Family relationships can be complicated, and relationships with adolescent and adult children can be some of the most complex. Kim Muench is a woman over the age of 50 who is pursuing her life's dream. She has five kids ages 16-33, her eldest son is 11 years sober...it was her walk with him through his addiction to alcohol that prompted her to realize he was not the only person who needed to change. So, while she partnered with her family in her son's recovery, she also began to make her own phy...
Sep 15, 2022•50 min
Do you look in the mirror and feel discouraged about your body? Or maybe you just wish your body looked different. Or you’re taking an exercise class, and suddenly your knees hurt on the lunges - that has never happened before! It can feel difficult to love a body that seems to betray you. You're not alone. Research shows up to 84% of American women experience body dissatisfaction in their lifetimes. You may think, “My body betrays me! How can I still love it?” Learning to love your body when yo...
Sep 01, 2022•24 min
Have you ever asked what the heck is graceful aging?! Judy Arazoza and I are asking that very question in this episode. We would rather age powerfully! Many women struggle with body image, especially as we age and our body begins to change. Our post-menopausal body might not be the same as it once was. Try re-examining your focus, and instead of comparing your body to when it was younger or to someone else's body, start looking at all your body has done for you, is doing for you, and can do for ...
Jul 28, 2022•44 min
Have you ever felt like you are too old? There could be nothing further from the truth! Midlife is a wonderful time of life to seize what you want and go for it. Why? Because midlife is the BEST part of life. You’re Not Too F***ing Old!™ to take a stand, have a seat at the table, make a massive impact, change the conversation, start a business, get divorced, get married, and do whatever the hell you want to do! Our guest for this episode, Jen Marples is a champion of women in midlife and a cheer...
Jul 14, 2022•54 min
Are you searching to find the perfect diet or diet approach? We are feeling pressured to have that bikini body, especially now that summer is here and many people have turned to the clean eating diet. Recently, I was asked in a podcast interview what I thought of “clean eating,” and let me tell you that I have very strong feelings about this diet approach. In the end, clean eating is a fad diet based on the belief that consuming whole foods and avoiding convenience food and other processed foods...
Jul 07, 2022•19 min
Arthritis can be a barrier when it comes to leading a healthy lifestyle. It's important to remember when exercising with osteoarthritis that trying new things can be so helpful in continuing to be active. There is so much misinformation about osteoarthritis that can discourage people from being active. Using conservative management consistently is critical. Remember that progress will be slow, and it may take weeks to months to see results. If you want to be active as you age, you may encounter ...
Jun 30, 2022•45 min
Yoga is a wonderful reflection of life, and by learning to breathe and soften, we can be more open to all the possibilities life has to offer. Dagmar Spremberg is a Yoga entrepreneur and the founder of Montezuma Yoga in Costa Rica. While growing up in Germany, all she could envision for herself was a life in the sunshine and under the palm trees. Through her own experience, she learned and believes that everybody can live their dreams and that our work is to become clear and open to receive the ...
Jun 16, 2022•50 min
What you eat and drink makes a big difference in how you look and feel. So the most common recommendation from family, friends and some nutrition experts is "Watch what you eat" when you want to lose weight. Some experts tell you to count calories or log every macronutrient. Then some want you to listen to your body. This can be confusing. Energy-dense foods contain a higher number of calories per serving. In contrast, nutrient-dense whole foods contain higher vitamins, minerals, and other essen...
Jun 02, 2022•25 min
Midlife is a much broader window of time than it ever has been before. It can be in your 40s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, and even for some, their 80’s! So while it can be a difficult time, it can also be a great time to reevaluate and change directions and try new things! A Qualified Educator, Podcaster, Personal Trainer, and Life Coach, my guest this week is Cat Coluccio – aka the Midlife Success Coach – she is also an author, international speaker, coach, and a champion of women in midlife. Her midlife...
May 19, 2022•50 min
Knee pain is one of the most common orthopedic complaints affecting 25 percent of adults, with osteoarthritis being the most common cause for people over 50. Oftentimes people think that not being active and just staying on the couch is the solution to preventing knee pain and injury, but this is not true. Inactivity can be just as bad for your knees as the stress of excessive high-impact exercises, and you could still end up with joint pain or injury. There are many great exercises and ways to ...
