The Healthy Shift Worker

13/10/2026

For those of you on LinkedIn - the second edition of Shift Work Insights is here! 🎉

It’s for the people working the roster - and those responsible for supporting them.

With October marking National Safe Work Month, this edition explores practical ways to make working around the clock a little easier, from preparing new employees for shift work to coffee timing and recovery between shifts.

Have a read here 👇

Welcome to Shift Work Insights. October is National Safe Work Month - a timely opportunity to look beyond policies and procedures and consider how well we support the person working the roster.

12/09/2026

The goal isn’t simply to be fit for work. It’s to be fit for the life waiting outside it.

Looking after ourselves while working shifts isn’t just about staying alert, productive or fit for duty.

It’s about being fit for life outside of work, too.

For me, that means having the energy and physical ability to go hiking - one of my absolute favourite things to do. 🥾🌿

Because our days off should be more than recovery days spent sleeping, catching up on chores and trying to feel human again.

They should be days when we have enough energy left to enjoy the people, places and activities that make life worthwhile.

What do you want your health to allow you to keep doing?

10/09/2026

I’m excited to officially launch the first edition of Shift Work Insights on Linkedin! 🎉

A newsletter exploring the human side of 24/7 work, for both the people working the roster and those responsible for supporting them.

https://lnkd.in/p/gatbmzBv

08/09/2026

A bus driver needs two sets of keys.

One to operate the bus.
And another to help them become Shift Work Ready™.

It was a privilege to present to the Bus Industry Confederation - BIC on how we can better prepare drivers for the realities of the roster - from sleep and alertness to nutrition and recovery.

Because teaching someone how to drive a bus is only half the preparation.

We need to prepare the driver for the roster, too.

At the end of the day, shift work is a skill. And a skill that needs to be taught.

As I'm sure you would agree 😊.

27/08/2026

**Handing in my Qantas uniform was hard… really hard.**

After accepting a voluntary redundancy I was genuinely excited about what lay ahead. But after more than 20 years in aviation, handing back that uniform was still an emotional moment.

It represented the ridiculously early starts, the night shifts, the airport buzz, lifelong friendships - and the laughs shared when everyone was exhausted but somehow kept going.

To this day, I still miss my workmates and that wonderful sense of camaraderie.

The ridiculously early starts? Not quite as much! 😂

But leaving Qantas also gave me the opportunity to explore something I had become incredibly curious about:

**How can we make working shifts feel better?**

Because I knew what it was like to feel exhausted but unable to sleep.

To eat whenever a break finally appeared.

To rely on caffeine to keep going - and then struggle to switch off.

And to want to make healthier choices when your body and your roster didn’t always seem to agree.

That curiosity led me to study Nutritional Medicine and, eventually, circadian biology.

And it helped me understand something that can make a real difference when you work shifts:

It isn’t only about **what** you do.
It’s also about **when** you do it.

When you sleep.
When you eat.
When you have caffeine.
When you see light.

You may not be able to control your roster, but understanding your body clock can help you work with your biology wherever possible - and feel more confident making choices around your shifts.

Looking back, handing in my uniform wasn’t the end of my shift-work story.

It was the beginning of a new chapter - and a new way for me to support the community I will always feel part of.

So I may no longer be on the roster, but I’m still here for the people who are.

Audra x

P.S: If you work shifts, what do you wish someone had taught you on Day One?

17/08/2026

Starting shift work involves learning the job—and learning how to work a completely new kind of schedule.

Early starts, night shifts and changing rosters can take some getting used to, but the right preparation can make that transition so much easier.

If you think this kind of support could benefit your workplace, save this video or share it with someone who helps shape your training and wellbeing programs.

It could spark a really positive conversation about helping new starters feel supported and prepared from day one. 💛

Audra x

10/08/2026

If you're a shift worker, there's a good chance you've been taught **how to do your job at 3am.**

But have you ever been taught how to work when your body thinks it should be asleep?

You probably know the safety procedures.

The fatigue policy.

The WHS requirements.

What to do when something goes wrong.

But what about understanding **what's actually happening inside your body** during those night shifts?

Things like:

✓ Why you're suddenly starving at 2am.
✓ Why that 3am coffee can still be affecting your sleep at 8am.
✓ Why you can feel exhausted but still struggle to switch off after work.
✓ Why what you do in the first hour after your shift can make a difference to your sleep.

