Embrace. Live. Thrive.

Today LaTonya Thomas, Founder of Sweet Start Ministries joins the podcast and shares how her traumatic childhood and difficulty in early adulthood had distorted her understanding of love. She attempted several times to start her business and God kept having her walk seasons of difficulty. It seemed as though she would take two steps forward and then one step back. It wasn't until she finally realized that she can't show real love to others until she really understood love herself. Listen to her powerful testament of realizing that her identity is defined by her faith and not the things that had happened to her in the past. LaTonya is going to leave you encouraged and inspired. Please listen and share I know there are so many individuals that need to hear what LaTonya shares with us in this interview.   

Sweet Start Ministries is an encouragement ministry educating people about how much they are lovable and are loved. LaTonya works on teaching that love is an action and developing practical ways to share that love with those around us. Please check LaTonya's website out and follow her on Facebook and Instagram. Let's join the movement in realizing that love is an action.

LaTonya's Bio: 
I'm married to my high school sweetie and mother to 5 wonderful children.  I'm the Founder and CEO of Sweet Start Ministries. I'm passionate about people and their FULL well being. 

I value building relationships and connections. I believe that everyday is a brand new start,  so begin again with an open heart! 

Ways to Find LaTonya:
Website: www.sweetstartministries.org
FB: @SweetStartMinistries
Instagram: @sweet_start_ministries
Email: [email protected]
Phone #: 636-293-6831

Embrace, Live, Thrive
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com 
FB: @embracelivethrive 
Instagram: @embracelivethrive

Today Melissa Samaki, RN, IBCLC, Certified Postpartum Doula takes the time to come on the podcast and share her own story of depression and anxiety after the births of her four children. She was caught completely unprepared for how much it took to care for a newborn and struggled with depression realizing how different her life had now become. Melissa talks us through her hard moments and how it wasn't until she was in nursing school that she realized how depressed and anxious she had become after the births of her children. She encourages us to reach out and ask for help in those moments and keep asking until you get the answers you need.

Melissa also does an amazing job of explaining to us what a Doula is and how there are many different types. Her business Nurturing New Beginnings is designed to help soon to deliver mommas and postpartum mommas build a plan and be prepare for what is to come once that new baby is here. Please take the time to check out her website and see all the amazing services Melissa has to offer. As always listen, like, and share to continue to spread awareness of Embrace, Live, Thrives mission to destigmatize mental health issues in motherhood.   

Resources Mentioned:
HALTS (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired, Sick) - Self Assessment tool to bring awareness to what you might be feeling.

Melissa Bio:  
I am a registered nurse with over 8 years of experience caring for mothers and newborns in and out of the hospital setting.  I am an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant helping families along their breastfeeding journey during pregnancy and beyond.  As a trained peer emotional coach, I support mothers experiencing emotional challenges  during pregnancy and postpartum.  My years of teaching prenatal classes and facilitating postpartum and breastfeeding support groups give me a unique perspective on the needs of growing families.

As a certified postpartum doula, I provide support out of a heart of compassion and understanding.  As a mother of four children, I experienced first-hand how challenging  the first months with a baby can be, physically and emotionally.  My desire is to normalize the need to support growing families so they can thrive.  Many times families are not aware of how to use the third trimester to prepare their “nest” for the new life to come.  I offer prenatal classes in postpartum planning, breastfeeding, and newborn care so families can welcome their little one with knowledge and confidence.  There are  misconceptions about what motherhood and postpartum are supposed to be like.  I walk alongside families validating their experiences  and emotions as they make this journey and seek to connect with  a broader village of support.  My in-home postpartum services are designed to give families the space and time they need to rest, recover, bond with baby, and adjust to a new normal.     I want to help families during this special time for a better heart, health, and home

Ways to Find Melissa:
Website: www.nurturingnewbeginnings.com
FB: @nurturingnewbeginnings
Instagram: @nurturingnewbeginnings

Embrace, Live, Thrive:
Website: www.emrbacelivethrive.com 
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive

Today Laura Mullen, NTP comes on the podcast and shares her own nutritional journey that started as a young teen who was unhappy with her appearance. She lost over 40 pounds focusing on  what she was eating and starting to walk 3 miles after school everyday. However, it wasn't until late High School that she began to realize her worth was not tied to her weight and she was lovable for who she was and not how she looked.

Laura shares tips, recommendations, and encouragement for all of us as we approach this holiday season. She talks through strategies for managing Halloween candy, how to prepare for all of the family events built around food, and how to avoid over indulging at those open bars with all of those high calorie cocktails. Laura tells us that success is not  synonymous with perfectionism, but about perseverance and resilience for the long game.

This episode is so good and worth a listen to help us all be prepared for this busy season that is fast approaching. Please listen, like, and share with anyone you think could benefit from this episode preparing us for the next 2.5 months of the year.

