The wellness trends Laura Henshaw wants us to stop believing

Summary

Podcast Summary: Style-ish – “The wellness trends Laura Henshaw wants us to stop believing”

Podcast: Style-ish (Shameless Media)
Date: June 11, 2026
Host: Rhiannon Joyce
Guest: Laura Henshaw (Co-founder of Kic, podcaster, author)

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Episode Overview

In this episode of Style-ish’s “What Else?” miniseries, Rhiannon Joyce sits down with wellness entrepreneur Laura Henshaw at the newly opened Kic Studio. The conversation flows through themes of wellness, personal rituals, motherhood, self-acceptance, fashion, and the myths of current wellness trends. Laura candidly shares her journey of shifting priorities after motherhood, her evolving relationship with movement and style, and why women need to be kinder to themselves, especially in the face of social media pressure.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Kic Studio: Community, Calm, and Connection

Timestamp: [03:01]

• Kic Studio was designed intentionally to “feel like a hug,” creating a buffer zone for reflection and connection after movement classes.
  • “We wanted this room in particular to feel like a hug. We all lead such busy lives... sometimes with movement, we process things in our body... so we wanted to give people a buffer between the movement space and the outside world.” — Laura Henshaw [03:01]
• The community space fosters real moments of connection, particularly through somatic movement classes that incorporate unconventional icebreakers.
  • “All of the classes are grounded in somatic movement... you’ll have just yelled at the top of your lungs or danced it out. That creates a moment of connection… now we can be friends.” — Laura Henshaw [04:18]

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2. Rituals & Beauty “Swaps of the Week”

Timestamp: [05:01]

• Laura’s swap: Merit Instant Glow Serum, which provides hydration and a natural, non-oily dewy glow—a crucial product for her especially with little sleep during winter in Melbourne.
• Rhiannon’s swap: Kevin Murphy Session Spray for her slick back bun, with a conversation about scalp care and the need to treat the scalp as one does skin.
  • “We can’t just spray a lot of stuff in our scalp. It has to come out just like our skincare.” — Laura Henshaw [07:18]
• Both emphasize the importance of adapting beauty routines as needs and age change, and how comfort supersedes following every trend.

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3. Motherhood’s Impact on Routine and Identity

Timestamp: [08:09]

• Laura describes her mornings with her baby Atlas: less regimented, more fluid, and accepting of change.
  • “My old morning routine was much more regimented… now I have to go with the flow a lot more.” — Laura Henshaw [08:26]
• She addresses the dual shift of entering motherhood and taking on a new work role, still processing this identity evolution.
  • “I didn’t separate my role changing and becoming a mum... they are quite different... on the surface, it may look like I’m coping but internally I’m still processing.” — Laura Henshaw [10:00]

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4. Navigating Style and Body Postpartum

Timestamp: [10:28]

• Laura discusses reframing her relationship with her body after giving birth, prioritizing comfort, fit, and emotional well-being over fitting into pre-pregnancy clothes.
  • “What has helped me most is not trying to fit into clothes from before that don’t fit me… my days are better when I wear something comfortable instead.” — Laura Henshaw [11:03]
• Outfit details: Zimmermann jeans (from The Outnet), Verge Girl shirt, pre-loved boots from Preloved Closet. Emphasizes “high-low” dressing and shopping secondhand as both accessible and fun.

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5. Motherhood and Movement: The Mental Health Connection

Timestamp: [16:04]

• Running was once meditation for Laura, but pregnancy altered her relationship to exercise—shifting from performance and weight loss to function and well-being.
  • “When I was younger, I’d run to lose weight... now I want to feel mobile, not in pain, and be gentle on myself.” — Laura Henshaw [18:23]
• Recommends grace and flexibility, rejecting “bounce-back” culture and unrealistic social media expectations surrounding postpartum recovery.
  • “Bounce-back culture makes us believe postpartum is linear... you need to be gentle on yourself. Let go of any ideal of what you thought you’d be.” — Laura Henshaw [21:01]

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6. On Self-Discovery and Expanding Identity

Timestamp: [22:47]

• Laura addresses her fear of losing herself to motherhood; instead, she found expansion—gaining a new “hat” without losing others.
  • “Motherhood scared me... but you don’t lose all the other parts. You now have another hat, but you don’t need to take all the others away.” — Laura Henshaw [23:02 & 24:32]
• Both Laura and Rhiannon reflect on arriving at self-assurance in their thirties, only to have society pressure them to change trajectories again (toward motherhood).

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7. Rapid-Fire & Fun Personal Insights

Timestamps: [26:06 – 34:38]

• Beauty top picks: Rare Beauty cream blush (shade Hope), Hillary Holmes Home Beauty primer, Kosas Revealer concealer—all with hydrating/formulation benefits.
• Favorite TV: “Off Campus”—specifically praising the nuanced, woman-written depictions of sex and relationships.
  • “My favorite scene… when Garrett asks Dean how to help Hannah have an orgasm, and Dean says, ‘You need to make her feel safe’. I was like, I’m done.” — Laura Henshaw [29:04]
• Surprising fact: Laura once had half-blonde, half-pink hair during her DJ era, playing gigs alongside a then-up-and-coming Dom Dolla.

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8. Biggest Self-Discovery in Her 30s

Timestamp: [31:17]

• “Not caring what people think. I wasn’t in my power because I didn’t trust myself, I felt like a chameleon, always making others comfortable. Letting go of that has changed my life.” — Laura Henshaw [31:27]
• She urges listeners to make decisions for themselves, not others—especially for recovering people-pleasers, citing her experience opting for a cesarean despite online criticism.

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9. Debunking Wellness Trends

Timestamp: [34:41]

• Laura strongly critiques the injectables/peptides fad:
  • “A lot of the time we don’t know what they do, the long-term effects... we’re taking advice from unqualified people on social media. It reminds me of tanning—short-term gain, long-term danger.” — Laura Henshaw [34:41]
• Advocates informed, cautious wellness choices over fleeting trends.

