The Anxiety Compass Podcast
Welcome to The Anxiety Compass Podcast, where we help you navigate the messy, magical, and maddening world of anxiety. We believe anxiety isn’t a defect but a teacher — a compass pointing you back to your True North.
Hosted by Clinical Nutritionists Sammy Barnett (author of Anxiety: The Best Teacher You Never Asked For) and Natalie Antoine, this show goes beyond quick fixes to explore the real roots of anxiety. Each week we explore a different point of the compass:
🌿 Chemical & Nutritional
💬 Emotional
⚡ Nervous System
🌀 Hormonal
🌍 Environmental
💪 Physical
✨ Spiritual
Through personal stories, humour, and practical tools, we show how anxiety is not a problem to “fix” but an invitation to slow down, listen, and reconnect with yourself. If you’re ready to see anxiety in a new light, learn real-life strategies, and feel less alone in the messy middle, this podcast is for you.
Episodes
53 episodes
Why Does Everyone Move So SLOW?! Are You Living on the Anxiety Express?
Do you ever feel like everyone around you is moving WAY too slowly?You think fast. You move fast. You make decisions fast. And when somebody else can't keep up… the frustration kicks in. In this episode of The Anxiety Com...
If Anxiety Was an Olympic Sport… Would You Win Gold?
If anxiety was an Olympic sport… what event would YOU win gold in?With the Brisbane Olympics heading our way in 2032, Sammy and Nat have decided it's probably time to start training.Not for swimming. Not for athletics.<...
Could Low Iron Be Fueling Anxiety? | The Symptoms That Feel Like Panic
Heart pounding. Breathless. Dizzy. Exhausted. Brain foggy. Overwhelmed.Sounds a lot like anxiety, right?But what if some of those sensations are actually coming from something happening inside your body?In this episo...
What If Anxiety Is Your Superpower? | 10 Strengths You Never Knew It Gave You
🎉 It's our 50th episode!And for this one, we wanted to look at anxiety a little differently.We spend so much time talking about everything anxiety takes from us, the overthinking, racing heart, sleepless nights, fear, overw...
Could Your Gut Microbes Be Influencing Anxiety? | The Truth About Probiotics with Rebecca Edwards
Can the bacteria living in your gut influence how anxious you feel?Most of us think of probiotics as something to take after a course of antibiotics or when our digestion is out of balance. But emerging research is revealing somet...
Could Histamine Be Fueling Anxiety? | The Symptoms Nobody Talks About
Have you ever experienced anxiety symptoms that seem to come out of nowhere? Racing heart, flushing, brain fog, trouble sleeping, or feeling constantly on edge... even when life feels relatively calm?What if, for some people, thos...
Too Many Apps, Too Many Updates | The Anxiety of Modern Technology
Does it ever feel like the world is moving faster than your brain can keep up?Another app. Another software update. Another password. Another AI tool. Another notification. Just when you've figured one thing out, something new arr...
The Headline Effect: How Sensationalist Media Hijacks Your Nervous System
Have you ever picked up your phone to check the weather… only to find yourself 20 minutes later feeling overwhelmed by war, natural disasters, crime, politics and breaking news from around the world?If so, you're not alone, and it...
10 Things That Calm Your Nervous System (That Cost Absolutely Nothing)
Do you ever feel like improving your mental health means buying another supplement, downloading another app, or trying another wellness trend?In this lighter and more personal episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat...
Could Anxiety Be Dehydration? | Is Your Nervous System Actually Just Thirsty?
What if some of the symptoms you blame on anxiety are actually your body asking for water?In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat explore the often-overlooked connection between dehydration, the nervous system, and a...
The Anxiety Behind Speaking Up In Relationships | With Jayden Leigh
GUEST EPISODE Why is it so hard to speak up, set boundaries, ask for what we need, or have difficult conversations in our relationships?In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat are joined by, Jayden Leigh Harg...
What If People Think You're Stupid? | The Hidden Anxiety Behind Being Wrong
Do you hate being wrong?Not because you need to win every argument...But because somewhere deep down, being wrong feels unsafe.In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat explore the hidden anxiety...
Could Anxiety Be a Vitamin D Deficiency? | The Winter Blues Connection
What if anxiety isn't just coming from your thoughts?In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat shine a light on one of the most overlooked pieces of the anxiety puzzle: Vitamin D.As the weather cools do...
Is Your House Secretly Making You Anxious? | The Clutter & Anxiety Connection
Is your house making you anxious... or is anxiety creating the clutter?In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat explore the surprisingly powerful relationship between physical clutter, mental load, and the ne...
Words Are Spells: How Language Can Shape Anxiety
What if the words you repeat every day are shaping your nervous system more than you realise?In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat explore the powerful connection between language, anxiety, the nervous system, an...
To the Woman Who Never Stops: Burnout, Cortisol & Anxiety
In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat dive into the growing epidemic of burnout, high-functioning anxiety, and the pressure many women feel to constantly keep pushing through life.From perfectionism to 3am wakeup...
The Real Reason You Can’t Stop Saying Sorry
Do you apologise for asking questions?For being emotional?For replying late?For needing help?For simply existing?In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat unpack the hidden message behind over-apologi...
Why Anxiety Makes You Hide Yourself (And Why It's Important to Be Seen)
Have you ever avoided a photo… then years later wished you were in it?In this episode Sammy and Nat continue the conversation around body image, but this time through a personal lens.Because body image isn’t always about weight or...
You Don’t Hate Your Body… You’re Trying to Feel Safe (with ELLEN TUZI)
What if body image isn’t actually about how you look… at all?In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat are joined by Ellen Tuzi, Certified Body Image & Intuitive Eating Counsellor to explore the deeper con...
'Gut Healing' Foods Made Me More Anxious (No One Talks About This)
You’re eating well. You’re doing the “right” things. So why do you still feel anxious… or even worse?In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat unpack a lesser-known piece of the anxiety puzzle...how your...
Forest Bathing: Birds, Bee Butts & Why Nature Calms You Down
Why do you feel instantly better after being outside… even when nothing in your life has changed?In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Natalie explore the power of forest bathing and why it’s so much mo...
Stop Calling It My Anxiety (Here’s Why)
Somewhere along the way, many of us were given a label.Anxiety. Panic disorder. Overthinker.And while that label can bring relief and understanding… it can also quietly become part of our identity.In this episode of The...
The Vagus Nerve: Your Built-In Reset Button
Ever tried to think your way out of anxiety… and it just doesn’t work?That’s because anxiety isn’t just in your mind. It’s in your body.In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat explore the role of the V...
You’re Not Bad at Listening to Your Body… You’ve Been Pulled Away From It
Your Anxiety Compass isn’t broken.But it might be being influenced more than you realise.In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat unpack how our modern environment, from ultra-processed foods to constant stim...