The Cinnamon Effect - Your Insider's Guide to Looking, Feeling, and Living Your Best Life After 40

In this episode of The Cinnamon Effect, Kimberly Hand sits down with Maria Konrad, an internationally recognized choreographer and director of Nashville Ballet 2. Get ready for an inspiring conversation about how Maria cultivates creativity in her own life and the unique challenges of the dance world. Named International Outstanding Choreographer in 2022 by Youth America Grand Prix, Maria shares her experiences navigating elite competition and emphasizes the importance of personal development beyond just dance skills.

Whether you're an artist or involved in any other field, this episode is sure to spark your creative spirit and encourage you to foster more creativity in your life!

To connect with guest Maria Konrad:

Maria IG: https://www.instagram.com/makonrad

Nashville Ballet 2 IG: https://www.instagram.com/nb2_nashvilleballet

Nashville Ballet 2 Website: https://www.nashvilleballet.com/nb2

To connect with host Kimberly Hand:

Website: https://www.kimberlyhand.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberlyhand_

Shop The Cinnamon Effect Journal here: https://thecinnamoneffect.com/journal

The Cinnamon Effect is recorded at PodPlus Studios ( @PodPlusStudios ) in Jupiter, Florida, and produced by Hype Boss ( @hype-boss-hype-boss )

For more information, visit https://www.podplusstudios.com.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Did you know your space is running your nervous system?

Today, I'm walking you through the exact home decluttering and home organization practices that reset my space each quarter, all built around research. Menopause and Cortisol turn out to be closely connected, which is part of why I dig into this so seriously for women in Perimenopause managing a nervous system that already has enough working against it. I also get into my approach to digital declutter, plus smaller rituals, like wiping down door handles and simmering cinnamon on the stove, that keep things running smoothly at home all year.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why your home environment may be affecting your cortisol more than you'd expect
• What Feng shui for the home looks like day to day, beyond incense and crystals
• Why digital declutter can carry just as much weight as clearing out a closet
• A place to start if how to declutter your home can seem like too much to face
• What a proper space clearing can offer that a quick tidy up can't
• How small habits, like a new doormat or fresh sheets, build toward an organized home
• Why Perimenopause women may want to pay closer attention to their space
• What my go-to abundance pot recipe is and why I make it every season
• How wiping down door handles became one of my favorite quick resets
• How to clear negative energy without turning it into a whole production

If your home has been working against you, this is a good place to start figuring out why, and to clear out your space, one small ritual at a time.

Hit play and let's grow together,

Kimberly

Connect with me:

Website: https://www.kimberlyhand.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberlyhand_

Shop The Cinnamon Effect Journal here: https://thecinnamoneffect.com/journal

Your old nonstick pans could be leaching chemicals into every meal. Swap them for Caraway's non-toxic cookware and cook clean: https://rstr.co/caraway/kimberlyhand

Recharge your energy and recovery with targeted frequencies. See how the BioCharger works here: https://biocharger.com/learnandearn/?business=Kimberly%20Hand&ID=

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Have you ever reached for a drink only to realize it came down to fear of missing out?

In this episode, I sit down with Laura Elorza, a clinical psychologist who built the Unconscious Moderation app around hypnotherapy, journaling, and movement, and we get into why so many of us drink without ever questioning the habit, and what it actually takes to quit drinking without shame. We talk about guilt versus shame, what's actually happening in the brain during dopamine hits versus a moment of genuine calm, why she believes we're allowed to hold more than one life purpose, and how emotional healing tends to happen through connection rather than sheer willpower.

What you'll learn:

• Why unconscious patterns can drive our drinking long before we notice them
• How guilt and shame show up differently, even though we often confuse them
• What separates a dopamine driven high from a steadier kind of happiness
• What to reach for when you're craving a serotonin release instead of another hit
• How to loosen your identity from your drinking habits
• How holding onto more than one passion or purpose can open things up instead of narrowing them
• Why questioning what feels "normal" can be the first step toward something better

If you've been curious about what it takes to build a healthier relationship with alcohol, or you're exploring what alcohol free or mindful drinking could look like for you, this episode is for you.

Whether you're rethinking your own drinking habits and wellness habits, or just curious about the psychology behind them, I think you'll walk away from this one with a lot to sit with.

Hit play and let's grow together,

Kimberly

Connect with me:

Website: https://www.kimberlyhand.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberlyhand_

Shop The Cinnamon Effect Journal here: https://thecinnamoneffect.com/journal

Connect with Laura Elorza:

Instagram: @thewellnesspocket

Sweat out the stress and sink into infrared heat at home. Explore Sunlighten Saunas here: https://get.sunlighten.com/cinnamoneffect

Recover deeper, relax harder, and bring infrared wellness home. Shop my HigherDOSE favorites here: https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=86123&awinaffid=1785436

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

What happens when someone tells you that watching you get sober changed their own life, and they never said a word about it until years later?