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10. Fashion “Hot Take” & Personal Style

Timestamp: [35:44]

• Rejects rigid fashion rules and trends, supports dressing for genuine comfort and confidence over appearances or social validation.
  • “If you wear it and feel good, people will look at you and think, ‘You can put those things together’. If you feel uncomfortable, that’s when it doesn’t look stylish.” — Laura Henshaw [35:44]
• They have a playful discussion about the “French tuck” and land on the importance of tuning into what actually feels good, not the curated images seen online.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On movement and emotion: “We wanted this room in particular to feel like a hug… We move, process, and need a buffer before the outside world.” – Laura Henshaw [03:01]
• Postpartum self-kindness: "Let go of any ideal of what or who you thought you’d be… give yourself grace, postpartum is such a huge thing to go through." – Laura Henshaw [21:01]
• On self-assurance: “Letting go of living my life for how others perceive me has been… life-changing.” – Laura Henshaw [31:27]
• Wellness myth: “Injecting ourselves with peptides… we don’t know the long-term effects… For what? So your skin glows for three weeks?” – Laura Henshaw [34:41]
• Embracing individual style: “There are no trends per se. If you walk around confidently, no one will question you.” – Laura Henshaw [35:44]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Studio & Community Concept: [03:01]
• Beauty Swaps: [05:01]
• Motherhood & Morning Routines: [08:09]
• Fashion & Body Postpartum: [10:28]
• Exercise, Mental Health, and Social Pressure: [16:04], [21:01]
• Biggest Self-Discovery & People-Pleasing: [31:17]
• Wellness Trend to Debunk: [34:41]
• Fashion Hot Take & Clothing Confidence: [35:44]

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Final Thoughts

This episode offers an honest, relatable take on the realities behind wellness, the shifting sands of identity post-motherhood, and the importance of tuning out external expectations—both in self-care and style. Laura Henshaw champions authentic self-care, emotional resilience, and confidence, reinforced by memorable moments of humor and warmth. Especially valuable are her calls to question wellness fads and to embrace fashion and routines that support, rather than restrict, our sense of self.

Transcript

[Rhiannon Joyce]

3, 2, 1. Hi.

[Laura Henshaw]

Oh, my goodness. A lot of hairspray, A lot of product. What are you exfoliating your sculpt with? We can't just spray a lot of stuff in our sculpt. It has to come out just like our skincare.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Okay, was this a question or was this a roast?

[Laura Henshaw]

This is actually really good.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

I love that it influences wardrobes that you can shop.

[Laura Henshaw]

Oh, they're wardrobes. No.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Okay, stop. Welcome back to what Else? A mini series brought to you by Nespresso. In this series, we spend the morning with three women who inspire us, taking a closer look at the rituals, choices, and quiet moments that shape their days. Beyond their work, we uncover what else drives them, what grounds them, and how they define success on their own terms. This series is made possible by Nespresso, where every coffee is a chance to discover a new world with the new Vertuo up. Just press to explore. Over 30 exceptional Vertuo blends from single origins to fun flavored coffees. Roast and ground sealed in aluminum for freshness and recyclable via Nespresso's program. Because building successful life is easier with your morning coffee in hand. Hello, everyone. My name is Rhiannon Joyce. I am so, so, so excited because this is our first ever video series, what Else? And today we are talking to the wonderful Laura Henshaw. I have had the pleasure of knowing Laura for quite some time now, but for those of you who aren't familiar with Laura, here's a little bit of a rap sheet of all the amazing things that she has achieved. Laura is a co founder, podcaster and author. She's the founder of Kik with her best friend, Steph Claire Smith, and they founded the business in 2015, which started off as a recipe ebook and has now evolved into one Australia's largest digital wellness platforms. Kik has also been downloaded over 1 million times and is one of Australia's largest, fastest growing wellness communities. And if you're listening to this, and I hope watching either on Spotify or YouTube, you will notice that we are in a very, very beautiful space. This is Kik Studio, your first, I guess bricks and mortar in your real life space where people can experience kick firsthand. Laura, I'm so happy to be here. How are you? Hi.

[Laura Henshaw]

Oh my good. Sitting through an intro is so uncomfortable. Like I'm.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Don't be uncomfortable. You should be so proud because yours is like long and good. Very good intro. I was like, okay, what else can we put in here?

[Laura Henshaw]

Thank you. Thank you for having me. I'm Very excited to be here. And it's so nice to be in Kick Studio.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

It's so beautiful in here. Tell me a bit about the space because I want, you know, obviously I want people to be watching and if they're listening right now, I want them to quickly turn it on the screen. Tell us about the space and the inspiration behind it.

[Laura Henshaw]

So we are in the community space sitting right now. How do you feel?

[Rhiannon Joyce]

I feel so calm. High ceilings are one of my favorite features in any space, whether that be a home or a workplace. And I find all the natural light that's coming down is just making this feel like a really centered space I really like. I was talking to one of the girls in your team earlier about how when you finished the class, this is actually where you end up. Can you tell me about why you end up here after the class?

[Laura Henshaw]

Yeah. And I'm glad you feel calm. So we. The whole space was designed around a feeling. Everything we do at Kick, which, when you first work with the designer, can be difficult just because it's like the words are all feeling. And we wanted this room in particular to feel like a hug. We all lead such busy lives. We're on the go all the time. And I feel like sometimes with movement, we'll go to a class, like a 30 minute class, and then we rush back out into the outside world, into real life, and we get on our phone straight away and we don't give ourselves any moment to stop and breathe. And sometimes movement means that we process things in our body. It might be emotions, whatever it might be. And so we want to wanted to give people and create an experience with Kick Studio. So you come in, you do the class, and then you come into this community space. And if you want to journal, if you want to connect with someone new, but it's kind of just this buffer between the movement space and then the outside world.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

It's a moment of reflection and to be able to reset. I like the community piece that you touched on as well, because as someone who is a member of kik, I love how community focused it is. It would be so nice to be able to come out here and I would feel so comfortable approaching other people, people in a class and starting a conversation or trying to build a friendship as well. And I don't think there's many studio environments where you would feel that. So you've done a very good job at making this place feel safe, which is a nice feeling to have.

