The Positive Habits Podcast

• My Body Sent Me an Email, But I Never Opened It

  Today, Kat speaks with the Head of People at Bosch Digital,  Marina Takács for an honest conversation about perfectionism and the pressure that comes from always being the “the strong one”. Marina shares how she burnt out despite being there to stop others from doing exactly that and how she recovered and came back even stronger. Whether you’re leading a team, managing a demanding role, or simply juggling life’s endless demands, this episode offers practical strategies to help you develop positive habits. Including setting boundaries, protecting your mornings, being self-disciplined, and protecting your energy. Habits that enable you to thrive in both your personal and work life — without burning out. KEY TAKEAWAYS ·  Even strong leaders burn out. Marina believed she could juggle everything — until her body “sent her emails” telling her otherwise, which she ignored. ·  Being busy can feel meaningful, but often it´s just stress in disguise. ·  Recovery starts with small, uncomfortable changes, for example learning to say no without guilt or scheduling and protecting your down time. ·  Strength includes pausing: Real leadership models recovery and boundaries, not just absorbing stress. ·  Regularly check in with yourself. Pausing briefly to honestly reflect on your energy, mood, and reactions will help you spot early warning signs of problems and head them off. ·  Discipline and consistency are what keeps habits alive, especially when life gets busy. If you need to exercise every day, prioritise it and do it even on your busiest day.   BEST MOMENTS   “My body sent me an email — but I never opened it.”   “I think was confusing adrenaline with purpose.”   “I  just stopped glorifying being always on.”   “Real strength is knowing when to pause.”   “Consistency beats intensity every time — especially on Mondays.”   “If I burn out, I’m not just hurting myself  obviously I'm hurting my family, my loved ones and I’m setting the wrong tone for my team.”   ABOUT THE GUEST Marina is Head of People, Organiaation and Culture. She is people-first and future-focused and passionate about inclusive leadership, change management, and building thriving organisations. With a career dedicated to people strategy and transformation, she helps businesses and teams grow stronger, together. https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-takács   ABOUT THE HOST Kat started her career as a teacher, before moving into Tech where she worked in different executive roles within teaching and consulting working across the globe, both in the public and private sector. Despite appearing 'successful' on the outside, she paid a heavy ‘life’ price. In 2016, her whole world collapsed. The reason? The compound effect of years of unhealthy and toxic habits that destroyed her health, relationship and career. She suffered a severe breakdown and lost everything. In the middle of this she got headhunted for her first CEO role. She rebuilt herself by changing just one small habit and built a series of positive habits which has transformed her professional and personal performance, resulting in becoming the healthiest and happiest version of herself.   She is a positive habits international keynote speaker and teacher, giving talks and delivering high impact programmes to organisations across the globe.   LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/katthorne   Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/the_morning_gamechanger   Sponsor: VennCard, the last business card you’ll ever need. Whether you’re a creator, coach, or consultant, VennCard helps you share your details with a tap, capture leads instantly and follow up automatically.

  --------  

  35:54

  --------

  35:54
• Stronger Together: The Habits Behind 25 Businesses & 4 Kids

  Kat speaks with Mark and Chloe Legg, a dynamic couple with 4 children who manage 25 businesses - all while prioritising personal growth and self-care. Discover how they transformed their lives through intentional habits, balanced family and business, and found creative ways to spend quality time together. Their story is a testament to the power of mindset, partnership, and making self-improvement a non-negotiable part of daily life. KEY TAKEAWAYS Prepare for the next day the night before and establish a morning routine that enables you to start your day calmly, without the need to rush. This sets a positive tone for the rest of the day. Don´t follow trends. Instead, identify what works for you and as your life changes, adjust your healthy routines to suit. Commit to trying a new habit for 30 days to see if it works for you. Mindfulness helps you to become more present and get more out of activities like spending time with loved ones. Avoiding negativity also helps e.g. Not constantly watching the news. Involving each other in your personal development journeys helps you to stay connected and supportive of each other’s growth. BEST MOMENTS “Not finding time - prioritising time to look after ourselves, is probably one of the secrets… The more we work on ourselves the better we become.” "We don't have jobs, we have a lifestyle. Everything's Incorporated – health, fitness, our family, the businesses, everything's incorporated. That's just our lifestyle." "Just press pause for a minute and go, actually, is this the way I want to live my life? It doesn't have to be like this just because you were raised and conditioned to be rushed." "It was just to give himself five minutes before he started going into the day, and he's noticed that his heart rate has decreased by 32%." “Try a new habit for 30 days. Do it with somebody else for the accountability thing.” ABOUT THE GUESTS Mark Legg & Chloe Legg - Married and Parents to 4 kids, Business Owners /Investors , Entrepreneurs https://www.synergy-success.net ABOUT THE HOST Kat started her career as a teacher before moving into tech where she worked in different executive roles within teaching and consulting working across the globe, both in the public and private sector. Despite appearing 'successful' on the outside, she paid a heavy ‘life’ price. In 2016, her whole world collapsed. The reason? The compound effect of years of unhealthy and toxic habits that destroyed her health, relationship and career. She suffered a severe breakdown and lost everything. In the middle of this she got headhunted for her first CEO role. She rebuilt herself by changing just one small habit and built a series of positive habits which has transformed her professional and personal performance, resulting in becoming the healthiest and happiest version of herself. She is a positive habits international keynote speaker and teacher, giving talks and delivering high impact programmes to organisations across the globe. LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/katthorne Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/the_morning_gamechanger Sponsor : VennCard, the last business card you’ll ever need. Whether you’re a creator, coach, or consultant, VennCard helps you share your details with a tap, capture leads instantly and follow up automatically.

