The rise of COVID-19  has emphasized the need for us all to concentrate not only on our physical health, but on our mental health as well. Now, more than ever, the strategies which we use to regulate ourselves and co-regulate with others on a daily basis are critical to our well-being as we move forward as a community to navigate our way through this global event. Knowing full well that this too shall pass, I pledge to you that I will keep showing up throughout it all to educate you, support you, and help you be present to the ones you love.

Today’s episode is actually a workshop I conducted in which I look at just what anxiety is and how it affects our brains and bodies. I also offer some valuable strategies to help you regulate these effects, and provide recommendations for us all to follow in bringing positivity into our thoughts, emotions, and life in general. Essentially, the workshop provides information and tools which can and should be used on a regular basis, and which are particularly effective and necessary during these hard times that we as a global community are currently facing together.

Speaking of community, and it’s importance to our wellbeing and our progress, I’m still taking applications for the new cohort for my Ascend Mastermind, which will begin in April! If you’re an ambitious female entrepreneur or high level professional who wants to stay on track, keep your health and wellbeing in check, and surround yourself with a tight group of women that aren’t letting current circumstances keep them from reaching their goal, this Mastermind is the perfect opportunity for you. You’ll get to work with, be held accountable by, and find support among like-minded women as you ascend. Check out the details here: www.kellytravis.net/ascend 

The Finer Details of This Episode:

1. Anxiety begins with a worry or a thought that is triggered by something.
2. Anytime the brain senses tension in our body, it goes into the mode of protection – it feels like it has to keep us safe.

1. We all experience fear and anxiety in different ways.
2.  The goal is to reassure your brain and your body that you are safe.

1. Recognize your own physical symptoms of anxiety.
2. 4-count Breathing/Box Breathing is a wonderful tool to help you calm/regulate.
3. Tapping to a mantra (ex. ‘Peace begins with me’) can also help you calm/regulate.
4. Write down your anxious thoughts, question them (Is this thought useful? Is this thought true?), and then choose a different and better thought.
5. Implement a Gratitude Practice, remain active, give hugs or gifts of hugs, and engage in laughter and fun as much as possible.
6. Manage your exposure to negative information.
7. Make sure you continue to connect and communicate with others.

Quotes:

“This is hard times for everybody.”

“You all already have a lot of overwhelm in your life.”

“We remember the negative news and information more than the positive.”

“We have to retrain our brain, reprogram our brain, to see and look for positivity.”

“This is why some people are buying all the toilet paper, and other people are making fun of everyone buying the toilet paper.”

“I think this is an opportunity for us as a culture in our society to really practice compassion.”

“If we can calm the ‘F’ down, then we can move into dealing with the emotional stuff.”

“Our thoughts cause our feelings.”

“We need to bring positivity into our life.”

“Don’t put things on pause…accomplishing things right now is very, very important.”

“When our emotions are based on facts, they can’t control us.”

“If you need a community of support, please join the Goal Getters Club.”

“Don’t try to do this alone.”

Show Links:

Ascend Mastermind - https://www.kellytravis.net/ascend

The Goal Getters Club Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/goalgettersclubkellythealth

Ready to take your work a bit deeper? Schedule a call with me to discuss ways we can work together. www.kellytravis.net/discovery

Kelly’s email:   [email protected]

In our society we waste a lot of time and energy trying to fix ourselves. Women are focused on shrinking their bodies, hiding their age and trying to erase any sign of a flaw. All of this is exhausting, and takes us away from what truly matters in life and what we are meant to do — which in my opinion is to make an impact in our families, work, and communities. 

In this episode, I lay out five ways you can constructively challenge yourself and shift your perspective on your body for the better. If you take these to heart, you should find yourself wanting to shed shame and guilt rather than shedding pounds. And with that, you’ll be spending your time and energy on things that help you move the needle in your work and your life. 

I’ve opened up a new cohort for my Ascend Mastermind, which starts April 1! If you’re an ambitious female entrepreneur or high level professional who is ready to uplevel your health and well-being (mental, emotional, physical) so you can reach your professional and personal goals (and be happy doing it), this Mastermind is the perfect opportunity for you. You’ll get to work with, be held accountable by, and find support among like-minded women as you ascend. Check out the details here: www.kellytravis.net/ascend 

The Finer Details of This Episode:

1. Celebrate your body and pay attention to what you really need, not what strangers say you need.
2. Take credit for your beauty instead of deflecting.
3. Apologize to your body, namely the parts of yourself you’ve never been particularly proud of.
4. Unfollow those on social media who—however unintentionally—leave you feeling ashamed of your body, and follow those who inspire positivity.
5. Do the damn thing and take the action you can now rather than waiting for a hypothetical “perfect” time to do it.

