A Healthy Shift | The Shift Work Podcast
It doesn't have to be this way.
Welcome to A Healthy Shift | The Shift Work Podcast, the podcast helping shift workers thrive while changing how organisations think about people working in 24/7 environments.
Hosted by Roger Sutherland, Australia's Night Shift & Sleep Specialist, this is where evidence meets lived experience.
After more than 40 years of working rotating shifts with Victoria Police, followed by years studying nutrition, circadian biology, chrononutrition, sleep, human performance and women's health, Roger is on a mission to challenge the belief that fatigue, poor sleep, burnout and declining health are simply part of working shifts.
Because they don't have to be.
Whether you're a nurse, paramedic, police officer, firefighter, doctor, aged care worker, manufacturing employee, FIFO worker, miner, pilot, flight attendant, truck driver, dispatcher, or anyone working outside the traditional 9-to-5, this podcast will give you practical, evidence-based strategies to help you sleep better, improve your energy, optimise your health and perform at your best.
If you're a leader, manager, People & Culture professional, WHS specialist, or responsible for leading a 24/7 workforce, you'll discover a different way of thinking about shift work—one that focuses on building shift work capability from within through education, leadership and practical systems that create healthier people, stronger teams and higher-performing organisations.
Each episode explores topics including:
• Shift work
• Night shift
• Sleep after night shift
• Circadian rhythm
• Fatigue management
• Shift worker health
• Nutrition for shift workers
• Chrononutrition
• Recovery and resilience
• Women's health and shift work
• Leadership in 24/7 organisations
• Human performance
• Workplace wellbeing
• Fatigue risk management
• Building healthier, safer and higher-performing workplaces
This isn't another podcast offering generic health tips.
It's a podcast about changing the future of shift work.
Because healthier people create stronger teams.
Stronger teams build better organisations.
And it all starts by understanding how to work with biology, not against it.
It doesn't have to be this way.
Episodes
423 episodes
[351] - Your host on Radio 3AW - Talk Back Radio 02-03-2026
An edited version of my segment on 3AW Melbourne, Australia Overnight.Talking shift work and anything else that comes up along the way.We push past fear talk and culture wars to focus on what steals our best selves: chronic sleep ...
[350] - You Can Miss The Job And Still Be Right To Leave
In this episode I explore the bittersweet reality of leaving policing and other frontline roles, sharing lived experience and practical ways to reclaim health, identity and purpose. You can honour what the job gave you, let go of what harmed yo...
[349] - You Don’t Have a Sleep Problem You Have a Shutdown Problem
We unpack why most shift workers don’t have a sleep problem, they have a shutdown problem, and how a four‑minute S.L.E.E.P. routine creates a reliable off‑ramp from adrenaline to deep, restorative rest. We keep it simple, practical and repeatab...
[348] - Guest Appearance on 3AW Melbourne "Nights" with Karalee Katsambanis - 20-02-2026
We share a simple way to fix chaotic sleep in a 24/7 life, led by coach and former police veteran Roger Sutherland. Hot showers, light exposure, breathwork, and better meal timing help shift workers sleep deeper, recover faster, and feel human ...
[347] - Six Books That Changed How I Think About Health, Sleep and Shift Work
I share six essential books that help shift workers cut through diet myths, understand circadian biology, tame artificial light, refine sleep timing, and navigate hormones in midlife. The core message is rhythm: align light, food, sleep, and ho...
[346] - Your host on Radio 3AW - NEW TIME - Talk Back Radio 16-02-2026
An edited version of my segment on 3AW Melbourne, Australia Overnight.Talking shift work and anything else that comes up along the way.We move from public trust and “cashies” to why organisations say there’s “no money” for staff w...
[345] - Why Your Pre-Workout Is A Waste of Money
We break down why most pre-workout powders are expensive caffeine with underdosed extras, then lay out a simple, research-backed routine that suits shift work and real recovery. We explain energy balance, protein timing, caffeine dosing and sle...
[344] - The Danger of Accepting a New Normal
We shine a light on the quiet creep of dysfunction in shift work and how easily poor sleep, stress, and compassion fatigue become the “new normal.” We share lived experience, biological facts, and simple steps to set boundaries, protect sleep, ...
[343] - When Symbols Matter More Than Your People
I examine how performative activism, DEI optics, and the exclusion of police from community spaces erode trust while frontline workers carry the load. The focus turns to funding basics that actually help shift workers: staffing, fatigue managem...
