SHARING OUT LOUD

Meet Kate Oakley! Personal Trainer and Menopause Warrior🤩.

Kate Oakley had a job she loved for over 20 years -- Director of HR for a Global Company. She never understood people who had those feelings of dread on a Sunday... she enjoyed her job, she was great at it! Until one day she DID have that feeling of dread and she knew she had to make a change. Not only did Kate have to make a change with her career, she realized she had to make a change with her health as well. Why? Because perimenopause symptoms were creeping in and she was starting to feel like a stranger to the woman she had always been:

• Joint pain
• Brain fog/memory loss
• Disturbed sleep
• No libido
• Erratic mood swings

The mood swings were the straw that broke the camel’s back. Kate felt out of control, and If she didn't do something quickly to solve her issues, she wondered long her husband and kids would put up with her. Plus, life wasn’t much fun and Kate had always been the person who was on the move! Planning trips with her family, being social, etc.

SOUND FAMILIAR TO ANY WOMEN OUT THERE IN PERIMENOPAUSE OR MENOPAUSE?

Instead of sitting back and letting PERI take over, Kate threw herself into researching all things menopause -- she learned what types of exercise she should be doing – for short and long-term health, she learned how and why to adapt her nutrition, manage stress better and prioritize sleep. She also did her due diligence in researching HRT (hormone replacement therapy) and after much consideration, started taking it and while the impact wasn't instantaneous, she started to feel "normal" again (after about 4 months). Her body AND her mind had changed for the better in a truly amazing way -- she felt back in control.

So while the road getting to Kate's "second act" wasn't easy, she is actually thankful to perimenopause, because without it, she wouldn't have made the huge decision at aged 50, to leave her 25-year corporate career behind to follow her love for fitness and become a Personal Trainer to women in the second half of their lives!

For more information on Kate you can find her:

On her website: https://www.yourfuturefit.com/

​On Instagram: @yourfuturefit

She is taking on new clients, from anywhere! You don't have to be in the UK. Her afternoon is our morning in the U.S. so if you're a morning person that might work beautifully for you!

Meet Lindsay Sutherland Boal, FOUNDER OF SHE WALKS CANADA.

Lindsay Sutherland Boal is a force for positive change wielding her knowledge and expertise of sober living initiatives and women's issues. In 2021, Lindsay founded She Walks Canada—a movement to engage and empower sober and sober-curious women to change their relationship with alcohol. In its second year, She Walks Canada impacted over 1,000 women transitioning away from alcohol, and as a community, met and exceeded the circumnavigation goal of 40,070 kms (24,900 miles) achieving 44,058 (27,379 miles). The 2024 Walk begins February 19, 2024.

As a personal empowerment coach, Lindsay is set to revolutionize how individuals confront their barriers with her innovative “Uncovery Method.” Her program will soon be accessible via an app! Innovative Solution: The Overcoming Over-Drinking App is the culmination of her (and her team's) dedication to supporting women on their path to alcohol-free living. This app is dedicated to empowering women to overcome over-drinking through three core pillars: community, coaching, and connection. It will provide educational content, masterclasses, and a robust community engagement platform.

Lindsay's journey, the the journey of this ALL VOLUNTEER movement, SWC is a testament to the power of transformation, resilience, innovation, and community. It exemplifies the profound impact of collective action, the significance of inclusivity, and the potential for substantial change in addressing AUD (ALCOHOL USE DISORDER), with a particular emphasis on women.

Additionally, Lindsay is an executive at Urban Outline Building Group; an athlete; mother; wife; friend; sister; mentor; public speaker; former podcast host and producer of The COVID Chronicles Canada; professional opera singer; and actor on stage and television. Lindsay is a graduate of the Jay Shetty Certification School, Brandon University, the Vancouver Academy of Music, Toronto Film School, and Kwantlen Polytechnic University. She has also completed sessional studies at the University of Manitoba; the Cabaret Conference at Yale University; the Lyric Opera Studio Weimar in Germany; the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in the Czech Republic; the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Canada; and others.

