Navigating Nourishment Podcast

Setting a list of 25 Intentions for 2025 vs a list of resolutions can be a breath of fresh air.

Especially if you have ever set a list of resolutions for the new year and found it to be full of unrealistic expectations. Too much pressure and too 'pie-in-sky ideas that fizzle fast. We've been there! This year, we share some of our top intentions and hope it inspires you to expand your list beyond the trite and obvious things that suck the life out of us and make us feel small. Welcome to Navigating Nourishment with Debbie Peterson and Wendy Bright-Fallon. Hello 2025!

A little reminder before you dive in.

Let's go beyond shame and guilt and beating ourselves up as we create our intentions. Let's reframe what caring for our body and soul looks like and feels like. It's not about deprivation and guilt - drop those thoughts. In our coaching, we start from a place of gratitude and love. Only then can we be sure to shape how we want our coming year, months and days to unfold in a realistic and attainable way.

Our Lists

Most of the things on our lists have a direct link to deep rooted, beautiful, important values. Some of our overlapping topics include nature, health, family, growth, service. In this podcast, we each share a new adventure we are working on. In fact, we both get a little vulnerable (meaning excited and hopeful!) by revealing projects we are working on independently. They are rooted in the value of caring deeply for our fellow humans walking this path called life. Listen in and learn the new ways we are sharing health and wellness wisdom in 2025. We hope you'll join us.

Debbie's Newly Published Book:

How to be Healthy: 30 Tiny Tweaks That Transform Your Wellness in Minutes a Day

Journal Idea

Need additional ideas? Sometimes it takes some journaling before we can get clear on our top 25. Here is a link to our favorite journaling prompts when we are setting new intentions. No matter if it is a special occasion like a new year, a birthday, or a random Saturday, refreshing what we focus on matters.

There are some surprising (and easy) ways to connect and reduce disease caused by loneliness. In this episode of Navigating Nourishment, Debbie and Wendy talk about the startling disease risks of loneliness and then share practical and simple steps to create meaningful connections.

Disease Risk Statistics

 American Heart Association reports that social isolation and loneliness are linked to:

A 29% increased risk of heart attack and/or death from heart disease.

A 32% increased risk of stroke.

NYU Langone Health

A meta-analysis of cohort studies concluded that loneliness increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease by 72% and overall dementia by 23%.

Practical Ways To Connect and Reduce diseaseFoster a Daily Routine That Includes Interaction

Walk in a park where people gather and say hello to passersby.

Visit a local coffee shop or diner regularly to become part of the community.

Visit your local library regularly to build familiarity.

Go inside the bank or coffee shop instead of the drive through

Practice Simple Acts of Kindness

Compliment a stranger or thank someone for their help.

Offer to help someone (e.g., carrying groceries, lending a hand at a store).

Bring cookies or small treats to share with coworkers, neighbors, or community members.

Reach Out to Family and Friends

Call or text a loved one just to say hello.

Schedule a quick coffee or video chat with a family member.

Write a note or card to someone you care about.

Deeper Connections

Volunteer - read to kids or adults, - animal rescue

Join a spiritual community

Take a class with the local park system or community college

For more on connection, visit here.

Wendy and Debbie share a Thanksgiving Gameplan to help you rethink how you come to the table this Thanksgiving.

We cover fasting, detox, post indulging ideas, and finding joy at the table.

Debbie  00:00

Here we are just about a week away from Thanksgiving, and we wanted to give a game plan for Thanksgiving, because people tend to have these ideas about what they're going to do in order to be able to indulge on Thanksgiving, and lots of people end up not feeling so great.

You don't have to indulge.

 

Wendy  00:21

Just the idea that you're going to over indulge is a tradition or a pattern that might be a family pattern or influence just because of the community that you celebrate with. And I think the first idea is that you don't actually have to over indulge.

 

Debbie  00:44

Exactly. That occurred to me several years ago when I realized this is just another dinner. There just happens to be a lot more people gathered. And then I really enjoyed it, and I ate slowly, and I didn't over indulge, and it was so much more enjoyable. I tasted the food and it was wonderful. And ever since then, I've been enjoying my Thanksgiving dinner so much more in the past several years because of that.

 

Wendy  01:09

Coming to the table mindful can be a game changer for people. So number one, you don't have to indulge.

 

Debbie  01:22

Yes, you don't have to fill up your plate. Maybe with small amounts, and if you want to add a little bit more, do that. This year doesn't have to be a huge, over indulgent feast.

Don’t skimp on eating that morning.

 

So another thing I know people do, and I probably did this years ago, is I would skimp on eating the day before and again earlier part of the day on Thanksgiving to save space for the meal.

 

Wendy  01:57

But what happened when you “saved space?”

How, how did you feel coming to the table?

 

Debbie  02:02

Well, then you're coming to the table starving, right? And that never works out well.

Wendy  02:10

It's not a recipe for wise decision making when it comes to our choices of food?

 

Debbie  02:15

Just like it's not a good idea to go to this food market starving. You end up spending a lot more money.

 

Wendy  02:21

We make fun of this word hangry, right? Hungry + angry, but that's the truth. And if you're in a social situation and you're hangry, tensions are high. So just don't skip on your breakfast. Don't skip meals the day before. Just eat normally and feel good going to the event. Feel good and well nourished when you come to the table already.

 

Debbie  02:47

And that will almost guarantee that you won't overeat. If you're mindful the day of, you won't be so starving that you'll just be shoving things in your mouth. You don't want to come to the table super hungry. You want to come to the table ready for a meal, not hangry. That's not a good place, right?

Connect with Nature

Wendy  03:05

This is a quick podcast, but a couple more ideas. Plan on going for a walk after your meal with or without your family. Go out into nature and get super connected with the outdoors, if that's a possibility for you, because that can help with your digestion.

 

Debbie  03:32

Absolutely good for your digestion. That was sort of a normal thing for humans to do for so many years. So get up and go walking, and maybe you won't feel that coma tired that a lot of people feel after Thanksgiving.

 

Enjoy and savor. Let go of guilt.

Wendy  03:52

I think Thanksgiving can be a time of special foods, and maybe we eat a little bit more rich foods. Maybe we do actually have more dessert and options on the table. So we're not saying don't have fun with all that. We say, go all in and enjoy the cranberry sauce or the extra stuffing, and enjoy every bite. Really savor the time at the table with people, and maybe you could even spark up some interesting conversations and have that feed you at the same time, right?

 

Debbie  04:30

It's one meal, and it's with people you probably don't see every single day and food that you don't eat that often, so enjoy it all. There's no guilt, there's no shame, just enjoy it and not too much. Simple.

Detox or not?

