The Optimized Life

26: Learning to Trust Yourself

What does it mean to trust fully?

“Trust is defined as choosing risk, making something you value vulnerable to another person's options.” - Charles Feltman

Knowing how to trust yourself is such a fun and timely topic to come back to our truth in this world that feels so chaotic right now. There is no better exercise for you to do in order to get grounded, stand strong in your full expression of yourself, and block out the external noise around out.

On this episode of the podcast, Jess and Amy share their own experiences with trust and how If you focus on your own truth and expression of that truth, it doesn’t matter what the rest of the world around you is going through.

We are probably never going to feel 100% in alignment but there really is something to showing up and trusting yourself consistently that, if you follow your instincts, will lead you to alignment with your true self.

Listen in as we talk about:

6:08 Amy shares what fully trusting herself and being vulnerable looks like in her own life.

9:48 Jess puts words to how trusting herself in sobriety requires a conscious effort to fully trust herself and express her truth.

20:34 Amy walks us through how our attachment styles as children shows up throughout life as it affects our relational ability to trust ourselves and others.

25:55 Jess and Amy discuss how living in alignment and trusting yourself go hand in hand.

35:00 Jess demonstrates her own vulnerability by sharing her walk with her husband as she chooses consciousness daily.

Resources mentioned:

Dan Siegel's work - The Whole Brain Child / childhood developmental stages

Amy's Recover the Trust Program - https://www.thriveinrecoverywithamy.com/recover-the-trust

The Optimized Life toolkit: https://www.jessjanda.com/theoptimizedlife

———Download The Optimized Life Toolkit———

Our TOP 5 HACKS that will FINALLY Get You "IN THE ZONE" All Day everyday: https://www.jessjanda.com/theoptimizedlife

———Where to Find Amy & Jess———

🙋‍ Amy Guerrero:   http://www.amyguerrero.com

🙋‍ Jess Janda:   http://www.jessjanda.com

———Connect With Amy & Jess———

✨ Join The Optimized Life Podcast Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/optimizedlife

25: Life Beyond the Amends Process

Why are the action steps so difficult for people when working through the 12 steps to recovery? Because if your nervous system is not regulated and optimized then it is all too easy to revert back to familiar coping mechanisms instead of facing your fears and owning your past.

On this episode of the podcast, we are talking about what it looks like in your life as a person who chooses recovery. It is our belief that we are all recovering from something and it's how you live in your body, how you embody the process of letting go that really moves you forward.

This conversation is all about how to live beyond the ninth step and really embody the amends process. We are discussing how to live in a state where you trust yourself to forgive and to move on in a way where you actually feel in your body that you've let go

Jess and Amy both share their personal experiences with the 12 step process and how they chose to live beyond the steps and heal from the bottom up.

Listen in as we talk about:

04:16 Why cleaning up your side of the street, as they call it, is so important in recovery.

05:52 Amy shares her experience with diving into the 12 step process of recovery before her nervous system was ready and how that caused her to return to past coping mechanisms as a result.

14:32 Jess shares how she worked through the program by leaving behind the things that don't work for her and incorporating other modalities that do.

15:45 Why it is important to work with somebody qualified to help you do your trauma work before you do the Amends process.

25:39 Why understanding how to regulate your nervous system before doing the steps also is so important.

32:53 Attachment patterns also play a big role in the amends process and are usually uncovered when you work through your trauma with somebody qualified.

Resources mentioned:

The Optimized Life toolkit: https://www.jessjanda.com/theoptimizedlife

———Download The Optimized Life Toolkit———

Our TOP 5 HACKS that will FINALLY Get You "IN THE ZONE" All Day everyday: https://www.jessjanda.com/theoptimizedlife

———Where to Find Amy & Jess———

🙋‍ Amy Guerrero:   http://www.amyguerrero.com

🙋‍ Jess Janda:   http://www.jessjanda.com

———Connect With Amy & Jess———

✨ Join The Optimized Life Podcast Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/optimizedlife

24: Nona Kindsvater - How to Take Your Health to the Next Level in Recovery

If you have ever been on a journey of recovery, you know there are several stepping stones to get to a place of healing. When we let go of addictive patterning, we almost always realize that we are physically unwell. Our guest today has over 25 years of experience in holistic nutrition and alternative medicine and specializes in complex health issues. She has also experienced this process first hand.

On this episode of the podcast, we talk about how to nurture our health and heal our gut biome, in order to restore, repair and optimize our bodies after addiction.

With us today is the incredible Nona Kindsvater. Nona is the founder and owner of Health Thyme and is based in beautiful Wyoming. After her own battle with a crippling autoimmune disease, the medical field had given up on her. So she started her own journey of discovery and recovery that grew into an Integrative, Complementary & Alternative Medicine degree. Her credentials include Master Medical Herbalist, Clinical Aromatherapy and Holistic Nutritional Practitioner from the American College of Healthcare services.

