I always thought there was nothing better than achieving a goal you’ve worked really hard for. Turns out, I was wrong. There is something better. Watching a client and friend achieve something she genuinely thought was impossible 12 months earlier. That second hand joy? It’s hard to beat. Twelve months ago, I was in a car with the Managing Director of an international charity. One of the ways her organisation raises money is by offering marathon entries to runners who commit to fundraising....

Birthdays, Menopause, and the Gift of Simplicity It’s my birthday week. I’m going to confess: I love my birthday. The actual day of calls, texts, and those big disarming smiles aimed at me like a beam of light. It’s the one day of the year when the outpouring of love warms me from the inside like a hot chocolate by the bonfire on a cold winter’s night while camping. (Full disclosure: I don’t actually like camping myself. Give me an indoor toilet and a doona any day, but you get the imagery.)...

Every personal trainer seems to have a reputation. Apparently mine is that if I’m sitting at your dinner table, you’re not allowed to order the pasta. I only discovered this the other night while hiking through the Dolomites with a group of wonderful women who also happen to be my clients. After an incredible day in the mountains, we were sitting around the dinner table, menus in hand, when I overheard them whispering. “If Nat wasn’t here, I’d definitely order the pasta…” ”…but I suppose I’ll...