What if the key to navigating midlife’s challenges isn’t found in the latest trendy supplement or self-help book, but in reconnecting with something we’ve always had access to? Nature just might be the medicine you’ve been seeking. In this episode of the Grace & Grit Podcast, we explore how reconnecting with the natural world can transform your midlife journey. Join me and nature therapy expert Sylke Laine as we share: Why nature is the ultimate antidote to midlife stress How “forest bathing” so...
Mar 07, 2025•44 min•Ep. 376
In this episode, I’m joined by my dear friend and colleague Laini Gray for a dynamic conversation about reimagining consistency in midlife. Together, we explore how women can create sustainable health practices while navigating the complex terrain of hormonal changes. Key points from our discussion: Understanding the difference between rigid and flexible consistency, and why this distinction matters even more during perimenopause and menopause Practical strategies for adapting your health routin...
Feb 21, 2025•52 min•Ep. 375
Are you drowning in wellness apps, expired supplements, and enough saved “life-changing” health articles to fill the Library of Congress? You’re not alone! In this episode, we’re tackling the elephant (or should we say the dusty treadmill?) in the room: health clutter. It’s time to Marie Kondo your wellness journey. A few things we explore in this episode: Understanding what health clutter is and its impact on midlife women Common sources of health clutter, from information overload to unused gy...
Feb 07, 2025•31 min•Ep. 374
Looking to graduate from the “weight-is-everything” school of health tracking? Join me and my wonderful colleague, Laini Gray, for an eye-opening conversation about why your bathroom scale shouldn’t be your only health advisor (because, let’s face it, it’s not exactly giving you the full story). We’re diving into the metrics that actually matter for women in midlife – and trust me, it’s about so much more than the number staring back at you every morning. In this episode, we’ll explore: Why brea...
Jan 24, 2025•46 min•Ep. 373
Ever feel like you’re running on fumes, scrolling through Instagram at midnight, wondering where your “me time” disappeared to? In this energizing episode of Grace & Grit, we’re tackling the all-too-familiar energy crisis that keeps amazing women from chasing their dreams. No more dragging yourself through the day like a smartphone on 2% battery! We’ll show you how to flip the script on exhaustion by becoming a ninja of the “hidden hours” – those magical moments before the world wakes up and aft...
Jan 10, 2025•29 min•Ep. 372
Let’s be honest—most of us are masters at playing the “what if” game. But instead of using it to imagine bold, exciting possibilities, we use it in a way that riddles with us with self-doubt and makes us hide from our potential: “What if I fail?” “What if everyone laughs at me?” “What if I accidentally become a meme?” In this episode, we’re flipping the script. Because, let’s face it, the fear-based “what if” game isn’t winning us any awards (unless there’s a prize for sleepless nights). Instead...
Dec 13, 2024•15 min•Ep. 371
This short and sweet episode explores how midlife women can embrace gratitude even in challenging seasons, especially when the holidays feel more depressing than joyful. Discover simple ways to find moments of peace, connection, and hope—no matter what life looks like right now. What we’ll cover: Why it’s okay not to feel grateful for everything AND to find gratitude in the moment. Practical ways to cultivate small moments of peace and presence during the holidays. How shifting your perspective ...
Nov 29, 2024•12 min•Ep. 370
The final quarter of the year can be one of the toughest for women. Between juggling holiday responsibilities, striving to make the season magical for everyone else, and managing an already full plate, it’s all too easy for self-care to fall by the wayside. The result? Rolling into the new year feeling utterly depleted. In this episode of the Grace & Grit podcast, I invite you to rethink what it truly means to finish the year strong. Together, we explore: How to safeguard your self-care amidst t...
Nov 15, 2024•27 min•Ep. 369
Early in my career, I believed that the key to improving my clients’ health—primarily midlife women—was to hyper-focus on diet and exercise. But as time passed, I realized this approach wasn’t delivering the lasting, meaningful results they truly deserved. Over a decade later, I’ve come to understand how this narrow focus was underserving them, holding them back from achieving the deeper health (cell to soul) they truly craved. In this episode, I’ll reveal the simple two-step formula I now use t...
Sep 27, 2024•22 min•Ep. 368
I don’t know about you but I have a lot of questions about my brain at midlife. Questions like… Why does behavior change feel so hard? Why do so many midlife women rumble with anxiety and depression? How can I better manage my mental stress? What can I do now to help make my brain more resilient as I age? So I reached out to Dr. Sarah McKay to help answer some of these questions, and she graciously agreed to join me for an interview. You can listen here: https://graceandgrit.com/podcast-367 MENT...
