Meet Mediocrity

My conversation with Desire Martin del Campo:  It started over a decade ago when Desiree wanted to lose a few pounds.  First she started dieting, then she started running a tiny, little bit, and then...

Since then, Desiree has run 4 marathons, she has run a half marathon in ALL 50 STATES, she is stuck on 99 total half marathons (as races get cancelled during COVID), and she is set on tackling half marathons on all 7 continents!  Desiree is a running machine... but the best part is that she simply does not take it all too seriously!  She runs at her pace, she makes every trip an adventure, and she takes time to enjoy the journey.  

Desiree also enjoys diverse work experiences - blending her analytical side and her artistic side to create a work life that exercises her entire brain.  

Desiree is energetic, positive, fun and is a great storyteller.  ENJOY!

My conversation with Merrit Hartblay: Merrit is a therapist, social worker, chemical dependency counselor and he's now an author.  But before all of this happened, Merrit was an addict.

Merrit Hartblay spent much of his childhood surrounded by heavy drinkers.  He took those bad habits into his adult life and built on them.  Then, when his employer went bankrupt, those bad habits became truly destructive.

Merrit share's his amazing journey from addiction to recover with us on this podcast episode and in his recent book, "Lost Innocence: My Journey from Addiction to Recovery".  This episode and this book are captivating and inspiring.  Find Merrit's book on Amazon at the link below:

https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Innocence-Journey-Addiction-Recovery/dp/B08FP5V2JZ

My THIRD conversation with Alix Arroyo: This is Part 3 of a 3 part mini-series!   In this final part of the Alix and Mitch three part miniseries, we continued our conversation around staying well and staying social while maintaining safe, social distancing.  

Alix and I shared Netflix and book recommendations.  We also enjoyed discussing how we are doing our very best to meet and exceed our personal challenges of staying connected with friends, family and work colleagues during COVID.  

Thank you SO VERY MUCH Alix, for recording three full episodes of the Meet Mediocrity podcast with me!

My SECOND Conversation with Alix Arroyo: This is "Part Two" of a Three Episode Miniseries!  In this episode, Alix and I explore how to focus on diet and mental wellness while being mostly at home and maintaining safe social distancing.    

We touch on diet… trying to avoid cooking and eating as an activity or an event…. 

We touch on keeping our minds sharp with activities.  Binging Netflix is fun, but books, puzzles and games are mindful activities that keep our minds in shape..... 

My casual conversation with Alix touches on so many issues that are being commonly tackled today as so many people look to cope, survive, improve and thrive - in order to come out of this current pandemic as even better versions of themselves.

My Conversation with Alix Arroyo: This is "Part One" of a Three Episode Miniseries!  My niece Alix is a “do-er”.  She does stuff!  And, because she does stuff, she experiences stuff… and she experiences life.  She loves group fitness classes - invite her to virtually any group exercise class and she’ll give it a try.  She also loves doing non-fitness activities too - trying ethnic restaurants, taking trips, visiting new places, trying new activities - Alix’s perspective is that you gotta try it, because it could very well end up being an amazing experience.  And if it isn’t - well then it’s a learning experience.  Nelson Mandela once said: “I never lose.  Either I win or learn.’  That, my friends, is how Alix lives her life.

Alix and I set out to discuss how she and I were trying to make the most out of life while living in a socially distant and socially responsible manner during our current global pandemic.  How can you experience life, do group exercise, experience a supportive community, try new recipes, stay in a good headspace all while staying home - and while your favorite spots are not open?  Alix and I started discussing wellness in a socially distant world and we soon found out that we had three episodes worth of material!  We cover fitness, diet, staying connected and mental wellness and more in our mini-series.  

Here's Part One of our Three Episode Miniseries!

My conversation with Eddie Johnson: Eddie is a relatable person… he has gone through many, intense personal challenges, he picked himself up and he moved forward.  Eddie recognizes the stress people are under - and not just due to COVID-19.  Society and life itself creates stress and people create stress for themselves too.  Eddie then helps people understand their inner strengths and principles and values in an easy to identify manner, so they can begin making positive changes in themselves. As Eddie says, it starts by finding your "authentic self".