Quotes:

“Why not work to get to a place where the norm is accepting our bodies?”

“You can accept yourself for where you're at right now and also work on improving yourself.”

“We’re so focused on maintaining or shrinking that we don’t listen to what we actually need.”

“You have a choice whether or not to expose yourself to the things that trigger you.”

“What are you saying ‘no’ to that you could be saying ‘hell yes’ to today?”

Show Links:

Ascend Mastermind - https://www.kellytravis.net/ascend

The Goal Getters Club Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/goalgettersclubkellythealth

Ready to take your work a bit deeper? Schedule a call with me to discuss ways we can work together. www.kellytravis.net/discovery

Following up on an old listener question, I’m taking time this week to shine a light on what explorer Dan Buettner has referred to as Blue Zones, regions across the globe where people seem to live much longer on average—over a hundred years, in fact! These areas include Sardinia in Italy, Okinawa in Japan and Icaria in Greece. Loma Linda California and the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica. There’s no supernatural reason why people in these zones live so long, rather that they make an array of small but significant lifestyle choices that increase not only their longevity but their quality of life.

These lifestyle choices can be boiled down to the “Power Nine” lessons, which range from adjusting and moderating one’s diet to developing a spiritually and physically close support system. At the core, it’s about having a strong connection, your outlook, how you move, and the way you eat.   In this episode, I explore these nine lessons in depth, explore their long-term effects, and explain how you can apply them to your own life. 

I’ve opened up a new cohort for my Ascend Mastermind, which starts April 1! If you’re an ambitious female entrepreneur or high level professional who is ready to uplevel your health and well-being (mental, emotional, physical) so you can reach your professional and personal goals (and be happy doing it), this Mastermind is the perfect opportunity for you. You’ll get to work with, be held accountable by, and find support among like-minded women as you ascend. Check out the details here: www.kellytravis.net/ascend 

The Finer Details of This Episode:

1. Regular, low-intensity physical activity that is naturally part of your work and/or lifestyle.
2. A diet that emphasizes plant intake over meat, with lots of whole foods, nuts and beans.
3. Focusing not so much on feeling full as feeling satisfied when you eat (the “80% rule”).
4. Using repeatable routines or rituals that centre us and downshift the stress in our lives.
5. Regular alcohol consumption is fine if it’s moderate and social.
6. Living a purpose-oriented life that keeps you fulfilled and motivated from day to day increases your chances of longevity.
7. A religious or at least spiritual lifestyle can strengthen social bonds and enable healthy living.
8. Putting your family first and making the most of the natural support system they provide.
9. Surrounding yourself with people who share the same values and beliefs as your own.

Quotes:

“It’s about being intentional about your activity all day long.”

“If your great grandma wouldn’t recognize it, probably not something you would want to eat!”

“It’s not about restricting, it’s about paying attention to your body.”

“You can’t work on quieting the mind if you don’t try.”

Show Links:

Blue Zones - https://www.bluezones.com/

Healthy High Performer, episode 6: Nutrition Isn’t Easy: 3 Steps to Take Beyond Eating Kale - http://healthyhighperformer.libsyn.com/nutrition-isnt-easy-3-steps-to-take-beyond-eating-kale

Ascend Mastermind - https://www.kellytravis.net/ascend

7 Things Your Evening Routine Should Include - https://kellythealth.lpages.co/nightly-routine-guide/

The Goal Getters Club Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/goalgettersclubkellythealth

Ready to take your work a bit deeper? Schedule a call with me to discuss ways we can work together. www.kellytravis.net/discovery

Personal coaching is a booming but also very unregulated industry, which means that it attracts a lot of so-called coaches or mentors who might not be qualified to practice what they preach—and in the process, they can end up doing some real harm. I’m speaking from my own recent and less-than-positive experience participating in someone else’s program where I felt the systems, coaching and community didn’t deliver on what was promised.

So for this episode, I’m providing you with five questions you should ask yourself before committing to working with a coach -whether it’s 1:1 or in a group program or course. In addition, I elaborate on the importance of showing up and explain how a good investment helped improve my relationship with money. 

