#020 - In the Apostle's Creed, we profess a belief in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting...but have you ever wondered what our glorified resurrected bodies will be like?

In this episode of the podcast, I bring on my resident theologian (aka, my husband, David Castillo) to talk about what we can expect our resurrected bodies to be like--and what the implications of that are for how we treat our current bodies in the here and now.

I also invite you to join me for my FREE Webinar:
"3 Secrets to Get All-Day Energy...When You Have NO Time"

which you can register for right here:
https://www.athrivingcatholic.com/energywebinar

Thanks for listening! 

#019 - Have you ever had one of those "no good, horrible, very bad, days?"  

I know I have! 

Sometimes it can feel like our day is in a bit of a downward spiral and there's not much we can do to improve it... 

Or we may recognize that big lifestyle changes like getting more sleep, establishing an exercise routine, or improving our diets will have a huge impact on our happiness--but those changes can feel overwhelming sometimes (and besides, they take a little time to work!) 

So in this episode, I want to share with you 20 "Happiness hacks" that are little enough that you can do them right away to bolster even the worst of days. 

Thanks for listening! 

#018 - By now you’ve probably heard the buzz around fasting as a tool for achieving some really impressive benefits for your health including: 

• weight loss
• clearer skin
• increased energy
• blood sugar balance
• clearer thinking
• better mood
• and the list goes on and on. 

And as a Catholic, you probably also know that the benefits of fasting go way beyond the merely physical.

As St, Augustine put it:

“Fasting purifies the soul. It lifts up the mind, and it brings the body into subjection to the spirit. It makes the heart contrite and humble, scatters the clouds of desire, puts out the flames of lust, and enkindles the true light of chastity.”

But despite all these benefits of fasting, chances are pretty good that if you’ve ever tried to jump right into it, you might have experienced some not-so-pleasant effects of fasting–

Maybe you felt hangry, weak, shaky, or nauseous–leading you to conclude that fasting just isn’t right for you. 

But before you give up on fasting as a tool for your physical and spiritual health, I want to share with you 

• some of the reasons why you might have found fasting so difficult in the past, 
• a step-by-step process you can use to ease your way into fasting that will help make it easier than you might think
• Why fasting is different for women and men 
• 4 key considerations that you have to keep in mind when you’re planning to fast that really make the difference between whether fasting is an effective tool for growth or a completely miserable experience for you. 
• And more! 

I also mention in this episode my group coaching experience for high-achieving Catholic women who want to make a difference in the world:

 Mission-Driven Peak Performance. 

MDPP is designed to help you optimize your Sleep, Diet, and Exercise in a group of like-minded women who are all striving to grow in health as well as in virtue. 

MDPP will help you have: 

• More Energy 
• Easy Weight Loss 
• Increased Focus
• An "Unfair" advantage in your business, work, and life 

Find out more here (including more about my 12-month "no backsliding" guarantee): https://www.athrivingcatholic.com/mdpp

Thanks for listening! 

• The benefits of getting enough sleep 
• The essential mindset shifts you MUST adopt if you're going to improve sleep
• Practical strategies for getting better sleep 
• How to overcome common obstacles when it comes to getting better sleep

This episode was originally presented as a live training for my FREE Missio Parata Lenten Challenge, which you can join here:

https://www.athrivingcatholic.com/lent

To find out more about my group coaching program, Mission-Driven Peak Performance, click here:

https://www.athrivingcatholic.com/mdpp

And finally, I want to hear from you!  To take the survey and get a $100 off coupon for A Thriving Catholic Products/Services, please go to:

https://www.athrivingcatholic.com/survey
 

Thanks for listening! 

#016 - Did you know that God has something to say to you today?

Yes you.

Specifically  you.

As a beloved child of God, he wants to be in relationship with you, and good relationships require communication! 

I've heard it said that prayer is how we speak to to God and scripture is how God speaks to us.  So if you're hoping to hear more clearly what God might be saying to you, Lectio Divina is a very accessible way to enter into deep, personal, conversation with God. 

In this episode, I'll tell you what Lectio Divina is, share a simple 6 step process that you can you use to do this practice, and how you can establish your own prayer goals and virtually guarantee that you'll stick with them.

