Resonance – Episode 28
Verbatim Transcript
Speaker: Viktoria Levenberg
Guest Speaker: Jessica Meacock
Jessica Meacock: I actually hate myself what am I doing oh. I don't like how I look I need to exercise more and I'm not gonna be happy I don't deserve happiness until I can achieve that. This is the worst thing that could happen to anyone. This is horrific my day's ruined. That's actually very different to how I think now.
Viktoria Levenberg: Focus on the now focus on the present moment and what brings you joy and do exactly that you have cracked the code.
Viktoria Levenberg: Alright in today's episode to wrap up the year the final episode of 2025 I've got something super special for you for the very first time ever I am bringing on an old client of mine to share her story of transformation of what it was like to go through an experience with a health coach and the things that she uncovered the sustainable lifestyle behavior shifts that she has made and how through our work together she now embodies joy she is thriving she is glowing radiant and truly set up for success for the rest of her life. Without further ado, I'd love to introduce you to Jessica Meacock — let's dive in.
Viktoria Levenberg: Welcome to Resonance, a podcast for ambitious heart-led humans craving more balance, depth and aliveness in their lives. I'm your host, Vik — health coach, yoga teacher, facilitator and fellow high achiever learning to live in tune with my nervous system, not against it, and this space is here to remind you that you can have it all, the career, the success, the fulfilment, all aligned with your truth. Through honest conversations, expert insights and practical tools, we'll explore how to work with your body, mind, emotions and spirit, not against them. And the best part, you don't have to stay stuck in survival mode to get there because true well-being is not about being perfect, it's about being in resonance. Let's dive in.
Viktoria Levenberg: Alright so just a quick intro to Jess — Jess is a old client of mine so we no longer work together uh because because most of the time in health coaching there comes a point where like you are so well up set up for success that you can continue on your own trajectory and you have built the self efficacy you've built the tools the capability to really thrive forever. And of course I'm always here you know like sometimes we have bigger seasons, etcetera and there is power in community and group containers for that ongoing accountability and support. Um however like you know there's no like scheme here to to keep you for forever like you are set up for success once we find the root causes of some of the things that have been keeping you stuck once you uncover the limiting beliefs and not just uncover them but work through them to the point where they seem so surreal that they like the memories are fuzzy they feel like they're in a long distant history like this is Jess's experience.
So Jess and I met at an event and uh we kind of stayed in each other's circle and then we worked together for about a year or so and um in that time I have witnessed Jess go through such a profound transformation and it's been a really special full circle moment to share this episode with you because today is the first time that I have connected kind of in real time virtually with Jess since our last session together and so I was also really curious as to where she's at in her life and kind of what's present for her today.
And so what you're gonna hear from this story is really a relatable real life everyday person who used to be super hard on themselves you know super perfectionistic always feeling like they're not doing enough trying to match what they're seeing on social media and Instagram and um trying all these things that are really not sustainable because they're going too fast too soon. And you're gonna hear exactly what Jess did in order to actually achieve sustainable lifestyle change to get to a place where now she finds joy right here right now in every present moment and it's not like you know some plastered woo woo spiritual bypassing kind of joy no like I can see how authentic and genuine this is for her and we dive into so many other really important and relevant topics.
We're gonna speak about things like social media addictions and actually how she uh quit Instagram believe it or not yes this is quite an interesting one and we're also gonna touch on hormonal birth control coming off of that and the alternatives that are available to us that doctors don't tell us about. So there's so much juiciness here in this story I hope that you can see a part of yourself and your lived experience in what Jess has had the courage to come on and share. Without further ado enjoy the episode — take us on a walk on a drive whatever floats your boat I'll see you inside.
Viktoria Levenberg: All right welcome Jess.
Thank you so much for coming on to Resonance coming on to the podcast it is an honour and a privilege to have you here.
Jessica Meacock: Thank you for having me.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah no thank you for saying yes I think um I mentioned earlier that I I found it so special that you are the first kind of um previous client to come on and and share your story and um I've got a few specific questions for you knowing kind of the work that we've done together but I also you know haven't really spoken to you much since we last worked together so it's gonna be such a great opportunity for you to share you know like what's been going on and how life is for you right now you know after um having the support and the guidance of a health coach so I'm just really really grateful.
And before we dive in I just wanted to give you the opportunity to introduce yourself you know maybe share a little bit about you who you are and your story.
Jessica Meacock: A bit hesitant at first to come on the podcast because I felt there were a space for people who who had stories like when you say my story I feel like you know it doesn't have that beginning middle and end I've just sort of been chugging away living my own life and I was like you know what do I have what do I have to share that's worth sharing I'm just an average person but then I thought that's probably exactly why I should come on because that's what most people can relate to and even if I have one little tidbit of information from what I've been through that helps one person that's of value to me so that's what that's what I hope to get out of it.
But um yeah bit about me my name is Jess obviously um and yeah I I met met you back well almost two years ago now
Viktoria Levenberg: Hmm, I think so yeah two or three years wow time flies
Jessica Meacock: Yeah and I was at a point in my life where I suppose I'd always been where I was just wanting to make changes but not being able to and in those last two years I've been able to make some of those changes but not in the way I anticipated which I suppose is what we'll get into ha ha ha.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yes, definitely. I mean thank you for naming the fact that you know you had this hesitancy to come on and um this is like a big part of what residence is about it's kind of this melting pot of yes of course I share some wisdom yes I bring expert guests on but then it's also about bringing everyday normal people like yourself so that there is that relatability and in that mutual story there is always a golden nugget of wisdom where someone will be able to see themselves and what you have been through. And yes it's been you know such a profound journey to witness your realisations and your transformation and so I guess with that in mind um maybe talk to me a little bit about where you were in your life when we first met like what was reality like then what's been going on.