Lindsay is the recipient of over 15 awards, most recently as “Distinguished Alumni” at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. She has been featured across numerous print channels as well as major networks, leading conversations that impact women everywhere.

Please visit She Walks Canada online for more information on the initiative: www.shewalkscanada.com

To sign up for FREE coaching visit: https://www.shewalkscanada.com/coaching/

You can also find her on Instagram: @shewalkscanada

Meet Jodi Echakowitz! Thank you for the wonderful conversation. You are not only an incredible example of taking control of your health, but you are a breath of fresh air with your optimism and sheer joy when you speak about your life and where you are now. For anyone looking to make a change in their mindset and physical health, head over to Jodi's Instagram page! @jodi.echakowitz

From Jodi:

I was battling severe brain fog, was constantly exhausted, and was struggling to find the energy to even think about exercising.
 
 I was stuck in a cycle of unhealthy eating, insufficient sleep, and neglecting my body’s need for movement.
 
 And the excess weight I was carrying — much of it in my 40” waist — put me at risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
 
 Fast forward to today, and I’m so incredibly proud of my transformation.
 
 I’m proud of the hard work I’ve put in, the discipline and focus I’ve had, and the consistency of my efforts to ensure that I am healthy and in the best shape of my life.
 
 One of the biggest lessons learned is that the physical changes I wanted to see and feel in my body needed a mindset shift.
 
 I had to rewire my thoughts, challenge my limiting beliefs, confront self-loathing, uncover what’s been holding me back, and embrace a growth mindset.
 
 I did the hard work.
 
 And now I’m reaping the rewards.
 
 In addition to this being the first time in my life where I’ve maintained a healthy weight, one of the things I absolutely love about my journey is how I’ve uncovered a passion for weightlifting.
 
 I’m lifting heavier weights than I ever have and the work I’m doing is completely reshaping my body in ways I never thought possible.
 
 It’s helping to build a stronger, healthier me.
 
 In these two years, I’ve reframed my relationship with food, exercise, and self-care.
 
 I now understand that it’s about nourishment, strength, and overall well-being.
 
 What an incredible journey it’s been! And I’ve truly never been more excited for what the future holds.
 

Follow Jodi on Instagram: @jodi.echakowitz
Part of Team @thewonderwomenofficial 🏋️‍♀️|  Coach: @yourhealthyhedonista

linktr.ee/jodi.echakowitz

THANK YOU Jessica for coming on to Sharing Out Loud. I am deeply grateful you said yes and so appreciate everything you are doing for the addiction/sober community❤️.

About Jessica, Sober woman, Author, Speaker, Sober Coach...

Brooklyn born and raised, her father is a proud, incredibly beautiful, and charming Black Cuban. Her mother, just as beautiful, is a tiny yet incredibly intimidating Costa Rican, which makes Jessica a first-generation American. The American dream. 

On the outside growing up, she was bright and overcame many hurdles that young Black and Brown girls from the hood (Jessica's words) face. She shattered ceilings women in her family had not been able to, all while on the inside, Jessica carried the weight and shame of being different, of never feeling good enough, of never feeling a part of. She excelled with scholarships to prestigious schools but while in attendance, had early indicators of mental health problems developing, especially bipolar disorder, which she medicated with alcohol, but she graduated, and her career took off, as did her addiction.

2019/2020

Jessica was a high-achieving, award-winning teacher with one of the stronger moral compasses one may have come across. She did amazing for years and touched many lives, but at the same time, her drinking was slowly becoming all-consuming,  For years she numbed herself, drinking to forget, drinking to self-medicate. The pain of past traumas, constant lies, car wrecks, divorce, hangovers, lost homes, significant injuries, abuse, isolation, hospital visits, rehabs, hallucinations, anxiety, fires, and rapidly declining physical health. But she had her teaching, the safety of the classroom protected her and kept life steady until it could no longer...

She was dying but couldn’t die.

She also couldn’t live how she was living, suffering and refusing help. Exhausted, Jessica finally surrendered.