Listen in as we talk about:

09:53 Nona explains the importance of vitamins in the recovery journey.

12:34 The correlation between anger and your health

14:27 The importance of paying attention to what's going on in the body and how it’s so much more than just taking supplements or eating better.

19:03 Nona talks about how she uses a step-down system to replace addictive behavior.

25:05 Nona walks us through the steps in the healing process

31:10 The power of believing in yourself on the healing journey

——— Podcast Guest: Nona Kindsvater ———

Nona Kindsvater founded Health Thyme, LLC from her own battle with a crippling autoimmune illness. After the medical field gave up on her, she then started a journey of discovery and recovery that grew into a, Integrative, Complementary & Alternative Medicine degree, including Master Medical Herbalist, Clinical Aromatherapy and Holistic Nutrition Practitioner from American College of Healthcare Sciences. She has over 25 years of experience in her field and specializes in complex health issues.

Where to find Nona Kindsvater: https://healththymewellness.com/

———Download The Optimized Life Toolkit———

Our TOP 5 HACKS that will FINALLY Get You "IN THE ZONE" All Day everyday: https://www.jessjanda.com/theoptimizedlife

———Where to Find Amy & Jess———

🙋‍ Amy Guerrero:   http://www.amyguerrero.com

🙋‍ Jess Janda:   http://www.jessjanda.com

———Connect With Amy & Jess———

✨ Join The Optimized Life Podcast Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/optimizedlife

23: Pressure to find your purpose

Have you ever wondered what your purpose in life is? Whether this is something you think about all the time, or something you haven’t given much thought to, take a little time to listen to episode 23.

In this episode, we talk about this idea of purpose, what it is, and the pressure to be on purpose, to live on purpose, to have a purpose. We will also talk about our experiences with purpose, and all the different ways that we’ve looked for it and what we found.

Listen in as we talk about:

01:56 Jess talks about her experience with pressure after quitting her corporate job, even though she wasn’t happy doing that job anymore

02:37 Jess shares about the pressure of finding your purpose after getting sober

08:00 Amy shares how she has felt pressure in so many areas of her life, and how it has played a role in her decision making before and after being sober

10:55 Personality tests and how it has added pressure to both Amy, Jess and many others, and the importance of taking them with a grain of salt and doing your own research on them

24:40 How the pressure to live on purpose can bring people down a rabbit hole of finding something that could fix that pressure

33:51 How making small changes in our daily routines can help regulate the nervous system and can help create great things and live on purpose

Resources mentioned:

The Optimized Life toolkit: https://www.jessjanda.com/theoptimizedlife

———Download The Optimized Life Toolkit———

Our TOP 5 HACKS that will FINALLY Get You "IN THE ZONE" All Day everyday: https://www.jessjanda.com/theoptimizedlife

———Where to Find Amy & Jess———

🙋‍ Amy Guerrero:   http://www.amyguerrero.com

🙋‍ Jess Janda:   http://www.jessjanda.com

———Connect With Amy & Jess———

✨ Join The Optimized Life Podcast Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/optimizedlife

22: How to Ditch Ruminating Thoughts and Overwhelm

Have you ever found yourself replaying conversations and scenarios over and over again in your head? Whether they have or haven’t happened, or whether they’re maybe going to happen.

When we can't see something, our brain goes and tries to find evidence of what it might look like.

This leads us to ruminating, overthinking, over-analyzing, and attempting to control things.

Ruminating thinking is excessive or repetitive thinking centered on something that's happened in the past or something that hasn't yet happened. 

As you may know, that sort of thinking really triggers a multitude of other behaviors that do not serve us.

In this episode we are going to be diving into what ruminating thinking really is, how to recognize it, and how we can ditch it for good!

Listen in as we talk about:

01:57 Amy shares how ditching ruminating thinking altogether has helped her this past year to just let go and do more things she actually wants to do.

03:08 Jess talks about how the pandemic has really forced us to change our way of thinking

05:05 Amy shares how ruminating thinking has been present in her life, and the coping behaviors that don’t work long term

10:32 Jess shares how ruminating thinking showed up in her life and the resulting patterns that became disruptive to her well being

16:00 The importance of talking to our children about ruminating thinking

19:00 How prioritizing mental wellness and speaking up about it plays a major role in minimizing ruminating thinking

21:58 How noticing what's happening in and around your body helps you to understand when you are ruminating

30:00 Jess and Amy talk about the important role that your nervous system, nutrition, and stress levels play in eliminating ruminating thinking

Resources mentioned:

The Optimized Life toolkit: https://www.jessjanda.com/theoptimizedlife

———Download The Optimized Life Toolkit———

Our TOP 5 HACKS that will FINALLY Get You "IN THE ZONE" All Day everyday: https://www.jessjanda.com/theoptimizedlife

———Where to Find Amy & Jess———

🙋‍ Amy Guerrero:   http://www.amyguerrero.com

🙋‍ Jess Janda:   http://www.jessjanda.com

———Connect With Amy & Jess———

✨ Join The Optimized Life Podcast Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/optimizedlife

21: Mike Govoni - Healing Masculine Energy

On this episode of the podcast we’re talking about how healing masculine energy, no matter your gender, can help you in your life, relationships, business and how you interact with money.