And perhaps most importantly:

**What you can actually do about it.**

Because shift work isn't just about changing the hours you work.

You're asking your body to be awake, alert and functioning when its biology is telling it to sleep.

Once you understand what's happening, you can start working **with your biology instead of constantly fighting against it.**

You don't need to become a circadian biology expert.

You just need to know **what your body is doing — and what you can do to support it.**

Because working shifts is a skill.

And nobody should have to figure it all out the hard way.

Audra x

P.S: Is this something that you'd like to see rolled out in your workplace?

** **

29/07/2026

"Your Hormones Work Shifts Too!!"

Whilst it may often feel like it, your body is not broken...

It's just trying to work a different shift to the one you're on.

When we think about shift work, we usually think about the roster:

🌙 Night shifts
🌅 Early starts
🔄 Rotating rosters
⏰ Long hours

But there's another shift happening that most people never talk about.

That your hormones work shifts too.

The difference is...

**For the most part, they don't rotate.**

In other words, your body has its own internal roster — and many of your hormones follow a predictable schedule.

☀️ **Cortisol** helps you wake up, feel alert and mobilise energy for the day ahead.

🍽️ **Insulin** is better equipped to process fuel earlier in your day when your body is naturally more prepared to handle food.

🌙 **Melatonin** signals that it's time to wind down, switch into recovery mode and prepare for sleep.

🛠️ **Growth hormone** helps with overnight repair and recovery while you're sleeping.

The challenge for many shift workers is that your work roster often asks these hormones to clock on at the wrong time.

Eating when your body is preparing for rest.

Using caffeine when your body is trying to transition.

Sleeping when your brain is receiving signals that it should be awake.

It's like asking an airport to run 24/7 without adjusting the systems that keep everything running smoothly.

So whilst it may often feel like your body is working against you...

It's not.

You just need to understand how your biology works, so you can start working *with* it.

Because once you understand your body clock, you can make decisions that better support your energy, recovery and health.

Audra x

💡 Want to learn more about your body's hidden shift roster?

Join **Shift Work Skool** and watch my latest video:

**"Your Hormones Work Shifts Too!"**

https://www.skool.com/shiftworkskool

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14/07/2026

🚨 **What if eating during night shift isn't actually helping you stay awake?**

It's one of the most common pieces of advice shift workers receive:

*"If you're tired, eat something to keep your energy up."*

But what if that advice is based on tradition rather than biology?

In my latest **Fix Your Shift** episode, I explore why your body responds differently to food during the biological night, what the latest research tells us, and why eating a large meal at 2am may not be the best strategy for staying alert.

🎥 Watch the episode here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_91-E60ZG7g

Audra x

🔄 Know someone who works nights? They might find this interesting too so feel free to share!

Join Shift Work Skool - https://www.skool.com/shiftworkskoolThis ...

04/07/2026

Most shift workers think they’re “bad at sleeping.”

But that’s not the real issue.

Shift work keeps your nervous system switched “on” — even when your body is exhausted.

So you lie down tired… but you don’t fully switch off.
That’s why sleep feels light, broken, or unrefreshing.

The real challenge isn’t just a disrupted circadian rhythm.

It’s what happens *on top of that*: your nervous system gets stuck in a state of being unable to fully power down or fully recover.

This is why so many shift workers feel tired… but wired at the wrong times.

Next week inside my Skool community, I’m hosting a live interview with Dr Somya Ramrakhyani from the Art of Living Foundation titled:

**Rest Smarter: Nervous System Tools for Shift Workers**

This isn’t about sleep hygiene.

It’s about learning how to actively shift your body out of “on mode” so sleep actually becomes easier again.

We’ll cover:

- Why daytime sleep feels harder than it should
- The real reason behind shift work fatigue
- Breathwork practices timed to shift transitions
- A direct experience of nervous system regulation through breathwork and meditation

📅 Wednesday, 2pm (Sydney time)
📍 Live inside the Skool community only

👉 Comment **SKOOL** below and I’ll send you the link to join.

Audra x

P.S. If you’re working that day, you can catch the replay inside Skool — but it won’t be available publicly.