The Women Doing Their Thing Podcast

One Hundred Days of Rewilding: Launch POD! Listening to Pain, Reimagining Healing, and Trusting Embodied Intuition Katie , a dance movement psychotherapist, hosts a launch event for Freddy Johnston’s self-published book One Hundred Days of Rewilding, outlining the evening’s reading, and Q&R (responses). Freddy reads from the opening of the book, describing how a prior manuscript “stepped aside” after a June diagnosis of fibroids and adenomyosis following months of worsening symptoms, repeated GP visits, and frustration with being offered hormonal interventions like the Mirena coil without imaging; she pushed for an ultrasound/MRI and reacted to a seven-month wait for gynecology. The discussion challenges “gold standard” medical framing, emphasizes agency, “healing as liberation,” and listening to pain rather than suppressing it, while addressing fear-based decisions, women’s health knowledge gaps, medical language power imbalances, and support for patients. There is a discussion around concerns about “leaning into pain” and how this could be misconstrued, given the racial bias in pain management (in who is and is not prescribed painkillers, in documentation, and in stereotypes about Black women’s pain tolerance). Freddy also describes a womb-led pilgrimage to Chartres Cathedral and the role of creativity, community, and play in transmuting anger and illness. Time stamps below, read on for details about the upcoming guest on November's New Moon pod. 00:00 Welcome and Book Launch 00:31 Katie Introduction and Somatic Healing 02:36 Tonight Agenda and Creative Flow 03:31 Meeting Through Movement and Art 05:15 Introducing Author Freddy 05:52 Book Reading Health Wake Up Call 11:59 First Book Vulnerability and Process 15:45 Questioning the Gold Standard 20:54 Body Politics and Womens Health Gaps 22:18 Community Stories and Creative Activism 26:08 Pain as Teacher 26:49 Shaking Out Trauma 28:41 Listening to Pain 31:48 Rewriting Medical Language 36:32 Leaning In Question 38:00 Pain and Bias 42:48 Support at Appointments 44:39 Womb Led Pilgrimage 46:51 Chartres Heart Return 48:07 Trust and Making It Work 50:32 Practical Spirituality 51:43 Ending With Play Next up on November 9th, Jessica from Ash & Origin , on developing her entrepreneurial voice and what prompted her to develop Ash & Origin in the first place. Where to buy One Hundred Days? UK and Europs https://amzn.eu/d/05FBWoob America https://a.co/d/05WBAKDx

✨ Book launch tomorrow, Wed 28 October✨ Doors open 7:45pm UK time on Zoom. Join me for a dance party, a conversation with my dear friend Katie, and a short guided creative process. No experience needed. Sign up HERE 🌙Darling beans of the universe, it's been a minute! In this short poderoo I share where the pod is heading. From now on there’ll be a solo episode around each full moon, and a conversation with a woman entrepreneur finding her voice around each new moon. First up, in November, will be Jessica from Ash and Origin 🥳🌟🥳 Also in this episode: The addiction to intensity in the entrepreneurial world, and why I’m choosing to talk with people who are responding rather than reacting How One Hundred Days of Rewilding came to be: following a simple healing protocol for 100 days while living with adenomyosis and fibroids, and watching what shifted Going from barely managing a walk along the seafront to walking Margate to Broadstairs and back, no probs The belief hiding behind “I can’t afford it” A self-publishing tip for anyone with a book brewing The question at the heart of the book: what’s your fibroid? What’s the stagnation in your own life that’s ready to be freed up? 📖 One Hundred Days of Rewilding is out now on Amazon 📸 Follow along on Instagram, the best place to find out what’s happening: @freddyjohnstonxox Are you thinking about writing or self-publishing your own book? Let me know in the poll below. If there’s enough interest, I’d love to chat more about it on upcoming pod's or even create a course on getting your story started. Also, there's. One Hundred Days of Rewilding Playlist I'm linking to. Chat soon, my loves 💛

Freddy shares a raw, honest Sunday morning update from Margate... diving into her 50-day "Free the Fibroid" healing journey using qigong, visualization, and energy work, and what it's taught her about stagnation, self-trust, and liberation. She opens up about survival mode and the winding path to flourishing boldly, reflects on grief following the recent deaths of Carolyn Elliott and Glen Hansard, and shares an exciting update about her upcoming appearance at the OM Yoga Show. A tender, unfiltered conversation about healing your body by listening to it instead of fighting it.