[Laura Henshaw]

Oh, thanks, Ray. All of the classes are grounded in somatic movement. So you will come out into this area and you will have just depending on the class, like, yelled at the top of your lungs, danced it out. That, I feel like, creates a moment of connection as well. And then you come out here, and then you're like, well, we just yelled together, so now we can be friends. Definitely.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

It's a way to break the ice. Like, that's the ultimate icebreaker.

[Laura Henshaw]

We just.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

We were in a room and we were screaming together. Like, we can have a conversation. That's going to make it really easy. Okay. I really want to get into the swap. As you know, Laura, you did tell me you are a stylish listener. Tick, tick, tick. So you're very familiar with what the swap is, but if you are listening or watching and you're not familiar, it's our weekly recommendation that we bring to the podcast. So, Laura, what are you swapping in this week?

[Laura Henshaw]

Okay. So I wonder if you've tried this. You might have. It's a Merit product.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Oh.

[Laura Henshaw]

And it is called their Instant Glow Serum. So I put it on before my makeup. I feel like that is when I meant to use it. That's how I use it anyway. And it just makes my makeup go on so much better. I'm feeling a bit. I mean, it's winter in Melbourne, and I'm also. I think I'm getting less sleep, so my skin is drier, and it just makes me look more alive.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

It is.

[Laura Henshaw]

Do you like it?

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Must have beauty product. I am obsessed with this. Arnica has actually swapped this in ages ago on the podcast. It is one of my favorite products. Part of my routine. I also think I've gotten older and I really like hydration. When I was younger, I was, like, obsessed with a matte finish.

[Laura Henshaw]

Maybelline matte mousse. Did you and put it on our lips?

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Yes.

[Laura Henshaw]

I'm actually not color matched.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Not color.

[Laura Henshaw]

God, that mousse felt good. I just.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

I do love a matte finish and I am partial to it, but the older I've gotten, the more I really appreciate that dewy glow, and it gives you that without it looking oily. I also, I actually put it under my primer as well, whereas I. I know some people put it over the top, but I really like it underneath, and it doesn't, like, mess with your formulas for your other products. Merit is one of my favorite brands as well because it has that really nice buildable approach.

[Laura Henshaw]

And easy.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

So easy.

[Laura Henshaw]

But, yeah, it's true if you don't. I feel like I now appreciate skincare More. Because if you put makeup on dry skin, it's not good.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Not good. Especially when you're not getting sleep.

[Laura Henshaw]

Yeah, exactly. Do you have a swap for us?

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Oh, my gosh.

[Laura Henshaw]

I want to hear your swap of the week.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

I. I knew you were going to do this.

[Laura Henshaw]

Why?

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Because I've listened to you interview other people and also be interviewed, and you always like to switch the roll up. You're like, no, I'm in control. Okay, let me think. Because I wasn't technically prepared. Okay, I've got a hair swap.

[Laura Henshaw]

Okay.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

I am loving the Kevin Murphy hairspray.

[Laura Henshaw]

Oh, the pink one, the light.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

The pink one. The Kevin Murphy session spray. It's actually like a gray silver bottle, but I used it at fashion Week the other week. And, I mean, everyone knows I love a slick back bun. That's, like, no surprises there. Hello. But you were saying, use the Kevin Murphy. The pink one, the light pink one,

[Laura Henshaw]

which is a softer hold O. Okay, question. One more question, and then I will stop. That's fine.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

You can also ask me questions, because

[Laura Henshaw]

if you're doing this all the time, a lot of hairspray, a lot of product. What are you exfoliating your sculpt with? Because this is something I've learned as an adult that we can't. We can't just spray a lot of stuff in our sculpt. It has to come out just like our skincare.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Okay, was this a question or was this a roast? I don't have an answer.

[Laura Henshaw]

And I don't know for the listeners that are also spraying a lot of stuff in our hair, I didn't know this. And then someone said to me, laura, your hair has pores too. And then I thought, oh, okay, we need to release them. Laura, what are you doing for your hair?

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Nothing. Okay, don't I feel bad.

[Laura Henshaw]

Now you need to do an episode on it. What do you feel bad about?

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Because my scalp's probably fcked

[Laura Henshaw]

now I'm stressed. Is it itchy?

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Never.

[Laura Henshaw]

That's fine then.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

But maybe it's so used to it

[Laura Henshaw]

now that it's just not itchy. Okay, well, maybe that's a future swap.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

We can do an episode on it, or we can do a little newsletter.

[Laura Henshaw]

But it is important.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

It is important. No, that's why I think a lot of those. The Japanese head spas have become popular as well. I want to start with the morning. 7am or even earlier. You're probably waking up earlier because we have Baby Atlas. Now tell me about your morning routine and how you're starting Your day.

[Laura Henshaw]

Okay. So it's a little bit different than it used to be. Post having Atlas, he's our alarm clock. So he wakes up between five, which. Or sometimes when there's a four, I'm like, darling, you have to go back to sleep. Like, no, I just don't. I watch those videos on TikTok and Instagram where people wake up at 3:30. Not for me. I would. My ideal wake up time is 6, 6:30. So it depends when he sleeps through too. Dalton always gets up first. He gets up, gets Atlas, and then he goes and makes me coffee and he takes Atlas out and then I can have an extra like 10 or so minutes of sleep while he's making the coffee and brings it to me in bed and then I'll feed him. So that's our current routine. My old morning routine before becoming a mum was much more regimented and strict, but now it's a little bit more going with the flow. Yeah. Which is new for me. I'm not a fluid person. I used to plan the fluid, but that is a very weird thing to say. I would plan the flow, but now I have to go with the flow a lot more.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

How have you found that transition?