Laura's Bio:
“Helping you learn to nourish your body with real food so that you can carry on & carry out your Kingdom calling”

Credentials: Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (through the Nutritional Therapy Association)

Best way to stay connected with me is through my Instagram page - @made4morewellness 

Best way to schedule or inquire about working with me as a practitioner is to contact our office  either through our website or by our office phone

314-439-0777

crossroadschiropractic-stl.com

Embrace, Live, Thrive:
www.emrbacelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive

Today Dr. Abbe Keen comes and talks to us about coping strategies for grief and how Nutritional Response Testing has changed the way she is able to care for her patients.

Dr. Keen lost her daughter, Hannah, at 34 weeks gestation. She talks us through the hope she found in her faith and the support of the community that was around her at that time of complete darkness. Dr. Keen was vulnerable telling us about how 11 years later she still has moments where she mourns the loss of her daughter, but finds comfort in sharing about Hannah. 

Dr. Keen has been practicing Chiropractic care for 12 years and is passionate about helping  families be successful and find much needed support with nursing, digestive issues, skin rashes, and so much more. She felt there was something missing and when she was exposed to Nutritional Response Testing® she knew that what she needed to round out treatment for her patients. Nutritional Response Testing® assesses the body and through a series of strength tests and palpation to determine nutritional deficits. It sounds truly amazing and totally worth checking out!!

There is so much packed into this interview, you are not going to want to miss one minute. Please listen and share this episode with that person that pops in your mind that needs to hear this conversation. Sharing is caring and sharing helps Embrace, Live, Thrive continue to spread our message of hope to those mommas that are hurting. 

Resources Mentioned:
The Healing Path: How the Hurts in Your Past Can Lead You to a More Abundant Life by Dan Allender

Abbe Bio: 
Dr. Keen’s passion to learn has earned her a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Ohio University, a Bachelor of Human Biology and Doctor of Chiropractic degrees from Logan University. Dr. Keen is also a licensed acupuncturist, Revelation Wellness Group Fitness Instructor, and is an Advanced Clinical Practitioner of Nutrition Response Testing.

Dr. Keen’s passion for health and her heart’s goal to glorify Christ are melding together to provide the greater St. Louis region with a different kind of healthcare. Her desire for wholistic care creates a safe space where individuals and families can utilize the full spectrum of healthcare services and begin a journey of health that focuses on the whole person; mind, body, and spirit. She recognizes that true health comes from strengthening your walk with God and caring for your temple. This type of care will not only be life changing for you, but will transform the legacy of health and wholeness that you will pass on to those around you.

Ways to Find Dr. Keen:
Website: https://www.crossroadschiropractic-stl.com/
FB: @crossroadsfamilychiropractic
Instagram: @crossroadschiropracticstl

Embrace, Live, Thrive
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive 
Instagram: @embracelivethrive 
Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCiLNqXvPXpNvZL2mvrM2chQ

Today Angela Meier, owner of A.I.M. For Health LLC, comes on the podcast and talks about how nutrition impacts so many different areas of our lives and the importance of whole foods. She tells us about her professional dancing career and how it drove her eating disorder that ended up wreaking her bone and digestive health.  It took her many years to recover, but through supplements and focusing on a balanced diet she was able to find relief from those aliments.

After her professional dancing career came to a close, she and her husband attempted to begin a family. After years of  disappointment and finding out her husband struggled with fertility, their only option was for her to go through in vitro fertilization. After delivering her daughter and struggling with health issues for years, Angela found a doctor who was able to figure out she no longer produced DHEA , a hormone that is pivotal for the regulation of other important hormones. She is a huge advocate to find a doctor that listens and supports you.

Angela gives us so much valuable information and shares vulnerably about her journey with nutrition for her digestive and bone health, but also with infertility and hormonal regulation. Understanding your nutritional health is so important, please listen and share with your friends.

Ways to Contact Angela:
Text or Call: 314-775-8105

Angela Bio:
Mom, wife. Professional dancer turned ACE certified personal trainer.

Got into Nutrition industry 17 years ago

L.E.A.N certified In Pregnancy, Family and Adult nutrition.

Owner of A.I.M. For Health LLC. 

Focus on foundational principles of healthy living keeping it simple. Being healthy is not rocket science- it’s simple.

Mission statement- Leading people to the health God designed them to have, so they have the life God created them for.

Embrace, Live, Thrive
Website/Blog: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive 

Today Gina Birkemeier, licensed counselor/author, comes to discuss her book Generations Deep: Unmasking Inherited Dysfunction and Trauma to Rewrite our story through Faith and Therapy.

Gina talks about how she struggled most with leaning into the safe places during her healing journey because when you find your function in dysfunction safety looks dangerous. She explains to us forgiveness versus reconciliation, corrective emotions, and corrective experiences and their importance. Gina lists the most important things in her healing process including her relationship with God, therapy, relationships, forgiveness, and stop living out of the script she had been told.

