence, influence and impact.

Taking a 360° approach, we bring together the following experienced leadership specialists, executive coaches and subject matter experts spanning leadership development, organisational psychology, business, wellbeing, career development and women's health.

If you're an HR or People leader thinking about how to genuinely support the women in your business, send me a message.

23/08/2026

🥒 Every time I go to Finland these days, I bring back a little bucket of lacto-fermented gherkins by

🥒 They are the best!

🥒 And they don't last too long with me, so I'm left with the pickling/fermentation liquid in the otherwise empty bucket in no time.

🥒 Today I decided to put the liquid in good use.

🥒 I sliced some outdoor cucumbers, salted them and set them aside while I was pottering about in the kitchen

🥒 I then took the cucumber slices and added them to a kilner jar and topped them with the leftover liquid.

🥒 The slices have to be submerged fully, so I added some blackcurrant leaves from the garden, a piece of parchment and a flat stone as a weight.

🥒 I will leave this to ferment for a few days at room temperature.

🥒 Fingers crossed it works. 🙏🏼

🥒 If not, I have to wait for our next visit to Finland to be able to eat these lovely gherkins.

🥒 Have you reused any fermentation leftover products to make more?

17/08/2026

I’ve noticed something interesting about my heart rate variability (HRV)…

…and it’s confirmed what I’ve known instinctively for years.

During my holiday in Finland in July, without the normal daily stress but with days when the temperatures dropped below 20°C (even down to 15C), my Fitbit showed a drop in my HRV similar to what I’ve seen in winter months.

This is in contrast with my recent data during the UK heatwave with above 30°C temperatures: my HRV is frequently late 30s-late 40s.

July in 🇫🇮
your body is more resilient and recovering well.
Low or dropping HRV -> physical or mental stress, poor sleep, or overtraining.

For me, seeing my HRV rise while my resting heart rate falls during the heatwave and in hotter climates is interesting.

I’ve always loved hot weather and my body feels better with sunlight and warmth.

Of course there are many variables that affect HRV.

Aim to understand the factors that impact your body.

Most often these are related to:
🤒 Your overall health or any chronic health issues
😴 Your sleep quality
😵‍💫 Your stress level
🍷 Alcohol consumption
🏃🏼‍♀️ Exercise and fitness
💦 Hydration
⚧️ Age, gender and genetics also play a role.

When you understand the factors driving a higher or lower HRV in YOUR body, you can start making changes to make a difference.

Have you noticed your HRV, resting HR or how you feel changing with the heat?

Let me know in the comments. 👇🏼

16/08/2026

Mindset Unlimited Family Wellbeing Festival 12th September.

I will be there around midday chatting with Alexandra Legouix on gut-brain 🫐💩🧠 connection or something along those lines. 😍

Save the date in your diary and join us if you are free.

04/08/2026

Anything you have to do but don't want to is either a chore or an opportunity.

The difference? Your mindset.

It's all about how you choose to reframe it.

I love my vegetable garden. Sowing, planting, watering and nurturing my plants is my happy place. 🌱

But after a month of 30°C heat with barely any rain, watering several large vegetable beds at the back of a long garden starts to feel like... a chore. ☀️

The hosepipe becomes your best friend. 🚿

Then... bam! 👊🏼

A hosepipe ban. ❌

And up to a £1,000 fine if you're caught using one. 💷

Great! 😩

But what if...

What if I looked at this differently? 👁️

What if the hosepipe ban wasn't a problem, but an opportunity? 🤔

What if watering the garden became my training session? 🏋🏼‍♀️

🌱 My vegetable patch became my gym.
💪 My watering cans became my dumbbells.
🚶‍♀️ Pushing the wheelbarrow became my cardio.
☀️ Fresh air, sunshine and vitamin D became my motivation.

Lift. Carry. Push. Squat. Repeat.

Heavy watering cans.
Farmer's carries.
Hundreds of steps.
Squats while filling the cans.
A core workout without even thinking about it.

Nature's gym.
Membership: £0.

And the reward?

A stronger body.💪🏼
A calmer happier mind.🧠
Sunlight for my mitochondria.🧬
Vitamin D for my cells. ☀️
Homegrown, delicious, local, organic produce for my meals to nourish me. 🥬

Sometimes the biggest change isn't what you're doing...