Today, I'm sharing sixteen reasons my life has genuinely gotten better since I decided to quit drinking almost four years ago, starting on the morning after Christmas in 2021 when I finally said enough was enough.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why my sleep changed almost immediately once I stopped drinking
• What actually showed up in my skin clarity over time, and why I noticed it faster than I expected
• How my healing journey opened up once I stopped numbing everything with alcohol
• Why breaking cycle patterns with my son turned into one of the most meaningful parts of this
• What confidence growth has looked like for me since I got sober
• How my marriage changed once alcohol stopped fueling our disagreements
• Why I still think about Dry January as a starting point for anyone who's curious
• What quitting alcohol taught me about the friendships I was holding onto out of habit
• How releasing old shame became part of this sobriety journey
• Why the benefits of quitting alcohol go so far beyond just not drinking
• What I'd tell any midlife women wondering if it's too late to make this change
• The reasons to quit drinking that had nothing to do with hitting rock bottom

If any part of your own story has you wondering about an alcohol free life I hope this episode sounds like a conversation with a friend who's been exactly where you are.

Hit play and let's grow together,

Kimberly

Connect with me:

Website: https://www.kimberlyhand.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberlyhand_

Shop The Cinnamon Effect Journal here: https://thecinnamoneffect.com/journal

Turn your skincare into a daily ritual that actually does something. Shop Wildling's facial tools here: https://wildling.pxf.io/c/5878814/907542/12462

Sweat out the stress and sink into infrared heat at home. Explore Sunlighten Saunas here: https://get.sunlighten.com/cinnamoneffect

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

What if gratitude is something we can actually build, not just something we feel once in a while?

Today, I’m walking you through the gratitude practice that has changed so much about how I approach my everyday life.

I talk about my own journal writing ritual and the science behind why gratitude can actually rewire brain patterns over time. I also get into a nightly prayer practice, the surprising power of giving praise to someone else, and the experience with my son that reminded me just how much this stuff can hold.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The simple starting point that can make learning how to practice gratitude easier to stick with
• Why journal writing can become one of the most grounding parts of your day
• What the research says about gratitude meditation and its effect on brain waves
• How a meditation practice may help lower inflammation over time
• The surprising connection between giving praise and your own positive emotions
• How mindful reflection can support emotional healing you didn't know you needed
• What it takes to build a grateful mindset that lasts beyond the holidays
• Why gratitude may be one of the most overlooked ways to reduce anxiety
• The role brain science plays in why gratitude can be so hard to fake

Whether gratitude journaling is brand new to you or you've already got a stack of notebooks going, this episode is here to remind you how much you have to be thankful for right now.

Hit play and let's grow together,

Kimberly

Connect with me:

Website: https://www.kimberlyhand.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberlyhand_

Shop The Cinnamon Effect Journal here: https://thecinnamoneffect.com/journal

Sweat out the stress and sink into infrared heat at home. Explore Sunlighten Saunas here: https://get.sunlighten.com/cinnamoneffect

Recover deeper, relax harder, and bring infrared wellness home. Shop my HigherDOSE favorites here: https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=86123&awinaffid=1785436

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Do you ever wonder why some gender roles in your house just automatically became yours?

That invisible load has been sitting with me for weeks, ever since I started paying closer attention to who gets personal time in my own home.

Today, I talk about mom burnout and where it actually starts to build, long before anyone else notices. I also get into how my husband and I slowly renegotiated cooking duties and house chores until we landed on something that works for both of us. And I share how moving stress piled on top of holiday stress this year, and why that combination is what finally got me to ask for help.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How the mental load of motherhood can build for years before you even notice it
• What happens when emotional labor turns into relationship strain over time
• Why traditional roles may show up in a marriage even when neither of you chose them
• How a five minute conversation can turn into a full renegotiation of household labor
• Why cooking duties can stop reading like a chore once someone else wants them
• What delegating tasks does for the happiness level in your own home
• How to set a boundary around the one thing you're done doing forever
• Why restful time alone can outweigh any spa day
• What moving stress adds to an already full plate, and how to see it coming ahead of time
• How family dynamics can change once everyone plays to their own strengths

If you've been living with the mental load of motherhood or friction over house chores and relationship strain, this episode is your invitation to hand some of it off.

Hit play and let's grow together,

Kimberly

Connect with me:

Website: https://www.kimberlyhand.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberlyhand_

Shop The Cinnamon Effect Journal here: https://thecinnamoneffect.com/journal

Sweat out the stress and sink into infrared heat at home. Explore Sunlighten Saunas here: https://get.sunlighten.com/cinnamoneffect

Recover deeper, relax harder, and bring infrared wellness home. Shop my HigherDOSE favorites here: https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=86123&awinaffid=1785436

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

What if walking into a wellness summit at this point in your life tells you something about which chapter you're actually in?

