Crappy to Happy

If you've ever wondered whether your sleep tracker is actually accurate, or whether meditation is doing anything measurable in your brain, this episode is for you.  Ariel Garten is the co-founder of Muse, the brain-sensing headband, and she's back on the show with a significant update on how the technology has evolved. The Muse Athena contains an entirely new technology called fNIRS that tracks real-time blood flow and oxygen delivery to your prefrontal cortex.

We get into why wrist-based devices like Oura and Apple Watch can only ever estimate your sleep stages - because they're guessing from heart rate and movement, not brainwave data, whereas the Muse measures deep sleep at 94% accuracy compared to a clinical sleep lab. It's Deep Sleep Boost feature uses barely-audible pink noise pulses to increase the amount of time you spend in deep, restorative slow-wave sleep. We also go into ADHD territory. Both Ariel and I are diagnosed, and we talk about what neurofeedback and meditation training can do for focus, executive function, and the near-constant urge to abandon tasks halfway through.

What you'll learn
Why wrist-based sleep trackers can't accurately measure deep sleep, and how EEG-based tracking changes the picture
What deep sleep actually does for your brain and body - and why it matters for memory, cognitive function, and reducing the risk of Alzheimer's
How the Deep Sleep Boost feature uses tiny pink noise pulses synced to your delta waves to deepen your sleep (and why your bed partner won't even hear it)
What your alpha peak frequency is, why it tends to decline with age, and how you can track and potentially maintain it through neurofeedback
What fNIRS technology is and why training your prefrontal cortex to demand more oxygen could be important for long-term brain health
How Muse's neurofeedback and meditation tools can support focus, attention, and executive function - and what this means if you have ADHD
The full range of content in the Muse app, including over 500 guided sessions covering sleep, stress, relationships, focus, and more
How the app's AI assistant, ENSO, can help you interpret your data, track trends over time, and find the right tools for your goals
Resources mentioned

Muse headband:
www.choosemuse.com/
(enter code cassdunn at checkout for 15% off)

Previous episode with Ariel Garten (2019) 
https://www.crappytohappypod.com/wearable-technology-for-your-brain-with-ariel-garten/

Beyond Confident 2.0 for Solopreneurs & Service Providers 
Open for enrolment NOW.

Transform self-doubt & self-sabotage, rewire your nervous system for success, and do the inner healing work, while being supported to create a streamlined, profitable business that supports your lifestyle.

Save $1000 with Founding Member Pricing.
www.cassdunn.com/bc2

Connect with Cass:
www.cassdunn.com
www.instagram.com/cassdunn_xo

Contact Crappy to Happy:

Email: [email protected]
www.crappytohappypod.com
www.instagram.com/crappytohappypod

Working title was “How to Deal with Arseholes” but I thought Apple might ban me. 

After being evicted from our rental in the UK, I had to sell our house in Australia from the other side of the world. I did not expect the amount of conflict and tension I would have to manage (uncooperative tenants, RE agents not communicating and a selling agent in London applying pressure to meet an impossible deadline).

Let’s just say I was not always my best self. 😐  I reacted emotionally, sent emails I shouldn’t have, and felt like I couldn’t trust anybody.

Somewhere in the middle of it, while I was walking my dogs, where most of my better thinking happens, I realised there are useful lessons here, and they’ll be worth sharing once I’m through to the other side.

Well, I’m through to the other side! The house is sold. And I’m sharing five things that helped me navigate a high-conflict period without losing my mind or my values in the process. These are my go-to strategies for dealing with difficult people, managing your own emotional reactivity, and staying true to who you want to be, even when other people are being complete dicks.

What you’ll learn in this episode:
The one question to ask yourself first when you’re angry at someone else
How everyone -including the most difficult person in your life right now - is just trying to get their own needs met (and how understanding this can shift the whole dynamic)
Why email and text are the worst ways to communicate when there’s tension
How to hold your ground assertively and firmly without compromising your values and adding fuel to the fire
The woo woo things I do when I feel powerless and why it’s so helpful even if you don’t think it works

Beyond Confident 2.0 for Solopreneurs & Service Providers 
Open for enrolment NOW.

Transform self-doubt & self-sabotage, rewire your nervous system for success, and do the inner healing work, while being supported to create a streamlined, profitable business that supports your lifestyle.

Save $1000 with Founding Member Pricing.
www.cassdunn.com/bc2

Connect with Cass:
www.cassdunn.com
www.instagram.com/cassdunn_xo

Contact Crappy to Happy:

Email: [email protected]
www.crappytohappypod.com
www.instagram.com/crappytohappypod

If sex has slowly disappeared from your life - or started to feel like something you dread rather than look forward to - and you're not sure whether to blame your hormones, your relationship, your exhaustion, or just yourself, this episode is going to help.

My guest is Dr Maria Sophocles, a board-certified OB/GYN and Menopause Society Certified Practitioner who has spent 30 years working with women on the clinical frontline of this exact problem. She's the author of the brand new book The Bedroom Gap, and the creator of a TED Talk on midlife sex that has now been watched over a million times.

Maria coined the term "the bedroom gap" to describe the very real and very unspoken difference in sexual expectations and abilities between men and women in midlife. It's not just about low libido, but the physical changes happening in your body that nobody explains to you, the cultural messaging that tells women their discomfort doesn't matter, a medical system that created Viagra in 1998 but left women largely without equivalent solutions, and the shame that keeps so many of us from even raising the subject with our doctors.

In this conversation, Maria breaks down the physiology of what oestrogen loss actually does to your vagina, your bladder, and your capacity for arousal . We talk about vaginal oestrogen, why it's safe for virtually every woman on the planet, and why so many women never get offered it; and what to say to your doctor when sexual symptoms aren't being addressed.

