We are all continually striving to improve our health. And the longer I work with women, the more I realize the last thing most of us need is more information about diet and exercise. You know what you need to do. You even want to do it. Most days. What you truly need is to learn how to apply the knowledge you already have – with consistency. In this episode of the Grace & Grit Podcast, I talk about what consistency really means to us and the four practices that will help you to master it. Let’s...
Feb 08, 2020•33 min•Ep. 196
As someone who has worked in the women’s wellness space for more than 20 years now, I have come to see improving health as an exercise in self-leadership . Because to improve your health, be it mental, physical or spiritual, you must willing to better understand yourself and have trust in yourself and your abilities. Self-confidence, I believe, is an invaluable part of self-leadership, because it is the trust we have in ourselves to follow through with the things that we say are important to us....
Jan 25, 2020•41 min•Ep. 195
If there was one goal I could encourage every client I work with to set in 2020, it would be to develop and fiercely protect their self-confidence. Because with the right dose of self-confidence your ability to pursue and conquer your other goals will skyrocket. In this episode of the Grace & Grit podcast, I talk about what self-confidence really is and why developing it should be the #1 goal you pursue this year. You can listen here: https://graceandgrit.com/podcast-194/ And, don't miss the #fi...
Jan 11, 2020•38 min•Ep. 194
How do you design a year to remember? You ask yourself great questions, of course, so you can get clarity on where you are headed and how specifically you are going to get there. In this episode of the Grace and Grit Podcast, I give you 10 very specific questions to ask yourself as you head into a new year so you achieve all of your goals and more! You can listen here: https://graceandgrit.com/podcast-193/ And, grab your free Roadmap here: https://graceandgrit.com/thrive **** Are you loving the ...
Dec 28, 2019•17 min•Ep. 193
Sleep deprivation + stress + sugar + alcohol + close proximity to loved ones + travel + enclosed + winter = the perfect recipe for a compromised immune system. And there is not time of year where all of these ingredients are more potent than the holidays. In this episode of the Grace and Grit Podcast, I dive into how each of these elements compromises immunity and what you can do to fortify your immunity, so you can roll into the new year healthy and ready to tackle all that you have planned. Yo...
Dec 21, 2019•29 min•Ep. 192
Are you leading the dance with food or is food leading you? We are in the thick of the holiday season where opportunities to eat and drink are around every corner. And, if you don’t stay mindful of why you are consuming these things, you can roll into the new year with a lot of undesirable consequences. In this episode of the Grace & Grit Podcast, I present listeners with powerful questions to ask themselves to ensure they maintain a healthy relationship with food. You can listen here: https://g...
Dec 14, 2019•34 min•Ep. 191
There is often a disconnect between what we believe the holidays are about and how we actually go about living them. We say we believe the holidays are all about love, peace, gratitude, and connection, but we don’t make time for those things. Or, we are only partially present. Instead, we live the holidays stressed, fatigued, overwhelmed, resentful, and frustrated. Worse yet, we use the rational that we are doing it for others. But here’s a hard truth… if mama ain’t happy, no one is happy! If yo...
Dec 07, 2019•24 min•Ep. 190
Moving your life to higher ground in any area is going to require that you lean into some periods of intense pushing, but if you want to enjoy the process and maintain your health along the way, you will also need to learn how to honor a big push with a pause:) Health, I have found, is really an exercise in knowing when to push and when to pause. If you are a woman who is chronically running her life in a state of hyperdrive, check out this episode of the Grace and Grit podcast. You can listen h...
Nov 30, 2019•31 min•Ep. 189
A lot of people say they are committed to improving their health, but their behavior says otherwise. Their behavior shows they will commit as long as it doesn’t get uncomfortable. But commitment is uncomfortable because it implies that you will stay the course when the waters get rough (and they always get rough at some point). Health is a practice of recommitting to yourself day after day after day. If you struggle to do that, you will want to check out this episode of the Grace & Grit Podcast....
Nov 23, 2019•27 min•Ep. 188
Our culture loves to emphasize the downside of stress. While I agree that extended periods of unmanaged stress can be dangerous to both our physical and mental health, it is important to remember that stress has an upside. Google defines stress as: a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances. So, moving your life to higher ground is going to require that you lean into a bit of stress. Muscles grow when we put them under stress, and…well...