If you want to join these trainings live each week during Lent, you can join us in the Missio Parata Lenten challenge right here:  https://www.athrivingcatholic.com/lent

I also invite you to join Mission Driven Peak Performance,  my group coaching program for high-achieving Catholic women who are ready to optimize their health habits so that they can more energy, focus, vitality, and body confidence--so that they can be truly exceptional in every area of their lives. 

You can find out more about that here: https://www.athrivingcatholic.com/mdpp

Thanks for listening! 

#015 - Have you ever considered trying an elimination diet?

Maybe your doctor has diagnosed you with leaky gut or an autoimmune disorder...or maybe you're just tired of feeling generally lousy and you're looking for dietary changes that could help you feel better.

In this episode, I talk about which foods cause the most inflammation for most people, why inflammation in the body is such a problem, the tremendous benefits of reducing inflammation, and also a lot of tips to make doing an elimination diet much easier.

The content in this episode is mostly taken from a live training that I conducted for the Missio Parata Lenten Challenge, which is happening at the time of this episode's release.

Missio Parata is a 100% free Lenten Challenge designed to help you take fantastic care of your body while deepening your prayer this Lent--so that by Easter, you will be "mission-ready" (that's what Missio Parata means, BTW). 

If you're interested in joining the Missio Parata Challenge (and joining a truly fantastic and supportive community of other Catholic women who are also taking on the challenge), you can join for free here all Lent long:

https://www.athrivingcatholic.com/lent

Thanks for listening! 

#014 - Have you ever made a super ambitious Lenten Plan, only to get to Good Friday and realize that you've completely fallen off the bandwagon? 

Or maybe even to have forgotten what you set out to do for Lent in the first place?

In this episode, I share 4 strategies that will help you actually stick to your Lenten Plan--but more importantly that will help you achieve the actual goal of Lent: deeper union with God.

Also, the doors will be open to join me in my Missio Parata Lenten Challenge all Lent long, so you can still join here:

https://www.athrivingcatholic.com/lent

Thanks for listening! 

#013 - What would you do if you were to suddenly lose control of the dominant half of your body?

That is exactly what happened to my guest Marty Langlois shortly after giving birth to her first daughter. 

In this episode, Marty shares her story of rebuilding her own body after suffering a stroke and how she now helps other Catholics fix their own brokenness (both physical and spiritual) as a Catholic Fitness Coach. 

We talk about how faith and fitness intersect, the redemption of the body, how there is no such thing as the "perfect" body, and much more!

Want to take great care of your body this Lent while growing closer to God? 

Join my FREE Missio Parata Lenten Challenge!

Find out more here: https://www.athrivingcatholic.com/lent

Thanks for listening! 

#012 - Have you ever tried (or considered) Intermittent Fasting? 

Some people call it "time-restricted eating" and in this episode I have a conversation with Joy Deschaine (from Well With Joy) all about the benefits of Intermittent Fasting, how to do it, who should fast and who shouldn't (and much more).

Even if you're only "fasting curious" you might really enjoy learning more in this episode...as well as about the spiritual benefits of fasting!

I also encourage you to join my FREE Lenten Challenge, Missio Parata, which includes a fasting component on the Fridays of Lent. 

Join the challenge here:

https://www.athrivingcatholic.com/Lent

Find out more about Joy and her work at: www.wellwithjoy.net 

Thanks for listening! 

#011 - In this episode, I have a conversation with my friend Talia Kruse (from Mental Health for Holiness) all about mental health. 

Talia has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and I've also struggled with depression, so in this candid conversation we talk about all the things that we wish we'd known before dealing with mental health issues ourselves--but also the strategies that we've found helpful in managing our own mental health.  

Some of the topics we talk about are: 

• How common mental health issues really are 
• Taking medication 
• Self-awareness and paying attention to our thoughts 
• The pivotal role of sleep and good routines 
• Spiritual desolation vs. depression 
• The importance of human formation, choice, and the will 
• How you can rewire your brain and cognitive distortions 
• How to avoid wasting time and money on bad therapy 
• The importance of finding a therapist who shares your values 
• And much more! 

I also invite you to join me in my all-new FREE Lenten Challenge, Missio Parata.

Missio Parata means "Mission Ready" in Latin. 

This Lenten challenge is designed to help you become a fit instrument in the hands of God so that you have the capacity to accomplish the mission that he's given you.

You can find out more and join the challenge here:

 https://www.athrivingcatholic.com/lent

Thanks for listening!