Jessica Meacock: Yeah I mean at that point in time been through I just suppose like a cycle of patterns in terms of you know wanting to change in terms of things like eating better and exercising more and doing more of what I love but then jumping into that in a way that wasn't sustainable and then hating on myself thinking I'm not good enough and I think that's a pretty common story for a lot of people and just you know not knowing how how to do it just sort of always just waiting for things to change waiting to finally be happy and not knowing how to go about it.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yes it's that common waiting game where it is such a common um issue that so many of us have where we think that oh well when I have that if if I achieve this when I do this then I'll be happy right and yeah um what were some of those not sustainable things that you were attempting to do yourself if you're open to sharing.
Jessica Meacock: Yeah I mean I I think it was just just diving in full on to everything like one example back then was I like signing up to the gym and committing to going multiple times a week and being able to do that for a little while but not then it just falling off because I was going too hard too fast and —
I didn't even enjoy it it wasn't the right type of exercise for me. Another example is the idea in my head at the time of what healthy eating was and diving right into that being like well I have to eat all this I have to fully cut out all of this stuff and that of course not being sustainable either and falling back into old habits. The perfectionism around it is kind of where it all comes from um yes yeah thinking I'm not good enough because I'm not doing it perfectly and cause it at with all the noise from social media especially in this day and age seeing everyone else and thinking that that's what's going that's what they're doing so that's what I should be doing why can't I be like that.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah.
Jessica Meacock: Um but of course I know that's not true.
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm hmm. And and at the same time back then it really felt true right and yeah um I love that you named these um this kind of all or nothing this black or white thinking because unfortunately that's where 90% of us fail like that is why behavior change is so hard to sustain because when we go by what we're seeing in social media and reading in magazines or whatever it's always this like go on this workout plan and try this diet and your life is gonna miraculously change right but as you say there's so much more to it in terms of going too hard too fast in terms of you named the fact that the ways that you were trying to move your body weren't bringing you joy there's many many deeper layers that unfortunately most people don't know don't take into account and hence kind of stay stuck in a rut um and so you named the perfectionism and um I vividly recall the moment that that connection took place in uh as I still remember the the session and and everything kind of that unfolded after that so can you tell me a little bit more about what life was like before the awareness of that perfectionist mindset was there can you just share some of the self talk and kind of behaviours that you saw in yourself.
Jessica Meacock: Yeah I mean even going further down the line from what I've just discussed when I'm like OK this this isn't working for me I know I should be trying other things wanting wanting to try something new if I think the Pilates was kind of an example I was like OK I wanna get into that but I need to have everything to be able to do that I need to have the the very best videos online I need to sign up to the best subscription to get the best videos I need to have a yoga mat I need to have workout clothes that make me feel good I need to have a space in my house that is set up for it and has a good vibe about it so I can be in the right mindset like those videos online how other people are doing it and just sort of having everything perfect before I even like try or I have to have the I have to have a certain amount of time in my day like a big gap in the afternoon then I'm like right I can jump on and do this rather than just having 10 minutes to spare jump on the floor in the lounge and just pick a random YouTube video and give it a crack that's sort of the difference there um and I was finding that with everything I think mm hmm.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah you shared I recall examples as well of like um nutrition plans and and being really specific in in the things that you can and cannot eat and like trying to almost over plan yourself if that makes sense which correct me if I'm wrong like I I remember that generally planning isn't your favourite thing in the world right so it's sort of like you were trying to set yourself up in a way that wasn't quite matching your preferred style of working with yourself.
Jessica Meacock: Yeah I mean that's another perfect example I thought I had to be a planner to have my life on track I thought I had to have everything down to a tee I thought I had to have everything down to a tee to fit in everything I wanted to do in my day to be to be the best I can be but no I like a little bit I need a little bit of planning um but I don't I don't like having that sort of I don't like having it over my head you know I like to yeah just go with the flow and make things yeah I mean that's what I've learnt to make things work in a way that works for me.
Viktoria Levenberg: That's it that is the golden nugget right there like making things work for you right because we are all so different and we all have different personality types like I'm a planner through and through and then you know someone like yourself or many other people I know in my life they prefer to go with the flow like planning gives them a feeling of like constriction and almost restriction I don't know if that's true for you but that's kind of what I've witnessed in in others.
Jessica Meacock: Yeah yeah I'd say that's what it's like for me and I I think like one of the things I went through with you in terms of planning was like I'm gonna try this and I think that'll work better for me because this other planning stuff doesn't work and I tried it for one week and I was instead of being like oh I can't do this one either I just had this moment where I was just like you know what I don't give a shit like yeah I don't care I I don't want to do this I'm not gonna do it who cares and I think that's been a huge unlock just not caring about these ideas that I used to have.
Viktoria Levenberg: Like you you stopped caring about trying to tick a specific box or like match a specific lifestyle or way of being that you were seeing portrayed on social media or through other people, right?
Jessica Meacock: Yeah
Viktoria Levenberg: And on the perfectionist front um if you're comfortable kind of diving into this I would really love to hear your reflections especially now that it's been you know almost a whole year um since that realization what was the initial experience like for you when you started to become aware of this tendency to want everything perfect this feeling of not being good enough and if it's not good enough then why bother like what was that time like for you I'd be really curious to hear.
