Well, Now What?!

The new year is finally here, and along with it often comes the onslaught of messaging that you should work out harder, eat differently, and make yourself smaller in 2021. You know the drill: new year, new you. But why does it feel like that messaging applies exclusively to weight and size?

To be clear, wanting to work out or eat more vegetables are not bad resolutions. They're just not the only resolutions that you can make going into 2021.

Your body, you know, the one that just got you through a traumatic and unprecedented nine months, deserves to spend the next 12 doing what makes it feel good: inside and out.

So, what better way to start off the new year than with an honest conversation about the struggles and realities of disordered eating with my lovely friend, Nat Kunz. Nat and I danced together in high school and she is currently a fitness instructor. 

Last year, I opened up about my own struggles with disordered eating, and even though it was extremely terrifying to open up about it publicly, I'm so glad I did it because so many others have reached out to me, telling me they've gone through it themselves or have seen a loved one go through it. It can be daunting to share something so personal, but the best way to face those fears is the talk about it because chances are, someone else has gone through the same thing. I'm so glad Nat reached out to me and I'm so proud of her for talking about her experience with disordered eating so openly. 

Today, we talk about her journey struggling with disordered eating in high school and as a young adult, how she learned to love and accept her body, the positives of weight gain, PCOS and period troubles, and any advice she has for others going through it. 

Please note: we are NOT medical professionals by any means, so if you require any medical attention or advice, please ask your doctor. :)

I really hope you enjoy this one!

Find Nat @natkunz on IG. 

I thought it would be fun to end the year with a fun episode! Please note that we do swear and talk about mature content in this episode. 

I am joined by my college roommates, Veronica, Rose, Morgan & Caroline. We all lived together for over 3 years. These gals were so instrumental in making my college experience so memorable, and honestly, if it wasn't for them, I know I wouldn't have enjoyed my university experience as much. Living all together was seriously the dream - imagine a never-ending sleepover with your best friends.

We are all at different points in our lives and career, so I thought hearing their individual perspectives about post-grad life would benefit a lot of people out there. In this episode, we chat about the biggest post-grad struggles, finding a job, relationships, and dating in college and during a pandemic, advice we would give to our younger selves and we end the episode with some fun rapid questions. I hope you enjoy it!

Follow me on Instagram @wellnowwhatpodcast. I'll be doing a T-SHIRT MERCH GIVEAWAY this week!

PLEASE leave a review on Apple Podcast!! It truly helps! 

Nadya Okamoto is a 22-year-old Harvard student. In early 2020, Okamoto co-founded August, a lifestyle brand working to reimagine periods. As the Today Show describes, “August is a growing online community aiming to "re-imagine and redefine the period experience to be powerful and dignified," with members who engage in conversations about how to properly use menstrual cups or what it's like to be a transgender man having a period, for example.” 

Nadya is also the Founder of PERIOD (period.org), an organization fighting to end period poverty and stigma that she founded at the age of 16. Under her leadership as Executive Director for five years, PERIOD addressed over 1.5 million periods and registered over 800 campus chapters in all 50 states and 50 other countries. In 2017, Nadya ran for public office in Cambridge, MA at age 19 — at the time, becoming the youngest Asian American to run. 

In 2018, Nadya published her debut book, Period Power: A Manifesto for the Menstrual Movement. She has been recognized on the lists of Forbes 30 under 30, Bloomberg 50 “Ones to Watch” and People Magazine's Women Changing the World. 

In this episode we chat about her experience with trauma and PTSD, dealing with backlash and being "canceled", holding herself accountable and finding her identity, and why she is so passionate about ending period poverty. 

This episode is sponsored by Natures Path. Visit https://www.naturespath.com/ 

BUY WELL NOW WHAT PODCAST MERCH HERE. or Visit wellnowwhatpodcast.com

Mike Sleath is a drummer and percussionist, who’s energy, creativity and style has seen him perform all over the world on some of the biggest stages. After spending over a decade globetrotting with an array of different established artists, Mike has found a home in the last 5 years as the full time touring drummer for Grammy-nominated artist, Shawn Mendes.