I've been thinking about that a lot since I got back, and this episode is my honest recap of everything I saw and heard at Eudēmonia.

In this episode, I'm sharing a full recap of my weekend at Eudēmonia, a massive wellness summit in West Palm Beach, including who I met, what surprised me, and why I think this is becoming one of the biggest wellness events in the country. I talk about meeting Dr. Will Cole and hearing his take on healing your relationship with your body, sitting down with Gabby Bernstein to talk about big t trauma little t trauma, and watching Gabby Reece and Laird Hamilton talk about aging gracefully into their 50s and 60s without chasing trends. I also share why this crowd of wellness influencers and everyday wellness enthusiasts felt like my own wellness community.

Here’s what you'll learn:

• How the Eudēmonia wellness summit brought some of the biggest names in wellness together under one roof
• Why meeting Dr. Will Cole reminded me that you can't heal a body you hate
• What Big T trauma Little T trauma actually means, and how Gabby Bernstein's framing changed the way I think about my own story
• Why joy of missing out finally clicked for me after this weekend
• How Gabby Reece and Laird Hamilton talk about aging gracefully into midlife without chasing every new trend
• What Halle Berry's comments about entering a new chapter of life taught me about embracing this next stage instead of dreading it
• How an EMF free sauna tent gave me an unexpected reset in the middle of a packed weekend
• Why I think ticket presale is worth planning ahead for next year
• What I'd pack differently next time, from books to sign to cards for autographs
• Why this crowd of wellness influencers and wellness enthusiasts felt like my own community

Whether you're deciding on your next wellness conference or just curious about what an event like this actually looks like, I think you'll walk away from this episode with a few things worth sitting with, especially if midlife reinvention is on your mind.

Hit play and let's grow together,

Kimberly

Connect with me:

Website: https://www.kimberlyhand.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberlyhand_

Shop The Cinnamon Effect Journal here: https://thecinnamoneffect.com/journal

Bounce for ten minutes a day and feel your energy and lymphatic flow wake up. Shop my rebounder here and use code TCE: https://www.bellicon.com/?acc=kimberlyhand&a_bid=f1c026c9

Better sleep, faster recovery, real relaxation, all from home. Shop my HigherDOSE picks here: https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=86123&awinaffid=1785436

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Have you ever walked into a home that felt instantly put together, and wondered what the difference actually was?

In this episode, I'm joined by Krista Watterworth Alterman, an award-winning interior designer and founder of a luxury interior design firm known for her signature coastal luxury style.

We talk about how Krista's career has gone through several distinct chapters, from an acting audition tape that led to eight seasons on HGTV, to nine years designing alongside Vanilla Ice on his DIY Network show, to founding her own firm and eventually being acquired by a national home services company. It's the kind of reinvention story that resonates at any stage of life, but especially in midlife, when so many women are rethinking what their next chapter looks like. Krista explains why she believes clutter works against everything luxury is supposed to be, and why home organization is part of every single project her team completes. She also walks me through her rules for shelf styling and glass cabinets, her honest take on whether you can mix metals, why more of her clients in midlife are asking for dedicated wellness space at home, and how she and her husband keep their marriage strong while running a business together.

Here’s what you'll learn:

• How Krista went from an acting audition tape to eight seasons on HGTV
• What it actually looked like working behind the scenes on Vanilla Ice's DIY Network show
• Why staging a home for sale and home styling for everyday living are almost opposite processes
• How Krista's firm was acquired by a national company, and what changed for her day-to-day clients
• Why a declutter home mindset is where luxury design actually starts
• What to put on open shelves and inside glass cabinets so they read as curated instead of empty
• Whether it's okay to mix metals in the same room
• How to avoid the coastal design cliches that can make a home look dated instead of luxurious
• Why more of her clients are asking for dedicated wellness space as they enter a new stage of life
• Why she still thinks about the ping pong room she once had to make sexy

Whether you're renovating your whole house or just staring at one empty glass cabinet, Krista's practical styling tips make it easier to actually finish a room.

Hit play and let's grow together,

Kimberly

Connect with me:

Website: https://www.kimberlyhand.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberlyhand_

Shop The Cinnamon Effect Journal here: https://thecinnamoneffect.com/journal

Connect with Krista:

Website: https://kristahome.com/

Instagram: @kristahome

Sweat out the stress and bring the same infrared reset Krista designs into client homes into your own. Explore Sunlighten Saunas here: https://get.sunlighten.com/cinnamoneffect

Ten minutes a day is all it takes to wake up your energy, just like Kimberly's own wellness room setup. Shop my rebounder here and use code TCE: https://www.bellicon.com/?acc=kimberlyhand&a_bid=f1c026c9

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Ever talked yourself out of an ask, then watched someone else make the same one and get a yes?