Freddy records an early morning update from her kitchen in Margate, overlooking the sea, sharing a wild month of health discoveries. After finally getting a comprehensive private ultrasound of her uterus, she received confirmation of adenomyosis and fibroids. However! Instead of defaulting to allopathic solutions, she dove deep into a Qi Gong healing protocol, hypnotherapy, and an embodied art process drawn from her Tamalpa training. She reflects on the empowering shift of taking ownership of her own healing, the shocking statistic that nearly 60% of hysterectomies are fibroid-related, and her growing vision of a community art project to honour women's unheard health stories. She also muses on perimenopause, feminine power, fear-based living, and what it really means to believe "I am enough." Connect with Freddy Instagram Website Free Meditation

In this episode, Freddy is joined by Dr. Julie Millour PhD cellular andmolecular biologist, Chinese medicine practitioner, nutritionist, and somatic guide - for a rich and honest conversation about what perimenopause really is, and what it can be. Together they explore why "don't freak out" might be the mostimportant advice nobody gives us, how perimenopause mirrors the autumn season in Chinese medicine (a time of letting go before the second spring), and why the hormonal rage, the grief, and the sleepless nights aren't new - they're just old, unresolved emotions finally demanding to be heard. They also get into the shift from womb energy to heart energy, thesurprising statistics around women entrepreneurs in their 40s, the highest divorce rates at menopause, and how slowing down - truly slowing down – might be the most radical and rewarding thing a woman can do in this season of life. In this episode: Why perimenopause is a portal, not a problem The link between unresolved emotions and physical symptoms How grief is part of the transition - and why that's actually reassuring Changing your rhythm and learning to trust it Chinese medicine's "second spring" framework Dr. Julie's free perimenopause talk and her upcoming embodiment programme Connect with Julie Website Instagram Connect with Freddy Website Instagram Free meditation Inner Smile Activation

In this episode, Freddy opens up about finally getting a scan that revealed a uterine fibroid, after years of doctors pushing the Mirena coil without ever doing a scan to see what was actually there. Rather than rushing into medical intervention, she shares how she's written a bespoke qigong program to work with her body from the inside out and activate her inner apothecary. Along the way she reflects how old habits of self-deprivation die hard, on learning to receive support, the power of the inner child, and why dancing and painting are just as important as any "protocol". She also teases an exciting upcoming episode on perimenopause recorded with TCM practitioner and molecular biologist Dr. Julie Milleur. If you've ever been dismissed, given a vague diagnosis, or talked yourself out of trusting your own body — this one's for you. Ready to watch your radiance rock and roll? Go to the website to download the inner Smile meditation, your portal awaits https://www.fredereka.com/inner-smile

This week, an embarrassing admission: I used to judge people who live at their own pace. I thought they were out of touch, oblivious to the world's suffering — away with the fairies. Turns out, I was the one who was missing out. In this episode, I'm getting honest about the martyr matrix I grew up in, why I quit working for other people (spoiler: I just wanted to chew my food), and what's happened since I decided to make waking up my one practice this year. We're talking slow mornings, dark bedrooms, Wei Qi fields, and compound interest for the soul. If you've ever felt like enjoying your life was somehow a betrayal of everyone who's struggling — this one's for you. Also: Qigong in Margate, my upcoming Paris pilgrimage, labyrinths, and butterfly masks for the third eye.

This week, Freddy opens up about navigating a flare-up of chronic symptoms linked to her menstrual cycle — and asks a question that's been on her mind (and her students' minds): Does feeling terrible mean you have to stop doing the things you love? (Answer in podcast) She shares 20 years of experience being dismissed and gaslit by doctors, the profound moment she came off the pill and felt like "a different woman," and her ongoing journey to get answers — including a private consultation she's finally booked in London. But this episode isn't just about struggle. It's about finding the entry points back to yourself — painting, gong meditation, teaching qigong, running workshops — and why, when the calling is strong enough, you show up anyway. She also reflects on going self-employed and making a commitment to only share work that "turns on the lights" — and what it means when your work nourishes you instead of costing you.

This week's q comes from one of my peers on a recent training I did with Rebel Business School (check em out, they're truly wonderful)... A question this week: “How do I figure out how much I actually need to earn?” And what starts as a practical question…quickly becomes something much deeper. In this episode, I explore: the difference between just getting by and being truly supported what it means to take care of the “matter” of our lives, our bodies, our homes, our future why your income needs to include not just now-you, but future-you the hidden pressures of self-employment (and the freedom within it) and why words like wealth and prosperity land so differently in the body This isn’t about picking a number out of thin air. It’s about building a life — and a business — that actually feels good to live inside. As always, take what resonates, leave the rest…and if you’ve got thoughts, you can now comment on Spotify I believe. Love you!