He’s also played alongside many more amazing artists like John Mayer, Miley Cyrus, Camila Cabello, Khalid, and Zedd to name a few, Mike has made a name for himself on the world stage.

This is my first time interviewing a musician on the podcast, and although I’m no a musician myself, I truly respect the talent and dedication that Mike has. I think he’s going to offer a really great perspective on the music industry and his success wasn’t overnight, it definitely took a lot of years of practice and determination to get to where he’s at today.

In this episode, we chat about how he started playing the drums, facing rejection from Humber College 3 times, meeting Shawn and playing for him the first time, how he prepares himself mentally for high-pressure situations like the Grammys and Jimmy Fallon, his setup, advice he has for young musicians, and some of his favorite songs he likes to play.

This episode is sponsored by Natures Path. Visit https://www.naturespath.com/

Check out my friend, Liam's music here.

Today's guest is the wonderful and inspiring Mackenzie Rigg. Mackenzie and I shared a few classes together during our business degree at the University of Victoria. When he wasn't busy pitching business ideas or attending case competitions, Mackenzie played 5 years on the Vikes Soccer team and was captain from 2018-2019. 

Unfortunately, Mack was diagnosed this July with brain cancer, officially known as Astrocytoma Grade IV. When I first heard the news, it broke my heart and I know everyone around him was just in complete utter shock. It was so saddening to hear, but Mack has really made light of the situation and is an inspiration for us all. His girlfriend and some of his close friends have set up a fundraiser for brain cancer research. The fundraiser, called Vikes Kick Cancer, saw members of the men’s and women’s soccer teams at UVic participate in a 270 KM relay at the end of November. So far, the fundraiser has raised over $70,000, far surpassing its initial goal of $10,000.

In this episode, we talk about how he first found out about his diagnosis and his initial reaction, how he told his loved ones, what he's been up to, and the Vikes Kick Cancer Fundraiser. 

Please check out the Vikes Kick Cancer fundraiser and donate if you can. I hope you enjoy this episode! 

What if I told you that you could achieve greater success and more money in your career in less time? Well, today’s guest, Max Altschuler is on a mission to help other millennials navigate their careers through promotion pathing and learning the skills necessary to capitalize on the short term while thinking long term.

Max is the founder and CEO of Sales Hacker, the leading community for the next generation of sales professionals.  He’s the author of Hacking Sales, Sales Engagement, and Career Hacking For Millennials.

Max is redefining what it means to build a successful career. When most people were busy trying to land internships in college, Max got his school to agree to pilot one of the earliest bike sharing programs. When that business failed to raise the necessary funds to get off the ground and Max found himself without a job as he graduated into one of the worst economies of the century, he started a social media consultancy that generated revenue within its first 30 days.

After that, Max launched Sales Hacker and became a self-made millionaire by the age of 30, forever changing how he thinks people should approach their careers.

In this episode we talk about the importance of sales in any career path, how we can increase diversity in the sales industry, the absolute yes’s and no’s when it comes to pitching, and how anyone can go into sales without an extensive background and still become successful.

Follow Max: https://maxalts.com/

Buy his books here: https://www.amazon.ca/Career-Hacking-Millennials-How-Built-ebook/dp/B07BTDMYY3

This episode is sponsored by Fig Face. Book in a facial or check out their products here: https://figface.com/

This may be one of my favourite episodes to date. I am joined by my lovely sister, Arielle. 

Arielle's journey and life has been anything but ordinary to say the least. As her younger sister, I've always admired her courage and determination. Seriously, if you tell her that she can’t do something - she’ll prove it to you in no time and probably succeed even further. During university, she studied at McGill in Cell Biology and Anatomy AND was a professional dancer at the same time.  She then decided to pursue a Masters in Human Nutrition in Denmark and now is in Med School in Ireland. Incredible, right?