In this episode, you'll learn:
What "the bedroom gap" actually is and why it tends to widen so dramatically during perimenopause and menopause
What oestrogen loss is really doing to your body - and why pain and dryness during sex are physiological, not a personal failing
Why vaginal oestrogen is considered safe for virtually every woman but is still widely under-prescribed
Why your HRT patch or gel alone is often not enough for sexual and bladder symptoms, and what to ask for instead
How Viagra, despite being a genuine breakthrough for some couples, also made the bedroom gap worse for a great many women
What the new FDA approval for female sexual desire actually means - and why it matters that it took this long
The real story on testosterone for women, why it's approved in Australia but not the US or UK, and what it can do
How porn has become the default sex educator for an entire generation,  and the resources Maria actually recommends instead
What to say when you want to start a conversation about sex with a long-term partner, a doctor, or your adult daughter
Resources mentioned:
The Bedroom Gap by Dr Maria Sophocles - mariasophoclesmd.com/book/
Dr Maria Sophocles' TED Talk: "What happens to sex in midlife? A look at the bedroom gap" - ted.com/speakers/maria_sophocles
OMGYES (sex education resource) - omgyes.com
Erica Lust TED Talk on female-forward adult content - search "Erica Lust TED Athens"
Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski
Dr Maria Sophocles on Instagram: @MariaSophoclesMD
Dr Maria Sophocles on LinkedIn

Beyond Confident 2.0 for Solopreneurs & Service Providers 
Open for enrolment NOW.

Transform self-doubt & self-sabotage, rewire your nervous system for success, and do the inner healing work, while being supported to create a streamlined, profitable business that supports your lifestyle.

Save $1000 with Founding Member Pricing.
www.cassdunn.com/bc2

Connect with Cass:
www.cassdunn.com
www.instagram.com/cassdunn_xo

Contact Crappy to Happy:

Email: [email protected]
www.crappytohappypod.com
www.instagram.com/crappytohappypod

We got evicted. The subsequent upheaval has revealed a lot to me about how my own nervous system patterns show up, especially when things feel uncertain or out of control. While my situation is personal, this experience is universal so in this ep, I'm sharing why our default stress response is often to push through, people please, overwork, or avoid decisions, even if we destroy ourselves in the process.

Many of the behaviours we criticise ourselves for are actually safety strategies that we learned early to protect us when we feel emotionally unsafe. I break down the different nervous system stress responses and explain how they show up in everyday life, work, and relationships.

Most importantly, I share why self awareness alone isn’t enough to create change, and why working with your nervous system, rather than against it, is essential if you want to feel calmer, more grounded, and more in control of your choices. What you’ll learn:
How your nervous system prioritises safety over logic and long term goals
The four main stress responses and how they show up in daily life
Why pushing through discomfort often keeps you stuck
How people pleasing, overworking, avoidance, and perfectionism develop
Why insight doesn’t automatically translate into behaviour change
What it actually takes to make decisions from a calmer, more regulated place
If you’ve ever wondered why you keep repeating patterns you’re very aware of, this episode will help you understand what’s really driving them, and where to begin if you want something to change.

Beyond Confident 2.0 for Solopreneurs & Service Providers 
Open for enrolment NOW.

Transform self-doubt & self-sabotage, rewire your nervous system for success, and do the inner healing work, while being supported to create a streamlined, profitable business that supports your lifestyle.

Save $1000 with Founding Member Pricing.
www.cassdunn.com/bc2

Connect with Cass:
www.cassdunn.com
www.instagram.com/cassdunn_xo

Contact Crappy to Happy:

Email: [email protected]
www.crappytohappypod.com
www.instagram.com/crappytohappypod

Tiff Hall has been part of Crappy to Happy since the very beginning, and she's a woman who knows reinvention better than most. She spent a decade building a powerful, values-driven fitness brand, showing up through pregnancies, injuries, illness, body changes and enormous personal pressure. And then she made a decision that surprised many people, selling TXO to 28 by Sam Wood and stepping out of her CEO role.

This is an honest conversation about identity, grief, relief, and the courage it takes to choose a new chapter even when the old one has been successful. We talk about the emotional impact of walking away from something you've poured your heart into, the backlash and disappointment from a community you genuinely love, and what happens when your capacity, your body, and your priorities shift.

Tiff shares how motherhood changed her, why stepping back is not giving up, and how returning to her roots as a trainer has reconnected her to what she loves most. We also talk about comparison, social media pressure, running an online business as a woman, and what it means to grow in a way that is sustainable rather than impressive.

What you’ll learn:
What really goes on emotionally when you sell a business you built yourself
Why stepping back can feel like grief and freedom at the same time
How motherhood, injury, and illness reshaped Tiff’s relationship with fitness
The hidden pressure of running a values-led business in a highly visible industry
Why being too accessible and too generous can clash with business sustainability
How comparison and social media exposure affect mental health
Why choosing less can sometimes give you more
If you’re in a season of questioning, scaling back, or reimagining what success looks like for you, you'll want to listen to this one.

Train with Tiff on 28 by Sam Wood
https://28bysamwood.com/

Follow Tiff on IG
www.instagram.com/tiffhall_xo

Beyond Confident 2.0 for Solopreneurs & Service Providers 
Open for enrolment NOW.

Transform self-doubt & self-sabotage, rewire your nervous system for success, and do the inner healing work, while being supported to create a streamlined, profitable business that supports your lifestyle.

Save $1000 with Founding Member Pricing.
www.cassdunn.com/bc2

Connect with Cass:
www.cassdunn.com
www.instagram.com/cassdunn_xo

Contact Crappy to Happy:

Email: [email protected]
www.crappytohappypod.com
www.instagram.com/crappytohappypod