May 05, 2022•35 min
Has life ever made you feel like you are stuck in the muck? We have all felt this way, and our guest on this podcast episode shares about turning your muck into magic. When life knocked Wendi Knox down, hundreds of red dragonflies lifted her up. What she learned from them was so life-changing; she just couldn't keep it to herself. Wendi Knox is an author, artist, and uplifter. She used to be an award-winning Creative Director at one of the largest advertising agencies in Los Angeles. At 50, Wend...
Apr 21, 2022•48 min
How and where do we fit in? What is your next step, and what is your purpose in life? These are some of the questions you might ask yourself as you are approaching becoming an empty nester. I'm not a counselor, but I have had many conversations with other empty-nester moms about their feelings when the kids are gone, and I'm an empty-nester mom myself. Based on my experience and the conversations I have had, I can share some ideas and strategies to help you get unstuck in your empty nest to move...
Apr 07, 2022•37 min
Aging and losing strength, balance, endurance is frightening. Starting a fitness program at 50, 60, or 70 is pretty scary. The trick is to find something you love doing, or you are in love with the results. You have to want it to keep yourself going. Finding something that you love, enjoy, and repeat makes the fitness journey easier. Today, my guest is Joni Grant, a competitive powerlifter, personal trainer, and movement specialist. She wasn't always strong and fit, but quite the opposite. Joni ...
Mar 31, 2022•42 min
Does this sound familiar? You’re tired and hungry after a busy day, and all you want is something healthy and quick for dinner. But when you look into your fridge, you find old kale, random what I call a “fitzls” (a made-up word for tiny portions of food that I just couldn’t throw away and had to save), but that’s not a meal either rather more like a mini snack. Likewise, looking in the freezer, you might have to defrost and cook, which you’re really not in the mood for. Your brain wants pleasur...
Mar 17, 2022•31 min
Many women after menopause find that they have trouble losing stubborn weight. We talk about some of the causes on this episode of Pursue Your Spark Podcast, primarily, focusing on the role that insulin plays in your health. People often think that insulin is a bad thing or that only people with diabetes need to think about it, but the truth is our body has it naturally. In fact, it is insulin resistance that can have negative effects on your health. 85% of adults are insulin resistant, yet most...
Mar 03, 2022•1 hr
Do you wonder why you don’t lose weight, but you have tried diet after diet? Why don’t you feel stronger after all those classes you took, and gardening is still super hard on your back? Why can’t you seem to run after the grandkids without getting out of breath? Why are your muscles stiffer than you remember them being, and now picking up your socks off the floor is a chore, and you grab them with your toes instead of bending down? That’s where the help of a qualified fitness and wellness coach...
Feb 17, 2022•43 min
If you are like Karen Wright or me, you may have had someone you trust deeply, such as a partner, betray your trust and leave you feeling like you have to take care of everything. She labeled this role as becoming an accidental alpha woman. She never planned on being the sole breadwinner for her family or even a single parent, but unexpected confessions changed her path and threw her into a role she had not planned on. It’s very important as women that we understand finances in our homes and the...
Feb 03, 2022•43 min
Have you said or heard someone else say: "I want to have a body like Tina Turner!" or "I wonder what she is eating to look so good?" All too often, we compare ourselves to others without even noticing. Diving into why comparing is natural and how it can influence how you feel is essential to taking back control of your thoughts and feelings. Also, finding out about the different ways comparison works and what to do instead is critical to conquering it. Comparisons are a normal part of human beha...
Jan 20, 2022•23 min
There are a lot of stereotypes that go with obesity, and Sue, like many people, did not fit those stereotypes. Our guest today is Sue Reynolds. Sue is the author of “The Athlete Inside: The Transforming Power of Hope, Tenacity, and Faith.” She transformed herself from a 335-lb couch potato into a 135-lb World Championships-qualifying triathlete—all between the ages of 56 and 62! Sue conquered fear and pride to find that the best version of herself had been there all along. Sue hopes the book and...
Jan 06, 2022•1 hr 9 min
This year you might be preparing for the holiday in the same way you have many other years. But, if you’re like most people, you might be able to identify with one or all of the following questions: Are you exercising ahead of the holidays because you know that you’ll miss most of your workouts? Are you closing your eyes, ignoring all the healthy eating habits you established, and just not worrying about what happens during the holidays until January? Are you pre-dieting to lose some weight befo...