[Laura Henshaw]

It's hard. It's been a journey and I think that's something for me. I transitioned in my work to a new role at the same time that I transitioned into motherhood. So that's been something that has taken me a lot of time to process. And to be honest, I think I'm still processing it as I kind of rediscover my identity now wearing a new hat as being a mum as well.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

You have shared quite a bit of this on social media and being very open about that transition in your new role and also being a mother. It seems like you're taking it very well though.

[Laura Henshaw]

Oh, I mean, thanks. It's honestly take every day as it comes. I think at the start I knew it would be an identity shift, but I didn't think I. I didn't separate my role changing and becoming a mum. I kind of just put them all in the same thing. And now I've kind of stepped back and I'm trying to process it a bit better. And I've had to separate them because they are quite different. So I feel like maybe on the surface I look like, but on the inside I'm still processing.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Talk to me about the process of getting dressed in the morning. Obviously, fashion is a huge part of this podcast. How has that changed for you? And talk to me about Your current outfit, like, how did you decide what to wear this morning?

[Laura Henshaw]

Okay, so it has changed quite a bit. I think. Obviously our bodies change postpartum. I have these huge boobs that I've never had before, so that's really very new for me. And the rest of my body has. Has changed a lot. And I think for me, historically, like in the past, I have gone through disordered eating and I was. Even though I'd processed that and I feel like I'm in a really good place with accepting my body and like just loving it for what it does for me, especially after growing a child, I feel for me, I have like a whole new appreciation for it. I. It has still been a journey postpartum. And I think what I have found, I'm still rediscovering my style. What has helped me the most is not trying to fit into clothes from before that don't fit me. And as soon as I try something on it doesn't fit, I put it away somewhere else and I don't know if I'll ever fit into it again. It doesn't really matter. I have found the days where I don't feel good in the way that I have dressed are the days when I'm trying to fit into clothes that fit my old body, not my new body. And when I'm wearing. So I brought a few new pairs of jeans. Like, that was really good to do postpartum. And then I just wear them. So funny, our clothes. Like, they can make us feel so good. But they're also the thing for me me that if I like, put on a pair of jeans and it doesn't fit and they used to fit or they fit different or they're like sticking into my tummy, which is uncomfortable. That always makes me have a more body conscious day. Otherwise, I don't think about it. So that for me is wearing something that I feel comfortable in. And it's so funny. We are so dressed so similar. We look similar. And I feel like that was. I put on originally, like a dress with tights and loafer and I was like, oh, I just don't feel like this today. I want to be more comfy. So this is my. These jeans I literally wear every single day.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

What brand are your jeans?

[Laura Henshaw]

They're actually Zimmerman. Oh, from the Outnet.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

The outnet, yeah. So that's the. For those of you who don't know, the Outnet is a. It's actually owned by the same company that owns Net A Porte. But it's like the Warehouse discounted version. So good. You can always find luxury brands on there for a absolute steal.

[Laura Henshaw]

I think I got them like 85% off or something crazy on there, which really great. Anyway, so they're really comfy and then this shirt is a really flattering cut. It's from Verge Girl.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

So going high low?

[Laura Henshaw]

Yes.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Yeah. Veg girl's a bit more accessible, which we love. And Australian local brand and it's just

[Laura Henshaw]

a really flattering cut. And then my boots are actually pre loved from. I bought them from Pre loved Closet.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

I love that site.

[Laura Henshaw]

It's so good, isn't it?

[Rhiannon Joyce]

So good. You basically just.

[Laura Henshaw]

It's.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

I love that it's influences wardrobes that you can shop. So if you like an influencer as well. And one person who features a lot is Aaron Deering. I'm the same size as well, so it always works out. 41. There you go.

[Laura Henshaw]

So these are Aaron Deering's boots.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Well, your outfit's giving very 70s relaxed vibe which I feel fits this space quite nicely as well. Thank you. Okay, I think we have have run away with this conversation and we need to have a little coffee to refuel so let's do that quickly and then we can come back and get into a bit more about you because I'm excited for our audience to hear more. Guys, it's mid morning and we need a little pick me up. We've been chatting, we've been yapping. Laura, I'm so excited because I'm making you a bit of a sweetie treaty this morning. We're doing something that's a little bit more creative. First of all, do you like the flavor strawberry?

[Laura Henshaw]

Yeah. Okay.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Thank God. Thank God. Okay, so what we're going to do is is we're going to start with this cute little tumbler. We've also got matching for the recording which I thought was quite sweet. I actually pre made this for you. It's a strawberry smoothie and it's got protein in it. I thought very on brand Amazing because we're in the kick studio. It's all about like health wellness. That's dumb. Shut up. That was quite good already. What we're going to do is add in one of the white chocolate strawberry capsules. So we're using the coffee creations mode which is really fun because you can get quite creations creative with the flavors. So we're doing the white chocolate strawberry. Now we wait. Let the magic happen. Okay. I can already smell the strawberry.

[Laura Henshaw]

Can you? Sounds very good.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

So I'm going to give this a little Stir. I love the coffee creations mode because you get quite a bold flavor and really concentrated extract. So it's really good for when you're using those flavored pods. And do you want a little garnish on top?

[Laura Henshaw]

Oh my God, I would love a garnish.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Yeah.

[Laura Henshaw]

This is very fancy.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

It is cafe style but at home. So this is your white chocolate strawberry protein smoothie. So we're ready to get back into recording. Do a little taste test before we sit down.