In this episode, I'm joined by Molly Coller, a public speaker and confidence coach who spent more than a decade in enterprise sales for Fortune 500 companies before founding Molly Louise Creative, her boutique agency in New York City.

We talk about what she means by confidence is currency, and why she treats building confidence as a skill she practices every morning. Molly shares how she went from covering the mirrors in her house to asking rooms of executives for a million dollars, and what two layoffs taught her about rebuilding a career from zero after saving enough to do it. She explains why celebrating small wins is what carries her on the days self belief runs low, and how the same sales mindset she used on enterprise deals is the one she used to ask out the man she's now building a life with.

What you’ll learn:

• How Molly went from covering the mirrors in her house to pitching Fortune 500 buyers
• Why she calls confidence a skill she practices daily, and which three practices she runs
• What a win looks like on a morning when getting out of bed is the whole win
• Why Molly calls every rejection a redirection, and how she applied that through two layoffs
• How to narrow what you do until someone can repeat it back to you correctly
• What she tells herself before she posts, and why overthinking is what stops her
• Why 200 views is more people than have ever sat in a room to hear her speak
• How she used the same reframe on her career change, her dating life, and a cold plate at a restaurant
• Why staying silent costs the other person the chance to say yes
• What Molly would tell a mother raising a daughter about speaking up early

Whether you're building business confidence from scratch or rebuilding a career in a chapter you didn't plan for, Molly makes asking for what you want sound like a practice you can repeat daily.

Hit play and let's grow together,

Kimberly

Connect with me:

Website: https://www.kimberlyhand.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberlyhand_

Shop The Cinnamon Effect Journal here: https://thecinnamoneffect.com/journal

Shop my favorite products: https://shopmy.us/shop/kimberlyhand

Connect with Molly:

Website: https://mollylouisecreative.com/

Instagram: @itsmollylouise

Tiktok: @itsmollylouise

Get dressed faster, feel more confident, and stop staring at your closet. Explore Style Society here: https://www.chelliecarlson.com/style-society-special-offer?affiliate_code=7c5771

Better sleep, faster recovery, real relaxation, all from home. Shop my HigherDOSE picks here: https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=86123&awinaffid=1785436

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Do you ever feel full but hungry, or crash by mid-morning even though you’re doing everything “right”?

In this episode, I'm joined by Katie Hardie, a Board-Certified Holistic Nutritionist and FDN Practitioner who helps high performers reclaim their energy and prevent burnout through bio-individual, science driven programs.

We talk about why she starts every client with energy management, and why programs written for a general population can miss what one body needs. Katie explains how digestion connects to hormonal health, since your body builds hormones from amino acids it has to absorb first. She gives me savory breakfast ideas I can use because eggs are off the table for me, and she describes what she learned about recovery after decades of pushing her training to full output.

Here’s what you'll learn:

• Why Katie looks at energy management before she changes a single meal
• How eating something substantial before 10 in the morning can change your afternoon
• What to reach for at breakfast when eggs don't work for you
• Why chewing 20 to 40 times per bite may change how much your body absorbs
• How a savory breakfast with protein and fat can slow a blood sugar spike
• Why cold smoothies and pre-ground powders may reduce digestive enzyme output
• What functional labs like stool tests and a DUTCH panel can reveal about gut function
• Why some people do well on two or three meals a day and others need five
• How salt, acid, and fat can replace following a recipe
• Why your body may ask for different things in your forties than it did at twenty-five
• How active recovery and a daily walk can help your muscles recover faster

Whether you're rebuilding your energy, starting over in a new career, or looking for one meal you can change this week, Katie gives you somewhere concrete to begin.

Hit play and let's grow together, Kimberly

Connect with me:

Website: https://www.kimberlyhand.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberlyhand_

Shop The Cinnamon Effect Journal here: https://thecinnamoneffect.com/journal

Shop my favorite products: https://shopmy.us/shop/kimberlyhand?Section_id=3615856&tab=collections

Connect with Katie:

Website: https://www.mypeak365.com/

Instagram: @mypeak365

Your old nonstick pans could be leaching chemicals into every meal. Swap them for Caraway's non-toxic cookware and cook clean: https://rstr.co/caraway/kimberlyhand

Bounce for ten minutes a day and feel your energy and lymphatic flow wake up. Shop my rebounder here and use code TCE: https://www.bellicon.com/?acc=kimberlyhand&a_bid=f1c026c9