 

Then after Thanksgiving, I know a lot of people feel like they have to go do some kind of detox. They get online and there's probably a bunch of ads about detox because most people over indulge on Thanksgiving, but our bodies do that naturally. We have a couple podcasts on that and a couple blogs on that. Your body's continually detoxing, and you can only help it along by eating real whole foods and not over indulging on the next day and the next day and the next day. So just let your body do the whole process of getting rid of the extra sugar or the extra simple carbs that you ate, your body will take care of it. Put

 

Wendy  05:29

Put the faith back into your body, because it's resilient. Detox ideas aren’t wrong or bad - that’s not what we're saying. It's just most of the time, it's not necessary,

 

Debbie  05:47

Exactly

Question habits & Recognize peer pressure

Wendy  05:50

What we really want to say is: question everything. Just because you've done something every Thanksgiving for the last umpteen years, doesn't mean you have to be that way this year.

 

Debbie  06:03

Right! And that's another idea. A lot of people feel pressured to eat certain things over Thanksgiving, especially if somebody brought something and wants you to have it. And I know when the sweet potatoes come to my table, I don't eat them. And it's not because they're not nourishing. They're wonderfully nourishing. It's just not my favorite food. And there's 15 other foods on the table, so I bypass the sweet potatoes. Nobody gets offended at my house. You can eat what you want to eat. Don't feel peer pressure to eat something you don't want to eat. Remember that too. That's important.

 

Wendy  06:40

There's a lot of peer pressure around drinking alcohol at every celebration, and there are so many ways to celebrate without it.

Happy Thanksgiving and we hope this Thanksgiving Gameplan was helpful!

 

Debbie  06:51

We’d love to hear about your Thanksgiving stories or ideas or anything surrounding Thanksgiving that you want to talk about with us.

 

Wendy  07:04

We have some clients who actually come to us with some old family recipes and ask: How can I upgrade this just a little bit? And that's a fun thing for us. We can play around with recipes for people. Share it with us. We'd be happy to give you our feedback.

 

Debbie  07:26

So this Thanksgiving, remember that connection and gratitude nourish us just as much as the meal itself. Take the time to savor each bite and each laugh and each moment that will never be there again.

Enjoy yourself and listen to your body.

 

And here's to a holiday that's filled with mindful choices and joyful memories, Happy Thanksgiving.

We all want a path to peace. In this Navigating Nourishment Podcast, Wendy and Debbie discuss the poem "Not the End of the World" by Jeff Foster, emphasizing the importance of presence and mindfulness. They reflect on how paying attention to small, everyday moments, like finding a beautiful leaf, can reveal hidden beauty and ground us. They highlight the therapeutic benefits of nature, noting that being present in nature can alleviate anxiety and depression. They stress the value of intentional practice in staying grounded and suggest that fully observing and appreciating nature's details can provide deeper healing than mere outdoor activities. They conclude by encouraging listeners to cherish moments and be more mindful and present in their lives.

Poem

NOT THE END OF THE WORLD

It's not the end of the world. Just the end of a dream.

Let your heart break today. Feel your feelings. Your disappointment, anger, fear. Let all thoughts, pictures in the mind, voices in the head, have their say, and know they are only new dreams trying to take root.

And feel your feet on the ground. Bring attention back to the here and now. To yourself. Feel the morning sun on your face. The breath rising and falling. Hear the sounds all around you. The bird singing. The television blaring. The traffic, the chatter of children.

So much here remains unchanged. So much here is familiar. Life goes on. The sense of being alive. The throb and pulse of being. Your ability to love, to hold yourself in presence. To connect with others, friends and strangers. To embrace difficult sensations.

Don't abandon yourself for a chaotic world. Recommit to your path today with even greater ferocity. Nothing is so bad when you stay close to the place where you are. Nothing is so bad when you touch your own power. Presence itself.

- Jeff Foster

Post recording, Debbie read Gretchen Rubin’s 5 List and it had two references that resonate with this podcast:

The other day, I saw a spider web lit up by the sunlight, and I was struck again by how easy it is to overlook the beauty of the world.

I remind myself: I admire nature, and I am also nature. I resent traffic, and I am also traffic.

The leaf pictures are from Debbie's walks.

The painting of the leaf is by Wendy.

TRANSCRIPTION

edited for readability

Finding Beauty in the Mundane

Wendy  00:00

We found this poem recently, a friend of ours posted this poem, and it landed so beautifully for both of us, we wanted to share it with our listeners.

 

“Not the End of The World" by Jeff Foster 

It's not the end of the world, just the end of a dream. Let your heart break today. Feel your feelings, your disappointment, anger, fear. Let all thoughts, pictures in the mind, voices in the head, have their say and know they are only new dreams trying to take root and feel your feet on the ground. 

Bring attention back to the here and now, to yourself. Feel the morning sun on your face, the breath rising and falling. Hear the sounds all around you, the birds singing, the television blaring, the traffic, the chatter of children. 

So much here remains unchanged. So much here is familiar. Life goes on. The sense of being alive, the throb and pulse of being your ability to love, to hold yourself in presence, to connect with others, friends and strangers to embrace difficult sensations. 

Don't abandon yourself for a chaotic world. Recommit to your path today with even greater ferocity. Nothing is so bad when you stay close to the place where you are. Nothing is so bad when you touch your own power, presence itself.

Debbie  01:48

It's so beautiful. It wraps it all up so beautifully.

 

Wendy  01:55

It really does. It's something to print and read often. This whole idea of presence can only be done with practice, intentional practice, it takes an awareness that really helps us become more grounded.

Just recently, I was on a walk with Dana and a friend of ours. It's the middle of fall right now, and we were crunching leaves like crazy underfoot, and we were in this beautiful park, and she bent down all of a sudden and picked up a leaf, and it was just exquisite. What we pay attention to is so important. And when she stopped among all these leaves on the ground and she picked up this really beautiful leaf - it was so colorful. It was like someone painted it.

Nature is just so amazing. I mean, hundreds of brown ones all over. And then she found this one among all the brown ones that still looked alive, but it was on the ground. Then we all started looking for them, and then they were everywhere. I just thought it was such a good example of paying attention to the mundane and the everyday moments of life and what is truly cherished in front of us.

 

The Power of Pausing and Observing

 

Debbie  03:40

So true if you pause to look.

 

Wendy  03:43

Yes. IF you pause to look, and I think that's probably why this poem was so rich to both of us. It's really about the pause and the presence that we so often are distracted and don't see the beauty around us.

 

The Extra Step of Mindfulness

 

Debbie  04:08

It's so true because we hear about the fall every year you go look at the trees, or people go travel to go look at the trees, and a lot of times they stay in their cars, or maybe they take a walk to look at the trees, and they're looking up at the trees and the beautiful changes. And I've been doing that too, but like you said, I've also been because I'm walking my dog, and at times he stops to sniff for quite a while, and I'm standing there, and that's when I've been noticing those leaves that I wouldn't notice if I didn't take that pause like you're saying. How many people who are trying to enjoy it aren't really enjoying it fully, because they're not out walking and pausing and looking at the leaves on the ground right?