[Laura Henshaw]

Okay. Oh my God. Yum.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Sweet.

[Laura Henshaw]

It's not too sweet, but it's perfect.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

That's what you want. You want a really good balance of the two. Okay, let's get back into recording.

[Laura Henshaw]

I think you should come to my house every day and make this.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

As much as I would love to do that, there is an easy, easier way that you can do that. You can actually just invest in the new virtual up machine at your house. So you can make this every day at home.

[Laura Henshaw]

I might consider it.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Or maybe Dalton can make it for you. Okay, I'm just going to get comfy and I want to have a little sip before. Been talking too much. Oh, so good. One more. I love the pop of strawberry also. I like that it's matching like the pink and strawberry.

[Laura Henshaw]

It's very recoded with the perfect aesthetic.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

It's all pre planned. We pre planned everything. I want to talk a bit more about motherhood. We've touched on, you know, how that's impacted how you think about getting dressed in the morning. Can you talk to me about how this has impacted your relationship with exercise?

[Laura Henshaw]

Oh, this has been one that surprised me when I was pregnant or I stopped running quite early. I just did not. I was in London marathon training. So I was at. My runs were 30k at that stage when I found out I was pregnant. And my first question, just for anyone that just so you know how obsessed I am with running for context was like, I found out I was pregnant. Dalton was in the shower, did the test and I was. It was a very large surprise. And then the second thing I said was, can I still do the London Marathon? And at which in time I said, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, totally. I will be able to. I'll be able to. Anyway, I did not do it because I was very tired and felt quite sick. And then from that point I just did not feel like running at all. I would always send steph videos on TikTok or Instagram of people like running until they were 39 weeks. Like that was like everything I'd sent Her. And I was like, this will be me. This will be me. And then I was pregnant and I just could, honestly, I saw people running and I was like, I would. I have. Could not think of anything worse right now. Like, I just was not interested in it anymore.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Can you pinpoint the exact moment that happened or was it just something you can't even really recollect? It's just like you woke up and you're like, oh, okay, I don't want to do this anymore.

[Laura Henshaw]

I was very tired in the first trimester, so I was just so tired that I was like, I just don't feel like I can exercise right now. And exercise is a big thing for my mental health. So I was like, oh, I wonder how I'm going to go with this. But I just didn't feel up to it for the first trimester. And then I did a little bit, but not too much at all.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

What kind of exercise did you do instead of running?

[Laura Henshaw]

I was just doing walking, a bit of yoga and a bit of some prenatal stuff to help with my mobility. That's what I was kind of the most focused on because I just wanted to feel good. And the more pregnant you get, obviously the more uncomfortable you tend to feel. So I was. It was very much for a functional reason of just wanting to feel mobile and not wanting to be in pain when I was sleeping and things.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

It's really interesting you've called that out because you said that your relationship with running before was very mental and that feels very feelings motivated. But then when it came to exercise, when you were actually pregnant, it's moved into that functionality, which is more facts led. It's like, oh, no, I feel I. It's not feelings anymore. So I want to go deeper on the mental health piece and how exercise has been really important for you over the years to be able to, you know, keep your mind sound. If that relationship shifted with exercise, what else did you do in your life to keep your mental health positive?

[Laura Henshaw]

Yeah, I mean, such a good question. And for me, I learned this, maybe it was three or four years ago when I got injured and I couldn't run. I think that's something when running can be amazing. And it is my form of meditation. I think we're quite similar in that. But when it's taken away from you, it can be quite confronting because if you found something to kind of manage your mental health and then it's gone, you have to find other ways. And I'm grateful that I went through that before I was Pregnant. So then when I was pregnant, I could lean into how I was feeling. When I was younger, I would run to lose weight, and it was like, that was the purpose of running. I would just want to do like a long run, sweat as much as possible. Like, it had to be strenuous or it wasn't a proper workout. And that's what I worked through. And I mean, that was a big part of why we started kick after navigating that. And unfortunately, a lot of women do go through that. I don't know many women that haven't struggled with their body image over their life, unfortunately, because of the pressures of social media and society. So for me, with when I was pregnant, walking I found helped. I also, I think I knew that I felt average because I was pregnant. So I was able to separate it from, I feel average because I'm struggling with my mental health versus not actually just feel average because I'm pregnant. And then when I went into postpartum, I actually got clearance to run quite early. And interestingly, I didn't really want to run. I was like, I just don't feel like doing this right now. And I've very much been feelings led postpartum with returning to exercise. I'm now back to running, like, 3 or 4K my pelvic floor. Like, I definitely weigh myself sometimes, but that's the journey. That is the journey. So I've got to do pelvic floor exercises. But that has really surprised me because I thought I'd rush into it, but I didn't want to rush. It's so interesting. It's like you go through this huge change mentally, and then all of the things that you used to do feel quite foreign. And then after every time I would go, I'm like, oh, I actually feel okay. Like, you slowly, slowly build your confidence. And it's not just with writing. It's like every single part of you, you have to rebuild that, which has been really interesting.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

To your point earlier, I think there are a lot of people who would be listening or watching this podcast and relate to what you're saying, even if they haven't gone through that experience. I think it could be something that you might have a preemptive, like, anxiety about. I know I'm not pregnant yet, but that's something that you and I have spoken about off mic. Like, it kind of weighs on you. What piece of advice would you give them if they're feeling that right now?

