A lot of women this time of year are starting to think about how they are going to address their health concerns in 2017. Get ready because everywhere you look for the next several weeks, you are going to see ads for diets and exercise programs promising to help you reach your goals in the quickest way possible with the least amount of effort. Wouldn't it be nice if getting healthy was as simple as just addressing food and exercise? But it's not. Food and exercise are slivers of the health pie, ...
Dec 03, 2016•46 min•Ep. 46
When was the last time you were grateful for the miracle that is your body? Most women I work with are at war with their body, and I think in large part that is a direct result of the way they are talking to themselves about their body. You have heard me say this before: RESPECT BREEDS HEALTH. And when you go out of your way to be grateful for all of the things your body is doing right, you are a heck of a lot more likely to treat your body in a loving and respectful way. Along these same lines,...
Nov 26, 2016•11 min•Ep. 45
I have been talking about inflammation with clients for more than a decade: what causes it, how to reduce it and how to prevent being in a chronic state of it. Many women I work with tend not to believe in the power of inflammation until they clean up their diet enough and reduce other stressors in their life enough, that when they do something that insults the inside of their body, they feel the effects of inflammation in a very powerful way. The reality is a healthy body will be loud and clear...
Nov 19, 2016•38 min•Ep. 44
Let’s face it ladies, there are an awful lot of things that can go wrong with our lady parts. Nearly every single woman I have worked with over the course of the past 20 years has experienced some kind of challenge with pelvic health: be it pelvic pain, incontinence, prolapse, or a host of other “not so fun” conditions. If we are interested in expanding the conversation of what it really takes to be a health/fit woman, we cannot ignore the very important topic of pelvic health. Health will not b...
Nov 12, 2016•40 min•Ep. 43
Most women will postpone taking action with improving their health, not because they are lazy or lack drive, but because they feel they need to be perfect in their efforts and they are OVERWHELMED by the amount of information coming at them from the diet and fitness industry. Hear this, sweet sister… Improving your health isn’t about perfection or the latest “quick fix” strategy, it is about having awareness about the choices you are making in regards to your health, and making some different ch...
Nov 05, 2016•14 min•Ep. 42
Living life in line with our values (the things we SAY are important to us) is going to first require subtracting things in our life that are underserving us, so we actually have the mental capacity & clarity to focus and give our best to the things we deem MOST important. And that is precisely why I have invited, Evan Zislis, to be a guest on the show today. Evan is doing remarkable work in the world through his organization, Intentional Solutions, helping households, businesses, teachers and p...
Oct 29, 2016•42 min•Ep. 41
Eve Bernfeld and I have been dear friends since we were 10 years old. We have celebrated the highs and rumbled with the lows of life together. We have had the privilege of watching each other develop personally and professionally. As a certified Alexander Technique teacher, Eve dishes out some incredible sight in this episode of the Grace & Grit Podcast about how to start changing your reactive mindset and physical habits that are causing you to waste precious time, money and energy. (I’ll give ...
Oct 22, 2016•45 min•Ep. 40
I am a firm believer that how you start your day is a pretty good indicator of how your day will roll. A day that begins with intention, clarity, direction, and self-discipline will turn out much differently than a day that ignites with stress, fatigue, and frustration. Look I get it…you are busy, and getting up 30 minutes to an hour earlier to set yourself straight feels like the hardest thing in the world. But… What if a powerful morning routine was the gateway for creating the life and level ...
Oct 15, 2016•27 min•Ep. 39
Every single day I encounter women who are trying to take a giant leap towards a healthier life, rather than simply focusing on the small, seemingly insignificant choices they are making day in and day out. Big change starts most often starts with very small steps which, taken consistently accumulate over time, create radical transformation. The Slight Edge, by Jeff Olson speaks directly to this point. And in this episode of the Grace & Grit podcast, I summarize some of the most powerful lessons...
Oct 08, 2016•23 min•Ep. 38
I have long believed that successful people tend to ask for help often and much. I meet a lot of women who think hiring a health coach is a sign of weakness (like they should be able to figure it out themselves). Personally, I think asking for help in the areas we are struggling with is courageous and smart...if what you are doing hasn’t been working...asking for help makes a tremendous amount of sense! I have had coaches and mentors for as long as I can remember…I have hired personal trainers, ...