So even when we are being mindful in so many ways, perhaps we can be even more mindful. Maybe, it's like an extra step of being mindful, of pausing a little bit more or even shrinking our world a little bit more to where we are right this moment, right now.

 

Wendy  05:17

Yeah, I think that's an important distinction, because we can talk about pausing, we could talk about looking up at the stars, but it's, it's that next layer, right? It's that pausing for longer. It's maybe even going to the body and saying, How does this feel? Like that leaf that she picked up looked like a painting. And when we started discussing how much beauty there was around us and having the conversation and naming it. We all were in awe. It was a really nice moment.

 

Debbie  06:03

That's exactly it. And I know exactly what you mean, that it looked like a painting, because I've been doing the very same thing.

 

Wendy  06:11

Your pictures have been beautiful and what you said earlier about the pictures just don't even do it justice.I love photography, and I know you do too. We love photography and it can be so amazing. Photography can really bring out emotion. But when you're standing in the middle of nature, and it's all around you, it can be really powerful.

 

Debbie  06:37

Because there's such subtleties. And I mean, no camera is as good as our eye. You know our eyes when you hear about all those things, about all the crazy, millions of colors we can see, and you're like, really, but that's exactly what we're seeing in the leaf that the camera can't quite pick up, because it's like, so there's so many tiny, little subtle things, and that makes it the essence of such beauty.

And that makes me think about how nature provides so much beauty in the world for us, if we take that moment to stop, it's not just in the fall, you know, it's not just when the leaves are falling. It's everywhere, all around, if we just stay still for a moment and stop. It makes me think of when my kids were little, especially my son, because he was, at the time, the only kid I had. And he would crouch down and look at bugs, and I would sit down and look at bugs with him, which I would never notice otherwise. But then I would look and see this huge world of insects that we just walk by every day. They have a universe, and so if you just take the time to stop and do that and appreciate the gifts that nature's giving us, to make us be in the present and to be grounded. I think we'd all be better people if we did that more often.

 

Wendy  08:07

Yes, I agree. And I think, at the end of the day, perhaps that's one of our biggest messages: When we nourish ourselves, we're literally better people when we take care of ourselves in a really intentional way. 

 

We've got clients who have shared some pretty interesting stories over the years about how they've treated their body in poor ways, either by not moving or indulging too much or drinking too much. It's all a way of escaping what's going on. And so much of nature brings us to the present moment and helps us feel things.

Nature's Role in Grounding and Healing

 

And I think so much of the chaos in the world makes us want to run away from it. It's very natural, that's normal. But when we can be more present in the world and feel it, it can help us move through whatever chaos is going on. And I think that's one of the reasons why we both really appreciated this poem.

 

Debbie  09:30

You're bringing to mind another idea of how much anxiety and depression, like those rates have gone up considerably over the last years. And just as many studies have gone up saying how being out in nature helps depression and anxiety and all that stuff and it's and so people who feel this depression anxiety say, Okay, I'm going to go for a walk. And then they come back and they say, I feel better.

Let me say this, just going for a walk, which is wonderful, and it's great to do, especially if you have not done that, and you're anxious and depressed and you have not been ou

In this Navigating Nourishment Podcast, Wendy and Debbie discuss the poem "Not the End of the World" by Jeff Foster, emphasizing the importance of presence and mindfulness. They reflect on how paying attention to small, everyday moments, like finding a beautiful leaf, can reveal hidden beauty and ground us. They highlight the therapeutic benefits of nature, noting that being present in nature can alleviate anxiety and depression. They stress the value of intentional practice in staying grounded and suggest that fully observing and appreciating nature's details can provide deeper healing than mere outdoor activities. They conclude by encouraging listeners to cherish moments and be more mindful and present in their lives.

Poem

NOT THE END OF THE WORLD

It's not the end of the world. Just the end of a dream.

Let your heart break today. Feel your feelings. Your disappointment, anger, fear. Let all thoughts, pictures in the mind, voices in the head, have their say, and know they are only new dreams trying to take root.

And feel your feet on the ground. Bring attention back to the here and now. To yourself. Feel the morning sun on your face. The breath rising and falling. Hear the sounds all around you. The bird singing. The television blaring. The traffic, the chatter of children.

So much here remains unchanged. So much here is familiar. Life goes on. The sense of being alive. The throb and pulse of being. Your ability to love, to hold yourself in presence. To connect with others, friends and strangers. To embrace difficult sensations.

Don't abandon yourself for a chaotic world. Recommit to your path today with even greater ferocity. Nothing is so bad when you stay close to the place where you are. Nothing is so bad when you touch your own power. Presence itself.

- Jeff Foster

Post recording, Debbie read Gretchen Rubin’s 5 List and it had two references that resonate with this podcast:

The other day, I saw a spider web lit up by the sunlight, and I was struck again by how easy it is to overlook the beauty of the world.

I remind myself: I admire nature, and I am also nature. I resent traffic, and I am also traffic.

The leaf pictures are from Debbie's walks.

The painting of the leaf is by Wendy.

TRANSCRIPTION

edited for readability

Finding Beauty in the Mundane

Wendy  00:00

We found this poem recently, a friend of ours posted this poem, and it landed so beautifully for both of us, we wanted to share it with our listeners. 

 

“Not the End of The World" by Jeff Foster 

It's not the end of the world, just the end of a dream. Let your heart break today. Feel your feelings, your disappointment, anger, fear. Let all thoughts, pictures in the mind, voices in the head, have their say and know they are only new dreams trying to take root and feel your feet on the ground. 

Bring attention back to the here and now, to yourself. Feel the morning sun on your face, the breath rising and falling. Hear the sounds all around you, the birds singing, the television blaring, the traffic, the chatter of children. 

So much here remains unchanged. So much here is familiar. Life goes on. The sense of being alive, the throb and pulse of being your ability to love, to hold yourself in presence, to connect with others, friends and strangers to embrace difficult sensations. 

Don't abandon yourself for a chaotic world. Recommit to your path today with even greater ferocity. Nothing is so bad when you stay close to the place where you are. Nothing is so bad when you touch your own power, presence itself.

 

Debbie  01:48

It's so beautiful. It wraps it all up so beautifully.

 

Wendy  01:55

It really does. It's something to print and read often. This whole idea of presence can only be done with practice, intentional practice, it takes an awareness that really helps us become more grounded. 

 

Just recently, I was on a walk with Dana and a friend of ours.