[Laura Henshaw]

I think. I mean, first of all, social media does not help in terms of like the pressure of bounce back culture. Like put bounce back culture in the bin. I think the other thing that bounce back culture makes us believe is that the postpartum experience is linear. You get back into exercise or whatever it be, and then you, you build a up and you kind of get back to where you were before week by week. It doesn't work that way at all. Like, I feel like it's just up and down and up and down. You need to be gentle on yourself. I was really, really good at being gentle on myself for the first two to three months and I gave myself so much grace, like, as we should postpartum. But it was really interesting. At about four months, you start to get this. I felt like I was literally in a bubble and the world was outside. And then all of a sudden you feel like the world is slowly pulling you a little bit more, A little bit more, A little bit more. A lot of people checks on Instagram postpartum, like, I'm this week's, this week's, this week's and you can see their body getting like smaller. And that I had to just get off my feed. That I found really, really triggering. Because even if you try not to compare yourself, it's really hard not to if you're seeing that all the time and it's just letting go of any ideal of what or idea of who you thought you'd be or what you thought you would be at any stage, because you've never done it before. I'm just continually telling myself and for anyone listening to like, give yourself grace, like postpartum, such a huge thing to go through. I mean, with any big life experience, it's. It changes you. You can't expect yourself to be exactly who you were before. And as someone who's a control freak, like type A, like, we're very similar in that way. It's really. It's actually really hard.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Well, great segue. I really want to know what has been the most unexpected part of becoming a mother?

[Laura Henshaw]

The most unexpected part about becoming a mother. I think it's been the way that I have expanded and I feel like you and also just being like, whoa, women are amazing. Like, it's actually wild what we go through. And then we just use our resilience is like if something had told me, like, you're not going to sleep like that much every single night. You're still going to be able to get through your day. You're going to do all of these things and wear this new hat. I put be like not possible. And that was a big part of my fear before becoming pregnant and trying to work out if we wanted to, my husband and I wanted to have kids or not. This fear of like, will I lose myself? Will I lose my whole identity? And I think when you get to a point where you really like yourself, which as a woman is so hard, right? So you get to this point where you're like, I really love my life. I'm really proud of myself. I tie a lot of my identity into my career. I have tried to undo a lot of that, but there's still a part of me that will always have that, like my worth. And my work is very interrelated and connected. And I think a lot of what we see about motherhood online is that when you become a mother, that has to be your entire whole self. And that scared the shit out of me because I was like, I don't want to lose all these other parts of me. And what has been really special is that there's definitely parts of me that have changed, but. But it's just I've now have another hat that I need to wear and I don't need to take all of the other hats away. You have to let a few things go. Like, we can't have it all at once. That's absolutely, I definitely believe that wholeheartedly. But you don't lose all of those parts and they're still there. And that's been really nice to experience.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Do you know what's interesting? I really liked your point around, you know, you. It's so hard for women to get to a point where they actually love themselves. And I think so much of that does come in your early 30s. And I remember, you know, so many people back, oh, turning 30 is so stressful. It's just, it's got that weight to it, you know, the, the number 30. And I just was like, I'm just taking this head on. And it's funny because I would say the last three years I've felt like the most self assured and had felt the best I have in my whole life. And it's interesting at that point is when you're then expected to, you know, change it or society puts pressure on you to then be like, like, okay, now you need to think about this. And it's like, hang on. I just started liking myself and loving my life. I want to keep it this way. And there's, there is a really natural push and pull with that. And I think it's so fair that you and Dalton had That and I can say that even Lewis, my husband and I have also had that. It's like, well, we love our life like a lot right now. It's pretty good. But it's, it's also like we want to add this layer and add this hat, you know, as you said, to hopefully make it, it just, it adds

[Laura Henshaw]

a different layer to your life. Yeah, you go. Because for some people that don't have kids, like it doesn't mean they can't have a full life. Absolutely not. But it's like if you go through any huge experience in your life, like for some people that might be changing jobs, a huge breakup, it could be travel, like whatever that is. I put having a kid in. It's obviously not exactly the same, but just a life changing experience. It's going to change your life and it's going to make it fuller. And it does, it makes it fuller. It's like beautiful chaos. That's kind of the way I love that beautiful chaos that I like to explain it.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

We're going to get into some surprise and delight questions. I want to start with what is your ride or die beauty product?

[Laura Henshaw]

Okay, can I have three?

[Rhiannon Joyce]

You can have as many as you want. Because the stylish community love a rack and they love when we include at least 10 in an episode. So off you go.

[Laura Henshaw]

Okay. First one is a rare beauty blush. The color is Hope it is wet. What's. What's. It's like not a dry product.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

It's not powder. It's. It's wet also. That was so like bullet point. Like it's this.

[Laura Henshaw]

I looked at the color before I came but I forgot to search the product name. It is a cream blush and I

[Rhiannon Joyce]

clearly not well versed.

[Laura Henshaw]

Okay. So this is a cream. I love it. You hardly need anything, any of it. It's such high pigment. It lasts like two years. This product, it is so good. So that's my favorite blush. Just makes me feel alive. Okay. Then a primer. This is a new primer I started using, which I love. It's by from Hillary Holmes Home Beauty. It's so beautiful. It just makes you glow. And I when you combine that with the swap that I had, the merit product fact. So good.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Your skin does look wonderful.

[Laura Henshaw]

Oh, thank you. Well, I'm wearing both, so there you go. And you can see in the video last concealer, the Cosas. I think that's Kosas iOS, you know the brand. It's a very cool brand reveal concealer.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

I use that one.

[Laura Henshaw]

It's very brightening. Which is, I really like it.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

It's so good. It's also infused with skincare, so it has that really nice, which I feel like is the common theme I'm noticing with a lot of the products that you've recommended. A few of them have that skincare infused, which gives you that glow and it doesn't dry.

[Laura Henshaw]

You know, when you put. I'm not a makeup pro. Absolutely not. And when put concealer on that's too dry, and then I get all these lines under my eyes. I, I, I don't, I don't like the look of it. I don't like how it feels. And I'm also, I feel like about how my makeup feels on my skin, and if my skin feels dry, I have to go home and wash it off straight away. Like, I feel so uncomfortable. So that one's really good because it's. Yeah, I feel like it's moisturizing. Effy.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Great combination. Okay, I want to know, and I feel like I'm going to know the answer of this. What has been your favorite TV show in the last six months?

