Hardiness with Dr Paul Taylor

Dr. Nicole Bijlsma explains why the built environment matters for health, from mould and air quality to electromagnetic fields and chemical exposures. She shares practical, high-impact changes for bedrooms, water, skincare, cleaning, and home setup that can reduce everyday exposure and support better sleep, immunity, and wellbeing. We discuss why old homes and new homes each have different risks, how Wi-Fi and electrical wiring can affect sleep, and why water filtration is a non-negotiable if you want to reduce chlorine, PFAS, and fluoride exposure. Nicole also covers the biggest chemical exposures on skin, the most useful cleaning swaps, and why over-sanitising may be backfiring on allergy risk.
Key topics
Nicole shares how personal health issues led her into building biology and why she started training people to assess homes for environmental hazards.
The difference between old homes and new homes, including condensation, mould, poor maintenance, tight building envelopes, and off-gassing from imported furnishings.
Why carpets can act like a reservoir for dust, pest debris, asbestos, lead paint, and chemicals, especially for infants crawling on the floor.
The three EMF categories Nicole prioritises - radio frequencies, AC magnetic fields, and dirty electricity.
Why a Wi-Fi router in the bedroom is a major issue, and why hardwiring or powering routers down at the wall is the best fix.
Why the bedroom is the top health priority, and how to set it up for better sleep by removing Wi-Fi devices, phones, extenders, and boosters.
Why inverter and solar battery placement matters, and why distance is the main defense against magnetic fields.
Why reverse osmosis is the best option for drinking water when fluoride is a concern, while whole-house filtration helps with chlorine, sediment, PFAS, and many other contaminants.
Nicole shares why alkaline water is not her recommendation, and why stomach acid matters for digestion, protein breakdown, and nutrient absorption.
The biggest chemical exposures on the body, especially perfumes, aftershaves, artificial fragrances, and air fresheners.
Why jojoba oil, rose hip oil, wool, hemp, cotton, and fragrance-free basics are the safer everyday choices for skin and home use.
Timestamps
00:32 - The personal health story that led to building biology
01:54 - Discovering environmental triggers in the home
03:21 - Training clinicians to look at air quality and built-environment hazards
04:07 - Old homes versus new homes: where the risks differ
05:54 - Maintenance, roof leaks, drainage, and rising damp in older houses
06:50 - Why carpets collect dust, toxins, and biological debris
07:28 - Why infants are the highest-risk group on carpeted floors
08:25 - Tight new homes, hidden condensation, and off-gassing from furnishings
10:59 - Natural materials and Australian-made products for lower exposure
11:35 - The EMF problem in the bedroom
12:44 - Why a router in the room can be a major radio-frequency exposure
14:30 - Sleep, melatonin, and why hardwiring beats Wi-Fi
15:32 - How to measure Wi-Fi properly with the right meter
16:24 - Inverters, batteries, and magnetic fields from solar systems
17:45 - Dirty electricity and why some people become electrically sensitive
20:30 - Bedroom setup: no Wi-Fi devices, no extenders, no boosters
21:20 - Building a master switch system to shut down bedroom fields
22:47 - Why phones in the bedroom are a bad idea
23:29 - The bedroom first rule: sleep before everything else
24:55 - Timer switches and reducing router exposure
26:00 - Electricity coming into the house and the importance of distance
27:09 - The inverse square law and why bed position matters
28:19 - Why shielding does not solve magnetic field exposure
29:04 - Water as a major chemical exposure
30:27 - PFAS and fluoride in water supplies
32:48 - Why chlorine is a problem for the gut microbiome
33:18 - What a basic but effective water filter should remove
34:10 - Reverse osmosis, remineralisation, and why alkaline water is controversial
36:40 - Skin exposure: why chlorine affects eczema and skin irritation
37:32 - Whole-house filtration versus point-of-use RO
40:26 - Skincare, moisturizers, deodorants, and sunscreen
41:22 - Why jojoba and rose hip oil are better skin options
42:19 - Parabens, detergents, and reducing cosmetic load
43:18 - Sunscreen controversy and why covering up often works better
46:29 - Perfume, phthalates, and why fragrance is a major exposure
48:43 - Cleaning the home with detergent, microfiber, and HEPA filtration
50:11 - Why white vinegar works well in the dishwasher rinse-aid compartment
51:35 - Detoxification: sweat, sauna, and exercise
52:50 - Why some chemicals need plasma donation or binders
54:44 - The need for supervision when using binders
55:41 - Why mould deserves its own conversation
56:06 - Allergies, pet dander, and the role of dust mites
58:17 - Birth, breastfeeding, microbes, and why farm exposure lowers allergy risk
59:29 - Why over-cleaning and sanitizers can raise allergy risk
61:00 - Where to find Dr. Nicole B and her training
61:42 - Healthy Home, Healthy Family and the upcoming updated edition
Action items
Remove Wi-Fi enabled devices, extenders, boosters, and phones from the bedroom.
Put the router on a timer or power it down at the wall overnight.
Move the bed away from the wall closest to the meter panel or incoming electrical supply.
Prioritise whole-house water filtration, and add reverse osmosis at the kitchen sink if fluoride is a concern.
Switch to fragrance-free personal care and cleaning products.
Use microfiber cloths, detergent, and a sealed HEPA vacuum for routine cleaning.
Favor natural materials like wool, hemp, cotton, and jojoba-based skin care where possible.
Reduce over-sanitising at home and let kids get normal outdoor dirt exposure.
Resources
Website: https://www.buildingbiology.com.au/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/homehealthdoc/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nicolebijlsma1/?fref=ts

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A birthday, a bit of simple maths, and an idea borrowed from Gregg Krech of Vermont's ToDo Institute, whose own birthday falls the same week as Carly's. What happens when you put an actual number on the days you've got left.
Carly is a counsellor and coach who specialises in building psychological hardiness, which is the ability to navigate challenge, stay engaged, and take meaningful action under pressure. Her work integrates modern psychology with Eastern and Stoic approaches, helping people build resilience, live with purpose, and respond to life’s challenges with greater clarity, courage and steadiness.