On this episode of Navigating Nourishment, Wendy and Debbie dive into the pressure many people feel to look great for major life events, like a daughter's wedding. Rather than focusing solely on appearance, they emphasize the value of feeling strong, energized, and confident. Together, they challenge the pitfalls of diet culture, which often prioritizes looks over genuine health. Instead, they advocate for sustainable lifestyle changes—like nourishing the body with whole foods, staying active, and getting quality sleep. Sharing inspiring client stories, Wendy and Debbie showcase the lasting benefits of these habits, reminding listeners that true wellness is about feeling great from the inside out, not just achieving short-term results.

TRANSCRIPT

edited for readability

Wendy  00:05

One of our clients recently came to us and said, Oh my gosh, my daughter's getting married, and I've got to look my best for this wedding. All the family is coming to town. What should I do?

 

Debbie  00:16

She had a year to plan and wanted to look fabulous for her daughter's wedding.

 

Wendy  00:24

And it's so exciting, right? Weddings, and to look our best when all eyes are on you because you're the mother of the bride, and you want to shine.

 

Debbie  00:37

Yeah, of course, you want to shine for your own wedding and then when it's your kids, it's like, your second chance to shine. So that's what we want to talk about today, on Navigating Nourishment.

 

Wendy  00:49

Welcome. I'm Wendy

 

Debbie  00:50

I'm Debbie, and this motivated us to talk about this, because I think both of us have known people in our families or our friends or clients who have been motivated by an event and decided, oh, this event is coming up, my reunion, this wedding, this vacation, whatever it is, and I really want to look good. I'm going to take off 15 pounds…

 

Wendy  01:16

And this goes to one of our taglines. How do you want to look, feel and perform? And we're talking about the 'look' part in our society. We are really heavily concentrated on how we look, and there's nothing wrong with that. We all want to look good and don't want to take that away from anyone. That's part of the tagline. So, of course, we want to look good too.

We represent health and wellness so we show up to play the part of a health and wellness coach absolutely. But it's leaving out the part about feeling your best and performing your best, and that's the gap we see in the diet culture.

And to unpack that just a little bit - we want to help people question the motivation behind looking good, what it looks like, how you do it, and ultimately: Is this concept a temporary concept or a concept for life?

People often sacrifice their well-being for temporary weight loss

Debbie  02:18

We are tapping this in the age of those quick weight loss drugs that people are taking that make you lose your appetite, and so people are dropping weight. And I don't want to shame anybody. I don't want anybody to feel that we're saying that's not the right way to go.

However, let's talk about the habits that go along with that, with any kind of weight loss or motivation to look good, it can be an opportunity to have that motivation to do things that really nourish you, as opposed to starving yourself and not nourishing yourself on purpose, so that you can take off the weight and look good and inside not really feel great at all, because you're sacrificing and you're depriving yourself of nourishment just for the sake of fitting into that dress or that suit.

Aligning goals with personal well-being and feeling good inside

Wendy  03:16

Or you're skipping social events, or you're beating yourself up at the gym and sweating it all off and not nourishing yourself while you're sweating, right?

There are so many ways that we can look good and do it in a sustainable way that's so nourishing and gives us what do I want to call it? I want to call it this light that we're looking for too, because we've seen people in wedding pictures that might, on the surface, look ‘good’ because it's a definition of ‘skinny.’ But they also have a lot of shiny makeup on. We ask: how is their energy level? How is their clear thinking? How is their temperament, to their partners and their families?

There's so much that goes on when we're sacrificing and depriving ourselves that we don't often talk about in the diet culture. It's all about: what's the goal, what's the weight, what's the number on the scale, you know, and it's not really going inside and saying, Is this in alignment? Do I feel ok? Do I feel good doing what I'm doing? And it's a hard subject to approach, because our culture is so demanding of us looking like each other or looking a certain way.

Use events as motivators to start habits that can become long-term

Debbie  04:38

What I like about an event coming up is that a lot of time people really want and try to have habits that are going to make them feel better, look better, and perform better. They're trying to eat real, whole foods and trying to work out more often and get better sleep. They're trying to do it all. The habits that help them look, look, feel and perform better.

And they keep getting sabotaged or self-sabotaging - going back to old habits over and over and over again because they're not fully motivated. Because it's really hard to think of that future self who's in shape and feels great and eats real, whole foods and all the rest. So these events give people an opportunity for a short term, it's happening somewhat soon, and it's a motivator.

So we want to use these events almost as a way to get people to start these habits that will stick so that they can continue the habits after the event.

This happened for a client of ours, who I saw recently, and she had taken some weight off, and I said, “Your skin looks great and you seem to have great energy. You look really good.” She said, “Yes, I took some weight off. I'm doing really well.” And she told me about all the habits that she learned about in our group that she had been in. She said, “Thanks - You taught me all of these habits that I continued. And my daughter's getting married at the end of the month, and I feel great.” And I’m imagining she's going to look and feel great at the wedding and perhaps party all night long because of it and not and not suffer for it.

So she is a success story that brought me to this idea of talking about this. Because that's exactly a great way to think of this as a motivating factor to get where you want to be. And she'll continue those habits.

Wendy  06:50

What you just said is so important, she'll continue. And because she feels so good, it's not just for her. She realizes what feeling good in her body is and also looking good. Like you said - she has vibrancy.

We're here to question our intentions. The opportunity here on this podcast is to rethink how you approach un upcoming event that could trigger you to say, I want to look good for this, and I also want to feel good and perform well leading up to it, during it and after it as well.

Debbie  07:45

Yeah, exactly. It's a tall order.

Encouraging small, consistent steps towards health and wellness goals

But who wants just to temporarily look good and then the next day, you know, throw it all away because it's too hard, and you've deprived yourself so much. I mean, that's not a sustainable way, right?

 

Debbie  08:08

I think for a lot of people, that's what happens. They starve themselves, they deprive themselves. They're working so hard to get to this look that they can't wait till it's over, so they can go back to eating what they want to eat, and doing or not doing movement. They work so hard to get there…

And the benefit of doing it in a way that nourishes you is exactly what you said: You feel good. That's the ideal - to feel good and look good. That's all we want.

So that's our curiosity for today. Questioning people's behavior and maybe we can influence some of our listeners in a renewed way. And if you have family going through this, be curious with them.

 

Wendy  09:18

And if you have a story to share about your success or not success in this area. Or you want help with that event coming up and embrace the idea: I want to feel good and look good too. Give us a buzz, and we'd love to support you on that journey,

 

Debbie  09:38

That's what we do best. We help people with their habits, and we hold them accountable, and it's getting people on the path to feeling good and looking good.

So that wraps up this episode of Navigating Nourishment. We hope you find our discussion helpful. And inspiring.

 

Wendy  10:00

Remember your health and wellness journey is a marathon, not a sprint. Remember small, consistent steps over time can lead to significant, lasting changes.

