218: Mediterranean Made Easy at Brookhaven Market

As Kefi Life leans in on the Mediterranean Diet and Longevity Series, our team goes on location to a place that specializes in curated and healthy European foods to support a life of wellness.

Kiki at Brookhaven

Today's Lexi: 

Ψάρι – Psári – Fish

In Today’s Episode:

Kiki is on location at family own Brookhaven Market place in Burr Ridge, IL.  She visits with Director of Operations, JP Bertakis, about the specialty aspect of his four locations in Illinois.  We learn about the foods that support the Mediterranean Diet and where they are found in the market place. Produce is the pride of the store, but so is the deli, cheese department, and café.  Tune in today to learn about clean food, how it nourishes your friends and family, and how to appreciate the table with a great meal surrounded by your best friends.

Resources:

Credits:

Music: Spiro Dussias

Vocals: Zabrina Hay

Graphic Designer: Manos Koumparakis

🫒 Purchase the finest, yummiest extra virgin olive oil from Kalamata, Greece at KefiLife.com!🫒

Please be sure to follow the Kefi L!fe podcast to ensure that you are Ola Kala in mind, body and soul!

Insta: @kefilife_

For a natural and uplifting support with your health and wellness, connect with Kiki to discover the beauty of essentials oils: my.doterra.com/kefilife.

This episode made possible in part by:

The Law Offices of Liston & Tsantilis — Ranked #1

LTLawChicago.com

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. None of the information should be construed as medical advice. Users are encouraged to seek professional medical assistance for any significant health-related matters.

217: Mediterranean Diet & Longevity: Series Launch

Check out today’s episode as we kick off the Mediterranean diet secrets for longevity from a Greek restaurant family, as host Kiki Vale shares how growing up in Tasso’s Greek Restaurant shaped her understanding of the lifestyle. 

Christina, Kiki, Stacie, and John

Today's Lexi: 

Εστιατόριο – Estiatório – Restaurant

In Today’s Episode:

Today’s Kefi Life episode is a snapshot from of Mediterranean diet secrets for longevity from a Greek restaurant family.  Host Kiki Vale takes us back to her childhood growing up in Tasso’s Greek Restaurant, where the Mediterranean lifestyle wasn’t a trend, it was a simply a way of life. Kiki’s siblings, Stacie, John, and Christina join the conversation to reflect on their upbringing inside Tasso’s, where family meals, community and traditional Mediterranean foods offered a real-life blueprint for living well and longer. 

Resources:

Credits:

Music: Spiro Dussias

Vocals: Zabrina Hay

Graphic Designer: Manos Koumparakis

🫒 Purchase the finest, yummiest extra virgin olive oil from Kalamata, Greece at KefiLife.com!🫒

Please be sure to follow the Kefi L!fe podcast to ensure that you are Ola Kala in mind, body and soul!

Insta: @kefilife_

For a natural and uplifting support with your health and wellness, connect with Kiki to discover the beauty of essentials oils: my.doterra.com/kefilife.

This episode made possible in part by:

The Law Offices of Liston & Tsantilis — Ranked #1

LTLawChicago.com

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. None of the information should be construed as medical advice. Users are encouraged to seek professional medical assistance for any significant health-related matters.

216: Balance Your Gut, Boost Your Life

“All disease begins in the gut.”  

- Hippocrates

The gut can either betray you or nourish you.  Today, let’s make it a source of wellness. 

Stella Metsovas

Today's Lexi: 

Ζάχαρη – Záchari – Sugar

In Today’s Episode:

Let’s find out how to make the gut healthy and happy to boost life and longevity.  Today Kiki shares information from several sources to get the gut balanced.  One source is food scientist and author, Stella Metsovas of Los Angeles, California.

Stella, a clinical nutritionist, has traveled the world with the United Nations to study food in different cultures. Her practice is in Los Angeles, California, and it concentrates on gut health through the Mediterranean diet.

We will learn that real food, olive oil, and high fiber plant foods are the foundation of wellness and gut health.

Resources:

Credits:

Music: Spiro Dussias

Vocals: Zabrina Hay

Graphic Designer: Manos Koumparakis

🫒 Purchase the finest, yummiest extra virgin olive oil from Kalamata, Greece at KefiLife.com!🫒

Please be sure to follow the Kefi L!fe podcast to ensure that you are Ola Kala in mind, body and soul!

Insta: @kefilife_

For a natural and uplifting support with your health and wellness, connect with Kiki to discover the beauty of essentials oils: my.doterra.com/kefilife.

This episode made possible in part by:

The Law Offices of Liston & Tsantilis — Ranked #1

LTLawChicago.com

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. None of the information should be construed as medical advice. Users are encouraged to seek professional medical assistance for any significant health-related matters.

215: The Language of Love: How Culture Teaches Us to Care

Valentine’s Day: it’s often spoken in the language of roses and romance, but love has many dialects. Today learn forms of love in different cultures that can be used in everyday life.

