Katie Walls and Donna Gianniotis share with us the details of their one day retreat offering a fresh way to approach breast cancer care. Other presenters on the retreat are past interviewees on the show Jean Gamble and Michelle Crowe so the quality of this retreat is assured! In this episode we consider how we speak to and treat women with a diagnosis of breast cancer and if the sympathy they get is really what they want or if there is a different way to support them. Also, who do we ask for support? Have we considered who has capacity to support emotionally and physically - it may be a mixture of services, friends and family rather than all in one person. Further resources and links available below.

Is that too big a statement?? I don't think so...in my experience the outside is a worryingly accurate reflection of my inside and perhaps we need a little support with the why, where and how of decluttering. 

Have you considered that the extremes of clutter start with the small stuff getting out of hand? At what time do we consider the small stuff to be big enough to do something about? Join Jenny Hayes from Bright Blue Sunshine and Lucy Dahill talk about decluttering your home, your wardrobe even, perhaps, your life!

Where does abuse come from? Is it always someone else's problem or are there parts of our own lives that could be contributing to the global picture because we are taking a level of normal that is not normal at all and yet we are not calling it out for fear of standing out?

This episode is a bit of soul searching and asks us all to consider the impact of what we did and what we do.

Check this out - the latest show with Jean Gamble talking about relationship breakdowns. It is full of examples to bring understanding of how to deal with the hurts we feel when we are not understood and practical ways to ensure we do not carry those hurts from one relationship to another.

Key points to remember - 
No-one wins when we go into naming, shaming and blaming
Decency must be the bedrock for the way we behave in every interaction.

Do we have a picture of what intimacy is or isn't? Do we measure how intimate we are with different people depending on their relationship with us? "Of course!" I may hear you say but I would like you to suspend that indignation for an hour and listen to us unpack the possibility that we may have more to learn and understand about intimacy and it is so much more that sexual intimacy.  

Join Lucy Dahill as we delve into the intimate world of bipolar and breast cancer with Victoria Brown. Are there changes we can make to our way of living that would have an effect on how we feel in our life? Do we need to understand mental and physical illness better in order to reduce the stigma attached to the label? All this and more on this weeks' Up Close and Personal episode of Stay in the Loop with Lucy

How much pressure do we put on one day of the year to make us feel complete as mothers? Mother's Day brings up a lot of potential for smashed pictures and the odd 'after all I do for you..' conversations! So how do we fulfil the 'needs' of our children whilst also appreciating we are women first and that without self-care and self-nurturing we are unable to bring that love, care and nurturing to people in our lives? 

My guests are Laura Lloyd, Michelle Crowe and Jean Grima

We uncover how much do we enable dependent behaviour and how often do we teach life skills?

Talking of which... it was also a great opportunity to tell everyone about the live 2017 International Women's Day broadcast scheduled for Hornsby Mall on Wednesday 8th March when a Celebration of Women takes over the mall area with a mixture of experiential and information stalls! Yes, you can get free massages as well as find out how to re-design a space, build a business, get bra fitting and health and wellness advice....and so much more! We will be there with a live broadcast as well.

In this episode I have interviews about how men can be a major part of the change in attitudes about women and domestic violence, as well as the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Womens Shelter, the Soroptomists, and a number of other participants from the 2016 Hornsby Walk the Talk. Also highlighted this week is an interview with Zohara Mendes who spoke about the work she is doing raising awareness for her generation about domestic violence. the wealth of experience and wisdom in our community is evident in these interviews. This is about people who care, sharing how and why they care and being prepared to step outside their comfort to encourage others to do the same.

​We can be the change we want to see in the world. Listen out for the interview with Zohara Mendes who I suspect you will hear about in the future. She is a passionate yet unimposing speaker and here talks to me about her work around Domestic Violence.