Today’s interview is filled to the brim with insightful and enlightening conversation. Lara Casey is a wife, mom of 3, and entrepreneur, with a countercultural take on life and business. She is the CEO of Cultivate What Matters, a business that helps individuals uncover what matters to them and make an action plan to attain their goals. Lara uses the tactics she implements in her work into her daily life and has created strategies that help her juggle homeschooling, work, and motherhood. Join Robin Long in this interview to learn more about how Lara keeps her cup full and still manages to pour back into others through all life’s chaos. 

Show Highlights: 

• What brought Lara to her career now and how she applies her work to everyday life 
• Identifying priorities and being selective with focusing energy 
• Navigating saying no and letting go of things that don’t align with your priorities 
• Putting programs in place to balance childcare, work, and homeschool 
• Dealing with feelings of judgment 
• Tips to help stay present and setting boundaries  
• Using social media as a platform to minister and pour into others 
• Creating daily rituals for self-care 
• Finding ways to have quality time in a countercultural way 
• Lara’s approach to eating and how she meal preps 
• Overcoming feelings of guilt and using it as a motivator 
• Maintaining a sense of community and friendships in busy seasons 
• Finding contentment in the current season of life you’re in 
• Rapid fire session 
• The importance of always thinking of the big picture 

Links: 

https://thebalancedlifeonline.com

Contact Lara: 

https://cultivatewhatmatters.com

https://laracasey.com

Lara’s book: 

Make It Happen by Lara Casey

Organizations Mentioned: 

https://www.zachariahsacres.org

https://www.compassion.com

Products Mentioned: 

https://acure.com

Youversion Bible app

Acure Skincare

One Love organics daily face wash

Health Warrior Bars

Get PowerSheets here!

This conversation with Renee Hahnel is packed full of encouragement and powerful reminders to help us make each day the best we can. Renee is an Australian travel photographer, blogger, and newly published author with an unconventional perspective on how to live a wholesome and fulfilling life. 

She shares how her own personal experiences have motivated her to become more compassionate towards herself and others, the positive impact of a morning routine, and the how to maintain a healthy work balance with your spouse. Join Robin Long in this magical interview to hear more about how Renee juggle’s it all with a life on the road. 

Show Highlights: 

• What led Renee to where she is now and how she finds balance through growth seasons 
• Getting involved in travel photography and how Renee made it a career 
• Finding a healthy balance between our own priorities and giving back to others 
• Giving yourself permission to let go of things that aren’t priorities in the season you’re in 
• How Renee juggles running a business while traveling full time 
• Tools and systems to put in place to be more efficient 
• Maintaining a healthy work relationship with your spouse 
• Separating work life from romantic life 
• Overcoming the pressure of inadequacy and comparison 
• Teaching people how to use social media in a healthy way 
• The role diet plays in Renee’s life 
• How exercise is incorporated into Renee’s work and daily life 
• Encouraging yourself and accepting you’re doing your best 
• Life changing self-care practices 
• A rapid-fire session of Renee’s favorites 

Links: 

https://thebalancedlifeonline.com/jumpstart/

Resources mentioned: 

https://agendio.com

https://www.miraclemorning.com/books/

Fanola No Yellow Hair Mask

https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this

Contact Renee: 

https://www.reneeroaming.com

Instagram: @reneeroaming

In order to have a whole, happy, and fulfilling life that aligns with our goals we have to establish solid relationships not only with others, but with ourselves. Today’s guest, Monique Melton, is a relationship and racial diversity coach with a passion for creating unity. Monique encourages others to do intentional heart work that will break down boundaries in their spiritual, personal, and relational growth. 

In this episode, Monique shares how she has personally let go of the pressure of perfection in her own life and how she’s changed her mindset to commit to her family and personal needs, not societal obligations. She also talks about how she has redefined motherhood for herself and established a better relationship with the gym, all while being an entrepreneur. 

