The Create Yourself Podcast

This week I'm talking menopause, and more specifically perimenopause, which is the longest part of the whole thing and somehow the least talked about. For years the only story we've been told about this chapter is that it's hard, miserable and something to just get through. I want to flip that. October is Menopause Awareness Month, and this Thursday night I'm part of an event here in Auckland called Becoming, which is all about reframing midlife as the most exciting and powerful chapter of our lives. I share why an event like this needs to exist in the first place. We get a roadmap for puberty. Nobody hands us one for this.
I also get honest about my own perimenopause story. Back in 2023 my periods were all over the place, I wasn't sleeping, I had a really short fuse, and I couldn't cope with noise in the car (sorry, son). I thought my PMS had just gotten worse. So I did what so many of us do. I lay in bed at night running through a list of everything I was disappointed in myself for, and went down a rabbit hole of energy supplements. Then I listened to a Mel Robbins episode with a menopause expert and realised I had almost every symptom she described. Maybe I didn't just suck at life. Maybe my hormones were shifting. That episode turned out to be the permission slip I'd probably needed my whole life to stop people pleasing.
So what do I know now that I wish I'd known at the start? When estrogen dips, so does that pull to nurture everyone, and honestly, that's a gift. It's a chance to finally ask what I want and what I need. I talk about why perimenopause is like recovering from surgery without the sling (my shoulder taught me that one), why strength training matters so much right now, why my gym membership is a gift to my son and not an indulgence, and how my true voice showed up once the good girl left the building.
Whether you're still in your baby-making years, just starting to notice changes, or well into menopause, this one's for you. I finish with a journal prompt to sit with this week: what do I need to do to give myself full permission to go after the life I deserve?
The Mel Robbins episode I mention: https://www.melrobbins.com/podcasts/episode-157
If you liked this episode and want to support the show, please like, share, and give it a 5 star review. Your support means everything to me!
Instagram: @createyourself.nz
TikTok: @itsrachthomas
YouTube: ItsRachThomas 
Website: https://www.createyourself.co.nz 
Email: Rachael@createyourself.co.nz

This week I'm putting my money where my mouth is. I've spent the last week trying to solve the Rubik's Cube that is getting hacked and locked out of my social media accounts, and spoiler alert: I'm still locked out, and it's not looking promising. So this episode is about what I do with that. I walk you through the process I've built over years of navigating big change and major problems, from letting myself move through the grief cycle, to finding acceptance. Because if I fight acceptance, I stay stuck in the problem, and I've worked too hard to stay stuck.
Then I get into the mindset that gets me moving again. It comes down to one simple question I'd give any coaching client: what's one thing I can do? Victim or victor, it's two sides of the same coin, and the "it's not fair" story keeps you exactly where you are. The irony isn't lost on me that my business is called Create Yourself and here I am, creating myself all over again. I've done it before and I'll do it again.
I also share why all of this was the little push from the universe I needed to rejoin the gym, and what moving my body every day last week has done for my energy (honestly, a revelation). Plus a few practical tips to lock down your own accounts so this never happens to you. 
You can find me on my new Instagram at @createyourself.nz
If you liked this episode and want to support the show, please like, share, and give it a 5 star review. Your support means everything to me!
Instagram: @createyourself.nz
TikTok: @itsrachthomas
YouTube: ItsRachThomas 
Website: https://www.createyourself.co.nz 
Email: Rachael@createyourself.co.nz

Imagine waking up one day to find that something you love has vanished. There might be a way to get it back, but the only route is a quest through an endless maze of robots, and not one of them will listen to you, because they've already decided you're the bad guy. That has pretty much been my week. After my son's eighth birthday party, while I was lying in bed not even touching my phone, my Facebook, Instagram and Messenger accounts were suspended and then permanently disabled, all within about five minutes. Seventeen years of photos, my contacts, and the Create Yourself community I've spent years building, gone. And no human anywhere to talk to about it.
This episode sits with that feeling of total powerlessness, when something big has happened and there's nothing you can do to change the outcome. I talk about lying awake at night thinking "what am I going to do", why I refuse to slide into "why me", and how I ended up fighting a robot with a robot.
Then my son went back to his dad's, and the sadness hit hard. I've been co-parenting for over five years and that moment still doesn't get easier. First you crave a bit of space, then you feel guilty about it, and then there's a hole in your heart the second they're gone. Solo mums, you'll know this ache.
Fair warning: this one is full of expletives and a good dose of existential crisis. So strap in for a bumpy ride, and maybe pop your AirPods in if the kids are around.
Please leave a review and rate the show if you liked the episode! Your support means everything to me!
If you liked this episode and want to support the show, please like, share, and give it a 5 star review. Your support means everything to me!
Instagram: @createyourself.nz
TikTok: @itsrachthomas
YouTube: ItsRachThomas 
Website: https://www.createyourself.co.nz 
Email: Rachael@createyourself.co.nz

Welcome to this week's episode. It's a little bit different, and I'm so excited for you to experience it.
It's the school holidays and my son's birthday, so I have less time at the mic this week. I wanted to find a way to offer you something special while still honouring my time with him while he's off school. The idea that came to me was to gift you a sample of one of my guided visualisations. So this episode is 50/50: half of it is me talking, and the other half is an original guided visualisation for you to experience.
This one is all about connecting with your future self and imagining the life of your dreams. It is incredibly powerful, and when you use it with some regularity it has even more potency and potential to create real change in your life. How do I know? It's very similar to the guided visualisation I listened to for a whole year while I was in a really challenging time, trying to rebuild my life. It made a huge difference for me, and it's what got me hooked on visualisation as a tool for coaching and for changing your life.
I've talked about what I do in previous episodes, and today is your chance to actually experience it. I'd love to hear how you find it, so please send me any feedback. There's another one dropping next week with a similar flavour, but until then, I hope you have an awesome week and I'll see you next time.
If you liked this episode and want to support the show, please like, share, and give it a 5 star review. Your support means everything to me!
Instagram: @createyourself.nz
TikTok: @itsrachthomas
YouTube: ItsRachThomas 
Website: https://www.createyourself.co.nz 
Email: Rachael@createyourself.co.nz

Welcome back to the Create Yourself podcast!

This week I'm talking about something I've wanted to cover since day one: beauty, and the mask I've worn around my appearance my whole life.

Growing up as the redheaded, freckled, skinny kid who didn't look like her three sisters, I copped some pretty intense bullying, first as a young girl, then all through high school from the boys. It shaped how I felt about myself for decades.

It wasn't until my late thirties that I actually started healing that wound and figured out what beauty really means to me. This week I get into that journey, and I unpack the impossible standard women are held to: stay thin, stay young, stay beautiful, as if our only value is how we look.

It's personal, but I think it's going to be relatable for basically every woman listening. If you've ever felt insecure about your appearance, this one's for you.

If you liked this episode and want to support the show, please like, share, and give it a 5 star review. Your support means everything to me!
Instagram: @createyourself.nz
TikTok: @itsrachthomas
YouTube: ItsRachThomas 
Website: https://www.createyourself.co.nz 
Email: Rachael@createyourself.co.nz