Catalyst & Flow (2026)

Flow refers to operating at a peak mental state. Catalyst & Flow = Balance backed by Science.

07/10/2022

I have always been infatuated with smells... An odd thing to say, for sure! But I do believe smell is probably the most under-rated, yet one of the most powerful of our senses.

Aromas can trigger memories and transport you back to more nostalgic times. They can spark joy, beauty... and they can definitely whet the appetite 🤤

Breathing in the scent of specific essential oils can also have therapeutic effects like lifting mood, relieving headaches or PMS symptoms, even aiding with sleep onset.

How? A few ways.. For example:

💫 Lavender oil - probably the most popular & well-known essential oil. Known for its relaxation benefits and to help manage stress and anxiety. When we diffuse lavender essential oil and ingest the scent along with particles of the oil, these act on the serotonin receptors in the brain, reducing their binding potential so that levels of free serotonin and related neurotransmitters rise, resulting in reduced anxiety.

💫 Peppermint & ginger oil - known to reduce mild headaches and PMS symptoms. Every cell in our bodies is protected by a layer of fat. Oil is a fat. When we ingest the particles of these oils, they can easily move into the cells where they have a therapeutic effect.

So there's definitely more than meets the nose when it comes to essential oils. BUT they are not all created equal. Ensure you are buying ORGANIC & NATURAL oils. Anything with synthetic fragrance and fillers is TOXIC and inflammatory - we call these endocrine disruptors as they disrupt the natural production and signaling of our hormones.

My recommendation is always to buy from - they are the highest quality, reasonably priced and I LOVE the lifestyle blends + the aromatherapy balms.

03/09/2022

It would be too easy to jest about how much I love the D… But I’m a professional, so I won’t 😉

Seriously though, I AM all about the D… Vitamin D 😊

I think Vit D has celeb status name recognition, but do people know what it actually does?

The most well-known source of Vit D is of course the sun but you can also get varying amounts from food. I am a walking melanoma, so I supplement with a high-quality Vitamin D3 + K2 NanoCelle spray.

Ironically, a lot of Aussies are Vit D deficient. But we live in a sunburnt country!? True – but the Vit D absorbed from the sun needs to be metabolised into its active form in the liver and most Aussies have sub-par liver function.

Vit D is often associated just with bone health because of the role it plays in calcium & phosphorus absorption. BUT – it does SO MUCH MORE, including:

☀️ Immunomodulating functions – including regulating auto-immune processes and protecting the integrity of gut-mediated innate & adaptive immunity (this is TRES important!)

☀️ Encouraging serotonin production & release in the gut (EPIC new area of research)

☀️ Improving cardiovascular health (along with Vit K2)

☀️ Facilitating insulin secretion

☀️ Influencing foetal programming & placental development

☀️ Regulating cell life cycles

On a blood test, the optimal range is between 80-150 nmol/L. I like my clients to sit around the 100 mark or over, but if they have an auto-immune condition like Hashimoto’s, I’m wanting to see it between the 150-200 mark.

Once deficient, it can take around three months to get back up to an optimal level because it’s a fat-soluble vitamin. Slow and steady wins the race.

I could talk about the D all day…

Nutritionist

06/08/2022

According to Harvard Business Review, “Imposter syndrome can be defined as a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success. ‘Imposters’ suffer from chronic self-doubt and a sense of intellectual fraudulence that override any feelings of success or external proof of their competence. They seem unable to internalize their accomplishments, however successful they are in their field. High achieving, highly successful people often suffer, so imposter syndrome doesn’t equate with low self-esteem or a lack of self-confidence. In fact, some researchers have linked it with perfectionism…”

A couple of things stand out to me…
- Syndrome refers to a cluster of symptoms. For me, when the inner saboteur rears its ugly head, the physical and mental response mimics that of anxiety – increased heart rate, shortness of breath, clammy palms, racing but cloudy mind

- Perfectionism is also linked to anxiety and other mental health conditions like OCD and eating disorders

So, what’s driving this anxiety and perfectionism?

I know for me, it’s the pressure I put on myself to always have the right answer and know what to do in any given circumstance. Because surely if I don’t have the right answer there and then, I'll be 'found out', people will think I’m unqualified and I’ll lose my job. When people hear the name Thom Landers they’ll all laugh and say how inept and dumb I am.

Is that true?

Maybe. Probably not. Unlikely!

This is just me catastrophising about something that hasn’t even happened yet (another hallmark of anxiety). It’s the chronic self-doubt and sense of intellectual fraudulence taking over.

What would happen if I said I don’t have the answer right now, or I need to think about it? Nothing. In fact, by giving myself the time and space to think, I’ll probably come up with a better response or recommendation.

And what if I do f**k it up? - there are learnings in every failure.

I read somewhere that the only people who don’t suffer from imposter syndrome are the imposters themselves. So next time the inner saboteur comes knocking – acknowledge it, reframe it, take a breath and keep going.

11/06/2022

Next week is Men’s Health Week. This year's theme is around breaking down the barriers preventing men from talking openly about their health. In clinic, I do notice that male clients need extra time to warm up and feel comfortable talking about certain health issues they're experiencing.

To be fair, they probably weren’t expecting to be asked about their libido and if they wake up with an er****on. But these questions (if they're answered honestly) give us a good understanding of what’s happening with their hormonal pathways, specifically testosterone (T) production.

To be clear, T isn’t the ‘male hormone’, women produce it too and it’s not the opposite oestrogen. For this post, I’m going to focus on T in males.

Men produce T primarily in the te**es and it’s associated with s*x drive/libido and s***m production, BUT it’s also involved in the following:

♂️ Mood & motivation
♂️ Fat storage
♂️ Muscle mass / physique
♂️ Red blood cell production
♂️ Bone density

I often ask male clients about their mood, energy levels, self-esteem, changes in weight distribution… and yes, libido and morning er****ons. Contrary to popular belief, these don’t happen because guys need to p*e when they wake up! T is produced during deep sleep when pulsating growth hormone is circulating the body.

Some of the best ways for men to naturally support T production (which unfortunately starts to dip after we reach 30) include:

🏋‍♂️ Resistance training – and I mean lifting HEAVY. HIIT is also beneficial. In men who have entered andropause jumping (literally jumping on the spot) has been shown to maintain T levels and protect bone density

😴 Sleep hygiene – 8hrs of deep, restorative sleep that supports the natural production of T via pulsating growth hormone pathways

☣️ Reducing exposure to ‘oestrogenic’ chemicals – think plastics (e.g., the plastic bag the chicken comes in at Woolies, get rid of it!), parabens (e.g., colognes, perfumes, scented products) and BPA (e.g., the ink on receipts, steer clear!)

🤯 Reducing stress – chronically elevated cortisol and prolactin from stress can reduce T levels and disrupt its production pathways

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Thursday	17:30 - 20:00
Friday	08:30 - 18:00
Saturday	08:30 - 12:30

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http://www.catalystandflow.com/

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