[Laura Henshaw]

What do you think? I'm going to say? Yeah, duh, of course. Can any, like, Millen not say that or person I am obsessed with off campus. And when you're watching it, you've, like, I'm sitting there, you know, Dalton's next to me, and then my baby's there, and I forget that I'm not in high school. In love with all of them, actually. They're all amazing. Oh, God, it was good. And just the sex, obviously it was written by a woman. And just to watch scenes around sex be filmed in that way and written in that way. Like, my favorite scene in the world is when. When Garrett and Dean are in the gym. Yes, yes, yes, yes. And Garrett asked Dean, like, I want Hannah to have an orgasm. And in every other movie, like, I've just never heard this response before. And then when he says, like, you need to make her feel safe, I was like, I'm done.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Do you know why I think it was so good and all of us are, like, gagged and loving. It is. Sadly, it was not a lot of lived experience that people had. So I feel like it's also this hopes and dreams of, like, what people want, but I also think what it sets up is an expectation.

[Laura Henshaw]

So, yeah, the generations coming through, like, that might be their first sexual experience, which is so as it should be, but it just wasn't for so many people our age. So, yeah, it's awesome.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Something people who follow you might be surprised to learn.

[Laura Henshaw]

I think maybe I've told you this but I used to have half blonde and half pink hair. Very off brand for me.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Very off brand.

[Laura Henshaw]

Yeah. It was quite a while ago. I was. When I was 18, it was in my DJ era.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Sorry you led with the hair, but you should have led with the DJ era. Tell me about that. That.

[Laura Henshaw]

Okay. Well I did DJ when I was 18. Wasn't very good. My friends and I, we had 18 CDs. I think we were. It was back in the CD era. Like there was no USBs. I don't know what they use now. Probably Bluetooth.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

They'll have a SoundCloud.

[Laura Henshaw]

No one is using a USB.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

I think they still do.

[Laura Henshaw]

Okay, there you go. I was a real DJ. Anyway. So we had our pack of CDs. We would just fade in and out. I know the only reason they got us to do it is because we brought, brought like so many people to the nightclub. But do you know who, who was a part of my. Like he wasn't. He didn't teach me per se. Like I went to lessons but he gave me a few tips.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Who. If you say Dom$, I'm gonna lose it. No.

[Laura Henshaw]

And he would organize this night and I would play at his night.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

And I don't know why I had Dom dollar in my head but I was like, I. Maybe because he's coming back to Melbourne performing at.

[Laura Henshaw]

It's like his success obviously has been amazing. Like it's so incredible and amazing to see. But yes to actually I have posters where my DJ name is on the same poster as $.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

We're going to have to get this for the cut down.

[Laura Henshaw]

I will be able to find it anyway. So that. Yeah, that maybe you didn't know that.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

I didn't know that. And it started with the pink hair and then you finished with I was a dj. Like you should have led with I was a DJ who had pink hair. I had pink hair when I was 18 and I was a DJ.

[Laura Henshaw]

Yeah. And I remember we used to get paid like I think 25 times dollars. And like we were not the, the leading actor. We were playing in the side room at like a room.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

All the girls on the side are gasping because everyone from Melbourne is like Melbourne at like 8pm I want to know what has been the biggest self discovery for you in your 30s.

[Laura Henshaw]

Not caring what people think. Which I feel like is such a common thing that maybe people say going into their 30s. But everything I did I was like how will this person perceive me? What will this person think? And, and I wasn't in my power per se because I didn't feel like I could speak up for what I believed in. Because I would question like, oh, I'm not an expert in that. I'm not good enough to talk about that. Maybe someone will disagree with me. And letting go of like living my life for how other people will perceive me has been the most amazing. It's honestly like it's changed my life. I will say with a caveat, going through motherhood has felt a little bit like I went back in the milkshake maker. And I'm still, still rebuilding that a little bit. But it's just enabled me, I feel like, to feel my true self, which is how we should always feel. But in my 20s, I didn't feel like I could. Like, I didn't trust myself at all. I just felt like I had to almost be like a chameleon to make everyone feel comfortable around me.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Do you have any tips or tricks for the people who are listening?

[Laura Henshaw]

I'm trying to think of a big life decision. It might be deciding to move overseas. Right. And you think about, when you're thinking through that decision, you think about what will this friend think of me? Like, what will my parents think of me, all of these other people. You are the only person that is going to be impacted by that decision. Really. Maybe others will be a little bit. But it's your life, right? And we care so much about like, oh my God, what will the people from school think of me? And then what will my parents think? And what will X, Y and Z? They're not living your life. You are the person that's going to have to live with the circumstances that you create. Right. And it is so important to remind yourself of that, especially if you are like a natural people pleaser. Observe a day in your life and how many decisions that you make for other people instead of yourself. And then ask yourself why? Because these people don't really care. Yeah, they might judge you if you do something different. Like they probably put you in this specific box that makes them feel comfortable. But if you want to get out of that, go and do it. And I think so often we do feel like we have to put ourselves in this box that other people create for us. But if we don't want to be there, we don't have to. But as a people pleaser, I feel like often we're almost like a martyr of our lives. Like, no, I have to stay in this box because that's where they feel comfortable. But it's like, no, you're in control of kind of what you do.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Breaking up with your beliefs as well, I think, especially when you're trying to shed these preconceived ideas of like, who you were or you're trying to honor these parts of yourself that like, you've actually outgrown as well. It's like, why are you doing this?