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Most addiction advice is built for rock bottom. Tara Hurster says that misses the vast majority of people - the high-functioning drinkers, gamblers, and users who still have jobs, houses, and families, but know something is off. If you’ve ever wondered where “just a bit too much” becomes a real problem, this conversation gives you a clearer answer than shame ever could. Paul speaks with Tara Hurster, psychologist and founder of The TARA Clinic, about the low-to-high risk continuum of addiction, the 12 DSM criteria, and why “stopping” is not the same as changing. . Her approach is practical, non-judgmental, and built around helping people make real choices with real tools - not just white-knuckle their way through. Tara breaks down how tolerance, repeated failed attempts to cut down, negative consequences, and defensiveness can all signal a deeper issue, even when life still looks functional from the outside.
You’ll discover:
Why addiction can be invisible in high performers and professionals
How the stages of change model explains denial, preparation, action, and maintenance
The “stop you swap” trap and why focusing only on abstinence creates a void
Why relapse is better understood as recycling, and relapse as a lesson
How identity, values, and stress management drive the behaviours people keep repeating

Time Stamps
01:15 - Risk continuum and the question of where addiction begins
02:12 - The clearest signs: tolerance, failed attempts, and consequences
03:28 - Why questioning a behavior is already a signal worth taking seriously
04:23 - Stages of change and why defensiveness matters
05:34 - Why stopping is not the same as changing
06:32 - “If you stop, you swap” and finding the driver behind the behavior
08:34 - The myth that addiction only looks like rock bottom
09:49 - Only two DSM criteria are needed over 12 months
10:54 - Tara reads the DSM style addiction criteria in plain English
13:25 - Why The Tara Clinic uses the criteria as education, not self diagnosis
14:07 - Why Tara does not align with the 12 step model
15:29 - Tara’s personal story: bullying, tallness, and smoking in year six
17:02 - Why stopping smoking can coincide with a change stage, not just willpower
18:02 - Recovery as a long term redefinition of stress and distress
19:19 - How addiction looks from the outside versus the inside
20:56 - Minimizing the problem and the brain’s self protection mechanisms
21:27 - The brain’s threat response and why stress drives habitual behavior
24:41 - Being the expert in your own life and using lifestyle as a mirror
25:33 - Hello Sunday Morning and the power of noticing hangover regret
26:25 - Tara’s non prescriptive approach: helping clients see their own choices
27:06 - Why smart people often struggle more with change
28:22 - How education works in pre-contemplation without shame
29:25 - Why shame and guilt can push people backwards
30:21 - The survival wiring behind addictive behavior
31:50 - Early stage support and why community matters
32:35 - Preparation stage and why The Tara Clinic starts there
33:22 - The danger of stopping before change has actually happened
34:16 - Dry drunk thinking and the limits of willpower
35:47 - Real change means new routines, people, and environments
36:11 - Why lapse and relapse are reframed as lesson and recycling
37:35 - Can moderation work after addiction? Tara’s non absolute answer
38:14 - Choice, agency, and not becoming another external force
39:23 - Different substances and how the method of use changes the effect
42:22 - Why ice is the hardest substance to manage socially
43:26 - Ice detox, brain recovery, and the physical versus neurological timeline
45:23 - The recurring “wobbles” in recovery from ice use
47:32 - Why early recovery for ice effectively starts after a much longer practice period
48:43 - Common drivers: pressure, stress, identity, and relief
50:16 - Why Tara avoids labels and focuses on language, thought, and identity
53:57 - Values work and why goals and values are not the same thing
55:25 - Tara’s core values: justice, nonconformity, and safety
56:26 - Why value incongruence creates major stress in work and life
57:52 - Questions to ask yourself: have I questioned this, and what happens if I pause it?
59:37 - Reality pants, judgment pants, and honest behavior tracking
60:04 - How to track patterns in drinking and spot triggers
61:37 - Using patterns to find gaps in knowledge, skills, and awareness
62:32 - Where to go next: The Tara Clinic, Smart Recovery, and the ADIS phone line
Resources
Website - https://www.thetaraclinic.com/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarahurster/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetaraclinic/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thetaraclinic
SMART Recovery – https://smartrecoveryaustralia.com.au/
ADIS phone line: 1800 250 015 available 24/7
The National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline is a free and confidential phone service that provides counselling, advice, and information for those struggling with addiction. Call 1800 250 015.

Support the Podcast
If you found this conversation valuable, consider subscribing and leaving a review on your preferred podcast platform. Your feedback helps us continue to bring you insightful discussions on important health topics.


See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.