This interview is full with so much value. Please listen and share with anyone you know that is healing from trauma. There is such validation in Gina's story. I highly recommend her book to buy and read, because you are going to want to take notes and use it as a reference with all of the amazing information that is included.   

Ways to Find Gina:
Websites: Generations Deep by Gina Birkemeier
                       Gina Birkemeier (itsmyoutloudvoice.com)
FB: @itsmyoutloudvoice
Instagram: @myoutloudvoice

Gina's Bio:
Growing up, my home life overflowed with chaos and dysfunction, patterns passed down from one generation in my family to the next. As a result, my sense of self and of the world were distorted, along with my sense of value and ability to trust. What I believed about others, myself, and even God was tainted.

The verbal and physical trauma of my childhood resulted in the hallmarks of a traumatic upbringing. For years, I walked around in the fog of a disjointed self-narrative due to missing pieces of my story. The holes in my memory caused by my brain’s response to trauma and, later in life, self-destructive behaviors, made it difficult for me to understand and acknowledge my brokenness. Consequently, embracing the need for healing was difficult, too. The result was pain and shame, perpetuating the cycles of dysfunction that had been passed on to me. I lived out that legacy for more than two decades.

Then came healing.

Over time, I healed from the toxic abundance of my youth through the beautiful abundance of God’s grace combined with some powerful therapeutic interventions. Those life-changing interventions worked because they were designed to honor how God created us to heal and grow. Once I experienced that kind of healing, and came face to face with a God who saw my worth and loved me unconditionally, I knew I had to tell others. (When you find what makes your heart whole and experience the freedom you deserve, you will want to tell others too.)

Over the years my journey has taken many forms. First in ministry and as a lay counselor to the homeless, those coming out of prison, domestic violence survivors, and single moms.  As I walked with these precious souls, I heard many stories that resonated with my experiences growing up.  I became aware of my inadequacies to help them with their deeper mental and emotional struggles. I knew clinical training was the missing piece, but I also knew that whatever formal education I pursued, it would need to include faith and therapy. 

I pursued my master’s degree in counseling and theology from Covenant Theological Seminary and then advanced training in trauma and techniques to help people heal from the impact of trauma. The study of intergenerational dysfunction and trauma have been areas of particular interest to me as it was a big part of understanding my own journey.

Embrace, Live, Thrive:
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive 

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Today's Angie Harness, a successful residential realtor, comes on the podcast and opens up about trauma experienced in childhood and its impact on her adult life. As a child she disassociated much of her trauma, but started having severe flashbacks as an adult that was holding her back from growing as an individual and in her business. Angie had done therapy before, but was recommended to try a specific type of therapy called EMDR, which stands for eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. Although an intense form of therapy, she had found a path to healing from her flashbacks and physical triggers.

Angie encourages us that one of the most important thing that we can do no matter what we are experiencing is the practice of gratitude. This conversation is so encouraging for those who have experienced trauma and shows that there is hope for processing and healing from those experiences. Please listen and know that any trauma that you have experienced is legitimate and you don't have to let it control you any longer. If anything in this episode is thought provoking or inspiring to you, please share with anyone and everyone that comes to mind.

Resources Mentioned:
Caroline Raposo: https://navigationcounselingservices.net/

Angie Bio:
A never ending quest for excellence, achievement & a strong work ethic are in my DNA. As a kid I remember watching my 70 something year old guelito (grandfather) shear sheep. This was a nasty, hot, smelly & dirty job! Yet, my guelito took great care and had much pride in his work. This is such a proud memory for me and serves as humbling reminder to always do the absolute best for my clients. Working with me is more than about the house...The EXPERIENCE IS ABOUT YOU… your dreams and your future!

Ways To Contact Angie:
Phone #: (636) 856-6485
Email: [email protected]
Website: Angie Harness Real Estate Consulting (kw.com)
FB: @theangieharness

Embrace, Live, Thrive 
FB: @embracelivethrive 
Instagram: @embracelivethrive 
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com 

Today's interview is with Rebecca Nicastro, a strong woman I met through my networking community. I was instantly drawn to her story and knew I had to share about her discovering her strength, overcoming adversity, and relearning who she is as an individual after a painful second divorce. Rebecca encourages us that turning the focus outward and looking for ways to help others when you are hurting is one of the best ways to help the healing process.     

Rebecca's journey is not for the faint of heart. She was betrayed by one of the people she loved the most and that scar does not heal quickly. Rebecca struggled knowing how or if she was going to make it through her second divorce. It took being reminded by her therapist that everything she was doing was being watched by her daughter. That was the encouragement she needed to start slowly clearing her head and getting back on her feet. Rebecca began to train for a body building competition to help keep herself focused and away from the common negative coping mechanisms people use when they are deeply hurting. However, what she found through her training and eventually competing was so much more than just a distraction. Rebecca began to rediscover who she really was and what was truly important.