In this episode, I’m sharing what happened when I stopped treating money like a source of panic and started relating to it differently. I talk about money dates, intuitive dialogue, nervous system regulation, and why improving your relationship with money does not automatically make you a millionaire, but it can raise your standards, deepen your self-trust, and help you make clearer, more sovereign decisions. I also share a very real recent moment of financial contraction, what it looked like to stay with the sensation instead of spiralling, and how that opened the door to fresh clarity, new ideas, and next steps. Inside this episode, I explore: why so many people feel unprepared to build a business after professional training the deeper freedom many of us are actually seeking through entrepreneurship why safety can keep us stuck in familiar scarcity patterns the difference between thinking your way to change and allowing a feeling to move through how the Joyful Money Kit came to be This one is part personal reflection, part nervous system wisdom, part money conversation, and part invitation to trust what’s emerging. I also share a little update on the new three-course bundle, the inspiration behind Hula La Yoga, and how you can submit a question for the weekly Tell Me Why with Freddy segment. If this episode speaks to you, you can find more of my long-form writing on Substack at Freddy Writes, and you can connect with me on Instagram at @FreddyJohnstonXOX. If you have a question for Tell Me Why with Freddy pop it in this Google Form and submit and we'll get a response back in one of the upcoming Tell Me's

Darlings, welcome to the new segment of the show... Here's what we'll be up to: Bring me your questions, the ones about life and business - you know the ones that tie you up in knots when you try to figure them out alone? Bring me those... and I will respond. Over coffee last week a dear friend asked me a question and and it occurred to me... "Hey, loads of people would benefit from help with answering this..." And Tell Me Why with Freddy was born... So each week, I'm going to take your questions and respond... all from my lens in mental health, somatic wellbeing, and my lived experience of creating a life and a business that feels really darned good. Link to submit your question! Let's begin this week with my friend's question which was Freddy, how to know what to charge for coaching...

This episode is part story, part transmission. I share what’s been coming up for me this week... sickness making me slow down, my resistance to pausing, and the deeper reflections it opened up. From growing up in a community-rooted life in Ireland… To navigating anorexia, recovery, and early purpose… To 15 years inside a system that quietly conditions us to believe there is never enough… This is a conversation about: The “martyr matrix” so many women are still operating inside How self-sabotage is often a misinterpretation-not your truth The nervous system patterns that keep us stuck in “what’s wrong” And what it actually means to reclaim your life, your work, and your energy This is also your invitation. 🎧 The Reclamation masterclass is available for free until Saturday March 21st A short but powerful session to help you: Move out of procrastination and self-sabotage Access self-compassion as a pathway back to yourself Get clear on your direction and essence ✨ “Self-sabotage is not your truth.” Access the free masterclass by filling in the form here https://forms.gle/6WjQ7cvzHLMpUnGr7 I’d love to hear how it lands for you. xx

What if the voice telling you to stay small isn’t wisdom… but survival? After a morning walk along the coast—passing a towering castle and listening to Marion Woodman on addiction—I had a realization: the women living expansive, beautiful lives aren’t shadow-free. They’re willing to move with all of themselves. They don’t exile desire, ambition, or big emotion—they integrate it. In this episode, we explore: How the survival voice can sound rational, responsible, even moral Why “don’t want too much” is often a nervous system strategy, not truth The psychological layer (conditioning, shadow, internalized rules) The physiological layer (contraction, safety, belonging, survival responses) How to tell the difference in your body: contraction vs spacious aliveness We’ll also touch on my upcoming masterclass Reclamation (learning to spot the “leak” and reclaim your attention in real time) and my deeper 1:1 work, The Repattern (changing the pattern underneath the voice so it stops running your life). 🔗 Sign up for Reclamation

Freddy returns to the Women Doing Their Thing podcast after a break, sharing renewed clarity about her brand, a book-in-progress, and a six-week series on “gateways” or “initiations” where hardships become doorways to purpose. Drawing from decades of client work and her own history of anorexia as a teenager in Ireland, she describes being told she would not recover and how refusing that identity—supported by her mother’s decision to avoid hospitalization and medication—shaped her path into mental health work. She reflects on creativity, activism, addiction-swapping, and an early public talk that led her to hide due to shame and “negativity bias,” reframing visibility and storytelling as connection and inspiration. She encourages taking “next right-size steps,” seeking support, creating one’s own stage, and using visualization to open new possibilities, previewing upcoming weekly episodes.

Good morning, my loves. I’m back behind the mic, eating chocolate spread on sourdough and talking to you from the cozy chaos of my little South London studio—cats included. This is a softer, slower episode. A catch-up. A moment of reflection. A reminder that life isn’t always linear, especially when you’re self-employed, living between countries, navigating transitions, and making space (literally) for your evolving life. In this episode, I share: Why I’ve been quiet on the pod lately and what life’s been full of behind the scenes The wild joy and challenge of living in a small space with two cats The deep transitions of clearing out my mum’s house and the echoes of grief and gratitude it brings Why I chose to be self-employed—and what beliefs I’ve had to dismantle to stay the course Some of the real challenges of being a multi-passionate practitioner (hello imposter syndrome, old stories about not being qualified enough, and “not enough community” narratives) A reminder that becoming self-employed is also becoming yourself. It’s personal development disguised as a career choice. And why slow steps, community care, and somatic wisdom are key to long-term growth You'll also hear about my background—from leaving school at 14, to my many trainings and qualifications, to now working towards bringing post-trauma growth work to young women in London. It’s all part of the journey. Whether you’re walking through your own in-between season or figuring out how to bring your gifts to the world, I hope this episode reminds you that you’re not alone. Links & Mentions: Maya’s Bakehouse (if you’re in South London—go get that cinnamon + cardamom bun!) Catification by Jackson Galaxy Organic Intelligence (post-trauma growth training) Business By Design with James Wedmore Come say hi: Instagram → freddyjohnstonxox Website → fredereka.com If this episode lands for you, I’d love if you’d leave a review or share it with a friend doing their thing too.