Dec 23, 2021•37 min
Do you struggle with emotional eating? Many people do. Recognizing that emotional eating is deeply ingrained in us through both positive and negative eating patterns is an essential step in the healing process. Whenever something happens emotionally, we eat. For example, we eat and have meals around both weddings and funerals. The connection between emotions and food is always present. We are taught to push emotions down with something else, and it’s often food and eating. Talking about our feel...
Dec 09, 2021•52 min
The time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s is the most challenging time of the year to stick to your hard-earned health and wellness goals. We are preparing meals that we don’t make any other time of the year, and you might be looking forward to the special stuffing your daughter-in-law makes or the pie that Aunt Jane will bring. Are you taking a trip this year and celebrating Thanksgiving or Christmas or the holidays with your grown kids and their families? Or is everyone coming to your house...
Nov 25, 2021•31 min
Our guest today is Iffy Ibekwe; she is an estate planning attorney. We are talking about how estate planning is for everyone, no matter your estate's size or age. First, we'll find out How to Leave a Legacy through Estate Planning. Estate planning is not just for the super-rich but for everyone. It's a wonderful gift to your loved ones to not have the stress and headache of having to deal with. Iffy is an estate planning attorney evangelist for intergenerational wealth transfer and legacy buildi...
Nov 11, 2021•46 min
Looking young and staying young is the message we are bombarded with all the time. We are often marketed to by someone or other that we need something to look younger, more toned, more fit, and perhaps like our younger self. A multi-million-dollar anti-aging industry promises to help older adults (like me) to feel young again - implying that there is something wrong with us looking and feeling the way we are. What's wrong with aging and the way we look? It's time to create a new narrative in the...
Oct 28, 2021•35 min
Have you ever had a dream so big that people called it a pipe dream? A pipe dream is defined as an unattainable or fanciful hope or plan. Today we will be talking about turning those pipe dreams into reality with Christine Renynebeau, the founder and CEO of Dreambuilt Books, an independent children's book publishing company dedicated to providing books that tackle big topics. Not only will Christine be sharing with us about her journey of pursuing her pipe dream of becoming an author, but she is...
Oct 14, 2021•43 min
Followed by the episode's summary, the bottom line is that there seems to be a pattern between weight gain and the holidays every year. These include Halloween parties, Thanksgiving, and other holiday feasts. You may plan to invite your family over or to visit them during the holidays. That means you’ll eat more and move less. Why is it important to have strong abs and a strong core? I want you to start this end of the year a bit different than other years by starting to strengthen your abs and ...
Sep 30, 2021•33 min•Ep. 147
Can you think of someone who has betrayed you? If you are like me, you have experienced betrayal before. Whether it be from a coworker, a romantic relationship, a good friend, or even family, we have all experienced betrayal by someone you trusted deeply that shook you to the core. That is why I am talking to guest speaker Dr. Debi Silber on this podcast episode on how to recover and heal from a betrayal. She shares with us how it is not only possible to heal from such a life crisis but to also ...
Sep 16, 2021•49 min•Ep. 146
Are you self sabotaging? What are some of the signs and ways you could be doing it? For example, you followed a nutrition or fitness program for the longest time and reached your goals. But then something happened, and during your Netflix binge, the snack gremlins come out, and you couldn’t help but give in. So you’re thinking, why am I doing this to myself??? Why am I sabotaging what I worked so hard for? Do these sound familiar to you? Self sabotage is when you undermine your own goals and val...
Sep 02, 2021•30 min
Today more than ever, women in midlife are letting go of society’s expectations of them and truly stepping into the lives they desire. There long was an “acceptable” way to age, but that’s no longer the case. Instead, women can be as wild and free in their golden years as they were decades before. There’s something about getting older and being more sure of who you are that is so freeing! My guest on today’s podcast, Stephanie Raffelock, is the author of Creatrix Rising: Unlocking the Power of M...
Jul 29, 2021•51 min
During quarantine, it became a lot easier to snack more and exercise less. This lead to weight gain for some, what is now dubbed the “Covid-19” (pounds, that is). For others, this time at home was utilized to create better eating and exercise habits. Your own health and what you ate were some of the only things you could control during this time. However, some of my clients are experiencing weight gain now that things are opening up again. They wonder, “Why is this happening NOW and didn’t befor...
Jul 22, 2021•25 min