Kiki & Dawit

Today's Lexi: 

Φροντίδα – Frontida – Care

In Today’s Episode:

We have a sweet holiday coming up. How will you express your love this Valentine’s Day? In many cultures, love is expressed through care – being present and being respectful. Kiki’s on-location visit with Dawit of Brunch Spot Waikiki in Honolulu spotlights the important gestures Korean people share with their neighbor.

Resources:

Credits:

Music: Spiro Dussias

Vocals: Zabrina Hay

Graphic Designer: Manos Koumparakis

🫒 Purchase the finest, yummiest extra virgin olive oil from Kalamata, Greece at KefiLife.com!🫒

Please be sure to follow the Kefi L!fe podcast to ensure that you are Ola Kala in mind, body and soul!

Insta: @kefilife_

For a natural and uplifting support with your health and wellness, connect with Kiki to discover the beauty of essentials oils: my.doterra.com/kefilife.

This episode made possible in part by:

The Law Offices of Liston & Tsantilis — Ranked #1

LTLawChicago.com

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. None of the information should be construed as medical advice. Users are encouraged to seek professional medical assistance for any significant health-related matters.

214: Elevate Your Mind with Books—2026

Today Kiki and Kyriako share top book picks that support growth, clarity and living with intention in 2026.

Kiki & Kyriako

Today's Lexi: 

Ησυχία – Isychía – Quiet

In Today’s Episode:

Today Kiki and Kyriako, a transformational fitness coach, share top book picks that support growth, clarity and living with intention in 2026.

Together they discuss reads that will expand your mindset and strengthen your habits to elevate the way you think, live and lead. 

Find out why readers are leaders when you listen to today’s episode.

Credits:

Music: Spiro Dussias

Vocals: Zabrina Hay

Graphic Designer: Manos Koumparakis

🫒 Purchase the finest, yummiest extra virgin olive oil from Kalamata, Greece at KefiLife.com!🫒

Please be sure to follow the Kefi L!fe podcast to ensure that you are Ola Kala in mind, body and soul!

Insta: @kefilife_

For a natural and uplifting support with your health and wellness, connect with Kiki to discover the beauty of essentials oils: my.doterra.com/kefilife.

This episode made possible in part by:

The Law Offices of Liston & Tsantilis — Ranked #1

LTLawChicago.com

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. None of the information should be construed as medical advice. Users are encouraged to seek professional medical assistance for any significant health-related matters.

213: Positive Thoughts & Talk Equals a Positive Life

By embracing positive thinking, we can nurture not only our mental wellbeing but also our physical health at the cellular level.  Learn more today on Kefi Life.

Today's Lexi: 

Σκέψεις – Skepsis – Thoughts

In Today’s Episode:

The medical field has produced studies which highlight the brain and nervous system.  Each activates the prefrontal cortex.  Positive words stimulate this area, linked to planning, focus and higher thinking, enhancing problem solving. 

According to epigenetic research and cellular and genetic studies, the spoken word and positive thoughts can influence genes, affecting immune function and inflammation.  Today, Kiki shares this research and ways to being living a positive life with positive affirmations, thoughts and positive words inside the setting of meditation and prayer.

Credits:

Music: Spiro Dussias

Vocals: Zabrina Hay

Graphic Designer: Manos Koumparakis

🫒 Purchase the finest, yummiest extra virgin olive oil from Kalamata, Greece at KefiLife.com!🫒

Please be sure to follow the Kefi L!fe podcast to ensure that you are Ola Kala in mind, body and soul!

Insta: @kefilife_

For a natural and uplifting support with your health and wellness, connect with Kiki to discover the beauty of essentials oils: my.doterra.com/kefilife.

This episode made possible in part by:

The Law Offices of Liston & Tsantilis — Ranked #1

LTLawChicago.com

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. None of the information should be construed as medical advice. Users are encouraged to seek professional medical assistance for any significant health-related matters.

212: The Healing Intelligence of Music

A moving conversation with Greek Classical Composer and Pianist Eugenia Manolidou shines the light on how music is a living force for healing, memory and emotional regulation.

Kiki and Eugenia

Today's Lexi: 

Φεγγάρι – Fengári – Moon

In Today’s Episode:

The Buzz for Longevity: Paths to Renewal Series continues today with MUSIC THERAPY.  Kiki and Kefi Life are joined by Greek Classical Composer and Pianist Eugenia Manolidou as they explore music as a living force for healing, memory and emotional regulation. 

Drawing from her work in composition and education, Eugenia shares how music therapy engages the brain, calms the nervous system, and creates coherence between mind and body. 

From ancient musical traditions to modern neuroscience, this episode reveals how sound becomes a bridge - connecting emotion, cognition and well-being -reminding us that music doesn’t just move us…it restores us. 

About Eugenia Manolidou

Eugenia Manolidou Intervie | Practitioners' Voices in Classical Reception Studies

Healing Through Music

Credits:

Music: Spiro Dussias

Vocals: Zabrina Hay

Graphic Designer: Manos Koumparakis

🫒 Purchase the finest, yummiest extra virgin olive oil from Kalamata, Greece at KefiLife.com!🫒

Please be sure to follow the Kefi L!fe podcast to ensure that you are Ola Kala in mind, body and soul!