Sep 13, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 367
Spending time alone at midlife can feel like an impossible task amid so many responsibilities AND it is incredibly important if you want to cultivate a strong relationship with yourself. Why? Because… It is hard to know yourself if you don’t take time to be with yourself. I think solo adventures can be a great way to reconnect with yourself, relieve stress, get clarity around decisions, fortify confidence and so much more. In this episode, I share 5 insights I have had from my own solo travel wi...
Aug 30, 2024•28 min•Ep. 366
Midlife is a period marked by numerous opportunities to grieve. During this stage, we may face the deaths of loved ones, missed opportunities, and the realization of time passing. We also find ourselves letting go of what no longer serves us, experiencing shifts in expectations, and navigating changes in our relationships with parents and children. This episode delves into the multifaceted nature of grief in midlife and its profound impact on our emotional and mental well-being. Joining me for t...
Aug 09, 2024•46 min•Ep. 365
In a world that seems to be spinning faster by the day and giving us more opportunities to consume information and overcomplicate our lives, it is all too easy to underestimate or forget the profound impact that simple measures can make on our health and happiness. For example, learning how to pay attention to your life and be fully present can improve nearly every aspect of your well-being, from mental health to physical health to behavioral health. In this episode, I cover: The underestimated ...
Jul 26, 2024•46 min•Ep. 364
Health and happiness should not be at odds in any season. That being said, I see many of my clients struggling to honor both health and happiness in the summer months because they feel that they either have to sacrifice self-care to enjoy the summer or sacrifice enjoying their summer to administer self-care. If that’s you, this episode was made for you. In this short but sweet episode, I offer three simple but powerful shifts that will help you amplify both. You can listen here: https://graceand...
Jul 12, 2024•28 min•Ep. 363
Menopause, a major hormonal transition for women, has not gotten the attention it deserves… until now. Enter Dr. Mary Claire Haver, a board-certified ob-gyn, a certified Culinary Medicine Specialist in medicine nutrition, a Menopause Society Certified Practicioner and the founder of Mary Claire Wellness, a private medical practice that focuses on women in midlife. Dr. Haver has taken the internet by storm with her advice for women on how to navigate the path through hormonal change with power, p...
Jun 21, 2024•54 min•Ep. 362
The things in the hearts of my clients never cease to amaze and inspire me. They want to travel, They want to shift careers, They want to deepen relationships (and maybe start some new ones), They want to create, They want to advocate for the causes they care about, … and so many other things. In other words, they have so much life to live and express. AND… Their biggest barrier to actually doing these things is, of course, themselves. By midlife, we have had a lot of opportunities to develop… L...
Jun 07, 2024•30 min•Ep. 361
Sleep is where so much of the magic that keeps us healthy takes place and there are so many reasons we struggle to get enough good quality sleep at midlife. Enter Dr. Leigha Saunders who specializes in helping women sleep better so they can spend more time on what matters to them MOST. With over a decade of experience in women’s health, Leigha’s innovative approach to solving sleep struggles intertwines hormone health and nervous system regulation to focus on the deeper reasons so many of us lie...
May 24, 2024•49 min•Ep. 360
One of the most common things I coach midlife women on in my coaching practice is integrity pain, the very real discomfort that shows up mentally, emotionally and even physically, when we are not living as truly authentic and fully expressed humans. There is no shortage of things that cause integrity pain, of course, but in this episode of the Grace & Grit podcast I challenge you to consider how suppression rather than expression may be causing YOU integrity pain. Maybe you struggle to… Speak up...
May 10, 2024•44 min•Ep. 359
Losing hormones at midlife can make life challenging in so many ways AND… There are a lot of things we can do to minimize suffering as we transition through pre and post-menopause, which is precisely what we are exploring on this episode of the Grace & Grit podcast. My dear friend and functional diagnostic practitioner, Laini Gray, joins me to discuss: What biochemistry is and why it matters to the quality of the aging process. Some of the most notable biochemical shifts we experience at midlife...
Apr 26, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 358
Attention, ladies! It’s time to rethink our approach to health and wellness if we want to age power-fully. Our bodies undergo profound changes as we cross the midlife threshold, with the departure of crucial hormones like estrogen and progesterone making us less resilient to stress. Ignoring this reality makes the pursuit of powerful aging an uphill battle. Join me in this episode of the Grace & Grit podcast, where I help you to consider: The physiological shifts that demand our respect for a po...