[342] - Part 3 - When Discipline Replaces Leadership
We confront how discipline gets misused as a management shortcut across police, nursing, paramedicine and the military, and why that destroys trust on the floor. Roger shares personal experiences from four decades on shift to map the pattern an...
[341] - Your host on Radio 3AW - NEW TIME - Talk Back Radio 2-02-2026
We dig into how breath shapes stress and sleep, why weekend late nights wreck Monday, and how to reset your body clock with light and routine. Roger shares how breathwork helped him move past PTSD and offers a simple exercise drivers can use ri...
[340] - The Pause That Changes Arguments, Eating and Stress
Stress shuts down the thinking part of the brain and pushes us into automatic reactions. In this episode, I explain how nasal breathing helps bring the prefrontal cortex back online so you can pause, reset, and respond instead of reacting. I sh...
[339] - The Fitness Industry Is Failing Shift Workers — Here's How
Most fitness plans are designed for people with stable schedules, not rotating rosters. In this episode, I explain why one-size-fits-all programs collapse for shift workers and what actually works instead. I break down an evidence-based, flexib...
[338] - Shift Work, Stubborn Weight, and What Actually Works
Night shift weight gain is not about discipline. It is biology. In this episode, I explain how circadian disruption affects metabolism, why insulin resistance rises after dark, and how hormones like cortisol, leptin, and ghrelin drive cravings,...
[337] - I've got a challenge for you...
Feeling better on shift does not start with strict diets or perfect routines. It starts with habits that actually fit real shift work life. In this episode, I share the approach that kept me healthy through more than 40 years on rotating roster...
[336] - Your host on Radio 3AW - Talk Back Radio 22-01-2026
We explore FIFO life through real rosters, heat, and health, then pivot to policing priorities, youth crime, and whether small rules can shift big behaviours. Practical tips on hydration, sleep, and electrolytes sit alongside a candid look at b...
[335] - Part 2 - What Happens to Police Officers After the Job Stops Caring
There is a persistent myth that officers leave because they cannot cope. In this episode, I challenge that belief and explain why it is culture, not character, that pushes good people out.I talk about what happens after the badge comes o...
[334] - Part 1 -The Cost of Silence in Policing How Speaking Up Ends Careers
Silence in the workplace is often mistaken for professionalism or resilience, but in my experience, it’s one of the biggest drivers of burnout, resignations, and long-term psychological harm.In this episode, I share my personal experienc...
[333] - If You Work 2 Days 2 Nights 4 Off — This is for you
We break down how to live inside a two days, two nights, four off roster so you feel human again. I share a practical plan for swing days, night shifts, and the first day off using light, timing, and targeted naps to reduce fatigue and protect ...
[332] - Why Daytime Sleep Never Works And How to Fix It
We unpack why day sleep so often fails for shift workers and how to align rest with biology instead of willpower. Practical rules cover darkness, cooling, expectations, caffeine timing and a simple wind-down that sticks.• circadian misa...
[331] - She's a Nurse Working Nights and Then Came the Diagnosis
A raw look at how artificial light at night raises cancer risk for shift workers, told through the story of a veteran nurse and the science of melatonin. We share practical steps to protect circadian health at work and at home, and why workplac...
[330] - Guest Appearance on 6PR Perth with Christina Morrisey - 04-01-2026
In this episode, I guest on 6PR Perth weekend radio with Christina MorriseyWe dig into why shift work collides with human biology and how to reclaim energy, sleep, and family life with small, smart changes. Practical steps on light, meal...
[329] - How Creatine Helps Your Body and Brain Work Better
Creatine isn’t just for athletes. In this episode, we explore how creatine supplementation supports cellular energy, brain function, and decision-making during night shifts, long hours, stress, and sleep loss.You’ll learn h...
[328] - Guest Appearance on 3AW Melbourne "Nights" with Karalee Katsambanis - 29-12-2025
A guest appearance on 3AW "Nights" with Karalee KatsambanisWe share practical tips for making shift work sustainable using light, timing, movement, and breathwork. I explain how to anchor your body clock, fuel smarter, and use naps to cr...
[327] - The Quiet Cost of Frontline Work No One Talks About
We call out the quiet signs that shift work is changing you, from short fuse to numbness, and lay out simple, science-backed steps to get you back to steady. Sleep, light, movement, food, boundaries, and connection form the plan you can start t...