Jessica Meacock: I don't really remember all too well but I think it was just like I suppose a moment of again like like really like why why am I doing this like mm hmm I think it kind of went hand in hand with the the unlock of knowing what my values are and kind of what I want out of life mm hmm um yeah and I figured out for me that like joy is kind of joy is the one the one thing I want I wanna be living every day with joy and what do I need to be doing to achieve that that's sort of the only thing I'm I wanna be thinking about and that perfectionism to have everything perfect that's not bringing me joy so why am I even bothering uh huh um yeah and I think it was sort of figuring out those two things at the same time yeah and everything started to fall into place a bit better after that yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah definitely and and I vividly remember it was that catalyst for for everything else that followed in your life and I know you had some other events kind of come in that um I guess catapulted that transformation and at the same time it it was it was like someone flipped a switch like as as you say you know beforehand you were attempting all of um these lifestyle shifts and changes and and things that you had kind of tried before but were hoping to um I'm gonna say quote unquote achieve with the support of a of a health coach right and then we continued pivoting because again all this work right behaviour change is all about finding what works for you uniquely um and we started to scratch the surface on a few things here and there but it really wasn't until you were able to uncover that deepest roots limiting belief that is like it was the domino that made all the other dominos fall into place and I I can still vividly remember a lot of the things that kind of happened afterwards but I'd love to hear it in from you in your own words of like OK what what happened after what did the after look like for you.
Jessica Meacock: It's funny because you can vividly remember but I it's all kind of a blur to me like yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: That tends to happen I will actually just name that as well just because when we change and when we become this new version of ourselves we become this new person as you are here today that old version of us feels like a really distant reality like it's like it almost feels like a foreign different person I don't know if that's kind of your experience like I can't remember what I used to think like who was she.
Jessica Meacock: Yeah yeah like the past two years like a lot has changed I think but I can't name specific points I don't it's hard to say uh huh how exactly everything's changed but when I look back four years ago at how I was I'm like that's actually very different to how I think now um hmm yeah. Yeah it's weird how the timeline just kind of you're like oh that that happened.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah exactly and it's it's like a little full circle moment for you right and like I'll I'll share some of the the bits and pieces um that I can recall you know from the doing but I would actually love you to name the the being and the feeling of it like how do you feel in your life now compared to how you used to feel say four years ago.
Jessica Meacock: Yeah I mean I said before it was that just waiting to be happy waiting for things to change before I can be happy and now I'm I'm always you know every day I'm just trying to be happy and I'm making choices in the moment to to be happy like whereas four years ago I'd be like oh I don't like how I look um I don't I need to exercise more and I'm I'm not gonna be happy I don't deserve happiness until I can achieve that now.
I can unlock of not really giving a shit and yeah I'm just like you know it's a sunny day outside I'm gonna go for a walk in the bush later on today and that's gonna make me feel really good. I'm also like I'm gonna go out for ice cream with my partner and that that's gonna feel really good cause that's a choice I'm making. I love ice cream and I'm gonna enjoy the treat.
Whereas back then I'd be like I'd buy a a tub of ice cream and then eat it in shame like I shouldn't be eating that it's associating the choices I'm making now with whether it's gonna bring me joy. Hmm. And then just acting on it and not even caring about a week from now or a week ago just in this moment or what am I gonna do even tomorrow that is gonna make me happy.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah wow, oh my gosh that is so profound I mean because you haha you have cracked the code — focus on the now focus on the present moment and what brings you joy and do exactly that. And look at how it's on the outside it might look the same but on the inside it feels so different right like from an outsider's perspective you might see yourself it's like OK cool eating ice cream eating ice cream but I also remember you sharing that experience like the first couple of times it was coming through and when you use that exact example as well of like eating the tub of ice cream just because it was there versus making it an enjoyable experience a shared moment with your partner which is where that deeper why and your values of joy and connection and family really shine through. And now I love that you're still doing your bush walks as well like by the way would you um be able to talk to that a little bit around a your journey of exploring movement and which you kind of spoke about a little bit but then like how you again I'm going to use the phrase crack the code on finding what works through for you by prioritising joy.
Jessica Meacock: I tried all sorts like the gym many years ago now and the Pilates tried that and it just I those were things I felt I had to do cause I'd seen them work for other people but just didn't like it didn't want to do it didn't do it. Um but I've always loved bush walks um cause it was something I'd do with my grandad when I was little and we go we go on the same bushwalk every time and go feed the ducks. Um and those are both two things that are still very special to me going on a bush walk and going to see ducks I feed them peas now not bread because bread's not good for them um we know that now but um yeah just kind of coming back finding that joy and coming back to that that's that's what makes me happy and it's movement that I feel really good about and yeah not putting the pressure on myself to be like um I have to go on three walks this week to to have achieved anything just being like it's a really nice day out I'm gonna go for a walk and not really caring about how long it is or whether I worked hard enough. Yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah instead of doing it for yourself for feeling great and enjoying the act of movement rather than again the trying to tick a box and and trying to achieve something which was the previous sort of almost forceful driver hey yep. It's really all coming back to joy and um you know I I remember so so many other little avenues that you know this is the power and and I'd love to hear your perspective of this actually you know in in coaching we talk about um self efficacy which is this concept where as soon as you build trust in yourself and your ability to follow through with a commitment that you've made to yourself the first time it gets easier the second time and then it gets easier the third time and it doesn't matter what new habit or behavior you try and do right like it's because you've already done something that you would say you would do. It becomes easier for you to have that ripple out into other areas of your life and so I'd love to hear your experience you know after we finished our work together and kind of you flew off into your own ongoing journey how has that ability of committing to yourself and following through with those commitments helped you since we last spoke.
Jessica Meacock: I guess as you say like everything ripples out through your life so whereas I'd be committing to three days at the gym and only getting to 2 and hating myself for it and feeling miserable the whole week you know week ruined not having a nice time now I'm sort of knowing knowing more who I am and what I'm capable of and suppose that's not the right word but how I how I am gonna be I don't sort of commit to as much in the far far future. I'm not gonna plan my week in that way I just take it day by day and um make the choice to do something or make the choice to not do something in the moment and just feel good about that choice because that choice is backed by how my day's already been how I'm feeling physically how I'm feeling mentally and just being like yeah I'm having a night in because I've had a long day and I feel good about that because I really need to just lie down and chill or I've been stuck inside at work all day I really just need some fresh air so I'm making the choice to go for a quick walk around the block and I'm gonna feel good about that. Um and then that just by not setting those not boundaries those expectations um I'm happy either way cause I'm just choosing the moment that this is what we're doing yes.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yes and the more you do that the more familiar that becomes right and so like I'm really hearing in your reflections now that that old way of self judgment shame frustration whatever like that person's gone like you you are now fully present fully in just agency and ownership of what you your body mind and spirit need right here right now and um I'm assume a big part of that helped remove some of that judgment had to do with some of the changes you made to your social media habits — can you tell me a little bit about that journey.
