Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

Join me as I interview Shelley Tait, a mom of three and recovering drinker living with Stage 4 liver disease. Women’s drinking has been rising during the pandemic, and with it, liver disease. Alcohol-related liver disease typically takes years to develop, but as Shelley’s terrifying story evidences, it’s not nearly as many years as you think. You’ll be absolutely amazed by Shelley’s story, which she tells with great honesty and humour. Shelley and I discuss mommy wine culture, kids’ team sports and the parent drinking culture that’s often present there, and how easy it is for women’s “normal” drinking to escalate into a dangerous and destructive pattern.

Are you questioning your own drinking? Start here (it’s free!): www.wendymccallum.com/myths

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

Inspired by a song called “I’ve Got No More Fuc#$ to Give” that I stumbled across on YouTube,  Sarah and I share how our feeling of having “no more fuc#$ to give” has shown up in our personal and work lives, and how common a headspace this seems to be for all women in midlife.

We discuss why this is happening, from a social, emotional, and hormonal perspective, and what to do about it if you’re feeling guilty about caring less. We also consider whether this midlife phenomenon isn’t really more a “shifting of fuc#$” as opposed to “having less fuc#$”, and how that shifting might benefit you as well as the other people in your life, including your children. Are you the adult you want your kids to become?

Join Sarah and me for a spirited, fun conversation with an important undercurrent: it’s totally OK to start focussing on you again as you move into your...

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below. 

On my 50^th birthday, I reflect on my life to date, my fears about hitting 50, and the surprising (and refreshing!) reality that came with the actual day. I share my goals for this decade including my commitment to having “fun for fun’s sake” and “filling up my joy bucket” to help me in the transition to empty nester that is coming soon.

“This is 50” will be a regular installment of the podcast going forward – sometimes featuring a 50-something guest with a story to share around her 50s to date, sometimes an update on my 50^th year, and sometimes a conversation with the always-popular Bite-Sized Balance co-host, Dr. Sarah Baillie.

Free resources here: www.wendymccallum.com/learnwithwendy

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

My friend, author, and fellow Certified TNM Alcohol Coach, Emily Lynn Paulson, joins me for an honest discussion around why women’s drinking has been rising dramatically during the last couple of years.

We discuss the connection between stress and alcohol, the additional anxiety and overwhelm of the pandemic, and how that has spiked drinking levels and alcohol-related disease, the normalization of women’s drinking as a necessary tool of motherhood through the media, and the science behind the addictive nature of alcohol.

How do you know if it’s time to make a change? Emily and I both believe that labels aren’t helpful and that objective tests for “problem drinking” just keep women stuck in patterns that aren’t serving them. The only question that matters is “how is alcohol making me feel?” and if the answer is “not great”, then you owe yourself the opportunity to explore it...

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

Women’s drinking has been rising dramatically during the last couple of years. It’s become our go-to for numbing and escaping the challenges of modern, busy life in a pandemic. The good news is more and more women are questioning their relationship with alcohol.

If you’re starting to wonder if alcohol is still serving you, please celebrate that awareness! Drinking less (or not at all) is a positive wellness choice, and I'm on a mission to normalize that decision.

Join me as I share the 5 keys to making alcohol small and irrelevant in your life. Based on the practical, science-based approach of This Naked Mind, my path to achieving freedom from alcohol has worked for me and thousands of others. It’s like nothing you’ve ever tried, and it’s truly the way to take alcohol out of the driver’s seat. If you’re ready to take back control over alcohol, and drink less - start...

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

Sarah and I reflect on the first Women Talking Frankly coaching program that we ran in the early summer, including a discussion of our favourite parts and the lessons we learned from the incredible group of women in this first iteration of the missing conversation around women’s burnout, hormones, and midlife.

We talk about new bits of the missing conversation that bear exploring in future episodes, including the complicated nature of women’s libido in midlife, the gifts of pelvic floor therapy, the importance of boundaries when it comes to creating a life you don’t want to escape from, and weight management during perimenopause and menopause.

Grab our free perimenopause/menopause checklist, here: www.wendymccallum.com/perichecklist

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

Bite-Sized Balance is back!

In the Season 2 opener, Sarah and I reminisce about how we spent our summer, including our shared “dirty little secret” and our deepening friendship.

We update listeners on our personal hormonal journeys and experiences with hormone replacement therapy and Sarah explains the unexpected possible impact of the COVID-19 vaccine on her cycle.

We discuss the piecemeal nature of care for women in midlife in Canada and the role the patriarchy’s approach to women’s health plays in that.

Grab our new perimenopause/menopause checklist, here: www.wendymccallum.com/perichecklist

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

In today's episode, I interview Robyn Berman, who pursued a second career in the challenging primary care field of midwifery at the age of 40 while navigating parenthood and midlife (and all that comes with that.) 

I share a bit of my own birth story, and Robyn provides some insight from the midwife and doula perspective. Robyn talks about her recent burnout and decision to leave clinical practice, and what she learned from that. Robyn and I discuss the role of perimenopause and estrogen in their own “midlife rebirths” and reflect back on what we’ve learned in the first half of our lives around balance and stress management as busy working moms.

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

Ladies and GENTLEMAN: We have our first official male guest on the Bite-Sized Balance Podcast!

Chase Chewning is a health coach and host of the popular wellness podcast Ever Forward Radio, and he’s also no stranger to burnout. Chase joins me to share his personal story of multiple burnouts & recovery and what he’s learned along the way. 

Chase and I talk about the differences between men and women’s burnout, the warning signs, the importance of self-care for men (and what that word really means), and how to support someone you care about who is nearing or in burnout.

Got a guy in your life you love (partner, brother, dad, or son) with a lot on his plate? This is a very timely topic given the increase in burnout rates during the recent pandemic, so don’t skip this one!

Find out more about Chase here: https://chasechewning.com/

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

Guest Ally Garber, successful career woman, mom of two, and lover of running, shares her personal story of mental health challenges, alcohol dependence, and recovery -- with honesty, insight, and a great sense of humour.

Ally and I discover we have a lot in common in terms of our shared stories, including the decision to stop drinking during the last year of a parent’s terminal illness.

This easy conversation includes a new take on “mommy wine culture”, a discussion of the pitfalls of moderation, advice for sober-curious “gray-area drinkers”, and the unexpected joys of becoming alcohol-free.

Want to start exploring your relationship with alcohol? Maybe drink a little less? No need to commit to anything, start with my FREE 3 video series, here: www.wendymccallum.com/myths