Sep 23, 2016•53 min•Ep. 37
As a chiropractor, Doctor Margaret Durnan works hard to provide high-quality evidence-based management of musculoskeletal problems as well as advice for healthy living. She approaches rehabilitation through a holistic approach involving nutrition and lifestyle changes. Margaret is a devoted student of the Ido Portal method and has found her training with the method to be game changing in her Chiropractic approach…as well as life changing on a physical and personal level. In addition to her Chiro...
Sep 16, 2016•46 min•Ep. 36
It’s very common for a new client ask (if not beg) at some point along their journey with me, “Courtney! Just tell me what to eat and I will eat it.” To which I always say, “No, because I would be doing you a massive disservice.” My job as a health coach is not to dictate which specific foods you can and cannot eat, my job is to educate you about the nutritional value of the foods you are choosing (and other lifestyle choices you are making) and help you become acutely aware of the physiological...
Sep 10, 2016•21 min•Ep. 35
Quitting is tempting. It is easy. It is liberating…for a moment. No one ever does it on a GOOD day. Nope. You do it on the days that struggle seeps into your flow, and insecurity whispers lies that you will never arrive at your destination. You start to question everything and, worst of all, you fail to remember why started traveling down this road to begin with. It is on those days that you would do anything for a little more GRIT to keep going, silence the fear, and reclaim your flow. IT is on...
Sep 03, 2016•26 min•Ep. 34
In part two of this interview with Irene Lyon, we dive deeper into WHY it is so important to heal the nervous system in order to optimize health. In this episode, Irene explains what the Vagus nerve is, and how our early childhood experiences can impact the proper development of that nerve. Irene also dishes out advice for those wondering what simple strategies they can start implementing to heal and better care for their nervous system. Loving this podcast? Head over to iTunes and leave a revie...
Aug 27, 2016•39 min•Ep. 33
I have been working with women to improve their health story now for nearly 20 years, and the longer I am at this, the more I believe that focusing on nutrient dense food and regular movement is actually the EASY part of getting healthy. When clients sign up to work with me, they are under the impression that I am going to have them do MORE to create the change they are seeking, so you can imagine their surprise when I ask them to do LESS. And why less…because most people are coming to work with...
Aug 20, 2016•40 min•Ep. 32
In this episode, we are talking with Chinese Medicine Practioner and Teacher, Brodie Welch, because when it comes to our optimizing and maintaining our health, western medicine isn't always the best route to take. I think western medicine can be hugely beneficial for so many health conditions but my perspective on western medicine is that it often fails to address the whole person and often provides a band-aid solution rather than dealing with the root cause of the problem. Loving this podcast? ...
Aug 13, 2016•37 min•Ep. 31
We are living in fast and furious times, making decisions without thinking about the long-term impact of those decisions, which is ultimately causing a lot of dis-ease and dysfunction not just within our bodies but within our environment. I often tell the women I work with that their health has everything to do with them AND yet it is SO much bigger than them. And what I mean by that is that YOU are the only person who can take responsibility for the choices that affect your health, and at the s...
Aug 06, 2016•37 min•Ep. 30
With all that science has taught us about the metabolic power of muscle, I still meet women daily who think the best route to a healthy lean body is doing copious amounts of cardio combined with extremely low-calorie dieting. These same women are often very reluctant to strength train for fear of becoming “too bulky”. The truth is, muscle mass isn’t all that easy to gain, ladies. To end the madness that the diet culture has perpetuated for far too many years and to improve our relationship with ...
Jul 30, 2016•29 min•Ep. 29
Your body is listening to everything you say and really it should come as no surprise that your body is going to be less-than-compliant to the changes you are trying to make, if you are trying to bully it into submission (which…let’s face it, isn’t working, has never worked, and will never work). How about extending a bit of grace to yourself? You know…kindness and compassion? It’s probably been awhile since you have granted yourself any grace, so let me help you out. Loving this podcast? Head o...
Jul 23, 2016•19 min•Ep. 28
There is a lot of talk these days about the importance of sustainability in regards to how we live, but we all know… talk is cheap. Our actions speak volumes and are saying something else. As consumers, far too many of us are still buying into quick, fast and easy solutions that provide little to no long term success. Many people don’t want to pay the cost in terms of time, money and energy to build a solid foundation of great health. They want to commit for brief periods of time, often through ...