With us today is Mike Govoni. He is passionate about healing people in recovery and giving them a greater healing and transformation. He's been in recovery for over 16 years and has extensive experience in working in addiction recovery and has experienced, including supporting three major hospital emergency rooms in the Boston area, as well as working with both individuals and in group settings.

Mike is also trauma informed, which means that he looks at everything through the lens of trauma. He does a great job of creating a safe place for people to connect with their own body and achieve long term recovery.

Listen in as we talk about:

4:28 Mike’s journey to entrepreneurship

6:12 How Mike’s purpose in life shifted and how he started using his story of healing to help other people

12:50 The challenges Mike faced around finding his identity with the masculine energy influence he had outside home. While being raised by a gay father who was instilling feminine energy around him.

13:58 How society and culture has made it hard for men in general to be vulnerable and get more of the feminine softness and how it is a journey for a lot of men

21:00 How Mike accepted his feminine energy and how it has helped him get in touch with his dad

29:52  How knowledge of masculine and feminine energy helps in connecting to people and how being soft can be a sign of strength for men

——— Podcast Guest: Mike Govoni ———

Mike Govoni helps people take their life in recovery to the next level. He takes an integrative holistic approach and believes in addressing the whole person mind, body and spirit.

IG @mikegovoni

Facebook MikeGovoni23

Website www.mikegovoni.com

———Download The Optimized Life Toolkit———

Our TOP 5 HACKS that will FINALLY Get You "IN THE ZONE" All Day everyday: https://www.jessjanda.com/theoptimizedlife

———Where to Find Amy & Jess———

🙋‍ Amy Guerrero:   http://www.amyguerrero.com

🙋‍ Jess Janda:   http://www.jessjanda.com

———Connect With Amy & Jess———

✨ Join The Optimized Life Podcast Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/optimizedlife

20: The Power of Letting Go

In this episode of The Optimized Life Podcast, we're diving into the power of letting go. I mean, how relevant is this topic right now? So just as we're starting to presence this, think to yourself, what are you holding onto that's no longer serving you. What is taking up space in your head? What keeps you up at night?

Listen in as we talk about:

1:50 Amy shares her opinion on some outdated belief systems she has learned through the 12 step model and why they no longer work for her

6:52 How to let go of relationships that no longer serves us (with grace and ease)

18:06 Letting go of resentments and anger

39:15 The importance of having support during the act of letting go

41:42 Jess talks about how meditation, loving kindness, prayer and gratitude has helped in the releasing process

43:10 Amy talks about how accepting all of who you are can be a beautiful thing and a part of letting go

Resources mentioned:

The Optimized Life toolkit: https://www.jessjanda.com/theoptimizedlife

———Download The Optimized Life Toolkit———

Our TOP 5 HACKS that will FINALLY Get You "IN THE ZONE" All Day everyday: https://www.jessjanda.com/theoptimizedlife

———Where to Find Amy & Jess———

🙋‍ Amy Guerrero:   http://www.amyguerrero.com

🙋‍ Jess Janda:   http://www.jessjanda.com

———Connect With Amy & Jess———

✨ Join The Optimized Life Podcast Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/optimizedlife

19: Mackenzie McGehee - How to Create Healthy Love

Did anyone give you a handbook on love and dating before you entered into that space of the world? Yeah, us neither. But lucky for you our guest today has dedicated her life’s calling to helping single women see that their dating behaviors, beliefs and patterns make sense based on their history.

On this episode of the podcast, we are going to be talking about love, dating, relationships and regulation and how we do all of these things in this very interesting time in our lives and in this world.

With us today is Mackenzie McGehee. Mackenzie is a love coach who helps successful women stay true to themselves in dating. She is so passionate about healthy love because, maybe like you, she didn't have a roadmap on how to go about that. She gets so lit up by helping women understand the blocks they have in their pursuit of love, and gives them the tangible next steps to have a different dating experience.