Jessica Meacock: Ha ha yeah honestly the this change was huge it was probably one of the most important changes I made um completely ditching social media. I would I get home from work and um that's another thing I really hated my job cause I was alone all day and I didn't realise it at the time but connection to other people was really important to me and working alone all day every day for two years took its toll without me even kind of realising it but that's another story. So I get home from work at that job and I would be like you know what I'm tired I'm just gonna have a snack sit on the couch for five minutes and then it's dark outside cause I've just been scrolling and scrolling and then I'm like I actually hate myself what am I doing. I just have to go to bed now and then do it all again tomorrow and like I couldn't even tell you a single video like I saw after sitting there for 3 hours or what just scrolling and um yeah it's it was just depressing really um and scary you know like I'm I'm a grown woman who was able to make that realisation and be like you know what I'm getting it gone I don't want it in my life it's not bringing me joy um and I was able to get rid of it but it is yeah it's really concerning but yeah children and but we won't get into that but…
Viktoria Levenberg: Well we we can because I think it's really important to talk to that if you're open going down that rabbit hole.
Viktoria Levenberg: Alright quick pause here — if you are feeling stretched thin or running on empty you're not alone. I offer complimentary stress reset sessions to help you take a breath step back and reconnect with what you actually need. If that sounds like you can book through the link in the show notes at lvnhealth.co or the links also in my bio on my socials at LVNHealth. Alright let's get back to the episode.
Viktoria Levenberg: Because um you know and and we spoke about this before as well like it is literally designed to stimulate your dopamine receptors and to keep you hooked and kind of keep giving you that little rush as as you say that little like scrolly finger thing. Um and uh you you were mostly on Instagram right not TikTok.
Jessica Meacock: Yes I never downloaded TikTok. Because I knew it would just wreck me hmm yeah. So I just like Instagram yeah yeah
Viktoria Levenberg: It's I hear that it well I feel like it's like Instagram on steroids and I don't really use TikTok like I tried to do some stuff for my business but it's just it gives me nausea it makes me dizzy how everything's just like so overstimulating which is probably a warning sign as well that people are on there for so many hours right and so you had that realisation and you began to make that connection between how you felt while you were using social media versus all the other things you wanted to do in your life that you found more valuable or more enjoyable right but like what was the actual catalyst that helped you say nah enough is enough what what was that like for you.
Jessica Meacock: yeah I don't remember the exact moment but it was it was just so obvious the feeling I was getting after turning off my phone or like I'd get into bed at 8:30 cause I wanted to go to sleep at 9:00 for an early night and then all of a sudden it's 10:30 and I'm putting my phone down crying you stupid idiot what did you do that for and I I also know it's not my fault because again it's designed to just keep you in um but yeah I think I just I've done it one too many times and I was just like God I cannot live like this this is just a waste of my existence like it was just so bad and I was just like no I I'm not doing it anymore forget it and I do think there's a lot of good things on social media like I I followed so many pages with like great communities and who'd share like really great people who shared really great recipes and that sort of thing um but yeah I was just like you know what the payoff to see those isn't worth it I just have to get rid of it.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah and so you made the bold move to fully delete the app right?
Jessica Meacock: Yeah, I deleted my whole account so I couldn't access it anyway yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: and I can only imagine that like some people listening to this right now might be like having heart palpitations um because again it's it's an addiction let's be real it's just like drugs or alcohol it's we're hooked and um how did you set yourself up to follow through with this commitment because I remember vividly there were specific steps you took to um almost like to reassure yourself to make sure you wouldn't be tempted to go back I don't know if you remember um again this is a quite a while hahaha
Jessica Meacock: I don't remember what I did after.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah um so maybe this will uh kind of trigger some memories um there were a few preparatory things that you did in advance like making note of some accounts and like giving some friends a heads up etc like almost before you actually rip the Band Aid off I recall you talking about um doing a few things like making note of accounts you liked if you did want to use your partner's thing to look up a recipe or like things you had saved I can't remember the details but there was like you weren't just extreme with it if if that makes sense it was a thought out process for you.
Jessica Meacock: Yeah that was true I um to be honest I didn't follow too many accounts in the first place I was probably sitting on about 100 which isn't that many um but yeah I went through all my saved videos because there were loads of recipes in there and just going through one by one being like oh do I wanna screenshot that one and most of them I didn't most of them I just deleted cause I was like you know what I'm actually never gonna make that and yeah then I went through all the accounts I was following and just being like oh do I wanna yeah do I wanna get my partner for him to follow them or are there any I should follow on Facebook cause I still had Facebook um but you can't scroll on there cause it's not as entertaining um so yeah and even going through that most of them I ended up being like you know what I can live without it it's not actually a big deal mm hmm um I think in the end there might have been I don't know like two accounts that I was like I actually do wanna keep an eye on them because they were they were small businesses that I wanted to keep up with and stuff like that um hmm and then once I've done all that I yeah I just deleted it.