In this episode, we chat about picking up her life and starting over... TWICE, how she dealt with moving to a foreign country on her own, the importance of embracing a culture when you travel, loneliness during a pandemic, and her future plans. I hope you enjoy this one!

This episode is sponsored by Nude Beverages. Check them out at https://nudebeverages.com/

Today, I interview not 1, not 2, but 3 specials guests! Lucie Quinlan, Paige Thompson, and Cameron Macintyre are the founders of Maggie Zine. Maggie is a Toronto-based, online and print publication aiming to redefine what it means to be ladylike by sharing stories of feminine power. Their goal is to create a community where people can engage in complex and curious discussions about how feminist issues impact everyone, uniquely yet unequivocally.

Founded in October of 2019, Maggie’s online presence reaches hundreds of readers each month. In November of 2019, they released their first print zine, Maggie 01. Maggie 02: Evolving is available now! 

They have articles that range from eating disorders and food insecurity to miscarriages to finding love after a sexual assault.

In this episode, we talk about how they all met and founded Maggie in University. The realities of working with your best friends, how much maggie as grown in the past year, the ins and outs of publishing an article and printing a magazine and the future of Maggie.

This episode is sponsored by Nude Beverages. Find them at nudebeverages.com 

How do I actually make meaningful connections on LinkedIn? How do I stand out from thousands of candidates applying to my dream job? How do own my weaknesses during an interview? Do employers actually look at my social profiles? 

Today's guest - Emily Murgatroyd McCann, answers all your burning questions about connecting online and job searching. 

Emily is the founding partner at ivy group, the newly created brand from the completed merger of Talent&Culture and Headway Search Group. Ivy was founded by a group of inspired women who wanted to provide an upgrade to a dusty, aging industry by providing progressive, professional search solutions. They celebrate the diversity of talent that presents outside of the 'usual networks'. Emily has been in search for over a decade having come directly from industry working in sales, marketing and corporate development positions.

As many of us are either new grads, or looking for a change of careers or recently let go because of COVID,  the Well, Now What?! moment is real. 2020 has changed everything and finding a job in normal circumstances can be extremely difficult and demotivating.

Emily's incredibly relatable LinkedIn posts often appear on my feed, and I'm always so inspired to see how honest and vulnerable she is on the platform. Connection lives deep in her DNA and she is on a mission to bring more trust and transparency to the world of recruitment.

I hope you enjoy this week's episode! 

This episode is sponsored by Organika. Shop at : www.organika.com

Today’s guests are Lexi Christiansen and Sterling Beaumon. Lexi is a professional model and an incredible baker, seriously check out her cake decorating videos. Her boyfriend, Sterling an American actor and producer. He is known for his roles as Max Doyle in the 2008 film, Mostly Ghostly, and as young Benjamin Linus in the ABC television series, Lost. He has had guest roles in Law & Order SVU, Criminal Minds, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He is recently starring in the movie, "Don't Log Off" featuring Ariel Winter and Luke Benward. 

Their love story is so cute and it’s really interesting hearing both of their perspectives about the entertainment industry. Sterling has grown up in LA and is used to being in the limelight because it’s all he's ever really known, Lexi, on the other hand, is originally from Vancouver, Canada, so she is fairly new to the whole "Hollywood World".

In this episode, we talk about how they met on Instagram, the constant rejection and physical expectations of being in the modeling industry for Lexi, what it’s really like to be a working actor and producer in LA (if it’s too easy, you’re not doing it right) if the entertainment industry is actually embracing diversity, and advice they have for those in a long-distance relationship, and meeting drake in the bathroom?! This was a really fun and light-hearted episode. I hope you enjoy it!

Sponsored by STIL. I love their GET DONE planner - perfect for someone who has a busy schedule and trying to organize it all. Check them out at: https://stilclassics.com/