  --------  

  59:36

  --------

  59:36
• The habit that made mornings brighter for a mum and son

  Today's solo episode is a story. It's the story of a very powerful positive habit change - a habit change that seemed so tiny that it was hard to imagine that it's going to have any impact at all. It took a few minutes a day and had a hugely positive impact on the life of a mum and her 11-year-old autistic son.  This very short, but powerful episode is exactly what you need to inspire you to come up with and make that one tiny positive habit change that has the potential to transform your day… every day. KEY TAKEAWAYS  One small change that takes literally minutes of your day, really can have a huge positive impact on you and your life and everyone around you. Your making a positive habit change that helps someone you care for also boosts your own well-being and creates a happier and easier life for both of you. Habits that change how you start your day has a ripple effect, it improves how the rest of your day goes. BEST MOMENTS "Focus on one very small, realistic change that you can make. Even if that's just for a few minutes a day." "They're now starting the day in a really energetic, positive, excitable way, and it doesn't matter what's going on at school or work." "I can't even believe sometimes the power of one small positive habit change. Then, I hear stories like this, and I think this is why I'm doing what I'm doing. " ABOUT THE HOST Kat started her career as a teacher, before moving into Tech where she worked in different executive roles within teaching and consulting working across the globe, both in the public and private sector. Despite appearing 'successful' on the outside, she paid a heavy ‘life’ price. In 2016, her whole world collapsed. The reason? The compound effect of years of unhealthy and toxic habits that destroyed her health, relationship and career. She suffered a severe breakdown and lost everything. In the middle of this she got headhunted for her first CEO role. She rebuilt herself by changing just one small habit and built a series of positive habits which has transformed her professional and personal performance, resulting in becoming the healthiest and happiest version of herself.  She is a positive habits international keynote speaker and teacher, giving talks and delivering high impact programmes to organisations across the globe.  LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/katthorne Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/the_morning_gamechanger Sponsor : VennCard, the last business card you’ll ever need. Whether you’re a creator, coach, or consultant, VennCard helps you share your details with a tap, capture leads instantly and follow up automatically.

  --------  

  11:34

  --------

  11:34
• Triplets, Career & Resilience with BBC's, Sonja Liwani-Ansari

  Kat speaks with Sonja Liwani-Ansari, mother of triplets and Commercial, Rights and Business Affairs Manager at the BBC. She and Kat discuss juggling motherhood and work. Before joining the BBC, where she found an understanding and supportive environment, she was bullied in the workplace for being a mother. Sonja shares what this situation taught her and how it and other experiences shaped her life and what she is planning to do in the future. KEY TAKEAWAYS At a previous job, Sonja was bullied, for sometimes having to leave early to take care of her children. Other mothers were targeted in the same way. Sonja´s line manager at the BBC was supportive. For her, Sonja sometimes having to start late or finish early to look after her children was not a problem. She knew that Sonja would make up the time and still get her work done to a high standard. There is still a disconnect in the workplace between those who have family members to care for and those that do not. How you behave matters. Don´t wish bad on people, even those who treat you badly. Try to be empathetic. Everything that happens in life happens for a reason, including the things that are hard to deal with. It all teaches you something. Teaching our youngsters to speak up when they see inequality is important. When enough people truly believe everyone should be rewarded for their hard work equally, and step up to make it happen, society automatically becomes fairer. BEST MOMENTS "In my previous job, I was actually bullied for having children and having to leave earlier to pick them up and not because I was working less - I was switching on the laptop when I got home." 'I didn't want her to win at pushing me out of the organisation, which is why I stayed. I may have won in one way, but I lost in another way – it scarred me." "I do think it's important when people do things to us to try to understand why did they behave like that? Because it's often much more complex than the actual act." "Wouldn't it be so great if men and women could be allies and help each other with everything, and it would make everything so much easier." ABOUT THE GUEST Sonia is BBC Commercial Rights and Business Affairs Manager and mother of 17 year old triplets, working full time while being the main carer. My drive to keep everyone happy and my desire for perfection was wearing me down. I was very unhappy and needed to make a change without letting it impact my children. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonja-liwani-ansari-4a574817 ABOUT THE HOST Kat started her career as a teacher before moving into Tech where she worked in different executive roles within teaching and consulting working across the globe, both in the public and private sector. Despite appearing 'successful' on the outside, she paid a heavy ‘life’ price. In 2016, her whole world collapsed. The reason? The compound effect of years of unhealthy and toxic habits that destroyed her health, relationship and career. She suffered a severe breakdown and lost everything. In the middle of this she got headhunted for her first CEO role. She rebuilt herself by changing just one small habit and built a series of positive habits which has transformed her professional and personal performance, resulting in becoming the healthiest and happiest version of herself. She is a positive habits international keynote speaker and teacher, giving talks and delivering high impact programmes to organisations across the globe. LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/katthorne Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/the_morning_gamechanger Sponsor : VennCard, the last business card you’ll ever need. Whether you’re a creator, coach, or consultant, VennCard helps you share your details with a tap, capture leads instantly and follow up automatically.

  --------  

  45:15

  --------

  45:15
• Beyond the Field: Burnout, Meal Prep & Mental Health on the Farm

  Kat speaks with Ben from Thrive in Farming during the middle of harvest season for a conversation about mental health in agriculture and the power of small habits. Ben opens up about his two corporate burnouts and how neglecting basic self care nearly broke him. From his daily dog walks to calling out "time excuse bullshit," Ben shares why intentional living saved his sanity. With agriculture having the highest male suicide rates, this isn't just about meal prep; it's about survival. KEY TAKEAWAYS ·      Having lost farming friends to suicide, Ben understands why the industry has the highest male suicide rates from weather pressures, government changes and even online abuse. ·      Ben’s two burnouts revealed the cost of neglecting habits. Both of his worst professional experiences happened when he abandoned self care routines, teaching him exactly what never to repeat! ·      People have time but the wrong priorities, having extra sleep instead of 20 minutes of meal prep is a choice. ·      After 15 years of poor nutrition, Ben’s homemade heated lunches have increased his overall energy levels and eliminated the dreaded 2 PM crash too. ·      Age has brought perspective that lets Ben focus on helping people who want positive change rather than engaging with critics.   BEST MOMENTS "Everything is available to us if we make these small changes. I think one thing I've learned about human beings is we are really good at deflection." You know you have time, it's just you haven't got your priorities right." "Just be a sponge. Just take info in it. There's, it's all around you all the time. Filter out the bullshit." ABOUT THE GUEST  I'm Ben, the founder of Thrive In Farming, a business helping farm owners attract and retain great people by focusing on core values – culture, wellbeing, and flexibility. With a background in farming and a passion for health and personal growth, I am on a mission to help rural businesses, and people, thrive, not just survive. Outside of work I spend as much time as possible with my little family and dogs, exploring the countryside, supporting Ipswich Town and trying to keep fit! Thrive In Farming Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thriveinfarming/?hl=en-gb ABOUT THE HOST Kat started her career as a teacher, before moving into Tech where she worked in different executive roles within teaching and consulting working across the globe, both in the public and private sector. Despite appearing 'successful' on the outside, she paid a heavy ‘life’ price. In 2016, her whole world collapsed. The reason? The compound effect of years of unhealthy and toxic habits that destroyed her health, relationship and career. She suffered a severe breakdown and lost everything. In the middle of this she got headhunted for her first CEO role. She rebuilt herself by changing just one small habit, and built a series of positive habits which has transformed her professional and personal performance, resulting in becoming the healthiest and happiest version of herself.  She is a positive habits international keynote speaker and teacher, giving talks and delivering high impact programmes to organisations across the globe.  LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/katthorne/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/the_morning_gamechanger/ Sponsor : VennCard, the last business card you’ll ever need. Whether you’re a creator, coach, or consultant, VennCard helps you share your details with a tap, capture leads instantly, and follow up automatically.

  --------  

  51:07

  --------

  51:07

More Education podcasts

Trending Education podcasts

About The Positive Habits Podcast