For her full story, you can find Jessica on her website at www.jessicaduenas.net and of course, on Instagram: @jessicaduenas24

Jessica is Certified through the ICF Accredited Coaching Program at the Certified Life Coaching Institute. Peer Recovery Support Specialist, registered with The National Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC), which provides continuing education for members. 

Outside of recovery, she has a masters in special education as well as an educational specialist degree in instructional leadership.

Re-posting this earlier episode because when you are sober and hit a milestone, you deserve to be celebrated! CONGRATULATIONS ALEXANDRA! To help her celebrate, please listen to the episode, pass it along to others, AND then go grab her book - THE GAME. And book 2 is just out! You will want both at once, TRUST ME!

https://www.amazon.com/GAME-Second-Alex-Bos/dp/B0BV49Y5R5/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1S3CC2AGJN2H1&keywords=Alex+bos&qid=1703795095&sprefix=alex+bos%2Caps%2C92&sr=8-2

FROM ALEXANDRA'S INSTAGRAM TODAY, 12/28/23:

Today marks one year of an alcohol-free life.

For those of you who have listened to my interview on Sharing Out Loud, you know my sobriety story is less Russell Brand and more Brene Brown—it’s not a “sexy” story. Realizing that I didn’t need to wake up in a ditch to stop drinking was one of the most freeing realizations I’ve had.

The true story is that for the past six years, I’ve done a Dry January, mostly to prove to myself that I wasn’t an alcoholic. Let the irony of that phrase sink in.


Last year, Dry January started early after a drunk fight with a close friend, one that I barely remember. I woke up the next morning thinking, “What a fucking waste.”

Halfway through Dry January, a friend sent me an episode of The Huberman Podcast in which Dr. Huberman lists all the ways even moderate drinking causes harm. This was news to me. In my mind, red wine was a healthy food. I’ve had doctors tell me verbatim that people who consume fewer than ten drinks per week are less healthy than those who do.

I highly recommend listening to this episode; after hearing it, I realized I couldn’t justify even “moderate drinking,” that ten-drink allowance I used to give myself (and frequently exceed).

This year I started to think deeply about my suffering and the pain I was using alcohol to soothe from a place of honest, curious self-compassion.
I realized that my triggers are the stress of boredom (it’s a “What the fuck should I be doing right now,” sensation) and a fear of social rejection (that’s an “I do not belong in this space or with these people” feeling). As a result, I’ve spent a lot of time this year practicing boredom and learning to cultivate a sense of belonging within myself. I’ve paid close attention to my physiology, my reward pathways, and what dopamine feels like in my body. I’ve given myself permission to lean into discomfort rather than avoid/numb it.

If you have the space today, in that lull between Christmas and New Year's Eve, I invite you to be curious about the role alcohol has played in your life, even if the answer makes you uncomfortable. And know that you’re not alone.

Follow Alexandra on instagram: @alexandra_bos

Happy Holidays everyone! Rather than uploading a guest episode yesterday I thought I would come on and do a little mini episode after conversations with 2 amazing women, Dupe Witherick, author of A COCKTAIL of Clarity and wellness coach,  and Lindsay Sutherland Boal, founder of She Walks Canada, an organization that is changing the world by empowering women to change their relationship to alcohol. 

My view of addiction and alcoholism is widening as I head towards 5 years of sobriety (yay me! March 21, 2024 here I come!). There are just so many more resources now than there were back in 2019 when I got sober through AA. I LOVE AA because it saved my life. But I also found the right meeting (thank you to Jenni Fields - you are my saving grace) and I know AA is an old organization that can be hard for some people, women especially, to feel comfortable in. I can also understand the shift in terms, like "AF", or alcohol-free, sober-curious, etc. The key to EVERYTHING is that if you think you have a negative relationship with alcohol then it is time to start researching places and people that can help you. Resources that can help discover the WHY you might be abusing alcohol (hint, not all therapists can help! Sometimes it's better to work with someone who has actually gone through something similar). 