Viktoria Levenberg: Amazing yeah and and thank you for for sharing that because and you know with that awareness of oh this isn't a great use of my time it's not bringing me joy I feel like crap afterwards you were then able to almost like have a different level of consciousness when you open that app right you were like okay let's go through all this stuff I had saved is this actually worth my while am I gonna do something with it nine times out of 10 probably no who am I even following nine times out of 10 irrelevant cool two businesses out of 100 2% right and so I think there's a really powerful message in that just like in what you did for a lot of people out there who probably are also spending way too much time on social media is like to stop for a moment and be like what are you actually getting out of this what's your intention on being on these platforms and you know deleting it was what was right for you it might be what's right for some people maybe putting some other boundaries in place is what's needed and I do vividly remember that also being a big catalyst for you exploring so many other ways to spend like all of a sudden you had all this time like what did you do with all this time you know like three hours a day is a lot.
Jessica Meacock: yeah it was crazy and the scary thing was for about 2 weeks afterward I would just be picking up my phone and swiping through my apps and then a couple seconds later being like wait what am I looking for like without thinking I was just picking up my phone to open it up and um seeing that I was just like oh my God that it's scary ass um but yeah I was like well what do I what do I do now like all this time is cool and that's when I started exploring um some new hobbies or returning to old hobbies that I haven't done in a while like reading and and yeah sitting outside doing nothing just sitting in the sun that's so nice rather than sitting inside on your phone yeah
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm hmm yes yes it's um and it all tied back to you finding that joy and and valuing your time which um yeah thank you for diving into that because I think it is such an important message and as you say it is really concerning what's going on out there um personally myself like I I think the algorithm penalizes me because I'm mostly on there to share content like I will put that out there like my most valuable content is on here on this podcast the intention of my social media is to get people on here to spend some more time with me so they can actually listen to what I'm all about and not just scroll past me trying to make a fool of myself to catch their intention in two seconds you know but a lot of people it's they're they're hooked and yeah it's it's
Jessica Meacock: Most people
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah most most people are hooked and as you say it's that even just like that motor it's not a skill but like this this behaviour of flicking the finger right of doing the scrolling like I find that so interesting that your body was like automatically reaching for the phone and swiping through the apps just to keep swiping it's like what yeah what were you looking for it's like
Jessica Meacock: Yeah, I was searching for an app that I couldn't find without even realising it I was just like I pick I pick my phone up just to look for an app and then I'd be like I what am I I can't and then I'm like oh I'm looking for Instagram that's gone you're really freaky and the other thing is I've had quite a few times actually um people friends saying oh I wish you had Instagram so I could send you these videos and I'm having to straight up be like no I'm not gonna I don't care if you can screen record it and send it to me on Messenger if it's that important yeah but yeah there has there has been not huge pressure but just little comments like oh I wish you had Instagram so I could do this and um like people will sometimes send me stuff through Facebook cause that's an option um but once it gets sent through Facebook I can't view it it's like download the app to view this oh interesting so they're like yeah it's quite frequently um it's trying to be thrown back in my face um but I'm gonna get away um.
Viktoria Levenberg: You're so resilient yes like good on you for keeping that boundary high because these are like these little temptations and they'll keep coming right and like hopefully your friends at some point respect those boundaries and as you say it's not that hard to screen record a video and send it um
Jessica Meacock: And they never did so it's clearly not even that important.
Viktoria Levenberg: Exactly and the thing is often as well is that your transformation your change the changes that you have made for the betterment of your life whether you like it or not are unfortunately a mirror to others so people in your life who may not have made certain changes or like the basically what I'm trying to say is sometimes you thriving and living in this joy and and being kind of totally confident and in your power and in your agency can be quite confronting and triggering to people so they'll unconsciously it's not like they're trying to hurt you or anything but they just it's our human tendency to try and like you know project on onto others and be like no come come back in come back in it's it's fun here you know it's like come come join me so yeah good on you for not not uh biting the uh poisoned apple.
Jessica Meacock: And it's quite shocking for a lot of people when when I meet new people like in my new job and people like oh what's your Instagram I'm like I don't have don't have Instagram and they're like oh what uh huh cause everyone has it um and you're like oh what do you have so I'm like you can text me on Facebook Messenger if you want but you're not getting anywhere else.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah exactly exactly and I love that as um I mean to be honest I see more and more people coming off which is really great um and it's like hey I have a phone I have a number I have an email address if you really wanna reach me like there are other ways to reach me um so that's that's really powerful and um I might do a little Tangent here because you shared something earlier as we were talking about kind of the Instagram being a um almost like a soothing moment after a really frustrating day where you weren't getting some of your social connection needs met um and you mentioned that you've got a new job now as well obviously we don't have to go down this route if you don't want to but I'd be really curious if you are open to sharing you know like your personal mental health experience etcetera in a um job that was unfulfilling versus kind of where where you're at now and and what that realisation was like for you.
Jessica Meacock: Yeah for sure um yeah I was in my old job for about two years and I was outside all day rain or shine on my own no access to a clean bathroom no access to a kitchen to have my lunch I was just driving around in my car all day or walking outside doing the exact same thing every day and I was it it stunk like it got very old very fast within yeah probably in half a year of being there I was like yeah I've had enough now I'm ready to go but with the um with the job market um in all industries but my industry um particularly it was really tough cause I'm in um I studied environmental science and most of where I can go as a public sector um and there had been significant numbers of public sector jobs cut within sort of environmental industries um so there was nothing out there and universities were still pumping people out and I was competing with new people so yeah I was job hunting that whole time well I was grateful to have a job at all um I will say that but I did not enjoy it so mm hmm yeah when the job I have now when that popped up a few months ago and I went for it and I got it and I got a pay increase um I yeah it's I was really stoked to just be out of where I was and um yeah I didn't realize how much of an impact the working alone part was um I I thought for me it was just I hated the work I hated being outside in the rain um cause I was I think I've always been more introverted like I like being alone I've never been super social um but since starting my new job um there's like they had a whole cohort of people so there were about 20 new hires and 10 of us were sort of stay together in one group and I'm very close to those 10 people and out of all of them I'm probably like the most talkative and so excited to hang out with all of them cause I've just been so lonely for the past two years that um uh huh yeah and I've just made all these fantastic new friends and outside of that cohort there's also everyone else in the company who I've connected with um working there and mmm hmm yeah I enjoy the work but yeah it's just the people just having people around me who I can connect with and speak to it's just been fantastic mmm hmm mmm hmm.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah the the Maori saying he tangata he tangata he tangata is really coming to mind right now right it is people it is people and it's I I love seeing that for you and I'm so grateful as well that you have had this experience because when we finished our work together you were still in your old job and that was like the focus area I remember you were kind of really actively job hunting at the time um and it it was known to you that there was a big dissatisfaction with it but you didn't realize what the exact missing link was I mean there's a lot there right like no clean bathrooms no kitchen obviously being outside in the rain like a lot of factors but it sounds like that yeah the human authentic meaningful connections was so so important to you and it's something that most of us are craving and missing unfortunately so I'm really grateful to hear that that's in your life now.