Insta: @kefilife_

For a natural and uplifting support with your health and wellness, connect with Kiki to discover the beauty of essentials oils: my.doterra.com/kefilife.

This episode made possible in part by:

The Law Offices of Liston & Tsantilis — Ranked #1

LTLawChicago.com

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. None of the information should be construed as medical advice. Users are encouraged to seek professional medical assistance for any significant health-related matters.

211: Dance Therapy — Heal with Movement

How are dance and health connected?  Is movement a form of medicine? Kiki is live on location at a Hawaiian luau.

Today's Lexi: 

Χορός – Choros – Dance

In Today’s Episode:

In this immersive episode, Kefi Life goes on location for a joyful luau where movement becomes medicine. Rooted in cultural expression we look at the powerful science behind dance therapy. 

Harvard research shows how dance improves cognitive function, reduces stress and supports overall health. Today you learn that dance isn’t just art – it’s a proven path to healing.

Credits:

Music: Spiro Dussias

Vocals: Zabrina Hay

Graphic Designer: Manos Koumparakis

🫒 Purchase the finest, yummiest extra virgin olive oil from Kalamata, Greece at KefiLife.com!🫒

Please be sure to follow the Kefi L!fe podcast to ensure that you are Ola Kala in mind, body and soul!

Insta: @kefilife_

For a natural and uplifting support with your health and wellness, connect with Kiki to discover the beauty of essentials oils: my.doterra.com/kefilife.

This episode made possible in part by:

The Law Offices of Liston & Tsantilis — Ranked #1

LTLawChicago.com

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. None of the information should be construed as medical advice. Users are encouraged to seek professional medical assistance for any significant health-related matters.

210: ART & KEFI: A Doorway To Peace and Everyday Wellness

A unexpected doodling art class opened my eyes to possibilities of being well through art. Artist Christina Angelos joins to reveal ways to heal through art.

Kiki & Christina

Today's Lexi: 

Συνεργείο – Synergeio – Workshop

In Today’s Episode:

Christina Angelos is a Fine Artist, Curator, and Modern-Day Philosopher capturing the soul’s mystical experience of Greece, its water, cliffs, and divine energy. Rooted in her Greek Orthodox faith, Christina creates visual narratives that explore how the nous, our spiritual mind, encounters God through nature.

Her flowing abstract lines mirror the fingerprint of each wave and the invisible energy of creation itself.

A former high school art teacher, Christina now teaches online courses that guide students to draw and paint their own memories of travel and emotion. She’s passionate about helping others develop their own artistic voice and style while connecting to something deeper within.

Through her work and teachings, Christina invites others to feel the eternal pull of home, the same longing Odysseus carried in his heart, and to remember that divine beauty lives within us all.

Listen in and learn ways to be well and possibly begin to heal your spirit with doodling, art and painting.

Resources:

Credits:

Music: Spiro Dussias

Vocals: Zabrina Hay

Graphic Designer: Manos Koumparakis

🫒 Purchase the finest, yummiest extra virgin olive oil from Kalamata, Greece at KefiLife.com!🫒

Please be sure to follow the Kefi L!fe podcast to ensure that you are Ola Kala in mind, body and soul!

Insta: @kefilife_

For a natural and uplifting support with your health and wellness, connect with Kiki to discover the beauty of essentials oils: my.doterra.com/kefilife.

This episode made possible in part by:

The Law Offices of Liston & Tsantilis — Ranked #1

LTLawChicago.com

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. None of the information should be construed as medical advice. Users are encouraged to seek professional medical assistance for any significant health-related matters.

209: Strength Training: A Path to Renewal

Transformational Fitness & Mindset Coach Kyriakos Kalamaras coaches us on getting strong in the mind, body and spirit.

Kyriakos

Today's Lexi: 

Δύναμη – Dynami – Strength

In Today’s Episode:

Transformational Fitness and Mindset Coach is revolutionizing human potential and helping you to supercharge your health, ignite your mind and achieve the impossible.  Tune in to the Kefi Life podcast to learn about things such as muscles mass, time management in weight training, homeostasis, bio hacks and so much more.

Resources:

Credits:

Music: Spiro Dussias

Vocals: Zabrina Hay

Graphic Designer: Manos Koumparakis

🫒 Purchase the finest, yummiest extra virgin olive oil from Kalamata, Greece at KefiLife.com!🫒

Please be sure to follow the Kefi L!fe podcast to ensure that you are Ola Kala in mind, body and soul!

Insta: @kefilife_

For a natural and uplifting support with your health and wellness, connect with Kiki to discover the beauty of essentials oils: my.doterra.com/kefilife.

This episode made possible in part by:

The Law Offices of Liston & Tsantilis — Ranked #1

LTLawChicago.com

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. None of the information should be construed as medical advice. Users are encouraged to seek professional medical assistance for any significant health-related matters.