Show Notes
The stage is gone, but the part of us that belonged there never really left. 🎭
This week is a mix of genuine relief and absolute emotional carnage. Dena’s back procedure may have finally worked (thank GOD 😭), Alicia is surviving a very intense toddler phase, and one innocent trip to the park ends with magical unicorn ponies, an hour-long meltdown and Bluey being called in as emergency support.
Underneath the chaos, we talk about something much bigger: what happens when the thing that shaped your identity is no longer part of your life. There is grief, jealousy, yearning and a lot of love for the girls we used to be… because honestly, sometimes you don’t miss the job, you miss who you were when you were doing it.
Plus, the very important discovery that neither of us was ever built for running 💀
0:57 — Finally getting relief from chronic back pain
4:37 — Self-care, fake tan disasters and trying to feel human again
11:16 — Time-poor mums, marathon friends and why dancers cannot run
15:06 — Dance Academy memories and pushing past physical limits
16:08 — Grieving the performer identity and the life that never happened
20:51 — Unicorn ponies, a public meltdown and the Bluey emergency
24:11 — Toddler boundary battles and living in survival mode
28:17 — The public bathroom meltdown that broke Alicia
31:42 — Overwhelm, nervous-system freeze and why replying feels impossible
33:47 — Acting doubts, rejection and being better at supporting each other
37:48 — Recs, beauty swaps and the future Life Academy tour
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Recs/Homework:
LOOPS face masks — A mask that leaves the skin feeling hydrated, plump and extremely looked after.
Brown mascara and eyeliner — A softer alternative to black for a more flattering everyday eye look.
The Loving Tan 10 Min Express Self-Tanning Body Mask — A quick cream-style tan with no strong smell and minimal waiting around. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from Life Academy
Dena’s away, so Alicia’s long-term Disney friend Nicole Gulasekharam is stepping in—and her audition stories deserve their own headlines 😂🎬
We’re talking girl code, dating your bestie’s ex, toddler meltdowns and the parenting win Dena has waited nearly four years for. Plus, we’re handing ourselves a weekly report card—and introducing Big Sister Pen Pal with a listener dilemma that brings out some very personal confessions.
We start with a heartfelt conversation about raising daughters in a world that still asks girls to protect themselves.
Have we left it too late for another baby? dAlings, this one gets personal 🩵 Between Bali belly before Bali and birthday chaos, we’re talking about trying for another baby—and the feelings we don’t always want to admit.
Nothing says Life Lately like a full-blown Bali transformation, a birthday spent sick in bed and Alicia entering mama-bear mode at kindy 💀