Jessica Meacock: Yeah it's really great and one thing I love about my job um and I think it's probably in a lot of public sector roles we're all a team like we're all in a collective agreement we know we're all getting paid the exact same and we're all just we know we're all getting paid the exact same and we're all just clocking in at the same time we're all going off to do our jobs working together we finish early we phone someone up and be like hey let me come help you finish cause I know you've got a big day today and we all get back at the same time and clock off and go home and we're all friends that's there's no like individual projects to to like work on on your own and mm hmm yeah we're all yeah we're all just a big team and I'm I love just hanging out with people and chatting and yeah not being so alone.
Viktoria Levenberg: It sounds really different like um to be honest from what I is familiar in my experience because there really sounds like it's like a community and um everyone's kind of like kumbaya in it together you know there is no from what I'm hearing like competitiveness and you know this kind of dog eats dog mentality that you often see in like your typical corporate white collar suit yeah ha ha ha.
Jessica Meacock: Yeah, I mean there's certainly you know um people who don't get on and little things like that but as a whole you know we clock in at the same time we clock off at the same time we help each other out and mm hmm you don't have to go above and beyond to be to be respected and yeah yeah
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm hmm that's that's important that that you you say that is um you know because especially for people who have had perfectionist overachieving tendencies being in an environment that doesn't require you to go above and beyond and be a superstar can be really nurturing and healing um yeah rather than retriggering and kind of minding that well even deeper right
Jessica Meacock: Yeah, you just go and do your job have a have a good day's work and you've done your best you don't have to express
Viktoria Levenberg: And you realize that there's more to life exactly and and like you you can have moments of joy in life and you actually enjoy the time outside of work because you're not so miserable that you are trying to tune out and live in the virtual paradise of scrolling for three hours that was kind of the connection that I was hoping to make as well of um yeah how important we spend most of our waking days at work and so how important that can be to how we spend out our time outside of work can be as well.
Jessica Meacock: Yeah, that’s true. Having a bad day at my old job to just sit on the couch and have a bad day at home whereas even if I have like a bad day in my current job where I just had some a long day and some tough jobs I've had good people around me and um I can come home and be like Tomorrow's another day but I got to got to see my friends in the morning and now I'm gonna cook a nice dinner and chill out for the evening and…
Viktoria Levenberg: Yes it comes back to presence like all I'm hearing from you so so much is is that that awareness and the mindfulness of the present moment it's like okay well that was then this is now let me stay in my agency stay in my power of how can I make this day great because um I don't know if you can kind of um visualize this little graphic but if if we imagine our day and it's like it's just like a white line and then something bad happens and it's like this red dot right of like a trigger and you have now the ability to be like OK cool like the red dots there I'm gonna process all of that and then the day goes back to your white line of like coming back to neutral versus most people it's like the red dot and then like the day just becomes this red line because it's like you're thinking and then we get in our head so um my gosh I'm just so stoked for you um and yeah where you're at.
Jessica Meacock: Yeah, thank you I do I do wanna caveat. Everything that you said by saying that I'm not perfect because I don't want to be…
Viktoria Levenberg: Who is?
Jessica Meacock: Perfect and but yeah I absolutely have moments where I'm I'll have a meltdown or I'm yeah I eat something that's not so nourishing and I'm not too happy with the choice I've made and yeah I'll get upset about little things and I'll let it ruin my day and that's fine because the next day I'll be like oh that was a bit unnecessary and I'll move on but mm hmm just taking it day by day some days are a bit stinker than others and some days are better and that's life.
Viktoria Levenberg: That is life and thank you for naming that because you're not perfect I'm not perfect no one is perfect and the thing is like we glorify this joy and sunshine and rainbows but the thing is like the anger and frustration and annoyance and sadness also has a place it also serves a purpose and the more we can let ourselves embody the full spectrum of our human emotion and just honour what is like especially as women you know we have cycles we have hormones raging yeah there are gonna be days in your cycle where you wanna set the bloody place on fire.
Jessica Meacock: Yeah I get I get upset in my cycle I don't often get angry but I was like one little thing will go wrong like if I'm trying to make something and I'm in the middle of making it and I realize we're out of so and so I'm just like this is the worst thing that could happen to anyone this is horrific my day's ruined throw it all in the bin I don't want it anymore yeah and then my partner will be like I can go buy some like no it's too late everything's already in the bowl it's ruined this is my coming back yeah and now later I'm over it all sorry I acted like that
Viktoria Levenberg: Haha yeah but it's just natural.