WE DON'T HAVE TO SUFFER!!!!

To learn more and register for an online group conversation, visit:
https://www.shewalkscanada.com/virtual-meetings/

For other helpful resources visit: https://www.shewalkscanada.com/resources/

Looking for a 1:1 coach? Dupe Witherick is amazing! Visit her site and also grab her book!  https://www.thrivealcoholfree.com/

Looking for more of an AA approach with someone who has been through the dredges of hell? Kristi Tanner is your gal. @mocktailmommy on Instagram and https://sparkle.blog/recovery-coaching-%F0%9F%A6%8B.  She is also a divorce coach. 

Sending everyone love and light this Holiday season. 

xoxo,
Heather

She's back! And she brought a friend! @happy-healthy-mommyoffour (Wendy Green) and @ocrmommy_cynthia (Cynthia Counts) came to Chicago for a Hyrox competition and that meant I got to meet them in person AND record another podcast with Wendy, this time focusing on how she went from a mom who had completely lost herself, to a competitive athlete! Cynthia was going to sit and just listen but I am so glad she joined in because we had a blast AND she has quite the story as well (we will be recording her story soon).

If you haven't listened to Wendy's first episode with me, please take a listen! You will be blown away by her personal story. Wendy is like the little engine that could, and the same goes for Cynthia. These 2 badass women train like crazy daily to compete in various Spartan Races across the country AND they have a blast doing it. On top of that both are incredibly humble. Wendy is quite well-known on the circuit and yet Cynthia says that she stops to talk with everyone that asks for a photo or an autograph🥰. She is the same person at the Races that she is in regular life.❤️

There is way too much to write about this interview/conversation so why not just listen 😘.

Notes:
What is a Spartan Race? The world’s premier obstacle course race (OCR). An OCR is a running race with the additional challenge of obstacles along the course. These obstacles require athletes to have a complete fitness level (cardiovascular fitness + strength + mobility). Races range from the Spartan Sprint, a race that is 3 to 5 miles in length and has 20 to 23 obstacles, to the Spartan Agoge, a 60-hour event that builds physical, tactical, mental, and team-based strength through training, testing, and evaluation

See Wendy's STATS: https://race.spartan.com/en/race/profile/21550

See Cynthia's STATS: https://race.spartan.com/en/race/profile/5291


Other Notes:
What is Hyrox?
8 workout stations:
1) Ski Erg 1000m
2) Sled Push 50m
3) Sled Pull 50m
4) Burpee Broad Jumps 80m
5) Row 1000m
6) Farmers Carry 200m
7) Sandbag Lunges 100m
8) Wall Balls 75

Andy Matthews is a WARRIOR! While her life and her marriage weren't always perfect, no one could have prepped her for what was about to go down when her husband told her their marriage was over. Nothing could have prepared Andy for the lies, the deceit, the gaslighting, that was to come with the (ongoing) divorce. Is this an episode of True Crime? The more into the conversation we got, it felt that way😲.

But Andy decided she wasn't going to be a victim. So she decided to get her mojo back and applied to be coached by the Wonderwomen program! After a grueling application process, she was finally accepted, and holy transformation! The badass boss woman is back and she is taking no prisoners! Your jaw is going to be dropped like mine was when you start listening... you just can't make this stuff up!

A little excerpt from one of Andy's posts on Instagram:

Hey… don’t look back… you’re not going that way! Ever heard that expression? I’m here to tell you, I’m a terrible offender of this! 😩 I’d love to be able to say that I’m all about the now, but the truth is….. 🥁I’m a chronic ruminator 🤦🏼‍♀️ by nature. I know it doesn’t serve me, and I actively practice putting the kibosh on my thoughts about:

what once was,
how I should’ve,
why I didn’t,
that I wish I had…
You know the thoughts,

but the struggle is REAL! Sometimes the waters are muddied when I’m trying to reflect on something that I hope to learn from and do better or differently in the future … and this can lead me into the rabbit hole of regret, which can then easily turn to shame…. and shame is maybe the absolute most useless of the human emotions. Shame serves no good or productive purpose.