I’m opening up a new cohort for my Ascend Mastermind, which starts April 1! If you’re an ambitious female entrepreneur or high level professional who is ready to uplevel your health and well-being (mental, emotional, physical) so you can reach your professional and personal goals (and be happy doing it), this Mastermind is the perfect opportunity for you. You’ll get to work with, be held accountable by, and find support among like-minded women as you ascend. Check out the details here: www.kellytravis.net/ascend 

The Finer Details of This Episode:

1. Is this coach/mentor/business a promoter, or are they getting results?
2. Is this coach actually qualified in some way to help or lead people?
3. Does this coach allow you a safe space to feel vulnerable or uncomfortable?
4. Is the coach able to accept being wrong from time to time?
5. Why do you want to work with this coach and/or program in particular?

ALSO: check out my private Facebook group —> The Goal Getters Club. This week I’m hosting a free workshop “How to Relieve Anxiety” and you can catch the replay there. Join us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/goalgettersclubkellythealth

Quotes:

“I really believe that as coaches we have a responsibility to continuously do the work on ourselves.”

“I’m not for everyone, and not everyone is for me.”

“Masterminds are filled with people that are reminding you of how far you’ve come and where you can go.”

“Opportunities will open up when you say ‘yes’ to playing a bigger game.”

Show Links:

Healthy High Performer, episode 12: Level Up Your Community for Health and Success - http://healthyhighperformer.libsyn.com/level-up-your-community-for-health-and-success

Ascend Mastermind - https://www.kellytravis.net/ascend

7 Things Your Evening Routine Should Include - https://kellythealth.lpages.co/nightly-routine-guide/

The Goal Getters Club Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/goalgettersclubkellythealth

Ready to take your work a bit deeper? Schedule a call with me to discuss ways we can work together. www.kellytravis.net/discovery

Between the newest cohort of my Ascend Mastermind and my one-on-one clients, I’ve recently been getting a lot of questions about the ins and outs of coaching. I want to impress that coaching is more than just talk—it’s thoughtful action that you carry out to achieve the change you desire and push through resistance when it comes up. It’s about changing the stories we’ve been unknowingly telling ourselves for a long time. 

In this episode, I walk you through my own coaching process, help you identify the entrenched beliefs that hold you back, and ask  you questions that you can explore right away. If you’ve already been doing the work, changing your habits and rethinking your mindset, this episode will take you even deeper and truly challenge you.

I’m also happy to announce that I’m opening up a new cohort for my Ascend Mastermind! If you’re a high achieving entrepreneur or high level professional who is ready to uplevel your health and well-being (mental, emotional, physical) so you can reach your professional and personal goals (and be happy doing it), this Mastermind is the perfect opportunity for you. You’ll get to work with, be held accountable by, and find support among like-minded women as you ascend. Check out the details here: www.kellytravis.net/ascend 

The Finer Details of This Episode:

- Why there’s more action to coaching than you might think there is.

- The reason playing it safe and waiting for the right moment is never going to pay off the way you think it will.

- How we get trapped in self-defeating cycles of victimhood—and what you can do to break free of yours.

- What are some of the “patterns” that keep us stuck in a rut?

- How the stories we tell ourselves influence the behaviors that keep us coming back to unhealthy living.

- Why shutting out negative emotions is actually a missed opportunity.

- Lastly: challenging the deep-seated beliefs that lead to shame and indecision.

Quotes:

“There’s more work to this if you want lasting change.”

“It’s always going to be scary because change is scary!”

“Comparing your race with someone else’s will always make you feel like you aren’t further along.”

“What stories do I tell myself that create my behaviors right now?”

“If we don’t do the deeper work, then we either stay stuck or we don’t follow through.”

“It’s not you failing, it’s just not having all of the tools to get it done.”

Show Links:

Ascend Mastermind - https://www.kellytravis.net/ascend

Ready to take your work a bit deeper? Schedule a call with me to discuss ways we can work together. www.kellytravis.net/discovery

Self-care is an important tool in improving overall health and well-being so you can show up your best in you career and life. It allows us to take some time out, recharge, and create the space we need to show up with more energy, focus and clarity. BUT, we don’t all have a great relationship with it. If we misuse self-care and end up relying on it as a way of shutting out our problems OR avoid it because we don’t feel deserving of it -  it can keep us from improving our health and reaching new levels of success. 