[Laura Henshaw]

100. And I think the other example I'll use is when I had, when I decided to have a cesarean, the Internet had so many opinions on how I should give birth, which I just. And in that moment I'm so glad that I'd worked through all of that stuff at that point so I could make that decision for myself. But that was so interesting because I was like, why do like hundreds of people have an opinion on how I give birth with my body? The people that I'll never meet, never know with a child, that they will never, ever, ever meet or know either. And it's just sometimes so important. Important to step back and be like, okay, why do I care? And in that instance, I was so proud and happy that I could kind of put that to the side. But yeah, it takes time to get there.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Okay, quick, rapid fire. What is a wellness trend that you want to debunk?

[Laura Henshaw]

I feel like it's been debunked a lot. Peptides. Injecting ourselves with peptides that a lot of the time we don't know what they do, we don't know the long term side effects of them. And for a lot of the time we're taking the information from social media, from people that aren't qualified to recommend them. We aren't thinking about what are the long term effects of this. It's very similar to skin cancer culture in Australia. Like getting a tan for three weeks, your skin might look a little bit more golden brown. But the long term impacts of that, like in 10 or 20 years, when in Australia we have the highest rate of melanoma compared to any other country, is wild. And that's what I think with peptides. Like, yes, it might give your skin a little bit more of a glow right now in this moment. But in 20 years, if that's going to have long term health like, repercussions for you, like, will it be worth it? Probably not.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

I couldn't agree more. We love a hot take here at Stylish. I want to wrap up with one last question. We want to land on what is your fashion take?

[Laura Henshaw]

Maybe, you know, What? I've never labeled myself as, like a fashionable person.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

That's okay.

[Laura Henshaw]

Exactly okay. But what I would say. And because of that, I felt like I had to fold, follow every single rule of fashion. Like, you can't wear brown and black and like, you can't match double denim and all, like, whatever, all of these things. So maybe my controversial take is, like, there are no trends per se. Like, if you wear something and you match, I don't know, brown and black and different colored denim. If you wear it and you feel good and you walk around confidently, people will look at you and think, oh, you can put those things together. But if you wear things and you feel uncomfortable in how they feel, feel, that's when it will maybe look not stylish, for lack of a better word. If I feel good in this and I think it matches nobody, if I walk around confidently, no one will question me.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

I agree with you. Also, can I bring up something that was a bit. That was off mic before you did ask us, should you tuck or shouldn't you?

[Laura Henshaw]

So there we go. Here's a fact. So you know what I was thinking? Do I do a half tuck, which is that called A French tuck. A French tuck. I have to say, the amount of times that I have gone to tuck my shirt. Shirt in and I feel like, I reckon if I've gone to tuck my shirt in a hundred times in my life, I've actually left the house with it tucked once because it just never works.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Yeah, it never.

[Laura Henshaw]

I feel like I see it on Instagram and I'm like, it looks so good and then I don't feel good, but it works. And then I've scrapped it.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

But the reason why it works on Instagram, you see that for inspiration. It's a still photo. It's not lived in. Like, I think the reality of it is a French talk doesn't really work when you're trying to live in it. And this is less about the French tuck itself. And whether I or not that's a good thing or a bad thing. It was more about, like, asking the room, like, should I French tuck or shouldn't? I think sometimes you can. And we all can fall into this trap of being like, oh, what do you guys think? It's like, what did you feel was most comfortable for you?

[Laura Henshaw]

Not tucking.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Exactly.

[Laura Henshaw]

And that's for me. I try and tuck. I see photos and I'm like, I should tuck. And then I talk. I'm like, I don't feel good in this.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Yeah. And, like, it works. For some people. But in that moment, it didn't work for you and that's okay. So keeping you accountable, Laura.

[Laura Henshaw]

Thanks, Rick.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

You're welcome. Oh, my gosh, it's been so good to chat. It's actually just felt like an extension of the conversations we have off Mike. So thank you, Laura, for joining us. Thank you. So special. And I hope, I hope you've enjoyed it and you've enjoyed your coffee.

[Laura Henshaw]

Thank you. You've got me a new combination.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Yeah, you're sorted. Thanks, Laura. This is our second of three episodes of our bespoke series, what Else in partnership with nesp. Thank you for listening. We'll be back in your ears on Wednesday and don't forget to drop us a follow on Instagram. Stylish. We are so lucky to have you and we'll see you soon. Bye. Foreign.

[Inherited Podcast Host]

Here, the host of Shameless Media's interview show, Inherited. New interviews drop every single Tuesday. And I wanted to remind you about the special life lessons episode with my Nana K. A few weeks ago, we sat down in Perth together and unpacked the last 80 years of her life. It's a really interesting story. The Inherited team are actually going to share the their thoughts about this episode. First up is Annabelle Lee.

[Laura Henshaw]

Hi.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

I adore this episode. It's got to be one of my most favorite episodes of Inherited because obviously you guys have such a close special bond. Nana K has such a fascinating story that I did know about, but not this much. Also, just one last thing I really love. This is kind of random, but I really love how many times Nana K said your name. It was just so special.

[Laura Henshaw]

She said a lot and it was

[Rhiannon Joyce]

just filled with so much love and I just adored this episode in Anna

[Annabelle Lee]

K. I love this episode so much. As someone who has lost all of their grandparents, I actually lost them by the age of 11. I've never been able to have a conversation with them as an adult, so I don't know what they were like. And it was so cool to see Rubes now in her 30s, talking to her grandma about what she was like in her 30s and asking questions that I don't think that you can can ask in normal family circumstances. So it was just a fascinating conversation. I cried 10 minutes in. I wish I could have a wine with her.

[Laura Henshaw]

Ruby's Nana is just so thoughtful, reflective, and has a emotional depth to her that I think a lot of grandparents probably can't access. It's like it's that reflective chat over a lifetime that you just really wish you could go that deep with your grandma parents. So yeah, it made me cry so

[Inherited Podcast Host]

much to listen to this conversation in full with my Nana K. Just search Inherited on your favorite podcast app and Inherited interviews drop every single Tuesday. So we'll see you then.