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
[301] - Your host on Radio 3AW - Special Guest Tom Coleman (Sleep Expert) - Talk Back Radio 16-10-2025
We talk about service, leadership, and what thanks means after forty years in uniform, then dive into the hidden lever of performance—sleep—and how shift workers can use light, timing, and routine to reclaim energy. Tom Coleman shares practical...
[300] - The 24-7 Leader - How to Support Your Team
Great leadership in shift work goes beyond managing rosters—it’s about recognising the human signals behind fatigue, stress, and performance. In this episode, I outline a clear model built around the Three Ps—performance, presence, and perso...
[299] - Eat Smart Sleep Better - How Low GI and Overnight Fasting Change the Game for Shift Workers
Shift work often leads to late-night snacking, energy crashes, and disrupted sleep. But by adjusting when and what you eat, you can regain control of your energy, weight, and recovery—without strict diets.In this episode, I break down si...
[298] - Relaxing or Ruining You? Alcohol’s Hidden Impact on Shift Workers
Alcohol consumption compounds the health challenges of shift work by disrupting sleep quality, increasing weight gain, and exacerbating cardiovascular risks. After 634 days of sobriety, I've experienced transformative benefits including better ...
[297] - Help, Why am I Gaining Belly Fat
We explore why shift workers tend to gain stubborn belly fat and provide evidence-based strategies to combat this frustrating issue. Discover how circadian rhythm disruption affects hunger hormones and metabolism, making waistline weight gain a...
[296] - Your host on Radio 3AW - Australia Overnight - Talk Back Radio 02-10-2025
We unpack why public anxiety in Victoria is rising while frontline police feel boxed in by policy, politics, and the bail churn. I share how organised youth crime, digital coordination, and pursuit limits collide with community expe...
[295] - Tired or Something More? The Hidden Sleep Risks for Shift Workers
Shift workers often normalise exhaustion and dismiss serious sleep disorders as just part of the job, but this mindset endangers health, safety, and performance. Sleep problems beyond normal shift-related fatigue require medical attention, not ...
[294] - Alana Russell - From Chaos to Connection, Regulating Your First Responder Relationship
Flexibility and communication are the keys to maintaining strong family connections while navigating the unique challenges of first responder relationships. Police Social Worker Alana Russell brings her expertise both as a therapist and police ...
[293] - Confirmation Bias - The Silent Divider
Confirmation bias is shaping our world in ways many don't realise, especially through social media algorithms designed to keep us scrolling and engaged with content that reinforces our existing beliefs.• Social media platforms track wha...
[292] - The Future of Shift Work - A Solution for leaders
Roger Sutherland addresses the critical need for shift worker education and support in 24-7 workplaces, introducing an innovative Shift Work Champions model that trains staff to become wellbeing leaders for their peers.• Shift work orga...
[291] - Your host on Radio 3AW - Australia Overnight - Talk Back Radio 18-09-2025
Former police officer Roger Sutherland shares his journey from workplace trauma to healing through breathwork techniques. His four-decade career in law enforcement left him with anxiety and trust issues, but learning proper breathing patterns h...
[290] - My Advice to a Brand New Shift Worker
Shift work can slowly eat away at your health if you don't understand how to work with your body's natural circadian rhythm. Getting the fundamentals right from the start helps shift workers thrive instead of just survive.• Understandin...
[289] - The Mindset Shift Every Shift Worker Needs
Shift work doesn't have to control your life when you learn to focus only on what you can control. Roger Sutherland shares his transformative experience from 40 years in frontline policing and how the practice of "controlling the controllables"...
[288] - Why When You Eat Matters More Than What You Eat
Shift work disrupts eating patterns, but understanding the difference between time-restricted eating and intermittent fasting can make a huge impact on your health, energy, and weight. In this episode, I break down why aligning meals with your ...
[287] - Chris Payten - Beyond Survival: The Science of Breathing for Shift Workers
Breathwork coach Chris Payten returns to discuss the transformative power of conscious breathing for shift workers and first responders, sharing insights from Roger's recent breathwork facilitator training experience.• Breathwork is con...
[286] - Your host on Radio 3AW - Australia Overnight - Talk Back Radio 04-09-2025
The manhunt for a cop killer enters its ninth day as veteran police officer Roger Sutherland discusses the devastating impact on police nationwide and the challenges of the ongoing search operation.• Impact on police officers across Aus...
[285] - When the Badge Hurts - Processing the Loss of Our Own
I address the profound impact of losing two police officers in the line of duty and how it affects the entire law enforcement community. As a 40-year veteran and father of a serving officer, I share personal reflections on processing grief with...
[284] - Cravings and Weight gain, try this
In this episode, I explain why eating high GI foods after 3pm can cause energy crashes, cravings, and weight gain—especially for shift workers. Our insulin sensitivity naturally declines later in the day, so making small, simple swaps to low GI...
[283] - Protect your melatonin like your life depends on it, because it does
In this episode, I explore why melatonin is much more than a “sleep hormone.” It’s a powerful antioxidant that protects your body from free radicals and even cancer—and as shift workers, many of us don’t realise how much late-night screen use i...
[282] - I've never spoken about this, until today
In this episode, I share a simple ritual I used for 35 years to separate work from home life as a shift worker.Like many of you, I often came home still feeling “on duty.” To change that, I carried a coin during every shift and left it i...
[281] - Your host on Radio 3AW - The Crisis Facing the Frontline - Talk Back Radio 21-08-2025
Former police officer Roger Sutherland sounds the alarm on the crisis facing frontline workers across Australia and worldwide. With 40 years of service behind him, he shares his concerns about burnout rates and the mass exodus of experienced pr...
[280] - The After-Shift Workout Dilemma, Friend or Foe?
Think hitting the gym after a night shift is a good idea? It might be doing more harm than good. In this episode, we explore why high-intensity workouts post-shift can disrupt your sleep, stress your system, and slow your recovery — even if you...
[279] - Breathe. Regulate. Transform.
In this episode, I share how breathwork techniques can completely transform the lives of shift workers, first responders, and frontline health workers by helping regulate the autonomic nervous system and release stored trauma.I kn...
[278] - Night shift coming up, help!!
In this episode, I share a proven, practical strategy for managing night shifts in a way that protects your health and wellbeing. Night shift work doesn’t have to leave you feeling wrecked — with the right approach, you can transition into, thr...
[277] - The sleep trifecta - Alcohol, Nicotine and Caffeine
In this episode, I unpack how alcohol, nicotine and caffeine — the "sleep trifecta" — quietly disrupt sleep and recovery for shift workers. While these substances might feel helpful in the moment, they often do more harm than good, especially w...