Post Cards From the YES Life: Your launchpad for reinvention, empowerment, adventurous living, after life transitions

This week, I'm interviewing Deena Kastor, the 2004 Olympic Marathon Bronze Medalist and the American record holder in the marathon. She is also the author of, "Let Your Mind Run. A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory." As she tells stories from her lifetime of running, she incorporates lessons about optimism, and how she used mindset to transform her running and her life.  Training your mind to b...

It's the end of the school year, and I've been asked about fifty times, "What will you do now that you only have one kid at home?" So, I've been thinking about it, and decided my response would be this week's Free Thinking Friday. This one is for every parent who is under pressure from society to "get their act together" once their kids leave the nest. The question confuses me. I just don't unders...

I talked with Regional Trainer for Orange Theory Fitness, Scott Schlesinger, about what makes an Orange Theory workout unique, why people get results, and the multitude of ways that the workouts can help transform lives.  I've been a long-time fan of Orange Theory Fitness, and I promise: this is not a paid commercial! We get into the nitty gritty of what makes the Orange Theory experience somethin...

I think it's important for each of us to remember that we have different seasons in life and  it's not practical, and probably not healthy, to be all-in and  super competitive all the time. For this Free Thinking Friday, I share my thoughts on how you can improve your performance when you let go of the Type A tendencies, stop worrying about what other people think, and maybe... race a little less....

How do you balance your energy as a runner? We live in a numbers-driven society, making it easy to compare training data with those around us. In sports such as running, there can be pressure to fall within a certain weight range. And dance companies and dance schools often look at BMI (Body Mass Index) to determine if their dancers are "in shape."  As you'll hear on this week's episode, compariso...

Welcome to Free Thinking Friday, a brief episode where I share thoughts I've been pondering throughout the week. We recently had an academic situation that left me livid. As  of the publication of this episode, it is still not resolved, but I share my frustrations related to the consequences of being part of the trophy generation, that group of kids who got participation trophies, just because the...

For this episode, I spoke with two time Olympian, Nick Symmonds. Nick competed for the U.S. in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. He focused on the 800 meters for the majority of his career, and now in retirement, has set a personal goal of beating 11 seconds in the 100 meters. He has also publicly expressed his desire to climb the seven summits, the tallest mountain on each continent. Nick stays busy hu...

Welcome to Free Thinking Friday –   a brief episode where I share some of the things I've been pondering throughout the week.   I totally love it when I find a great story about a performer, director or storyteller who persevered when doors were being slammed in their face. I've become a bit of a Justin Baldoni fan girl. It all started when I began binge-watching "Jane the Virgin" on Netflix. At t...

Y ou need a strong core to excel in running… but it's also what is going to keep you moving under your own power and keep you chasing adventure in your 80s and 90s. I talked with Mark Campbell, of Core Strong Fitness, about the importance of core training, how you can use suspension training to become stronger, how you can have an 18 year old athlete and an 80 year old woman rebuilding leg strengt...

Join me for this brief episode where I talk about the value of YES, AND... thinking. Yep! My worlds of theater and running are colliding, and I'm talking about incorporating a technique from improv, into your life and using it with your running. I also share a quick clip from my upcoming interview with Nick Symmonds, two time Olympian. He talks about gratitude, and I think it's a great lesson to c...

Deliece Hofen is the mother of two sons. Her youngest son, Braden, battled childhood cancer three times. During his second battle with cancer, he faced the words "no known cure" and his odds for survival were less than 10%. Three months after that diagnosis, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. They had chemo on the same days in two different locations in Kansas City for several months. They both...

The Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon, and it's a marathon almost everyone has heard of, even if they don't follow running. Running Boston represents dedication, commitment, grit and perseverance--and the runners who make it to the start line in Boston on the third Monday in April each year have poured their hearts into their training. It's so exciting to be in Boston on are da...

I am so excited to share this week's interview. I talked to Meredith Atwood, who some of you might know better as Swim Bike Mom. She is a recovering attorney, motivational speaker and author of the newly released, Triathlon for the Every Woman: You Can Be a Triathlete. Yes. You. She is also the host of the podcast, The Same 24 Hours . Meredith lives in Overland Park, Kansas (for now!) with her hus...