Show Highlights: 

• What Monique’s faith and career look like currently 
• A typical day in the life for Monique and her family 
• Paralleling Monique’s current career to her childhood vision 
• How Monique prioritizes important aspects of her life 
• Things Monique has had to let go of obligations that don’t support her priorities 
• Letting go of pressure and the mindset of perfection
• Disassociating your self-worth from your ability to do it all 
• Recognizing your family’s needs and meeting them to the best of your ability 
• Reflecting on experiences that have evoked fear and anxiety 
• Allowing yourself to feel your emotions and taking action in a way that makes you proud 
• Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable 
• Finding ways to incorporate health and fitness into your lifestyle 
• Ways to incorporate leisure into a busy schedule 
• Rapid fire session of Monique’s favorite products and daily go-to’s 

Links: 

Join the 5 Day Jumpstart

Contact Monique: 

Instagram: @Moetivate 

https://www.moniquemelton.com

Going against the grain can be uncomfortable, especially when it comes to food. Today’s guest, Danielle Walker, is a gluten-free chef, 3 time New York Times bestselling cookbook author, and blogger.

Danielle started her grain free journey in 2007 when she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and was forced to make a major lifestyle and diet shifts. She has found a way to live functionally and comfortably with her disease, all while juggling being a mom, and sharing her healing tips with the world. 

In this interview, Danielle shares how she makes it all work by investing in reliable childcare, prioritizing her self-care, and utilizing her planner. Join Robin Long in this interview to learn more about how Danielle lives her balanced life. 

Show Highlights: 

• How Danielle’s diagnosis shifted her diet and daily life 
• Using yoga and physical activity to treat autoimmune disease 
• Experimenting with food to improve autoimmune disease 
• Establishing priorities and utilizing a planner 
• The benefits and challenges of working from home 
• Shifting to a more sustainable child care arrangement 
• Letting go of guilt and insecurities 
• Tips for grocery shopping and meal planning 
• What exercise looks like in Danielle’s life and how she fits it in her schedule 
• Focal points for self-care and being in tune with personal needs 
• Turning down the noise of people around you 

Links: 

https://thebalancedlifeonline.com

Contact Danielle: 

https://againstallgrain.com

Instagram: @daniellewalker

Danielle's Book - Eat What You Love

In a world where we can pick up our phones and look at what everyone else is doing right, it’s hard not to compare yourself to others, especially as a woman of color!

Today’s guest, Sandra Chuma, has built a platform that highlights and celebrates the successes of women of color in a way that no other media platform does. In today’s interview, she shares her journey with creating NDINI, navigating insecurity and inadequacy, and overcoming the challenges of having an emotional connection to food. Sandra shares what it really looks like to sacrifice and prioritize yourself throughout the chaos of every day life. Join Sandra and your host, Robin Long, in this raw and intimate conversation. 

Listen all the way to the end of the show for Sandra’s Rapid Fire Session!

Show Highlights: 

• What motivated Sandra to start NDINI and how she launched her platform 
• Stripping yourself of labels to find your purpose 
• Making a pivotal shift in life and the importance of support from your family 
• Identifying your top priorities and aligning them with self-care 
• Establishing a morning routine 
• Letting go of things that don’t contribute to what you need 
• Learning to asking for help and letting go of perfectionism 
• Creating a “do not do” list in order to accomplish your priorities 
• Investing in services that relieve your mental load 
• Navigating the pressure of trying to meet societal and cultural expectations 
• Integrating exercise and balancing healthy eating habits 
• Practices to be more mindful of eating a balanced diet 

Links: 

https://thebalancedlifeonline.com

Contact Sandra: 

http://www.sandrachuma.com

https://ndini.com

Social Media: @Ndinimedia 

Instagram: @Sandra_Chuma 

We all feel the pressure to be “more” in different areas of life. As a parent, friend, spouse, business owner, you feel pulls in so many different directions that it’s normal to feel like you’re not “enough” in certain areas. 

Today’s guest, Allie Casazza, is a Mom, entrepreneur, and podcast host with a plethora of practical tips to help you juggle the chaos. She shares her own tactics to prioritize health, learn to use intuition to lean into different seasons, and overcome the pressure of not being enough. Join Robin Long in this interview for how you can evaluate your own life and strategically plan for success. 