Listen in as we talk about:

02:42 Mackenzie explains what she calls “undertow” in our unconscious

05:56 What we wished we had learned in school about life, love, money and relationships

09:04 Mackenzie shares her past and undertow and how it affects her life today

14:05 Mackenzie walks us through the process of helping people feel comfortable in their bodies

19:53 What can sabotage your success in dating and relationships

26:02 The power of showing up and feeling comfortable in your own skin

33:45 What it looks like to choose consciousness at a high level

34:49 Mackenzie’s example of putting her needs and boundaries on the table from the beginning and why it’s such a compassionate approach to dating

——— Podcast Guest: Mackenzie McGehee ———

Mackenzie helps successful women stay true to themselves in dating. 

IG: @mackenziemcgehee  

———Download The Optimized Life Toolkit———

Our TOP 5 HACKS that will FINALLY Get You "IN THE ZONE" All Day everyday: https://www.jessjanda.com/theoptimizedlife

———Where to Find Amy & Jess———

🙋‍ Amy Guerrero:   http://www.amyguerrero.com

🙋‍ Jess Janda:   http://www.jessjanda.com

———Connect With Amy & Jess———

✨ Join The Optimized Life Podcast Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/optimizedlife

18: Coregulation and Building Safe Connections

Deep down we all long to connect with others in meaningful and authentic ways. Sometimes we think we are doing this, but we become so good at showing people what we want them to see and hiding the less desirable parts of ourselves. Through deeper connections with ourselves and with others, we begin to see healing from our trauma.

In Episode 18 of The Optimized Life Podcast, we’re talking about the special place that connections and co-regulation have in our journeys and how it can help you find clarity, courage and confidence in your life.

As we unpack co-regulation we cover what it means to build safe connections, noticing the little things around us, listening and learning from one another and continuing to regulate our nervous systems.

Listen is as we talk about:

2:07 - The lens of dilution and how we shield ourselves from others

7:03 - Healthy co-regulation in relation to the last 12 months

8:21 - What it feels like to have a visceral connection experience

16:25 - Co-regulating in a healthy way within friendships and family contexts

20:06 - Healing unhealed trauma

23:46 - Building courage and confidence through a relationship with someone who will fully listen to you

26:53 - Be your best with what works for your body via sleep, time for yourself and/or meditation

———Download The Optimized Life Toolkit———

Our TOP 5 HACKS that will FINALLY Get You "IN THE ZONE" All Day everyday: https://www.jessjanda.com/theoptimizedlife

———Where to Find Amy & Jess———

🙋‍ Amy Guerrero:   http://www.amyguerrero.com

🙋‍ Jess Janda:   http://www.jessjanda.com

———Connect With Amy & Jess———

✨ Join The Optimized Life Podcast Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/optimizedlife

17: Eva Medilek - How to Be an Ally for People of Color

Over the past year, more of us are waking up to the systemic racism within our country. And while many of us mean well and want to be allies for people of color, the truth is that we often don’t know where to start.

So in episode 17 of The Optimized Life Podcast, we’re bringing in a guest expert to help us learn more about how to be an ally. We’re talking with certified high-performance coach and relationship success coach, Eva Medilek. Eva specializes in helping powerful, successful women have happier, healthier, more intimate connections in their relationships without giving up their power.

She uses her personal experiences along with her leadership, transformational and high performance training to teach you the pillars of high performance as well as showing you how to communicate in a way that fosters intimacy, influence and connection in your personal and professional life.

Listen in as we talk about:

2:22 Eva’s experience as a high-achiever and how this experience led to a wake up call

8:28 The experience of blending in but abandoning your true self

10:0) Taking 100% responsibility for your relationships

15:28 Generational trauma and the expectation of being “strong”

19:27 What many white people get wrong about being an ally (and the safe space Eva has created for us to learn how to be an ally)

26:02 The real work of being an ally for people of color

29:59 Why your relationship styles and inner work matter when it comes to being an ally

38:47 How to be a part of the solution

——— Podcast Guest: Eva Medilek ———

Eva helps highly successful, driven, high achieving, Executives, Entrepreneurs, Influencers, and Business Leaders get their drive back to go to the next level without isolating, exhausting, and sacrificing their lives in the process.

Where to find Eva:

Website: https://www.evamedilek.com/

Private Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theintimacyofrace

Download Evs's Guide Book here: 6 Powerful Ways of Being That Foster Effective Communication and Connection in Your Relationships Guide Book

———Download The Optimized Life Toolkit———

Our TOP 5 HACKS that will FINALLY Get You "IN THE ZONE" All Day everyday: https://www.jessjanda.com/theoptimizedlife

———Where to Find Amy & Jess———

🙋‍ Amy Guerrero:   http://www.amyguerrero.com

🙋‍ Jess Janda:   http://www.jessjanda.com

———Connect With Amy & Jess———

✨ Join The Optimized Life Podcast Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/optimizedlife