Skip to content
We’re proud to sponsor The Wellness Breakdown podcast, where Nutritional Therapists, Authors, and Functional Medicine Practitioners Rose Ferguson & Eve Kalinik bring their expertise to the conversation.
Wellness can feel overwhelming, but Rose & Eve cut through the noise—testing, discussing, and breaking down trends to reveal what truly works.
We sat down with them to explore the latest wellness trends and their top tips for lasting health benefits.
1. What’s been the most surprising fact or personal ‘aha’ moments for you while recording this season of The Wellness Breakdown?
Rose: Doing the podcast is always a reminder of just how much miscommunication there is around health. Every season, I’m struck by how many myths still persist—whether it’s about food, sleep, supplements, or the latest health trends. The amount of conflicting advice out there can be overwhelming, and that’s exactly why The Wellness Breakdown exists—to strip things back, cut through the noise, and make it all feel more accessible.
What I love most is that we take big, complicated topics and break them down into simple, practical takeaways that people can actually use in their daily lives. Whether we’re talking about gut health, fasting, or the truth about artificial sweeteners, it always comes back to helping people make informed choices without the confusion.
For me, this season has reinforced something I always come back to—it’s not about chasing the latest ‘wellness’ trend, it’s about understanding what actually works and making it work for you.
2. From goal setting to rituals, this season touches on daily habits that impact wellbeing - something we’re passionate about championing! What’s one small, underrated habit that’s had a big impact on your own wellness?
Eve: I feel that not looking at my devices for the first hour as well as the last hour of my day has been marked in terms of helping to balance stress and energy throughout the day. Not having that immediate adrenaline and cortisol rush from letting the digital world in as soon as I open my eyes has been game changing. Coupling that with getting immediate natural light is a vital part of my morning routine. Whilst the conversation around pre-bedtime rituals is much wider I do not think we are talking enough about what we do when we wake up which is crucial to balancing circadian rhythms. I believe that moving with the natural flow of circadian rhythms is one of the most powerful things we can do as it impacts on pretty much every system in the body including our mind and it just takes some simple shifts in routine.
3. What’s one thing in the wellness world that’s really exciting you right now?
Rose: One thing that’s really exciting me in the functional medicine world right now is the shift towards recovery and nervous system regulation. For so long, it has been all about pushing harder—more workouts, stricter diets, longer fasting windows. But there’s a real movement now towards understanding the importance of rest, balance, and how the nervous system plays a huge role in overall health.
We’re seeing more conversations around breathwork, cold therapy, lymphatic support, and the impact of parasympathetic activation on digestion and hormone balance. It isn’t always about ‘doing more’
For me, this shift is long overdue. I think 2025 will be the year people realise that optimal health isn’t just about what you add—it’s about knowing when to slow down, recover, and create space for real health to happen.
4. With our newest ritual celebrating Omega-3, we’d love a sneak peek into your Fish Oils episode - what real-life benefits of supplementation have you seen in practice?
Eve: This can be a controversial area and hence why we wanted to cover it this season as the data can be confusing. We wanted to dissect this and differentiate between what are worthwhile supplements and which are not and for whom they most benefit. Typically in my experience I have seen improvements with older clients in terms of mobility and joint health and for some clients they have also noticed a difference with their skin health. I also use it with clients that are looking to conceive or are pregnant.
5. Wellness on social media often shares inspiring practices that motivate many of us to improve our health. But some of these routines can feel out of reach for people with busy lives. What’s your view on this?
Rose: Social media can be an amazing resource, full of inspiration and great information. What is a HUGE concern for me is that anyone can give health advice—no qualifications needed. It’s terrifying how much misinformation spreads, often by people with no expertise. It’s important to question where advice comes from rather than just trusting it because it looks good.
While the content can be motivating, if you’re constantly seeing unrelatable imagery, unrealistic routines, or people making it look effortless, it can have the opposite effect. Instead of feeling inspired, you feel like you’re not doing enough.
6. Out of the more complex wellness trends, gadgets, or supplements, which ones do you feel truly make a difference and are worth the extra effort? And are there any that you’re ready to see fade away?
Eve: I have some feelings of ambivalence towards tracking devices like watches and rings etc because they can lead to obsessing around measurements rather than tuning into intuitively how someone is feeling. However, on the flip side I do think they can also help to identify patterns which can be really useful. I also believe that certain supplements can be worth the investment if taken for the right reasons. But in all honesty I feel that most of us are not doing the basics first like trying to eat more fibre and focusing on diversity of plants, prioritising sleep, engaging in functional movement throughout the day, being mindful of caffeine, alcohol and sugar and allowing adequate rest periods. In my experience, there can be a tendency to jump ahead to the latest trend, supplement or whatever when we could make some simple shifts in our routine that would far more profoundly impact on our health and wellbeing.
7. For those looking to take the pressure off and embrace a more simple approach to wellness, which practices would you recommend as the most impactful and easy to adopt?