Show Highlights: 

• A flashback of what Allie’s life looked like 10 years ago compared to the season she’s in now 
• Pursuing a life of abundance and simplicity through the chaos 
• The framework of Allie’s process to declutter 
• Establishing your intent and creating a vision 
• Focusing on your health and learning how to eat for your body 
• Creating space in your life and simplifying the chaos 
• Being selective about the commitments you make 
• What exercise looks like in Allie’s life and regulating adrenal fatigue 
• Dividing parenthood, business, and romance with your partner 
• Allie’s self-care practices 
• Setting boundaries around technology and regulating your availability 
• Making “enough lists” and giving yourself grace in different areas of life 

Links: 

Join the 5 Day Jumpstart

Contact Allie: 

Allie's Podcast

Allie's Website

Allie on Facebook

Allie on Pinterest

We’ve all reached the end of a day without feeling like we’ve reached all of our goals. Sometimes it simply feels like we don’t have enough time to do everything we need to - that’s why Jasmine utilizes the art of time stamping. 

Jasmine Star is a blogger, business strategist and the founder of Social Curator. Jasmine’s life is filled to the brim with tasks and activities, but she’s found a system that has increased her productivity and supports the lifestyle she wants. To learn more about how Jasmine maintains her schedule and mindfully indulges join Robin Long in this episode of The Balanced Life. 

Show Highlights: 

• Having a partnership with your spouse and balancing each other out 
• What Jasmine does now and how she created her business 
• How JD transitioned into working with Jasmine and the challenges shifting from a couple to business partners 
• Setting roles in place to solidify mutual expectations 
• The pressure that women feel to uphold cultural ideals 
• Protecting what is shared online and setting boundaries 
• Establishing priorities and letting go of things that don’t align 
• How friendships are impacted and integrated into Jasmine’s schedule 
• The importance of planning and turning plans into actionable steps 
• The structure of Jasmine’s schedule 
• How to time stamp days and be as productive as possible 
• Creating realistic expectations and eliminating guilt 
• Mapping out daily goals 
• Jasmine’s health journey and fitness routine 
• The biggest changes Jasmine saw in her life after she started her fitness journey 
• The challenges of making lifestyle shifts with a partner 
• Rapid-fire session of Jasmine’s favorites 
• Having grace over guilt with realistic expectations 

Links: 

https://thebalancedlifeonline.com

Contact Jasmine: 

https://socialcurator.com

Instagram: @Jasminestar 

Carly Jean is an entrepreneur, an artist, a visionary, but most importantly, she’s a wife and a mom to 4 wonderful children. Today, Carly shares her tactics to delegate life as a business owner and a parent by creating a cohesive vision for your life. 

Carly and Robin dive into how to be intentional with your time, aligning your goals, and cultivating a lifestyle that checks off all of your priorities. Tune into this episode of The Balanced Life with your host, Robin Long, to help you set realistic expectations for you and your family. 

Show Highlights: 

• How Carly Jean Los Angeles got started 
• How LA influenced Carly’s drive and creativity 
• Identifying your top priorities in different seasons of life 
• Balancing a full-time job and still being present for your family 
• Allowing yourself to let go of things to make more time for priorities 
• Communicating expectations to diminish feelings of guilt
• Recuperating from seasons of burnout 
• Delegating your strengths and finding others who compliment what you need 
• Finding creative ways to share time and use your resources 
• Maintaining self-care and nutrition 
• Things you say no to in order to commit to your goals 
• Combating the pressure of feeling the need to be “more” 
• Establishing a good relationship with social media and looking past comparison 
• Incorporating exercise into daily life and finding what works best for your lifestyle 
• A rapid-fire session of Carly’s favorites 
• Telling your calendar what you want your time to look like 

Links: 

https://www.arcona.com

Pilates: 

https://thebalancedlifeonline.com

Contact Carly: 

Carly Jean Home Website

Follow Carly on Instagram:

Business - @Carlyjeanlosangeles

Personal - @Carlyjeanbrannon 

Creative space - @Carlyjeanhome 

If you find yourself craving more authenticity and real conversations in your life, then you've come to the right place. I'm Robin and I'm a Pilates instructor. I live in Santa Barbara, CA and I'm a Mom of 4. 

My life is as crazy as it sounds, but that's pretty much why I am here. I decided to start this podcast as a way to have a more honest approach to what our lives look like. We'll look at the good, the bad, the failures and the successes; and all along the way we will celebrate you.

There's no pressure to be perfect here. Just be real. Be Authentic. Be you.

I hope you will join me on this journey.