Guess what? This week, Freddy is checking in from her brand-new pad in South London! 🎉 If you’ve been following along, you’ll know she made the big move to London last October, and her biggest goal over the past few months has been saving up to rent her very own place. Well… drumroll please … she did it! Mission accomplished! 🏡✨ It’s cute, it’s cozy, it’s basically a glorified shoebox—but it’s hers , and it’s got everything she needs. Muy adore! 😍 Of course, with this exciting new chapter comes a few changes. London rent isn’t exactly budget-friendly , so the spending plan has had a little shake-up. But let’s be real—going without? Not the vibe. We’re not here to squeeze into someone else’s idea of what’s affordable. Instead, in true Freddy fashion, she’s getting curious about something way more empowering: How do we take charge of our own financial freedom? How do we create our own economies and design a life where comfort isn’t a luxury—it’s the standard? Let’s dive in! 🚀💸 Listen in for the responses to these questions; 💖 Can a therapist actually get rich and how? 💖 Can therapists make finance-level money? And finally... 💖 Learn to think how a businessperson thinks... Enjoy! Catch you next time!

It's been a bumpy couple of weeks over here at Freddy HQ, and the fruits of these bumpy weeks make up the podcast today. We'll be chatting about; 1. Adenomyosis, what it is and how to manage symptoms. 2. How can we work differently so our symptoms don't get in the way of us sharing our gifts with the world. 3. How Organic Intelligence was the answer my system needed to integrate old traumas and get on the path to healing. 4. How an off the cuff prayer at a desperate time has guided my every move for the last 10 years. The Women Doing Their Thing Podcast is a podcast devoted to celebrating women doing their thing, in their own unique ways. This podcast aims to inspire you, to help you take action in your life, and to show you ways of doing your thing boldly and joyfully and if you're into the business thing - profitably! Click here to download for your free download, the Emergence meditation series ⁠https://freddy-johnston-burns.kit.com/emergence⁠ ⁠ Find Freddy on socials; IG freddyjohnston_psychotherapy FB Freddy Johnston-Burns www.womendoingtheirthing.com

Neurodivergence means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Listen in today how Freddy embraces her neurodiversity in life and in work and how thinking and feeling life differently is just another opportunity to turn shit into gold. Women Doing Their Thing is a podcast devoted to celebrating women doing their thing, in their own unique ways. This podcast aims to inspire you, to help you take action in your life, and to show you ways of doing your thing boldly and joyfully and if you're into the business thing - profitably! Click here to download for your free download, the Emergence meditation series ⁠⁠https://freddy-johnston-burns.kit.com/emergence⁠ ⁠⁠ Find Freddy on socials; IG freddyjohnston_psychotherapy FB Freddy Johnston-Burns www.womendoingtheirthing.com

Women Doing Their Thing is a podcast devoted to celebrating women doing their thing, in their own unique ways. This podcast aims to inspire you, to help you take action and to show you ways of doing your thing boldly and joyfully and if you're into the business thing - profitably! Click here to download for your free download, the Emergence meditation series ⁠⁠https://freddy-johnston-burns.kit.com/emergence⁠ ⁠⁠ Find Freddy on socials; IG freddyjohnston_psychotherapy FB Freddy Johnston-Burns www.womendoingtheirthing.com

Your continued thriving, regardless of the circumstances you find yourself in, is my desire. In fact it's my life's mission. This week I had the opportunity to chat to a London-based women's group who invited me to share with their young women's about how OI can help ensure we thrive even under seemingly impossible circumstances. In this episode you'll hear;How OI helped me not only heal from Chronic Fatigue The psychology behind the negativity bias, how it keeps us stuck and what to do about it. How OI helped my system stabilise well enough for me to achieve my dream of studying psychotherapy How simple OI practices can help us regulate and return to neutral And there are free gifts for you! Here's your access to the Emergence Meditation Series, a constantly growing series to help you engage your innate wisdom. Find Freddy on socials; IG freddyjohnston_psychotherapy FB Freddy Johnston-Burns www.womendoingtheirthing.com