Rose: Eat 3 plants with every meal – This is an easy way to increase fibre, support gut health, and ensure variety in your diet without overthinking it.
- Don’t snack – Giving your digestion proper breaks throughout the day helps with energy, metabolism, and blood sugar balance.
- Move throughout the day – It doesn’t have to be a gym session—walking, stretching, or even standing more all count. The key is to keep the body moving regularly, not just in one burst of exercise.
- Get outside first thing – Morning light is powerful for mood, sleep, and regulating your circadian rhythm. Just 10 minutes outside can have a big impact.
- Breathe properly – Most of us are breathing too fast and shallow. Slowing it down—even for a few minutes—helps the nervous system, digestion, and stress levels.
- Ditch the all-or-nothing mindset – It isn’t about doing everything perfectly. It’s about consistency, even in small ways. A little bit done every day is always better than extremes.
- Take 12 hours off your phone each day – Constant scrolling isn’t just bad for focus and sleep—it also stops you from being present. Set boundaries, switch off, and give yourself proper breaks from screens.
8. You’ve covered the three P’s—probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics—on the podcast. If someone was just starting their gut health journey, what would be your daily habit to get under their belt?
Eve: Ooh thats a great question and I loved that particular episode! With the increased awareness around gut health it can be tempting to go from zero to hero. We might start bombarding our gut with various supplements, myriad ferments and spending lots of money on tests but the one thing that most of us miss is mindful eating. Taking time over our meals and chewing throughly is one of the most simple habits we can better cultivate and can alleviate some of the more common digestive complaints like bloating, reflux and gas. It can even help to better tune into satiety signals and you will find that your palate is more enhanced as you focus on tasting the foods you are eating. My advice is to have a devices drawer at home and work so that you can remove distractions and focus solely on the process of meal times.
9. In a world where many are now struggling to listen and trust their bodies, what's the most common or perhaps unexpected things food cravings might be trying to communicate?
Rose: Cravings are often not about hunger—they’re signals. Blood sugar dips can drive the need for quick energy; cravings can also be about nutrient gaps
A big one people overlook is dopamine insufficiency. If you’re constantly reaching for sugar, caffeine, or ultra-processed foods, it might not be about food at all—it could be your brain looking for a dopamine hit. Stress, poor sleep, and lack of balance in your daily life can all drain dopamine, leaving you chasing quick rewards. This is where things like managing stress, sleeping properly, and actually doing things that make you feel good can help reduce cravings
10. Sleep struggles are a huge theme in modern wellness. What’s the one piece of sleep advice and one supplement that’s had the biggest impact on your own routine?
Eve: I feel that the ‘warm bath effect’ has had a marked influence on my sleep. The idea being that you need to warm up to cool down to go to sleep. A warm bath, or a hot shower, brings heat to the surface of the skin which means the core is cooler and hence why it has the desired effect. I follow my bath with listening to classical music and reading a chapter of my book. I have also found that the Ancient + Brave ashwagandha has significantly helped with the wired part of my brain that can sometimes still be busy at night so I take this as part of my nightly routine.
11. The wellness landscape is constantly evolving - since starting the Wellness Breakdown Podcast in 2021, what’s the biggest shift you’ve noticed in how people are now approaching their health and wellbeing?
Rose: Noticing how people engage the latest trends is so interesting to me. Since starting The Wellness Breakdown in 2021, back then, it was all about keto and fats; before that, it was plant-based everything, and now the focus is all about protein with people talking about carnivore diet etc.
What this really highlights for me is that the fundamentals of good health and improved health span don’t change.
The things that actually work in the long term and longevity, aren’t flashy or extreme—they’re balanced, steady, and a mix of everything. Your body needs variety, and isolating one food group, one exercise trend, or one ‘magic’ supplement is never the answer.
One really positive shift I’ve seen is the move towards community. I see it in R Health Club, in my clinic, and across the whole health space—people are recognising that health isn’t just about what you eat or how you train, it’s also about connection. Whether it’s group challenges, shared accountability, or just having people to support and learn from, community is becoming a huge part of our health tool kit - which is bloody great
I love that people are more engaged than ever in health optimisation, I am so passionate about it (as you all know), but it really is about sticking to the basics—good food, movement, recovery, and consistency
12. In a world obsessed with quick fixes, why do you think rituals are such a powerful tool for long-term wellness? What’s your favourite Ancient + Brave ritual?
I truly believe it is the small things we do every day that are the most powerful on a fundamental level and this is why I’m such an advocate of rituals. Furthermore, for me, consistency and habit stacking is the way we can change our health for longstanding benefits. I have seen this time and time again in my practise and on a personal level, I actively dissuade my clients and community from being sucked into quick fixes or anything that alludes to that
Personally, I love the Ancient + Brave ritual jar which houses the True Collagen and I have this every morning with my much cherished cup of coffee. I can’t think of a better way to start my day.
Listen to The Wellness Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts.