Grace & Grit Podcast: Helping Women Everywhere Live Happier, Healthier And More Fit Lives

“I really love being a diet”, said no one ever. Dieting sucks. You know it and I know it. Being in a constant battle with food and exercise is downright exhausting, deflating and not a spectacular use of our 1 shot at this thing called life. I am a huge fan of nutrition and exercise science, AND I think that a big part of dis-ease in the human body has stemmed from people seeking so much outside perspective about what is best for them, that they have become completely detached from their own awareness and insight. Thank goodness there are people in the world like Samantha Skelly, who help women repair the bridge between their body and their mind, so they can stop being a hot frustrated mess and step into being the unstoppable, confident being they are meant to be. If you are ready to care for yourself from a place of possibility and expansion rather than one of fear and shrinking… If you are ready to dive deeper into what you are truly hungry for, do not miss this episode. Click here to learn more about Saman

Compromising, negotiating and rationalizing your way out of your good intentions to improve your health goals are behaviors that can all too easily become habits. Quitting can also easily become a habit. In fact, the diet industry has been benefitting for years off of people going from diet to diet to diet; it has thrived off of its customers making a habit out of quitting. Gyms too make money on the predication that you are going to quit on yourself. They know that after your initial burst of inspiration to sign-up for a gym membership, it is highly likely that at some point you will stop showing up for yourself (but still pay on the contract you committed to). It is a sad reality, but much of the diet and fitness industry benefits financially from you making a habit out of quitting on your way to your health goals. Which sucks! And, while, the diet and fitness industries need to develop better systems and processes to prevent people from quitting, the quicker solution is found in learning how to break the h

It seems we have become a culture of wanting the solution to all of our health woes to be delivered in 1 nice (and cheap) little package and, man, have a lot of people designed products and programs that promise just that. Look, I get it… It is easier to have someone tell you exactly what to do all the time: what to eat, how to move, which meditation to do, how much sleep to get, etc. And I am not trying to diminish the tremendous benefit of coaches, trainers, and processes that can make the road to stellar health a bit straighter, but at the end of the day… The depth of your health is really dependent on the depth of your relationship with YOURSELF. YOU are the only person who knows if you doing something because it is truly enhancing your life, or because you are just really comfortable settling into the standards of the circles you travel in. YOU are the only person who knows if the things you were doing 5 or 10 years ago to elevate your health are in line with this stage of your life. YOU are the only p

Living life in the 21st century is a blessing in so many ways. We have education at our fingertip and more freedom to choose than ever before. And… Having so many options at our disposal has increased overwhelm, the time, energy and money we spend on this that just aren’t all that important and we are more distracted than ever before. None of which leads us to a more health-FULL life. Many women I have coached through the years are so busy managing their stuff and schedules that they have lost themselves along the way. Personally, in my own life, I have been on a journey to simplify my life to amplify the things that matter most. It has been no small feat, but every item I decide to purge, every thought I chose to release, every moment I choose to line up my actions with my values… allows me to breathe more easily. So, once again I have invited my friend Evan Zislis to the show to give us some practical tips for releasing the unnecessary things in our life to make room for the things that will help us create

The Grace & Grit podcast is dedicated to helping women expand their definition of health because deep health isn’t a look, deep health is a way of being that extends far beyond the narrow conversation of just food and exercise. Sure, as women, we all want to look good, but we also want to FEEL good and, most of all, we want to be happy. And finding our happy isn’t about adding MORE “to do’s” to our life. Often finding our happy is about being true to ourselves, granting ourselves permission to slow the heck down and honoring the things our body, mind, and soul are telling us. Finding our happy also has a lot to do with hormonal balance. And my guest today, Melissa Ramos, has made art of helping women to do all of those things. I have been following Melissa for years, and I have witnessed her message of hormonal and digestive health spread like wildfire… as it well should. She shares great information with humor AND she walks her talk. Melissa Ramos is a nutritionist with a background in Chinese medicine a

My mother jokes I came out of the womb dancing. I am not joking when I say that my movement journey has literally introduced me to all the best parts of my life from friends to my career to my husband. In fact, movement is what introduced me to today’s incredible guest, and my dear friend, Babeth Schuring. When I started this podcast, I knew I would have her as a guest on this show at some point because she is such a powerful example of a woman who literally moves through live with grace & grit and a testimony to the fact that you can step into your prime whenever you decide to. Babeth set out to improve her own health story several years ago and never could have anticipated the way it would expand her life and the possibilities for her life. Tune into this episode to hear an inspirational story about a remarkable woman who chose to let her curiosities guide her on an adventure she never could have anticipated. >>Are you loving the Grace & Grit Podcast? Help us keep the mic on! Then head over to iTun

The Grace & Grit podcast is one of the small ways I feel I can contribute to helping mend the fabric of the collective female health story. One of the topics, I feel passionate in regards to this, is educating women about how to utilize strength training and movement practices to empower the relationship they have WITH their body. So, I am always on the hunt for guests who have missions aligned with that. Kirsty Grosart is an amazing woman, teacher and mover who helps others expand their movement possibilities far outside the scope of the traditional “fitness” industry. In this episode, we talk about Kristy’s personal transition from competitive athlete to teacher, mindset strategies she uses on the hardest of days, how movement has elevated the level of respect she shows her body and how to build more strength, flexibility, body awareness and control. Click here to learn more about Kirsty. >>Are you loving the Grace & Grit Podcast? Help us keep the mic on! Then head over to iTunes and leave a review 

Let’s face it, there is A LOT of information to navigate through when it comes to strategies and methods for improving health, maximizing performance, preventing injuries etc. Clearly, not all information coming at you is quality material and not all professionals in the health and wellness industries understand the complexities of the human body to the same extent. There are professionals you will meet along your health journey who just “get it” and you know you must learn more from them. Shanté Cofield (aka The Movement Maestro) is one of those people for me. In this interview, Shanté and I cover a ton of ground, including: using movement as a healing modality, the elements of a smart movement practice, tips for injury prevention, the difference between mobility & flexibility, cold water therapy, the power of breath and so much more. Definitely, one of my all time favorite interviews to date. Not to be missed! Click here to learn more about Shanté. >>Are you loving the Grace & Grit Podcast? Help us

There is no denying that the aging process poses some challenges to our physiology. I just turned 40 this year, and what my body needs at this stage of my life is a bit more complex than what it needed in my 20’s. Aging demands a new level of respect when it comes to how we care for our body so we can continue to engage with the things that light us up and make us feel fully alive. On today’s episode of the Grace & Grit Podcast, I have invited to the show, Betsy Ogden, who is a huge advocate of women’s health especially to the population of women 50+. She has an online business aptly named, “The Art of Going Gray”, where she shares her passion and knowledge of healthy living with her clients and fans. Betsy is a former dancer, physical therapist and movement enthusiast, who strongly believes that a “moving life is a healthy life”. And, of course, I agree, so I am thrilled to have her here today to share a bit of her wisdom with us and to help us reframe our expectations of aging. Click here to listen now

So often we embark on a change process because we get a hit of motivation so strong we feel compelled to take action… for a while. A few days, weeks or months pass, and, well…you know the drill… the spark that ignited our action starts to flicker out and resistance starts to rear her ugly head. We start descending the slippery slope of compromise and negotiation because we often fail to feed the motivational fire. As a coach, I can give my clients tools to uncover the driving force behind their desire to change. I can educate them. I can support them. I can even toss them crumbs of inspiration. What I can’t do, I have learned after many years, is motivate them, because motivation is their work not mine. Motivation is an inside job. In this episode of the Grace & Grit podcast, I go a bit deeper into why I believe motivation is an inside job and deliver a few strategies that may help you to fuel your own motivational fire. >>Are you loving the Grace & Grit Podcast? Help us keep the mic on! Then head ove

“I have so much to do.” “I am so stressed.” “I don’t have time.” “I am overwhelmed.” Do any of those phrases sound familiar? I hear women using these phrases constantly as rational for why they can’t seem to take better care of themselves more consistently. And believe me…I get it. There was a time in my life that these phrases dominated nearly every conversation I had with another person. Until… I realized that I was never going to stop feeling these things unless I learned how to manage my time better These phrases were robbing me of my ability to be proactive about the things I truly wanted to change in my life. And they are robbing you too. Feeling overwhelmed, stressed and like you never have time aren’t character flaws, they are time management issues and time management issues can be resolved with clarity, focus, and strategy. This episode of the Grace & Grit Podcast dives deep into how we can stop rationalizing, compromising and negotiating our best intentions, reclaim our time and dedicate it to

Deep health requires a deep level of self-respect. And, while many women may agree with that in theory, they often struggle with the application part. Treating yourself with consistent self-respect demands awareness, compassion, the willingness to make decisions that may go against the grain of cultural norms, the courage to set boundaries and the confidence to protect those boundaries. No small feat…to say the least. In this week’s episode of the Grace & Grit podcast I had the privilege of interviewing Kimberly Dawson, who specializes in helping people to get out of their own way so they can strengthen their “self-respect” muscle and play full out in their life. Kimberly has been developing her own inspired approach to manifesting the lives and businesses we most desire for many years. Her approach centers around one significant discovery: that what we each stand for, what we each seek, and what we each unknowingly deny ourselves, are all the same possibility — which she now calls the Point of You. If yo

A few weeks ago I did a short little episode surrounding the pretty horrifying statistics on eating disorders and disordered eating in this country and around the world. What prompted me to look at the numbers was an article I came across titled, “Coming Out of the Anorexia Closet 25 Years later”. The article, written by a woman named Mia Lockhart, made my heart break a little, AND it also made me want do a victory dance for the courageous and strong woman that eventually came out on the other side of her disorder. Check out this episode to hear what Mia has to say about eating disorders and what we can do to help raise girls who have a healthy relationship with food, exercise and body image. And, PLEASE, if you know anyone who could benefit from hearing this episode… share it with them!!! Click here to learn more about Mia Lockhart. 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. Looking for more Grace & Grit? Visit

I am so deeply humbled by the caliber of women who have agreed to be on the Grace & Grit podcast over the past year, and today is certainly no exception. I have been following Stephanie Gaudreau’s career since early 2013 and have been cheering her on from afar ever since. I respect her as a business woman, a women’s health advocate and as a every day woman who isn’t shy about sharing her own personal struggles with food, exercise and body image to help and inspire others. Stephanie has a wildly popular website that I personally refer to and refer many of my clients to on a regular basis, called Stupid Easy Paleo. And while Stephanie provides amazing ideas for making healthy eating simple and sustainable via her recipes and cookbooks, what I admire about her extends far beyond her nutritional knowledge and artistry around food. I see Stephanie as a woman who is leading from the front the mission of helping women to mend their relationship with their body, mind and soul. Listen to this episode to discover w

The health and wellness industry is the ONLY profession I have ever known, because, quite frankly, I love it that much. I have been inspired and educated by some incredibly remarkable women over my career (many of whom have been featured as guests on this show) and today I have the privilege of hosting someone who I absolutely would call one of my role models, Krista Scott Dixon. Krista has her PHD in Women’s Studies, has been teaching and coaching for more than 20 years, she has authored several books, she is widely published in academic and popular journals and is currently the director of curriculum for Precision Nutrition. She is not shy about sharing her own personal struggles with food, body image and the like. She is a self-described formerly un-athletic person who eventually took on things like grappling and Judo along the path to deep health. Krista has inspired thousands of women to forge a better relationship with strength training, food and body image. Click here to learn more. This episode is jam

Preparing for an upcoming podcast guest, I was horrified by the numbers surrounding eating disorders and disordered eating within the US. Having worked with women for nearly two decades to better their relationship with their body, I knew there was a problem, but the statistics I came across broke my heart. We have a problem with how women perceive their bodies and the crazy things they do in an attempt to keep themselves small. If we are going to change the conversation around what it means to be a healthy woman, we must be having conversations around how to influence our girls to extend respect to their body for the RIGHT reasons. Do the young women in your life a favor and listen to this podcast episode about eating disorders and what we can do to prevent them. 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. Looking for more Grace & Grit? Visit GraceandGrit.com

Clearly, I invite guests to the show who can provide value to this audience on the topic of women’s health, I am also very intent on inviting guests who also exemplify what it means to be a woman of Grace & Grit. Today, I could not be more thrilled to be hosting, Doctor of Physical Therapy and movement enthusiast Jen Esquer. Jen treats patients privately in the Los Angeles area but educates people all over the world through her social media channels on how to live an active and healthy lifestyle. She is smart, generous, hard working and an incredibly likable gal. She has built a remarkable following of loyal fans by sharing free and highly informative educational videos on how to maintain mobility, increase strength, and prevent pain throughout the body. She is quickly becoming a powerful force as a healthcare provider and helping people everywhere to become better movers in healthier bodies. Tune into this episode to meet Jen and hear us discuss movement, discipline, compassion and so much more. To liste

I am not sure I can fully express in words how excited I am about today’s guest on the show. I have been following Andrea Beaman for years and I truly feel she is a wellness professional that all women should know. I was initially introduced to Andrea through some conversations I was having with other health practitioners in regards to thyroid and adrenal health. And although Andrea does specialize in these topics, she truly is just a wealth of knowledge when it comes to preventing dis-ease and optimizing health in the human body. Andrea is a nationally renowned and award winning Holistic Health Coach, Natural Foods Chef and Best Selling Author. Since 1999, she has been teaching individuals and health practitioners how to harness the body’s own preventative and healing powers. Andrea has an infection personality and she infuses challenging topics with a strong dose of compassion and humor (seriously you cannot help but love this woman’s laugh). Loving this podcast? Head over to iTunes and leave a review so th

My recent conversation with clinical nutritionist Stephanie Dodier is filled with so much goodness! If you love a good transformation story… If you like REAL talk around what it takes to reclaim and sustain health… If you are curious to hear the thoughts of a clinical nutritionist about ketogenic diets… Do not miss this episode of the Grace & Grit podcast! Stephanie has a special talent for breaking down complex concepts into simple, memorable messages, always delivered with humor and empathy for those to whom she is speaking. As if that weren’t enough reason to invite her to be a guest on the show… Stephanie has also just written her first book called the Keto Connector, which we will talk more about on today’s episode. Click here to learn more about Stephanie. 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. Looking for more Grace & Grit? Visit GraceandGrit.com

If you are a woman, do not miss this episode! Julie Wiebe, an LA based physical therapist with over twenty years of clinical experience in both Sports Medicine and Women’s Health, is committed to revolutionizing the way women recover from pregnancy and return to high levels of fitness. And… she has pioneered an integrative approach to promote women’s health in and through fitness. As we discuss on the podcast, pelvic health challenges are not just exclusive to women who have been pregnant. As a woman (mama or not), you would be doing yourself (specifically your pelvic health) a favor by listening to this information packed episode. Click here to learn about today's listener special! 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. Looking for more Grace & Grit? Visit GraceandGrit.com