Apr 12, 2024•45 min•Ep. 357
Let’s face it—getting older isn’t a negotiable part of life. You’ve got some serious control over how that aging journey unfolds. You could make it a bit of a downer, trudging through the years… OR you could make it a power-filled experience. (let’s do that!) Today’s episode marks the start of a 4-part series on Power-FULL Aging, and we’re digging into why change, especially during midlife, is an invitation to level up. Whether you’re switching up your job, refreshing your relationships, or twea...
Mar 29, 2024•46 min•Ep. 356
To say that most women I have coached over the years have “a complicated relationship with their bodies” would be a massive understatement. In fact, it is a rarity that I work with a woman who has a healthy relationship with her body. What is a healthy relationship with the body? Well, that is precisely the topic of this week’s podcast episode. In this episode, specifically, I cover: Body beliefs and how they impact every dimension of your life. How to edit the story you are telling yourself abo...
Mar 15, 2024•44 min•Ep. 355
I have been traveling in the health and wellness space for nearly 30 years (yep! I got my first job as a fitness trainer when I was 18, and I just celebrated my 47th birthday). The wellness industry is the ONLY field I have ever worked in, AND I am fairly certain this industry would not even exist if more professionals were teaching the REAL work of behavior change. You can buy an endless supply of programs promising to change your life, but at the end of the day, there is really only 1 skill yo...
Mar 01, 2024•32 min•Ep. 354
She’s Baaaacck… Nervous system expert Irene Lyon that is. If you have been a long-time listener of the Grace & Grit podcast, you are probably familiar with Irene Lyon. She does the MASSIVELY important work of helping people to better understand how their nervous system works AND develop skills that allow them to more easily regulate their nervous systems. I repeatedly invite Irene back to the show because while I teach a lot of skills to my own clients to help them better manage stress, Irene te...
Feb 16, 2024•59 min•Ep. 353
The years between 40-65 can be wildly disorienting. Not only are midlife women dealing with a changing hormonal landscape but the landscape of life is changing dramatically, as well. In essence, there are a lot of “microstressors” at play in this phase of life that can add up to some serious breakdown mentally, physically and emotionally if one does not learn skills that can help unpack some of this stress. In this episode of the Grace & Grit podcast, I invite you to consider the toll that “micr...
Feb 02, 2024•34 min•Ep. 352
If there were only 1 lifestyle change a client could make to improve her health and well-being, I would focus on sleep. Why? Because sleep is where the magic of health takes place. While we sleep, our brains cache out, our systems detox, our hormones recalibrate, our tissues repair, and our immune system is fortified. AND… sleep can be really freaking difficult when you are in the perimenopausal or postmenopausal years. In fact, this is a topic I seem to spend A LOT of time coaching around. Whil...
Jan 19, 2024•51 min•Ep. 351
Are you living your life by default or by design? Relatively or proactively? Your answer carries significant consequences for your overall well-being and happiness. Reactions have a place, certainly. What an awesome thing it is that the human brain can react in ways that help us improve our lives, sometimes even save our lives. That being said, the human brain can just as easily react in ways that hurt us. How the human brain reacts largely depends on our practices, which is why you must stay aw...
Jan 05, 2024•30 min•Ep. 350
Pausing to look back at the road you have traveled… this day, this week, this year… is such a power-filled practice. Why? Because it shows you how you have been showing up in your life and how you might want to navigate the journey forward a little differently. In this episode of the Grace & Grit Podcast, I share with you 5 of my biggest takeaways from the past year and how I am using that to propel my life forward in 2024. Have a listen and, if it helps you in some small (or big) way, consider ...
Dec 15, 2023•35 min•Ep. 349
Self-imposed limitations aren’t always a bad thing. Establishing limits for yourself can actually be a kindness; a form of self-respect and even self-care. This episode of the Grace & Grit podcast explores: The dark and bright side to self-imposed limitations. Why you owe it to yourself to set limits on how you spend resources like time, energy and mental bandwidth. Constraint as a form of self-respect and even self-love. How to say “no” in a world that is begging you to say “yes” to everything....
Dec 01, 2023•33 min•Ep. 348
“Shoulding” all over yourself is never good for your mental and emotional health and the holiday season is ripe with expectations around how you “should” be spending them. So, this episode of the Grace & Grit podcast invites you to consider how you want to spend the holiday season this year even though what you discover may go against the grain of tradition and family expectations. Topics explored in this episode include: Extending yourself the grace of making decisions that protect your well-be...
Nov 17, 2023•18 min•Ep. 347