 

Debbie  10:10

If you enjoyed this episode, please share, subscribe, rate and leave us a review, because your feedback really helps us reach more people.

 

Wendy  10:19

You can follow us on social media for more tips, updates and inspiration. You can find us on Facebook and Instagram at Nourish Coaches.

 

Debbie  10:28

and for more resources, visit our website at NourishCoaches.com and there you're going to find some show notes, additional articles, links to other shows and podcasts.

 

Wendy  10:41

Thanks for joining us today. Stay nourished, stay healthy, and we'll see you next time on Navigating Nourishment.

In this Navigating Nourishment Podcast, Dr. Kristopher Sparacino, an acupuncturist and owner of Clear River Acupuncture, discusses his holistic approach to health and wellness, emphasizing the importance of proactive care.

He explains the foundations of Chinese medicine, including Qigong, nutrition, and acupuncture, and details the benefits of acupuncture for pain, insomnia, fertility and more. Dr. Sparacino highlights the need for regular treatments and the integration of various modalities like cupping and moxibustion. He stresses the importance of self-cultivation and rest, and advocates for wellness routines that include acupuncture, especially during seasonal transitions. We underscore the value of investing in one's health and the potential cost savings of preventive care.

We encourage you to reach out to Dr. Kris and book an appointment for your well-being.

Bio

Dr. Kristopher Sparacino, DACM, L.Ac., is the owner of Clear River Acupuncture, Lincroft, NJ and a Doctor of Chinese Medicine, licensed in the state of New Jersey; nationally board certified in Acupuncture.

His personal experience with acupuncture led him to complete the 5-year Masters and 2-year Doctoral programs at The Eastern School of Acupuncture and Pacific College of Health and Science, respectively.

Dr. Kris is also formally trained in Cupping, Cranial Sacral Therapy, Reiki, Moxibustion, Chinese Herbal Medicine, Essential Oil Acutherapy, Theta Energy Healing, Medical Qi Gong, Qi Gong & Tai Chi Exercise, Yoga, and Meditation.

Dr. Kris strives for an organic and intuitive approach to guide his treatments. He works with his patients’ not only to treat their symptoms but also to discover the root of their ailment and bring them back into balance. Dr. Kris continues self-cultivation daily by way of Meditation, Yoga, and Qi Gong exercise.

Dr. Kris is an active practitioner with The Wellness Hub of NJ sharing many of his gifts including monthly sound bowl, meditation and Qi Gong.

 

Transcript

Edited for readability

Wendy  00:13

Debbie and I are so curious about exploring different kinds of treatments and modalities around health and wellness. And so we're super excited to have Kris with us today,

 

Debbie  00:25

Welcome to our podcast, Navigating Nourishment. This is Dr Kristopher sparchino. He's an acupuncturist, and he's the owner of Clear River Acupuncture in Lincroft. He's a doctor of Chinese medicine, and he's licensed here in New Jersey. He is a wonderful practitioner. I use him myself. I look forward to my appointments with him, because it's such a zen place, and I feel better when I leave. It's just wonderful. So he has a lot of training. He has a five year master's degree and two year doctoral program, so he knows what he's doing. And you went to the eastern School of acupuncture and the Pacific College of Health and Science for both of those degrees, right? Yes. (Kris)

Besides acupuncture, you do amazing other things too. You're trained in cupping and cranial sacral therapy, Reiki, moxibustion, Chinese herbal medicine and acutherapy with essential oils, Qigong and Tai Chi, and yoga and meditation, and there's probably something I'm missing there, too.

We love what you do, and we love that you're so holistic in the way that we are, that you don't look at people just for their symptoms. You look at them as a whole person and want to know what's behind the problems that people come to you with and it's not just about treating those symptoms. We have to look at people as a whole. And so I think that's why we feel like we're in sync with you as well.

 

Wendy  02:12

I remember the first time you came to our space and we had the open house to introduce your singing bowls and Crystal bowls and Tibetan bowls, and your Qigong here. Your energy is wonderful. And because you practice all of these things, you're able to show up with the grounded beautiful energy.

 

Kris 02:43

Oh, wow - I am humbled by that introduction. Yeah, I'm glad to know you guys too. It's definitely like, opened me up to, I mean, your space is gorgeous. And so right away, when I was introduced to the space, I was like, Yeah, I would love to work in this space and work with these wonderful women.

 

This idea that we need to get back to holistic thought and holistic care, and wellness means we don't want to wait! You don't have to wait to see your holistic practitioner till you are sick - that's the idea. Put acupuncture on a schedule, let it be a part of your routine. Good habits make up your wellness. So definitely acupuncture and some of those other modalities we spoke about are a part of that. I started studying about 10 years ago and have been practicing ever since. And I studied some things before that that got me into it. The Qigong and Tai Chi portion actually came before acupuncture.

Chinese medicine is this umbrella for five modalities.

So what we put in our body and how we move our body, this is the foundation of our health. This is the foundation in Chinese medicine as well. And it's sort of overlooked, right? Because, again, especially in this country, we say- just go to your acupuncturist when you're sick. But they should also be giving you advice by prescribing Qigong and maybe even in nutrition. So those are two of the foundational parts of Chinese medicine.

And then we have the other three: herbal medicine which mimics pharmacology of pharmaceuticals, acupuncture itself, and massage. It's a whole medical system. You learn all five of those parts in school. Acupuncture is the focus. I think the profession is going doctoral soon, most schools are offering a doctoral part of the program, and that fills in some of the gaps for the Western are really how to do research, how to evaluate research, for future treatments, for prescriptions. The masters and the doctoral programs are super close right now -it's only a few 100 hours difference and so we have a lot of people converting to the doctorate. But eventually it'll go the way of physical therapists, where they're just all doctors coming out of school. But originally it's a three year program, and then you can add the herbs. Herbs can be a separate study. And so there's a couple different levels to the doctorate. And so if you have herbs, it's a different doctorate as well. The acupoint oil therapies are continuing educaiton for us to keep up our licenses at 15 hours a year. We recertify every four years, 60 hours total. That includes safety and ethics. If you're an herbalist, that'll include some herbal training, usually some hands-on training, and then some online training.

 

Wendy  07:01

So one of the things you mentioned before is moxibustion. What is that? I've never heard that term before.

 

Kris 07:06

It's an herb. Mugwort is the common name. So it's probably growing in your yard right now. You actually put this on the end of a needle (there are a lot of different ways to use it), but the original main form was you put it on the end of a needle, or you can take a little pinch of it on it, on the skin, directly on the skin, and then you use an incense stick to light it and it smokes like an incense with an ember, and that drives heat down into an acupuncture point. It also is herbal medicine. You can use it in decoction for herbal teas, and it's what's considered a pure Yang substance. This is maybe a broader topic of Yin and Yang and those foundations within Chinese medicine. And Yang is the form of energy that flows through the acupuncture channels. So it's a less modern version, but this is sort of the original way it’s used. It's used a lot overseas and in Japan. They've written a bunch on moxibustion and how it's used. It's a great treatment. I use it more during winter and more with certain conditions.