Exactly exactly and that's natural as you say like um I think you went to the event the same event that I went to where um you know like Rochelle and Tayla spoke through the cycles um and and it's like that that luteal phase you know that's where like my goodness our hormones are just raging like we will be the most irritable and so knowing that as women gives us so much power and it's like takes away again the shame and the judgment of the emotion because it's one thing of having the emotion having the guilt having the whatever but it's another of like the self-flagellation that unfortunately many people and you and and I used to spiral down and kind of just let that ripple out into negative self-talking stories for days and weeks on end like there's no need as you say it's a new day take it day by day one step at a time
Jessica Meacock: Yeah and um it might be a value for me to say here but I've recently in the last couple months just come off hormonal birth control I was on the hormonal IUD and the change has been huge like I just I had I had no period for the year that I was on it um and I was I was fine I I had no pain obviously and I was like oh it's all good but I just felt not really myself but yet the last couple months and getting my period back and returning to my cycle I've just felt honestly more alive um and it's it baffles me how how little this is spoken about and how you know young woman at 14 they they have a bit of period pain and they're told to go on the pill and they're on the pill for a decade and that's just their life and I think it's so sad cause it's you know it's uninformed consent because they don't really understand what it's actually doing to them and I mean it absolutely has a place um but yeah the the lack of education around the fact that you can just have a natural form of birth control by tracking your cycle mm hmm perfectly not just following the apps but the the symptothermal method and stuff and um yeah it's I think it needs to be spoken about more especially cause I went to my doctor to get the IUD removed and she was very much like oh are you sure you wanna do this like
Viktoria Levenberg: Oh my God.
Jessica Meacock: It was there was quite a lot of judgment and pushback um she's like so how would you feel if you got pregnant and I was like well I don't really want to and she was like well what are you gonna be using are you just gonna be using condoms you know they're only a 70% success rate and I'm like yeah that's cause people don't use them properly but it was just like um I was like this is a this is a woman who's who's in the industry and even she that's what she's been told in her career and I just think it's so sad because it's there's just so little talk about it and it needs to be talked about.
Viktoria Levenberg: oh thank you so much for naming this because like everything you have just said is music to my ears first of all congratulations on taking the leap and coming off of hormonal birth control because I know a it's like got a lot of prejudice about it it can be really scary there's so much misinformation and lack of support for women to do that and yet as you say the symptothermal method works it is effective it is you know it is safe and you feel more alive like we're not meant to be suppressing our cycles because that's what a lot a lot of women don't understand is that when you're on hormonal birth control it's just a flat line and the period quote unquote that you might get it's a withdrawal bleed it's not an actual period versus now you're fully cycling yes you experience the full spectrum of emotions that come with the whole cycle but that's what it's supposed to be like and I'll make sure to link up um I actually got Tayla and Rochelle uh to come on the show as well and talk about this a little bit more so I'll make sure to link those episodes into the show notes of this one so that anyone who's like inspired by you sharing your story can nerd out on the science they
Jessica Meacock: Definitely should. They're both fantastic women and they have a lot of great information to share.
Viktoria Levenberg: yes and oh my God same hahaha um funny that cause we met through them which is a really sweet full circle moment um and also thank you for sharing the um experience that you had with the doctor because um there's actually gonna be an episode that airs the week just before this one where I share you know the fact that we unfortunately are conditioned to handing our power over away to people in lab coats and we need to start thinking for ourselves we need to take agency over our own bodies and our own wellbeing because I had the exact same experience that you did Jess I went to the GP and I said I don't wanna take the pill I don't want any hormonal contraception at the time I was having like all my skin issues and flare UPS which was inflammation what can I do and I didn't know about the symptothermal method at the time and the doctor says you can put in a copper IUD so what it does is it inflames your uterus I was like did you hear the part where I said I'm struggling with inflammation like yeah you are you and I don't like why wouldn't they educate us about it like they she wouldn't even tell me it's an option
Jessica Meacock: I had the copper IUD for two years they didn't tell me how it works they didn't tell me it inflames your uterus and I specifically I went in there and I was like I don't want hormonal contraception um this is my first time ever getting contraception and they were like well this is the only option then and I was like okay well we'll do that then won't we and that was it and then for two years I had like debilitating period pain I was like in agony to the point where I'd be having a conversation and I get a cramp and I I would freeze up I couldn't talk and like nearly like throwing up um and then I just reached a point where I'd convinced myself it had like embedded in my uterus wall cause it was just so horrific I went to go get it out after like two months of trying to get an appointment and then cancelling and all that back and forth and then I got there and she's like oh here it is and just pulls it out so it's just chilling in there and she's like oh um I just went in there to like get it out I like didn't even want something else I was like just get it gone and she was like oh you should try the hormonal one she convinced me that it was the best option um and she was really nice and it based on my situation at the time it was the best option for me um so I got that put in like straight away and then my period was gone so all that pain was gone and that was all that really mattered at the time cause mm hmm all that I just wanted the pain gone cause it was so bad um but yeah after a year of being on that I was just like why I don't want to anymore I just wanna be back to myself and yeah I think like my journey with it was pretty tame compared to what a lot of other women have been through with birth control cause I've never been on the pill which I'm I feel grateful for.
Viktoria Levenberg: 12 years my friend 12 years I was on it I can't believe it and as you say it was misinformed consent I was told nothing nothing it was it's shocking it is scary which is why I'm grateful that we get to have platforms like these don't get me wrong there is a time and a place for them and they serve a purpose but women need to be given all of the information so that they can make an informed decision not convinced to do something that might not necessarily be serving their best interest in the long run and I will also add on to that and and kind of close off with this that because I was on the pill for so long that manifested as a growth on my liver so yeah um it's I mean of it's benign so we're good but like as I was do going through a lot of testing for my skin flare up and stuff and you know you start looking and you start finding things and um I had an MRI scan on on my liver and and often they say like yeah birth hormonal birth control can cause these hemangiomas or whatever they're called and then I came off the the pill and been doing all my health stuff and I have to now every year get an MRI check-up because of this growth to see that it hasn't grown I'm gonna tell you something this year's MRI it shrunk
Jessica Meacock: Really?