Jul 16, 2016•24 min•Ep. 27
If you are deeply committed to up-leveling yourself in any way…you will mess up, fall down and fail often and much. Sorry, my friend…it will not be a paved, leisurely track all the way to your goals. Does that mean all of your progress goes out the window and you should quit when you make a mistake? Absolutely NOT! And, yet…so many women do. Which just perpetuates the madness of our diet culture. In this week’s podcast, we talk about reframing failure so you can stay consistent with your efforts...
Jul 09, 2016•24 min•Ep. 26
Summer is in full swing and with it comes loads of reasons you could loose footing with the progress you have made with your health goals, or rationalizations about why you won’t start taking responsibility for your health until the fall. In this episode of the Grace & Grit Podcast, Courtney talks about how to not just survive the summer months, but how to thrive through them despite the obstacles that will surely arrive. Loving this podcast? Head over to iTunes and leave a review so the Grace a...
Jul 02, 2016•24 min•Ep. 25
Traveling can be wildly disorienting when it comes to taking care of yourself; you’re away from your kitchen, your workout space and your familiar schedule. Travel demands that you become more creative and flexible to ensure you still give your body, mind and soul what they deserve…your attention. And while it isn’t always easy, with a little pre-planning, it is possible. Loving this podcast? Head over to iTunes and leave a review so the Grace and Grit message can spread to more women who need t...
Jun 18, 2016•19 min•Ep. 24
Return to Food is all about helping you develop a healthy relationship with food, your body and the planet. If you want to feel better, lose weight healthily, gain energy, increase mental clarity, elevate your moods (naturally) so you can fully enjoy life, in as little as 7 days, simply by returning to eating real food. In this awesome podcast interview, Sherry Strong, the author of Return to Food, gives us simple tips and tricks for navigating the path to optimal health with ease and wisdom. Lo...
Jun 11, 2016•34 min•Ep. 23
If you are serious about optimizing your health and the health of your family, you must familiarize yourself with the very real and destructive power of chronic inflammation. In this week’s episode of the podcast, health coach Jenny Carr gives us the lowdown on chronic inflammation, as well as tips and strategies for helping to minimize inflammation that may be coming from our diet. Jenny also dishes out loads of advice for helping parents raise children with strong appetites for healthy foods. ...
Jun 04, 2016•43 min•Ep. 22
Far too often, when I start coaching a client on improving their food choices, they will say to me, “Just tell me what to eat.” Let me be clear, I don’t ever tell clients exactly what they should eat on any given day. That is not what I do, that is what diets do. I don’t do diets and neither should you. The work I do teaches you how to nourish your best life and, of course, what you are fueling your life with has a profound effect on the “quality” of your life. So what do I do as a health coach?...
May 28, 2016•27 min•Ep. 21
Maintaining a social life, while trying to get healthier can certainly pose some challenges due to the fact that most social events are based on less than stellar food and lots of alcohol. If you are really committed to your health, you are going to have be ok with creating some parameters for yourself when you do go out for social occasions. In this episode, Courtney introduces tried and true strategies for navigating your social life while maintaining the standards you have set for your health...
May 21, 2016•29 min•Ep. 20
In this episode, Doctor of Physical Therapy Kat Ingalls helps us to better understand some of the most common injuries women experience when working to up-level their health. We discuss the dangers of pushing your body too hard too fast and why a foundation of basic strength, combined with smart exercise progression, is so important. Kat also dishes out tips and tricks for quicker recovery when an injury does occur. Loving this podcast? Head over to iTunes and leave a review so the Grace and Gri...
May 14, 2016•40 min•Ep. 19
The female hormonal system is complex, to say the least and it can make a woman a hot frustrated mess (literally) when it comes to improving health. In this episode, Dr. Jen Hawes helps us to better understand some of the most common hormonal, thyroid and adrenal issues women face and how we can best protect ourselves against hormonal warfare. Loving this podcast? Head over to iTunes and leave a review so the Grace and Grit message can spread to more women who need to hear it. Writing a review w...
Apr 30, 2016•34 min•Ep. 18
When it comes to optimizing your health, sleep is a really big deal. You can eat a clean diet and move your body daily, but if you are neglecting your recovery and dream time, your body will struggle to absorb and deliver the nutrition you are feeding it and your muscles will be unable to repair and rebuild. Your immune system will be compromised and your cognitive function will go out the window. And this is just a short list of negative consequences you will experience! Do you feel like you ar...
Apr 23, 2016•27 min•Ep. 17