 

Wendy  08:48

So I love what you said earlier, too. I just want to hit on this a little bit more, because I think this is what Debbie and I hope our jobs are, is leading people to prevention instead of trying to be the reactionary world that we're in right now with our health. We wish so much for our health system to pay for these things or cover them, so that we're not on the other side saying, How did this happen to me? What happened to get me to this place. So I just want to appreciate the idea to:

Use acupuncture as prevention, not just when we're sick.

 

09:32 Kris

100% - I'm going to structure something where people can come in on a schedule, maybe reduced rates for packages or a monthly subscription, because that's really how it's used most effectively.

So Wendy, I love that statement about being reactionary. The place that we're in now. We're reactionary on all levels right now, I totally agree, and the way to reduce stress in your life is to be more proactive. You know, it's really important to be an advocate for yourself, learn to be proactive with your health. And on a daily basis, it's a struggle. It's definitely a struggle, because everybody is so busy, myself included, we're all running around just at the mercy of, you know, the environment we're in. And so, yeah, that reactionary word even just really struck a chord with me. I really appreciate that.

Back to a wellness type of program I’m creating. The unfortunate thing is that a lot of people don’t think insurance covers acupuncture. But I gotta tell everybody - call your insurance company, because they may cover it. There's lots of good benefits out there. Most state workers have it and large companies actually offer it. You can get some Medicare towards it too, but you gotta check. I do the billing for my patients who have insurance. If you have HSA, that's a way to allocate some funds towards a wellness program.

 

Debbie  11:42

I want to back up here, because some people who are listening may not even know exactly what acupuncture is. Let's just say someone only knows it has to do with needles. What's that mean?...

Candy is a everywhere -the temptation of candy can even be found when get your car washed. The temptation of candy can highjack our wellness goals in a heartbeat - we get it. It's hard to make the choice EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU LEAVE YOUR HOME. Some of our clients have it super hard - they are teachers, administrators, nurses and health care workers and for some odd reason, candy is always available - for a quick fix.  In this episode of Navigating Nourishment, we talk about the three options we have during the Halloween season - which seems to be stretching into our sacred summer season.

We are very interested in your feedback on this podcast - we talk about cute costumes, the pressure of being the cool house with the best candy, and hiding from it all.

We all have a choice. What will yours be this candy season?

Post Recording: We continued the conversation about things we gave out for Halloween in the past that were flops; the latest elaborate costumes; how Halloween’s commercialization is kinda sick; and how perfectionism steals the joy from events.  We also found this link and this link for tattoos for kids that are ink-safe.

 

TRANSCRIPT

edited for readability

Wendy 00:02

So we have a conundrum we wanted to share with everybody.

 

Debbie 00:07

It's a Halloween conundrum. Today we're sharing the stories of torture, really, for us as health coaches during Halloween.

 

Wendy: 

There's so much candy everywhere, even at the car wash center.

 

Debbie:

It's already starting in mid September. I've started to see Halloween decorations out and candy in the stores that don't normally have candy(at least, didn't used to normally have candy). Here's the torture. I had a reminder on my phone to buy Halloween candy because last year we were too late and we didn't have a good selection. So I said, next year I'm going to get a jump on it. And I went to go online to buy some and I couldn't do it. I just couldn't do it!

 

Wendy: 

And every year for the last 17 years, Debbie and I have talked about this torture that we have with actually spending money on candy to give to children.

 

Debbie: 

Because the candy that you give to children at Halloween is filled with ingredients that we are always talking to our clients about avoiding.

These ingredients are not nourishing.

Wendy: 

It's artificial sugars, artificial colors, artificial flavorings piled with trans fats.

 

Debbie: 

Right - hydrogenated oils and, yes, all kinds of stuff that we're constantly saying to our clients, please try to avoid this.

 

Wendy: 

It's a volume thing at Halloween. Kids indulge in too much sugar, and behavior is poor. And so I think of the poor parents putting up with stomach aches and headaches and withdrawals from sugar, and the poor teachers the next day too …

 

Debbie: 

And the parents that end up eating their kids Halloween candy. Our clients come in and say, I ate all my kids' Halloween candy, or I can't keep it away. If it's in the house, I'm gonna eat it.

 

It's never a helpful situation to have candy in the house when you feel vulnerable.

 

Wendy: 

No, it's not.

 

Debbie: 

Well, what are our choices?

Temptation of Candy Choice #1

Wendy: 

We have three choices. We could skip Halloween and close the windows, close the doors and pretend we're not home OR leave the house - which I've done several times. My husband and I will just leave and not participate, but then we're kind of cheating out of the community event and seeing all these really happy kids in costumes.

 

Debbie: 

And it's adorable!

 

Wendy: 

So we miss out when we do that, and we don't want to be the grump house, right?

Temptation of Candy Choice #2

Debbie: 

Exactly. You don't want to be that house that kids say - oh, don't go there. They're never home. But okay, so that's our first choice. The second choice to get away from the candy is to buy something more nourishing or something that's maybe not edible, maybe it's a toy or something. But then there's the problem with all that plastic, or if you do buy the more nourishing treat which can be more money, and people who aren't familiar with those things might not recognize it and they might throw it away or not appreciate it.

 

Wendy: 

No one likes to throw away money. It can be expensive. So that's not always the best choice, either.

 

Debbie: 

No, I've heard kids say, “what's that?”

Temptation of Candy Choice #3

Wendy 04:01

Uh-oh! And then the last option is to, once a year, just participate and buy the best, not so great choices, and just let go - not be so tight about the standards of food.

 

Debbie: 

I know my husband always wants to buy the full size candy bars too. It's not even just the minis. It's full-size because he wants to be That House!

And it's so hard for me to put out the bowl and say, here is a bunch of stuff I would tell my clients never to have in their house.

 

Wendy 04:47

So it's a conundrum, and we just wanted to share these three choices.

 

Debbie:

What's your choice?

 

Wendy: 

What's your feedback? What's your choice? Do you let go of your values for one day and just try and enjoy it?

 

Debbie 05:00

Right - It's okay. It's temporary. It's fine. Or do you keep your values and sacrifice money and maybe some pride that goes along with that, or miss out on the community? Those are the three choices.

 

Wendy: 

I don't know which one I'm gonna choose.

 

Debbie: 

I don't either. And this is part of the torture - Every year I come to this time of year and I'm like, Oh, I've got to make a choice again! So we'll see.