Eddie does NOT believe your changes need to be wholesale overhauls, they can be little changes that will ultimately be building blocks towards creating a better, overall approach to wellness and life.  The key is to take a look at your personal experiences, learn from them, and build from there.  

Eddie’s business is called E4 Inspiring Motivations.  His business website is www.EddieLJohnson.com.  

He has written a book called “Passing the Test of Faith”.  He has a FREE introductory 4 week Zoom course called “Play Big - Get in the Game with Purpose”. The website to register for this FREE course is www.makingnextlevelmoves.com.

He has a more advanced 6 week course called “Next Level Success”.  AND, Eddie is a motivational speaker - giving keynote speeches that people really connect with.  

Check it all out at www.EddieLJohnson.com!

My Conversation with Alan Bergman: Alan is an amazing and interesting person.  First and foremost, Alan shares his story about the newest chapter of his professional life.  He describes how he took a deep look within, embraced things that bring him personal satisfaction and came up with a new, rewarding business.

It's Alan’s love of journalism, writing and photography that led him to create his new business, Life Stories Preserved - details of which can be found at  www.LifeStoriesPreserved.net.  Alan describes how he helps people create autobiographies, biographies and memoirs - capturing the stories of friends and loved ones for future generations.

Additionally, Alan is a highly accomplished sea kayaker. Kayaking is an amazing form of exercise, but also kayaking feeds into our overall wellness because of the peace and tranquility you can find being on the water in a kayak. Alan shares his love of kayaking and some very useful kayaking tips and tricks that are applicable to both beginners and experienced kayakers.  Alan has a blog post that describes his passion for kayaking... check it out at: www.wildmeadowpaddlesports.com/why-paddle/

My conversation with Tim Stansel: Tim has always struggled with his weight.  He’s what I would call an upper and downer - someone whose weight fluctuates in increasingly drastic ways.  The amazing thing about Tim though is he is a very athletic person.  He is an avid cyclist and someone who enjoys outdoor activities.  What happened to Tim is a fairly common story - work, family and life created time demands and stress.  Time demands and stress create less time for being active and more cravings for food... and usually not the best food!

Tim reached a point along his journey where he said "enough is enough".  He took control of his life through diet and also through vertical gastric sleeve surgery. Today, Tim is over 130 pounds lighter and he is an even better version of his old self. Tim is happier and more active and his family and friends are thrilled.   

Tim's story in inspiring because Tim is someone who lost control of his health, but he did not give up on himself.  Ultimately, Tim was strong enough to do what he needed to do to gain control again.

My conversation with Pam Sherman... the founder of The Perfect Balance. Pam has been in the health and wellness industry for over 20 years. As you might expect, Pam has a ton of positive energy. She also has some very practical health and wellness tips and approaches that make it all seem very achievable. No gimmicks, no shortcuts, no unrealistic promises. Instead, Pam offers a sensible and logical approach to diet and fitness that really can be applied to anyone, at any point in their life.

And, Pam herself is a prime example of someone who embraced her own life events and evolved into a stronger, better, more balanced person.  Everything about Pam, and her Perfect Balance Tribe can be found on her website theperfectbalance.guru.

My conversation with Jennifer Mannion: Jennifer Mannion is a multi talented culinary guru.  She is a recipe developer, a culinary instructor, a caterer and much much more.

I personally met Jennifer when she was referred to Magnificent Meredith and me as an in-home caterer.  Jennfer was introduced to us as someone who was very adept at co-creating the perfect menu for your special event or party at home and then bringing the entire catered event to your kitchen.  And, Jennifer is very accommodating to all dietary needs - gluten free, dairy free, nut allergies, vegan, keto - you name it, she can create recipes with YOUR needs in mind. I can attest to this.  Jennifer has created and catered amazing gluten free, dairy free parties for us and each of them were huge successes.

Now, Jennifer is getting into a really great business, luxury travel planning.  Combining destination planning with meal planning and amazing wellness activities - Jennifer can work with you to create the perfect customized itinerary.  You can find Jennifer at her website privyfare.com.