Nov 16, 2019•29 min•Ep. 187
Goals can be awesome mile markers along the path to change, but goals are not enough to create and sustain change. If you want to create change in your life that is long-lasting, you have to be willing to change your beliefs about what is possible for your life, your habits and ultimately, your identity. In this episode of the Grace & Grit podcast, I challenge listeners on how they think of goal setting and how to use goals in a way that helps foster meaningful and sustainable results, not just ...
Nov 09, 2019•26 min•Ep. 186
I meet women every day who are afraid to make the wrong decision and so, they choose to live life in a space of indecision. The thing about indecision, though, is that it is an exhausting place to live. It is like treading water… you end up expending a ton of energy but you move NOWHERE. In this episode of the Grace and Grit Podcast, I talk about why decision making is so hard for many women, why it is so important to make decisions and how to make decisions more easily so you can stop treading ...
Oct 05, 2019•30 min•Ep. 185
All month long on the Grace and Grit podcast the theme has been “Women’s Health Through the Ages”. And in the past 3 episodes, I have dished out my best advice for women who want to honor their health at various different ages and stages. In this final episode of this series, I have invited my incredible friend, Amanda Thebe, to the show to have a real conversation about the challenges women face in the menopausal years and how to move through those years with a bit more ease and grace. Amanda i...
Sep 28, 2019•59 min•Ep. 184
I call the years between 40 and 60 the renovation years. Why? Because of shifting hormones combined with balancing more responsibilities than ever, we are really presented with an opportunity at this age and stage of life to take stock of our total stress load and make some hard choices in how to better manage that. In this episode of the Grace & Grit Podcast, I share the advice that I believe women in our age bracket need to hear (far beyond cookie-cutter diet and exercise recommendations). Hav...
Sep 21, 2019•35 min•Ep. 183
The month the theme on the Grace & Grit Podcast is Women’s Health Through the Ages. Last week I dished out some advice about how to raise our girls with Grace and Grit and, in this week’s episode, I share a few thoughts about how women in their 20’s & 30’s can build a life without sacrificing their health to do so. Even if you are well past your 30’s, this podcast is a great reminder to all women about the toll that too much stress can take on the human body and how we can help one another to na...
Sep 14, 2019•29 min•Ep. 182
How do we raise girls to honor the needs of their body, mind, and soul? How do we raise girls to develop deep self-respect and self-love? How do we raise girls to build resilience against “diet culture”? We lead from the front, of course. Regardless of whether or not we have daughters. What would a girl learn from you about self-care, self-respect or even self-love if she observed you for a day? That is a powerful thing to consider if you are someone who recognizes that women are more than a bod...
Sep 07, 2019•35 min•Ep. 181
You can’t hate your way health, but oh how women try! You also can’t just “love yourself” when you have been practicing hating yourself for years or decades. I have long preached on the podcast that self-respect is the gateway to self-love, and a much easier place for a woman to start improving her relationship with herself. That being said… self-love IS a worthy pursuit, and not just “self-love” but unconditional self-love. Most women I have worked with over the years only grant themselves love...
Aug 31, 2019•36 min•Ep. 180
There is a more graceful & sustainable way to improving your health than what is being presented to you in the mainstream diet and fitness industry. Rather than looking outside of yourself for the answers, I believe that it is more about looking inside. Yeah…I know…not what you wanted to hear. Because… inner work… Isn’t a quick fix. It isn’t sexy. It isn’t something that can be captured in a photo on Instagram. Deep health, in my humble opinion, is only possible to the extent that you are willin...
Aug 24, 2019•30 min•Ep. 179
Consistently honoring the needs of your mind, body and soul is no small thing. It will require you to learn new skills, set boundaries, risk failure, and lean into discomfort often and much. And you will need a strong dose of courage to do those things. Cultivating a state of deep health requires that you practice being courageous and in this episode I dish out suggestions for how to do just that. Have a listen. Share your thoughts. You can listen here: https://graceandgrit.com/podcast-178/ ****...
Aug 17, 2019•39 min•Ep. 178
in·teg·ri·ty /inˈteɡrədē/ noun 1. the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles 2. the state of being whole and undivided Women come to work with me NOT because of the extra weight they are carrying or the lack of energy they are experiencing (although they often convince themselves that IS why they are seeking out my help). The real reason women come to work with me is that they want to get themselves out of what I call integrity pain. What’s integrity pain? The emotional and p...