 

Wendy:

If you listeners or readers have any comments or any fun stories you want to share with us, please do.

We'd love to hear them.

And I've got one more thing to say. I would love it if we could actually bake something or could make something and put it in a cute little package. But if I'm a parent, I'm not gonna trust something homemade!

 

Debbie: 

Exactly. If I'm a parent, I'm gonna say you can't have that. So that's a fourth choice we can't even really do. But you're right. It would be nice if we could do that. We had that as kids. I know I did. Well, thanks for listening to our torturous conversation about Halloween. We'd love for you to share the podcast with others so we can grow and get more messages out about nourishment and how you can live a better life.

Wendy and Debbie discuss five stress-inducing behaviors to let go of: making comparisons, multitasking (task switching), over-scheduling, procrastination, and perfectionism. They emphasize the importance of recognizing and addressing these habits to improve well-being. Comparisons can lead to dissatisfaction, while multitasking is inefficient and stressful. Over-scheduling often results in rushing and stress, and intentional pauses are beneficial. Procrastination can snowball into stress, so breaking tasks into smaller steps can help. Perfectionism is unrealistic and self-defeating, and embracing imperfection is key. They conclude by encouraging small, consistent steps for lasting change.

Listen to a meditation by Wendy Calming The Nervous System with the Ocean

Transcription

Edited for readability

 

Wendy  00:05

We're going to talk today about a very hot topic. It's something that has invaded our lives, and it's called stress. In this episode, we talk about some of the things that we can control.

 

Debbie  00:19

We are talking about mindless stress. This is stress that you really have some control over - though we don’t always realize it.

 

Wendy  00:30

Stress is exhausting and it really messes with our well being. Sometimes we just don't realize the stress has this undercurrent in our life. So we'll talk about some obvious things that we can control.

 

Debbie  00:48

We know we can't control a lot of things that are causing stress. But I'd say there's a good amount of things we can control that are stress inducing. So let's throw those away.

 

Wendy  01:09

Let's jump in. We've got five ideas to share with you. The first one is to:

1. Let go of Comparing

Recognize when you're making comparisons - because that really gives us agita.

 

Debbie  01:24

It is natural to compare - it is built into our DNA. But we are smarter than that, and we don't need to needlessly compare. We really don't.

 

Wendy  01:37

So first recognize that you're comparing and then notice how you feel about it in your body. You know what happens when you begin comparing yourself and how personally belittling it can be?

 

Debbie  01:53

It can be a never ending cycle of wanting something and not being satisfied with yourself. It's something that is probably unrealistic in a lot of ways or not necessary. So it's a moment of mindfulness, of saying, Oh, there I am comparing myself again - not necessary!

 

Wendy  02:20

The second one we wanted to talk about is this idea

2. Let go of Multitasking or task-switching

 

Debbie  02:31

An example: if you're talking to someone on the phone and you're also trying to read emails.

 

Wendy  02:38

Good example. It's like trying to have a conversation with my husband and being on my phone.  It's so rude, and it causes unnecessary stress for the relationship.

 

Debbie  02:51

And honestly, you're not really paying attention to both things at the same time anyway. You think you're being efficient, but you're really not.

 

Wendy  03:01

No. There are a lot of studies about how this task-switching idea doesn’t keep you fully present. The thing that was happening before, kind of stays sticky with you for a while, and re-engaging in the work that you're doing and still having this thing niggling in the back of your head. Say you've got a notification in one of your apps or something like that and you interrupt what you are doing to read it. It's a distraction from what you are focusing on. Not effective, and it can stress unnecessary.

 

Debbie  03:28

And the world right now is set up for that. You know, it's like the shiny, sparkly thing all the time. And to be honest, today, we've been working for a while now, and we had to refocus ourselves many times. It's not that we were task-switching as much as we were getting distracted. The mindfulness is staying on course for something you're trying to get done or finish or pay attention to, and it helps if you're working with someone who can remind you to stay focused.

The idea is, really be mindful, try to stay focused, or come up with strategies to keep you focused on one thing, and that'll be a really good, thorough one thing that you get done.

So let's move on to the third thing, which is something that I have been working on very recently:

3. Let go of Over-scheduling

I used to over schedule myself all the time.

Wendy  04:30

I still do sometimes. We don't give ourselves gaps in our schedule to get from one place to another OR to literally switch our mindset from point A to point B. We see clients skip a meal or skip working out because of over-scheduling. The workout has to be in the schedule and needs some time before and after to get in and out of your workout gear and cool down before jumping on a Zoom call. There needs to be some space in the schedule - a buffer.

 

Debbie  05:08

There needs to be space because not having that space is stressful. Rushing around and showing up late is really stressful. I think this comes from our culture that says being busy and being over committed is successful or an illusion that you are getting stuff done - but it's kind of the opposite.

And you know what else it does?

Rushing around means that you're not thinking about things deeply. That means you're not reflecting about life and events. It makes time go really fast, like, oh my gosh, where did the time go? How many times have you heard that phrase or, oh my gosh, this week went so fast, I feel like it was just Monday, and now it's Friday. I don't want my life to go fast. I want it to slow down and the only way to do that is to put spaces in my schedule.

 

Wendy  06:13

Intentional pauses really are a gift to our central nervous system. It gives our nervous system a chance to reset, and that's really healthy for us.

 

Debbie  06:25

We promise you'll feel so much better if you do this. I am proof. I feel so much better these days that I don't over-schedule myself.

 

Wendy  06:36

The next one

4. Let go of Procrastination

We often overthink the thing we are procrastinating, and usually, not always, but usually, once you do the thing, it's like, Oh, that wasn't as big of a deal as I thought it was going to be. And procrastination really just snowballs us into a worried state of stress. And if you know you've got to get something done, and it's hard figuring out a good time of day to tackle a hard thing that is important. Say, if you're more of a morning person, schedule for the morning, if you're more of an evening or afternoon person, schedule that thing then - and put it on the calendar because you've made a commitment.

 

Debbie  07:32

And what we always talk about with all kinds of habits and what could help with procrastination is - breaking that big thing up into baby steps. How can this big project that I'm procrastinating and I'm so overwhelmed by it, and I keep pushing it back because it's too big, if you actually break it down and do little by little, it'll start getting done before you know it. So think about that, how can you do that? Because having something hanging over our heads is just a stress we don't need.

 

Wendy  08:06

Little by little - great idea.

 

Debbie  08:10

And finally, our last thing that you can let go of, and everyone needs to let go of is

5. Let go of Perfectionism

It doesn't even exist.

 

Wendy  08:19

No, no one is perfect, that is unrealistic. Being able to be good enough is really, really important to reduce our stress.