Listen, even all the B&A pics we see on SM can easily turn from “WOW, I’m so proud…to… OH CRAP, I looked terrible, how did I let that happen to myself” and once again quickly suck you into that useless rabbit hole!

When I do follow The White Rabbit into his hole, I remind myself that I am not my old story, I can only affect the here and now, not yesterday, and the only way to improve anything is by taking action and looking FORWARD, not back.
SO!! Don’t look back lovelies…. you’re not going that way!!

xo♥️ Andy

Follow Andy on Instagram:
@im_andy_matthews

Check out her original, HILARIOUS YouTube Channel from a few years back, Bathroom Banter, Beauty on the Inside, Beauty on the Outside (new episodes coming soon!):

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=BATHROOM+BANTER%3B+Beauty+on+the+inside+%2F+Beauty+on+the+outside

Meet Bunny! A Scottish Ordained Interfaith Reverend, Prosperity Teacher, Mother Manifester, Somatic Embodiment Coach, Enneagram Mentor, and more...

Bunny and I met through a course with Cathy Heller (a spiritual & business coach and podcaster). Bunny was the first woman to be called upon to have Cathy help her with some self-doubts she had been struggling with and from the moment Bunny came up on that Zoom screen, I wanted to be her BFF🥰. And then, the more I learned about her I knew she had to come on as a guest on Sharing Out Loud!

About Bunny:
For most of her adult life, Bunny lived what most would think was a fabulous existence! She was a high-powered fashion executive running at 1,000 miles per hour at all times -- meeting fabulous people, and jet-setting around the planet. She was great at her job and she loved it. From the outside looking in, many would envy the kind of life she led. But would the outsider still think Bunny's life was glamorous if they had known she collapsed from burnout and still tried to take phone calls in the back of the ambulance (and in the hospital)? That it took a doctor telling her she wouldn't be around to take any more calls if she didn't put the phone away and allow them to treat her?

Fast forward to today... life looks the polar opposite of that story. Quite the wake-up call but what it did was call forth what Bunny was truly meant to do. Bunny's life mission is to introduce millions of people to the power of prosperity and to unlock all the ease, flow, self-trust, and intuition that will accompany you through a sustainable and successful life. She doesn't want you to manifest something and then it disappears, she wants you to dream it, shape it, claim it, AND maintain it.

Where can I enjoy learning more about Bunny?
Bunny offers group mentoring as well as several courses such as Manifestation Re-Imagined, Passion To Prosperity, Liberate The Body Of Your Business, and magickal courses like Faery Magick, a 6-week live masterclass series where she delves into the enchanting realm of faeries and their mystical friends, learning their secrets and manifesting more magick in our lives. Visit https://www.loveschock.com/ to find out more!

Bunny also has a new PODCAST! Whisky Made Woman can be found on Apple and Spotify.

Be sure to follow her on Instagram: @loveschock

Accreditations and accolades:
Accredited by One Spirit Interfaith Foundation, she has been featured in global outlets such as The Sunday Times, New York Post, The Sunday Post, and Psychologies.

Meet Victoria Dorsano, a Professional and Certified Life and Health Coach who is on a mission to help women (so many clients are midlife women!) get off the hamster wheel and onto their own fast track to victory.

With years of studies, client successes, and coaching education under her belt, Victoria is dedicated to making a successful life a reality for all of her clients and believes people need to be looked at as whole beings, not just a number on a scale, a diagnosis, or a procedure code.

Victoria takes an empirical, no-bullshit approach to understanding the many complexities of our health, and boils them down into tried-and-true frameworks for you to apply to your own journey.

But this episode isn't just about coaching, Victoria dives into her personal life and talks to us about finding CODA (co-dependants anonymous) after learning some shocking information after her dad's passing.

You can find Victoria on:

Instagram: @victoria_dorsano
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/VictoriaDorsano
Her website: https://www.bevictoriouscoaching.com/