Dr Julie's Coffee Chats

Have you ever found yourself waiting until all your ducks are lined up before making a decision? The money, the time, the confidence, the perfect plan… and somehow, the perfect moment never quite arrives?
In this episode of Dr Julie's Coffee Chats, I'm talking about the power of making a decision — and why sometimes we need to decide first, then find our way.
This is a shorter, honest conversation about the things I've learnt through business, training, parenting and life. Because the truth is, we don't always get it right. We make mistakes, we change direction, and sometimes we discover that something which was once exactly what we needed no longer fits the person we've become.
We chat about:
Why waiting for certainty can keep us stuck.
How making mistakes is often the very thing that teaches us what to do next.
Why the gym that helped you begin might not be the gym you need forever.
What trying a diet that doesn't work can teach you about your own body and lifestyle.
How to make thoughtful decisions without needing every step mapped out.
This isn't about being reckless or pretending that big decisions are easy. It's about recognising that we can do our due diligence, make the best decision we can with the information we have, and trust ourselves to learn and adjust along the way.
The decision wasn't necessarily wrong just because the first version didn't work.
So if there's something you've been putting off, grab a coffee and join me. Maybe this is the little nudge you need to take that next step.
And as always, do one small thing this week to nourish yourself a little better. ❤️
This season of Dr Julie's Coffee Chats is proudly supported by Fuel Box, a fellow Wellington business helping busy Kiwis fuel their day.

Ohhhh we're going there.  Welcome to OREOGATE.
This week on Dr Julie's Coffee Chats, I'm introducing you to my friend Anna — and we're diving straight into one of the hottest parenting debates to take the internet by storm.
Yes. We're talking about the Oreos.
What starts as a conversation about one seemingly innocent parenting moment very quickly becomes a much bigger chat about modern parenting, judgement, food, boundaries, social media and the enormous pressure parents face to somehow get everything right.
And because this is a Coffee Chat with two mums rather than a parenting lecture, expect plenty of honesty.
We talk about the things parents are apparently no longer allowed to say out loud, the difference between what parenting looks like on the internet and what happens inside actual homes, where we each sit on OreoGate — and why sometimes we all need to give ourselves (and each other!) a little more grace.
There are opinions.
There are parenting truths.
There are plenty of laughs.
And there may be a few moments where Anna and I wonder whether we're about to get ourselves cancelled (there is swearing!).
Whether you've been following the OreoGate debate or have absolutely NO idea what I'm talking about, grab a coffee and join us.
This one is a proper Coffee Chat — two friends, two mums, no perfect answers and a very honest conversation about raising kids in a world where everyone seems to have an opinion on how we should do it.
🎙️ Dr Julie's Coffee Chats — real talk, real people and conversations worth having.
This season of Dr Julie's Coffee Chats is proudly supported by Fuel Box, a fellow Wellington business helping busy Kiwis fuel their day.

If you listen to ONE podcast about sugar and kids, I want it to be this one.
Because somehow sugar has become one of the most confusing, controversial and emotionally loaded parts of feeding our children.
Is fruit sugar bad? Is fruit juice actually healthy? Is honey better than white sugar? How much sugar should kids really have? Should we restrict sweet foods — or does putting any boundaries around them just make kids obsessed with sugar?
There is SO much noise out there.
So in this episode of Dr Julie’s Coffee Chats, I'm stripping it all back and giving you the evidence, the nuance and — most importantly — what this actually looks like in real life.
We cover everything from sugar 101 and what the term "free sugar means to  restriction vs guidance — and where I think some of the current feeding advice has lost important nuance. Plus how I approach sugar with my own children
A little heads-up: there is some science at the beginning. Stay with me! 🤓
I promise it's there for a reason, because once you understand what sugar and free sugar actually mean, everything else makes so much more sense.
And the second half gets VERY practical.
Whether you've been worried you're giving your kids too much sugar, confused by conflicting advice, frightened of being too restrictive, or simply trying to feed your family well without losing your mind — there is something in this episode for you to take away and use.
Grab your coffee and listen on. ☕️
And as always, a huge thank you to my podcast partner Fuel Box for supporting Dr Julie's Coffee Chats and helping me continue to bring you practical, evidence-based nutrition conversations each week.
If this episode helps you, please share it with another parent who needs to hear it, subscribe to the podcast and leave a review — it makes such a difference. ❤️

Every now and then, I record a podcast that stays with me long after we stop recording.
This is one of those conversations.
In this episode of Dr Julie's Coffee Chats, I'm joined by the incredible Jana from The Macpherson Diaries for a raw, funny, heartbreaking and, above all, deeply hopeful conversation about what happens when life changes in ways you could never have prepared for.
Jana lost her husband to terminal cancer and found herself navigating unimaginable grief alongside the realities of solo parenting and somehow continuing to put one foot in front of the other.
But this isn't simply a podcast about grief.
It's about hope.
We talk about parenting through loss, finding yourself again after deep grief, rebuilding your health and wellbeing when you don't even know where to begin, and why sometimes the smallest steps really are enough.
We talk about the messy bits too. The things people don't always say out loud. And somehow, amongst some incredibly difficult conversations, we laugh. A lot.
I honestly laughed and cried my way through this entire interview.
Whether you've experienced grief yourself, you're navigating a difficult season, you're parenting on your own, or life simply hasn't turned out quite how you imagined it would, there is something in Jana's story for you.
This isn't a story about pretending everything eventually becomes easy.
It's a story about discovering that even after the darkest chapters, there can still be joy, health, laughter, purpose and a life you genuinely want to live.
Grab a coffee, find somewhere quiet if you can, and listen to this one right through.
I truly think it's one of the most powerful conversations I've ever shared on Dr Julie's Coffee Chats. ❤️
This season of Dr Julie's Coffee Chats is proudly supported by Fuel Box, a fellow Wellington business helping busy Kiwis fuel their day.

Hit 3pm and suddenly all you can think about is coffee, chocolate… or preferably both? 
Following on from last week's episode on why you're hungry at 10am, this week on Dr Julie's Coffee Chats we're moving a few hours forward and tackling the infamous 3pm slump.
Why do our energy levels drop? Why do sweet foods suddenly seem so much more appealing? And is an afternoon snack actually something we should be trying to avoid?
In this episode, I unpack five common reasons you might find yourself tired, hungry and craving sugar in the afternoon.
We also talk about why not every dip in energy needs to be "fixed", why women in particular need to stop being afraid of fuelling their bodies, and the difference between mindless grazing and deliberately eating an afternoon snack because your body actually needs it.
And, as always, I finish with the practical stuff: what I actually eat at 3pm, including how I fuel before training and why there are times I'll deliberately eat even when I'm not particularly hungry.
Because once again, this isn't about willpower.
It's about understanding what your body is trying to tell you—and learning how to fuel it accordingly.
🎙️ Dr Julie's Coffee Chats — real talk, practical advice and evidence-based nutrition you can actually use.
This season of Dr Julie's Coffee Chats is proudly supported by Fuel Box, a fellow Wellington business helping busy Kiwis fuel their day.