Aug 10, 2019•31 min•Ep. 177
For decades the diet industry has encouraged women to pursue smaller bodies by way of restricting food, which has ultimately, lead to the restriction of so many other things. Restriction of self-respect. Restriction of happiness. Restriction of living life full out. …until the “weight goal” is achieved. All this “restriction” is depleting health not fortifying it. Deep health, which I define extensively in this episode, is created from a place of expansion, not restriction. Have a listen to this...
Aug 03, 2019•32 min•Ep. 176
Summer brings back fond childhood memories for many women; a time when we were less concerned about productivity and far more interested in seeking out fun, new adventures and even making new friends. Most women I coach to improve their health and overall happiness with their life could benefit from an infusion of that childlike spirit. Play, laughter, adventure, creativity, social connection and nature are nutrients that many women have pushed aside in their adult years because they are things ...
Jul 27, 2019•33 min•Ep. 175
Summer presents us with a lot of opportunities to celebrate, travel and enjoy the company of family and friends, which can be oh-so-good for the heart and soul AND a little (or a lot) challenging for women who are trying to improve their relationship with food and alcohol. In this episode, I talk about some of the biggest challenges people face in social situations and how to make choices that won’t have you regretting your decisions the next day. Have a listen. Share your thoughts. Pass this on...
Jul 20, 2019•37 min•Ep. 174
The diet and fitness industries would have you believe that if you want to rock your swimwear (or any “wear”, for that matter), you need a detox, a highly specialized diet or a new exercise routine. What you really need, I would argue, is to change the way you are thinking about your body. When you shift your focus from all that is wrong with your body to all that your body is doing awesomely well, not only do you feel better, but you DO better. You take better care of things you appreciate. #tr...
Jul 13, 2019•33 min•Ep. 173
Last summer was NOT my best summer ever. It was emotionally draining and I committed to way too many work projects, which made me feel like I literally missed the magic of summer. Which, I had a lot of disappointment about. So, this year I took some time to be intentional about how I move through my summer, so I can experience as much summer magic as possible. In this episode of the podcast, and all month long, the Grace & Grit Podcast will be dedicated to helping you design and live a summer th...
Jul 06, 2019•21 min•Ep. 172
Mental health should be a priority for EVERYONE, which is something we have emphasized throughout this month on the Grace & Grit Podcast. Nourishing your mental health looks like: Learning skills that help you navigate life challenges, gracefully. Taking responsibility for your lifestyle choices. Learning how to process ALL emotion without defending, distracting or numbing yourself. Making difficult decisions to stay true to who you are and what you want for your life. …just to name a few things...
Jun 29, 2019•48 min•Ep. 171
I am super excited to have with me today, Veronica Valli to talk about something our culture has really normalized to the point that it is nearly impossible to escape, which is, the consumption of ALCOHOL. Alcohol is everywhere! => When you go out to eat, it is very common to be asked if you want a cocktail. => The media inundates us with ads promoting alcohol. => Nearly every social occasion you are invited to will present you with an opportunity to drink. => Most people associate downtime, fun...
Jun 22, 2019•38 min•Ep. 170
Dr. Sarah Sarkis is a psychologist, writer, and performance consultant with a private practice in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her integrated approach is big on science, low on bullshit, empowering her clients to achieve long term change and growth through an eclectic blend of psychology, neurobiology, and functional medicine. In this interview, we touch on so many points relevant to modern-day mental health, including: *The importance of being emotional flexibility *Learning how to embrace ambiguity *Wher...
Jun 15, 2019•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 169
In this second episode of the “Modern Day Mental Health Theme”, I introduce 3 simple steps to to help you immediately improve your mental state. Clear physical and lifestyle clutter Pause to notice & name your what you are feeling and why you are feeling it. Choose to feel with intention. These are strategies I have used for years to help my clients unpack their stress and more consistently honor the needs of their mind, body, and soul. Have a listen. If you reap value from it, please consider s...
Jun 08, 2019•43 min•Ep. 168
While we are facing a tremendous amount of physical health challenges in our culture today, mental health is the most pressing issue of our time. Our ability to prevent, heal and manage modern-day health challenges is heavily influenced by the state of a person’s mind. If you are serious about cultivating deep health for yourself, you would benefit tremendously by focusing as much attention on your mental health as you do your physical health. Perhaps, even more so. In this episode of the Grace ...
Jun 01, 2019•44 min•Ep. 167