We want to be able to use self-care effectively. So for this episode, I break down what self care is (and isn’t), discuss why so many of us resist taking part in self-care practices (and/or use them in unhealthy ways), and explain what I believe needs to happen FIRST in order to be able to engage in truly healthy self-care, 

I’m also happy to announce that I’m opening up a new cohort for my Ascend Mastermind! If you’re a high achieving entrepreneur or high level professional who is ready to uplevel your health and well-being (mental, emotional, physical) so you can reach your professional and personal goals (and be happy doing it), this Mastermind is the perfect opportunity for you. You’ll get to work with, be held accountable by, and find support among like-minded women as you ascend. Check out the details here: www.kellytravis.net/ascend

The Finer Details of This Episode:

- What’s your current approach to self-care: resist it or go all-in?

- Looking at how self-care is defined in different ways.

- What doesn’t count as self-care, and what you should try to focus on first when caring for yourself.

- When what we think is self-care turns into simply numbing or ignoring the pain we’re feeling.

- Reveal why the intention behind our self-care practices is a clue as to whether we’re using it in a healthy way (or not). 

- The strange way our own brains will try to keep us from engaging in self-care.

- I break down the only form of self-care that truly reduces your stress and anxiety.

- Consider overcoming your fears rather than trying to punch them in the face.

Quotes:

“[Self-care] is not about adding more to your to-do list.”

“You put on your own mask first so that you can help others around you.”

“None of it will work if you don’t start with what’s happening in your head and your heart.”

“Self-care, in theory, should be something that refuels us rather than takes from us.”

“The ‘why’ of self-care matters way more than the action.”

“It’s not about changing a behavior—it’s about getting to the emotional layer that is causing the behavior.”

Show Links:

Ascend Mastermind - https://www.kellytravis.net/ascend

Ready to take your work a bit deeper? Schedule a call with me to discuss ways we can work together. www.kellytravis.net/discovery

What if the vision or life you have in mind for yourself doesn’t line up with what friends, family or even society expect from you? Do you stay comfortable and keep checking off all of the boxes on the list of what you *should do*, or do you venture off in another direction because it actually makes you happy, In today’s episode, I’m discussing what happens when we choose to go after goals or live a bit *unconventionally*. I help you break away from the idea that there’s only one right way to do things, challenge you to start asking yourself why you’re choosing things in your life and teach you the secret for dealing with the doubts that may creep in if you opt to do things differently.

Next week, I will be premiering a new workshop, Second Month. February is often when people start to fall behind on their New Year’s goals, so it’s the perfect time to work with other women and me to keep yourself on track. I promise to help you reach your goals and gain confidence even if you’ve given up or decided to change what you want to achieve. The workshop will be held online at February 13 at 4PM PST/7PM EST. Sign up here: https://kelly-travis.mykajabi.com/month-2

The Finer Details of This Episode:

- How my own experiences taught me that it’s okay if everything doesn’t go as planned.

- What questions you should—and probably shouldn’t—ask people who choose a less conventional path in life.

- Accepting that doing something out of the norm can and will feel a little isolating—and how to find strength in others who’ve chosen the less-travelled path.

- Overcoming the doubts people may plant in your head by reframing them as challenges.

Quotes:

“I have been the happiest in the last five [years] when I have not been following any one type of expectation.”

“I found myself recognizing that I was chasing other people’s goals and not my own.”

“You’ve gotta own your choice and not apologize for it!”

“I don’t have expectations beyond just being happy.”

Show Links:

Ready to take your work a bit deeper? Schedule a call with me to discuss ways we can work together. www.kellytravis.net/discovery

Lindsay Bryan-Podvin is a financial therapist—the first in the state of Michigan! As the owner and founder of Mind Money Balance, she works with couples to help eliminate tension over money. Lindsay began her career working in mental health treatment and advocacy, and through observing her clients’ struggles with money she found her calling helping couples achieve balance in their checkbooks and their relationships.

In this episode, Lindsay discusses her own financial highs and lows, compares compromise and collaboration using the “orange analogy,”and explains why you should go on a “money date” with your partner. She also details her new six-month group consulting course, which you can learn more about by signing up to her mailing list at https://www.mindmoneybalance.com/links.

The Finer Details of This Episode:

- How Lindsay developed financially healthy thinking while she was growing up.

- Lindsay’s “eye-opening moment” when she realized that a job wouldn’t always be there for her.

- Pushing back against the idea that there’s only one right way to manage your personal finance.

- Lindsay explains what makes her brand of financial therapy stand out from the competition’s.

- What’s the difference between compromise and collaboration?

- How some couples have benefitted from Lindsay’s financial therapy.

- Why it's important to set a firm boundary between your personal and professional life.

- Lindsay gives us a sneak peek at her upcoming book, The Financial Anxiety Solution and explains why you should pre-order it before February 18.