 

Debbie  08:32

But, you know, the thing about perfectionism is that when you set yourself up like that, it's not only unrealistic, what it ends up doing is showing you how to disappoint yourself over and over and over again. And so you think you're being a perfectionist, but what you're really doing is beating yourself up.

 

Wendy  08:53

This is where we share the idea of grace. 

When any of these five things show up, you catch yourself comparing, multitasking or task-switching, or over-scheduling yourself, or procrastinating, or perfectionism. This is where grace can step in and say, Oh, I'm recognizing that I'm stepping into this stressful phase or stressful situation, and I can truly let it go. I don't have to stay there.

 

Debbie  09:27

That's what's so beautiful about these things - you can let it all go, and you'll feel so much better.

So that wraps up this episode of Navigating Nourishment. We hope you find our discussion helpful and inspiring.

 

Wendy  09:42

Remember your health and wellness journey is a marathon, not a sprint. Remember small, consistent steps over time can lead to significant, lasting changes.

 

Debbie  09:51

If you enjoyed this episode, please share, subscribe, rate and leave us a review, because your feedback really helps us reach more people.

 

Wendy  10:01

You can follow us on social media for more tips, updates and inspiration. You can find us on Facebook and Instagram at Nourish Coaches.

 

Debbie  10:09

And for more resources, visit our website at nourishcoaches.com and there you're going to find some show notes, additional articles, links to other shows and podcasts.

 

Wendy  10:21

Thanks for joining us today. Stay nourished, stay healthy, and we'll see you next time on Navigating Nourishment.

If you do a lot of comparing, you might want to also read this blog - Judgement is a Curious Thing

Wendy and Debbie are excited to share new 6-week reset groups announcement for September, offering in-person sessions in Red Bank and virtual Zoom options. Their program aims to help participants feel more comfortable in their bodies, create nourishing habits, and find personal wellness formulas. They emphasize that their approach is customized, not one-size-fits-all, and stress the importance of self-care, especially for women going through transitions like leaving the workforce or dealing with perimenopause or postmenopause. The program costs $300 and focuses on nutrition, sleep, movement, mindset, and connection, with unlimited support between sessions. They encourage people to book a free consultation to see if group coaching is right for them.

TRANSCRIPT

(edited for readability)

Wendy  00:01

We are so excited when we create new groups, and we're on the cusp of starting a new group here in September.

 

Debbie  00:10

September is always the best time to start these things, because it's kind of like the new year. For a lot of people, even if you don't have kids in school, it feels like a fresh start in the fall, right?

 

Wendy  00:23

We were having a conversation just this week with a group of women, and they were saying, you know, as soon as September hits - I’m ready - the day after Labor Day, right? Everyone is saying, ‘Oh yeah, me too! I've had way too much ice cream this summer’ and that sort of thing.

 

Debbie  00:41

It's because in summer, I think so many of us let go of some habits that are nourishing and maybe splurge a little bit on things that we wouldn't normally splurge on. And so there's kind of this feeling of, okay, I need to stop doing that. It's been three months now. Now let me reset.

 

Wendy  01:02

Our next ‘reset program’ is six weeks, and we're starting two groups, one group meets in person in our Red Bank Office and a second group meets on Zoom. You can be anywhere in the world and join us on Zoom.

 

Debbie  01:16

And we do have some people who travel anywhere in the world who are in our groups. We're going to have the link in our show notes, so that you can go and see what it's all about and sign up if you'd like to and get going.

 

Wendy  01:41

Who would join our 6 week Reset Groups? People who want to feel more comfortable in their body. And if that's you, you're a prime candidate. If you want to create nourishing habits, you're a prime candidate. And if you want to find your own personal wellness formula, that is what we'll be doing in the six weeks.

 

Debbie  02:01

In our group experiences, the best thing about it is that we are not a one-size-fits-all program at all. That's not how we operate, because we're all unique. And in the groups, you get to see how unique each person is, and it really helps our mindsets because any one program doesn't work for everybody. So we really customize what might be the best path for you.

 

Wendy  02:41

Most of the women in our groups are going through some sort of transition. Either they've transitioned out of the workforce, or they are changing jobs. Many of the women in our groups are in the throes of perimenopause or post menopause, and trying to figure out how to be with this new body that is different hormonally.

6-week reset group

Debbie  03:07

Women who might simply have a different mind space because their kids have left for college or have left their house, and now they have more space for themselves.

 

Wendy  03:20

Some women come to the group saying, “This feels so indulgent to me.” Why should I have to have someone help me through this?”

We both are each other's coaches. My husband's my personal trainer. You know, the most famous people in the world have lots of coaches around them.

We really meet you wherever you are.

One of the things that I think Debbie and I really are good at is helping people stay curious, and also letting judgment fall away. There is so much shame in the diet culture, and we want to throw that out, and we want to help people literally fall in love with themselves again. Might sound like a tall order, but it's the truth. Showering ourselves and each other with a little bit more love in a group setting can really help change lives.

6-week reset group

Debbie  04:31

We've seen it happen. We know it's true. People who would never expect to love themselves love themselves now. And it's such a beautiful thing. And the idea is that we often - especially women - go through most of our adult lives, helping others, helping our family, nurturing other people, and then we get to a certain age where we're like, wait a second, I need to take care of myself! What’s this ‘self-care stuff? I need to start doing that!’

And it's a little bit difficult at first, because, as Wendy said, it feels a little bit indulgent, or you just feel like you're being self centered or selfish or something like that. But that's not true at all. And too bad that we wait this long, you know, if we did some of this self care or took time for ourselves, we might have been a little bit better with all the people we were nurturing. Not that you did a bad job, because I'm speaking for myself, I think I did a pretty good job. But there were definitely moments that had I taken better care of myself, I probably would have shown up better for my family. So it's time.The time is right now.

6-week reset group

Wendy  05:42

I was talking with a client recently about the health system, and I don't even want to call it a health care system, because it's really not a health care system. It's a reactionary system that we have right now, and our Nourish Coaching services are out of pocket. They are not covered by insurance right now. And I think some people struggle with spending money on themselves, and we want to say:

You're worth the investment in yourself!

We want to set people up for the rest of their lives. We are not a quick fix. Nothing happens overnight. You didn't get to feeling the way you feel right now overnight. So we need to gift ourselves time and attention.

Details on our 6 Week Reset Groups:

We meet weekly for an hour.

You get unlimited support from us in between sessions via WhatsApp chat

We will focus on our Five Foundations of Health: nutrition, sleep, movement, mindset and connection.

The investment is $300. 

We'd love to support you in your well-being journey.

It's an integrative approach, and we can't wait to help you out right.

 

Debbie  07:13

Check out this link for the group details.

 

Wendy  07:18

If you're curious about more and want to speak with us, please go to our website and book a Free 30-minute consult with us and we can chat about whether group coaching is right for you.