Grace & Grit Podcast

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...

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/pod...

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 i...

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...

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 t...

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 l...

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 d...

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...

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 s...

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...

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 fac...

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 wom...

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 wome...

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?...

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"...

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...

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 tha...

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...

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 exten...

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...

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...

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...

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 a...

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 difficu...

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...