Quotes:

“The numbers, in my work, do not come first.”

“Even when we’re getting into the numbers, we’re making sure we’re coming at it from a values-based place.”

“We try to create one goal that works for both of them.”

“We get so caught up in assets being monetary that we forget that there are other things that are really important in a relationship.”

“They can really stand in the relationship that they’ve envisioned for themselves that they hadn’t quite been living.”

“I do not settle by compromising my sleep.”

“I’m really dedicated to making sure I take care of myself so that I can constantly be up-levelling my business and my health.”

Guest Links:

Mind Money Balance - https://www.mindmoneybalance.com/

Show Links:

Ready to take your work a bit deeper? Schedule a call with me to discuss ways we can work together. www.kellytravis.net/discovery

This week’s solo episode with yours truly is a conversation I’ve actually wanted to have for a couple of months: Creating a “morning routine” that works for you (not someone else). With all the “experts” sharing the routines required for success, it’s easy to think you aren’t doing enough. Right? I’m here to say it isn’t all realistic AND it’s up to you to decide what you need to set yourself up for a good day. 

In this episode, I give you a different perspective on how you can best start off your day, share my own list of three morning non-negotiables, and perhaps most important, I discuss what NOT to do right after you wake up. Plus, since so much of success lies in the preparation, I’ve shared a list of how you can get a head start on your good morning the night before!

The Finer Details of This Episode:

- Do the experts have good advice? Yes. But you should still go with what works best for you.

- As with many other things in life, consistency is key to a successful morning routine.

- No, you do NOT need to wake up at the crack of dawn—but you should be getting up at the same time every day.

- Try not to skimp out on sleep for the sake of getting in early morning exercise.

- What I do to set my intentions for the day ahead of me.

- Starting your day off right with lots of water, a good tongue-scrape and actually making your bed.

- Why I push back on the impulse to check my email first thing in the morning.

Quotes:

“You have to listen and decide what is best for you.”

“The best way you spend your morning is completely up to you.”

“It’s not too late to make this a habit.”

“When you drink water on an empty stomach, you actually flush out those harmful toxins.”

“When we complete something or achieve something we get that hit of dopamine.”

“You can give yourself a half hour to an hour in the morning without being completely responsive.”

Show Links:

7 Things Your Evening Routine Should Include - https://kellythealth.lpages.co/nightly-routine-guide/

Ready to take your work a bit deeper? Schedule a call with me to discuss ways we can work together. www.kellytravis.net/discovery

I met today’s guest, Clancy Harrison, at the first Mastermind I invested in for my business and myself. Clancy is a registered dietitian, TEDx speaker and food justice advocate. A self-described “recovered food elitist,” she has founded three anti-hunger programs and created the Food Dignity Project, which works to make healthy food more accessible to underprivileged people.

Clancy lives with her family in Pennsylvania, and in the course of her personal and professional journeys she’s had firsthand experience with the doubting questions that flare up whenever we try to ascend to the next level. Nevertheless, she’s been able to stay in alignment with her values through her work. In this episode, she discusses the relationship between poverty and nutrition, reveals how she was able to be confident on the world stage, and delves into her “Say No” Year.

Ready to take your work a bit deeper? Schedule a call with me to discuss ways we can work together --> http://www.kellytravis.net/discovery

The Finer Details of This Episode:

- Clancy explains how she came to work with an underprivileged population and how the experience dispelled a lot of her misconceptions about unhealthy eaters.

- The moment that shifted Clancy’s perspective on foods she had been labeling as “bad”.

- Explaining why some don't ask for help when they’re unable to afford better quality food.

- Clancy’s advice for parents who are unable to keep up with the financial demands of healthy food choices.

- What Clancy did to build confidence when she was pursuing this new undertaking.

- Clancy relates her validating experience attending the World Youth Forum in Egypt.

- What she does to keep every aspect of her life, personal and professional, in equilibrium.

- How does Clancy practice self-care?

- What’s next for Clancy?

Quotes:

“A voice inside of me said ‘It’s not my place to judge. Jump in and do it’.”

“How do we start bringing more dignity to food access?”

“If we’re not having these conversations in our own home, how are we going to address it as a society?”

“My purpose is greater than my fear.”

“I went with so much fear and I came home with so much love.”

“Listen and understand someone else’s story without judgment.”

Show Links:

Clancy’s homepage - https://clancyharrison.com/

Ready to take your work a bit deeper? Schedule a call with me to discuss ways we can work together --> http://www.kellytravis.net/discovery