If you are walking through divorce or have been divorced listen to Rebecca's story and know that you are not alone and there is hope. Listen and share Rebecca's story with anyone you think might be encouraged.

Ways to Contact Rebecca:
FB: @Rebecca Zingrich Nicastro

Rebecca's Bio:
Rebecca Nicastro of O'Fallon Missouri, holds a bachelors degree in psychology and a master's in business. Rebecca's has worked in the healthcare industry for 21 years, and currently working for a large health insurance carrier. She is a proud mother of an adult daughter, a world traveler, fitness competitor, dog lover, and Christian. 

Embrace, Live, Thrive:
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com 
FB: @embracelivethrive 
Instagram: @embracelivethrive 

Today's episode is an incredible conversation with author/speaker Marcy Bursac. She grew up knowing that adoption was her path for family planning and after she and her husband met it became clear that adoption from the foster care system was the perfect way to grow their family. She walks us through peoples responses to their decision about not having biological children and also to not adopt a baby. People struggled to understand, but Marcy knew what was right for her family.

Marcy shares their adoption story and tells us about the one hundred and twenty thousand children in the foster care system that have had their parental rights severed and are referred to as the "waiting" because they are waiting for their forever homes. Her book "The Forgotten Adoption Option" and podcast by the same name, was inspired by her passion to help people understand the process of adoption from the foster care system. Marcy talks us through common limiting beliefs about adoption and kids in the foster care system and helps us understand why they are not accurate. Please take the time to not only listen to this amazing conversation, but also share with everyone you know to start helping these one hundred and twenty thousand children find their forever homes!!

Marcy Bio:
Marcy Bursac is an adoptive mom of a biological sibling pair who saw how children who are waiting in foster care for an adoptive home were being overlooked. So, during the pandemic, she wrote a book (The Forgotten Adoption Option), launched a podcast (The Forgotten Adoption Option Podcast), and will be competing in the Mrs. Missouri Pageant on Saturday, Sept. 11th as a way to shine bright light on 120,000 children in the United States who are waiting for forever families. 

Ways to Find Marcy:
Website: https://forgottenadoptionoption.com/
Podcast: https://forgottenadoptionoption.com/the-forgotten-adoption-option-podcast/
Blog: https://forgottenadoptionoption.com/background/
Private Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theforgottenadoptionoptioncommunity
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marcybursac/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcybursac/
Where to buy the book - it's available on Amazon, Target, Audible, and more. See a complete list of retailers here: https://forgottenadoptionoption.com/the-book/

Embrace, Live, Thrive:
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com 
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive

Trigger Warning: Today Julie Sullivan, a Children's Minister with Waypoint Church, comes on the podcast and discusses an extremely difficult, but important topic of miscarriage. She starts by sharing her own journey with the loss of two of her own pregnancies and her healing journey, but goes on to discuss the importance of talking what you have experienced with the people that have earned the right to that story.  Held by Hope is a ministry through Waypoint that walks with women who are struggling and provides not only support, but also resources for grieving for you and your spouse. 

Julie reminds us that shame and guilt are not truth when it comes to the grieving process and we have to combat those lies with the truth of the gospel and  its healing abilities. She talks through what are things that are helpful, but also talks through things that are not helpful to say to friends as they are struggling to understand what has happened. This episode is not only for women who are recovering from a miscarriage, but for everyone to be better equipped to support a loved one who has experienced the devastating loss of a pregnancy. Please take the time to share this with someone who is struggling and needs the extra encouragement is a dark season of life.  

Resources Mentioned: 
Book: A Time For Everything: Mourning and Dancing by She Reads Truth 
              Grieving the Child I Never Knew By Kathe Wunnenburg 
              I Will Carry: The Sacred  Dance of Grief and Joy You By Angie Smith 
              Grace Like Scarlett: Grieving with Hope After Miscarriage and Loss by Adriel Booker
              Anchored in the Storm: Pursuing Christ in the Midst of Life's Trials By Adam Holland
             Tragedy to Hope: A Guide for Support and Ministry After Miscarriage, Still Birth and                      Infant Death by Don Sides 

Julie's Bio: Julie Sullivan is a Children’s Minister at Waypoint Church where she has served for four years. A life-long Missourian, she received her religious education degree from Missouri Baptist University. Julie lives in Wentzville with her husband of 20 years and her children Jack and Ava. 

Websites:  Miscarriage & Infant Loss (weebly.com)                     
                         Adriel Booker - author - speaker - advocate

Ways to Contact Julie: [email protected]
 
Embrace, Live, Thrive:
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com 
FB: @embracelivethrive 
Instagram: @embracelivethrive