Race season is heating up across most of the U.S., so I wanted to do a special race week edition of the podcast to share the "Golden Rules of Race Day." A few years ago, I was in amazing shape and was prepared for a half marathon PR, but when the race started, a few things happened that were out of my control. These things cost me several minutes and I wasn't able to hit the time I was shooting fo...

Today I am talking with Laura Schmidt, who is the Chief Positive Person at notes to self. Laura started notes to self to put her belief in the power of positive thinking into action --  (and on people's feet!). Laura's hard work and a positive attitude have resulted in success in the corporate world, in direct sales, and as a dedicated mother of three in Prairie Village, Kansas. Some of the questi...

Linda Mitchell is a 55 year old -- award-winning fitness competitor, women's health expert and an elite obstacle racer. I met Linda a few years ago at a fitness convention, and was interviewed on her podcast, the Sisterhood of S.W.E.A.T., last summer. Linda's podcast is one of my favorite women's empowerment and fitness podcasts to listen to. Linda is an author, podcaster, and fitness studio owner...

In this episode, I talk with Ashley DeLuca about success, taking time to connect with friends and loved ones, the traits Ashley believes all champions possess and how she got started in business. Ashley also shares email marketing tips for women who want to get better at reaching customers outside of an environment owned by Facebook, Instagram or YouTube. Ashley DeLuca is a Digital Marketing consu...

After breast cancer treatment, as a result of being on a hormone-blocking drug to reduce the risk of recurrence, I felt like my body aged 30 years, practically over night. While that's never something anyone wants to experience, it forced me to devote time to learning even more about how the body works. And, that is good news for my clients and all of you.  If you're a runner, and you're strugglin...

Viviane Wolfe is an online yoga coach who helps women build and maintain a yoga practice that supports them in life and business. Releasing stress, tension, low back pain, neck and shoulder tightness and more is the first step of becoming the most optimal version of you.    To get the FREE guide "7 Yoga Poses Every Female Business Owner Needs to Do Now" go to https://wp.me/P8jutM-yY   Learn more a...

  Twenty years ago, Donna Savage set out on a journey to prove that strength training is the most important exercise for women. She joined a crusade to dispel the myth that lifting weights gives women big, bulky muscles when it actually does the opposite--toning, tightening and giving us curves in all the right places. Along with her husband, Donna is the founder of Empower Fitness, a fitness comp...

Tracy Cotton has always had a taste for adventure. That taste has led her to carve a niche in her insurance career as a farm to fork agent in Western North Carolina. After a lifetime of being sedentary and overweight, she began an health and fitness journey in 2015 where she shed many pounds while getting more active. She's run 5Ks, and started backpacking, including a couple of long weekends on t...

There are so many things that we resist -  or that we accept as truth - just because things have always been done a certain way. This week I'm addressing 12 mindset shifts that will help you improve  your performance in life, at work and as an athlete.   1. You don't have to feel old and achy. 2. Short workouts count! 3. Wear heels and pointy shoes only for special occasions. 4. Journaling isn't j...

You don't have to start with a fancy, high-tech wellness program. You can start small by making it fun, and getting people talking, laughing and moving together.  A wellness program that involves some form of movement--running, yoga, pilates, walking- will benefit your company in huge ways. In addition to helping individuals improve attention, motivation, focus and a sense of well-being, they cont...

Today's episode is all about how you can use wellness in the workplace to boost productivity. But, even if you are not a manager or leader at work, I want you to listen to this because 1) you might have a leader in your life who needs to hear this message. And 2) because we are all leaders, whether it's leading our families or leading committees at our kids' schools or participating as volunteers...

Do you need a running coach? Can't you just download a free plan from the internet and get to work?   And if you hire one, what do you even talk about with them? I am a coach, and of course I believe that everyone can benefit from having a coach. Running coaches aren't just the type of runner you might consider faster or elite. If you are new to running, a coach can be just as important to your su...