It's how you're choosing to see it. 👀

What could you reframe today❓👇🏼

31/07/2026

Do you know how to prepare for a blood test for the most reliable results?

Read on...

A blood test is only as useful as the sample quality and the way the results are interpreted. Here's how to get it done for accurate results.

29/07/2026

Did you know that I also run a small WhatsApp community called StrongHER in Midlife?

Are you a female living your 'midlife', interested in connecting with other women.

Are you looking to find a friendly community of like-minded, health-conscious ladies?

Then join my StrongHER for Midlife WhatsApp community.

Purpose:
This community is for midlife women to chat, connect and get support from each other in order to make healthy living easier as we age.

Goals:
To have regular meetups (online/in-person) and group health challenges to keep us on track and moving forward with our own goals.

Values:
Building a supportive community for health-conscious midlife women with busy work and family lives who need support in sticking to their health goals, whether it be managing a chronic condition better, maintaining (bone and muscle) strength as we age, or defying age-related decline or family history of illness.

We've had a couple of in-person meetups so far in Bracknell area:

🥬 A World Ferment Day meetup in February.

🌱 We then had a wild garlic hunt in April.

🌳🌲 And an amazing guided forest bathing session for stress management in June.

More meetups, also online ones, in the planning.

If you are interested, we'd love to welcome you to our friendly community.

Comment STRONG if you want me to send you the joining link. 👇🏼

14/07/2026

Do you ever eat fish roe?

This is rainbow trout roe (red/golden caviar).

I've mixed it with smetana, a type of sour cream, and red onion.

So yummy with rye bread (I'm using organic sourdough rye by a local bakery).

Fish roe has great nutritional value.

It is a good source of protein with 22g protein in 100g.

Also high in B vitamins, particularly B12 and B2, vitamin D (5.5 times more than in an egg) and vitamin E.

It's a great source of selenium and phosphorus, as well as zinc, iron and copper.

Fish eggs are also very high in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats.

According to Encyclopedia of Food & Nutrition, Foodstruct, roe has a higher omega-3 DHA content than 99% of foods.

DHA is a crucial structural component of the brain, making up a significant portion of your brain's fat and cell membranes.

It's essential for cognitive functions like memory and focus, neurogenesis, and mood regulation.

The body can't make it easily from other fatty acids (some conversion is possible from ALA, a plant-based omega-3, but it's a long and inefficient route), hence it's best consumed from oily fish and other seafood, or supplements.

Image sources:
1️⃣ Different types of roe: 'Proximate nutritional composition of roe from fish, crustaceans, mussels, echinoderms, and cephalopods', International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, 2024, vol. 36
2️⃣ Charts: Foodstruct website.

01/07/2026

This pasta sauce happens with no/very little effort.

And so should most of your meals.

Don't complicate food!

Cooking doesn't have to be complicated.

Just stock up your fridge, freezer and cupboards well and use a recipe as an inspiration and your own taste buds as a guide.

For me cooking is so much more enjoyable when I cook from heart rather than religiously following someone else's recipe.

Here's something I made the other night.

Take inspiration from it, use is as a guide but create a dish with your own stamp.

You only need some Mediterranean ingredients, a large lidded pan and patience.

NO-EFFORT AUBERGINE PASTA SAUCE

EVOO
2 aubergines, halved lengthways
2-3 large tomatoes (or several small ones)
Several peeled whole garlic cloves
Salt
Oregano
Sumac
Feta or parmesan cheese
Frozen prawns
Cooked pasta + some pasta cooking water

Add EVOO, aubergine halves, tomatoes and garlic into the pan, sprinkle with salt, organic and sumac. Put the lid on and cook on medium until all veg is completely softened.
Scrape aubergine flesh from the skin (optional, you can also leave the skin as it will be very soft and will get mixed in with all other ingredients) and mash everything together.
Add feta or parmesan cheese and frozen prawns.
Put the lid back on and cook until the prawns are defrosted and warmed up.
Mix everything together.
Add the cooked pasta and some cooking water.
Mix and serve with parmesan or pecorino.

Will you try this?
See suggestions for swaps in the comments 👇🏼