Viktoria Levenberg: yeah, how's that for health and wellbeing like you literally being able to change your body
Jessica Meacock: That's fantastic
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah um so just thank you for for kind of going down that route because I think there's a lot of women and people who need to hear this and um I'm just so grateful for where you at are at in your life and you know how far you have come it's been you know such an honour and a privilege to witness your journey from when we first met and like I see you now and you are a radiant glowing healthy joyful woman like it has really been uh nothing short of miraculous and um if there was one thing that would resonate with our listeners for long after this episode ends what's the one thing that you would like to leave them with today.
Jessica Meacock: Um yeah I mean I think the main message from everything I've sort of said today would be um to forget everyone else find what your value is whether that's joy or community or adventure and or anything else and live your life in accordance to that and don't give a shit about anything except what matters to you and yeah
Viktoria Levenberg: that's it that's it put yourself first I mean by the way could I just say I didn't even prime you but like live your life as my slogan and I love that you said oh yeah hahaha
Jessica Meacock: How's that for Resonance?
Viktoria Levenberg: That is so resident I'm like yes because it is like live your life you are unique there is only one you in 13.8 billion years of the universe existing so obviously something that's worked for someone else might not necessarily be how it works for you thank you that is such a potent message um thank you for coming on thank you for sharing your story and um if people would want to reach out to you and learn more or ask would you be open for them to stalk you on Facebook or are you kind of like nah please don't.
Jessica Meacock: No that's fine yeah you can find me on Facebook I'm out there it's just my my name I'm the only one
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm hmm yeah amazing and um yeah thank you I think you and your story will definitely inspire quite a lot of listeners out there and uh you've definitely inspired me and and given me you know a lot of gratitude for the power of this work and you are set up for life as you say it's just day by day finding the joy sticking true to your values not giving a shit about what anyone else is doing
Jessica Meacock: Yep, that's the key.
Viktoria Levenberg: I am so lit up after this episode this has been so special for me to witness a dear dear client you know after such a long time of completing our work together to really see that the promise is here she is thriving and if there's anything that resonated with you I really hope that you heard that one thing that Jess had to share with like find what works for you live your life and stop caring about what anyone else is doing out there or trying to sell you or to portray because the thing is like most of what you're seeing on social media etc like it's fake it's not always sunshine and rainbows like I talk about this on this podcast and in this space right like life is cyclical we have the UPS and downs the sunshine is just as important as the rain but what you've got to find is your way to know that even in the tough times even in the troughs even in the difficult periods they are just part of the present that you get to navigate and move through and there is another day there is more joy and you deserve to feel joy no matter what is going on in your life so my invitation to you would be off the back of what Jess said around how important it is to get clear on what's important to you what your values are and what drives you get clear on your why have a proper sit down and journal out on on your values what's important to you what really matters to you like what makes you get out of bed in the morning and I'm not talking the alarm or the fact that the dog needs to go toilet no what is it that gives you drive and energy and that like if everything else were to go away what were the things that you would want with you on a castaway island in an apocalypse whatever else it is from that space once you're clear on your why and your values you can with that awareness start to look at your life and begin to compare how much of your time energy effort are you spending here in alignment with your values and your why versus against it or like somewhere completely off from that space you can course correct so again I share these invitations here for my lone warriors who feel called to walk the solo path however this work is much easier done with someone who can walk alongside you to support you who kind of has the tools and the education and the wisdom to move you through the human behaviour change process so if that is something that you feel curious to explore I do offer complimentary stress reset sessions I'll share a little bit more on that in just a moment but in the meantime if you just want to start with this have a little think sit down with yourself your why and your values and take it from there and hey if Jess has inspired you to be like actually you know what I also have a story to share send me an email DM me like this is what residence is about yes of course I will share great insights with you and I'll bring on expert guests but I also wanna make sure we keep bringing on everyday humans just like you and I who are going through life whether you're in the eye of the Hurricane or you are kind of thriving and living your best life because you have a story to share and your story matters so if that has ignited your curiosity I'm here for you I hope you have a fabulous fabulous rest of your week I hope you celebrate the entrance into the New Year with Grace and joy um I mean look I'm not gonna lie I'm like gonna struggle to stay up because I barely ever stay up till midnight so I'll be happy if I see the New Year with eyes open although I'd prefer to be asleep but anyways I hope you have a fabulous fabulous Celebration and I will see you for the first episode of 2026 next week sending so much love bye for now. Vik.
Viktoria Levenberg: I get asked by busy women moms entrepreneurs and high achieving professional boss ladies all the time how is it that I navigate all of these things and stressors that I have going on in my life and I'm gonna let you in on a little secret it's not doing less no it's not even just the meditation or the yoga it's none of that it is the fact that I have mastered how to work with my nervous system and my body not against it and so I would love to invite you to the Stress Reset it is my signature virtual retreat in which we unpack my stress detox framework so that you can finally thrive you can be the magnetic radiant woman that you know is deep down inside rather than that bratty really Moody person who you don't even recognize that's losing her ish at her friends and family cause I know that it is tough I know you've got a lot going on the stress reset is your first step towards change join the priority waitlist today the link is in the show notes I would love to see you there.
Viktoria Levenberg: The views and opinions expressed by guests on Resonance are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of me, Viktoria Levenberg, LVN Health, or anyone working within the LVN Health brand. This space welcomes a diversity of ideas, experiences and stories, and part of Resonance is learning to take what aligns and gently leaving the rest.
Also, while I am a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach and deeply passionate about well-being, this podcast is intended for educational and inspirational purposes only. Resonance does not substitute personalised medical, psychological or therapeutic advice. Always seek guidance from qualified professionals for any physical, emotional or mental health concerns.
