Well & Worthy Life | A Podcast for Midlife Women

Deanna is joined in the first of a two-part episode by her friend and fellow health coach, Amy Ramsey. Amy is the creator of The Fit Soul, where she helps empower women to be the best, healthiest version of themselves without dieting or committing their lives to the gym. Deanna and Amy discuss how to make and keep habits, going in-depth on forming identity-based habits, finding your “bigger why”, and the importance of forming a habit loop.

Identity-based habits are habits formed around doing things according to becoming the person that you want to be. A lot of people are on autopilot when making decisions and try to white-knuckle it to create habits, which simply does not work. When making decisions, everything should revolve around the version of who you want to become.

Related to identity-based habits is finding your “bigger why” for having a goal or creating a habit. Amy explains how she works with clients on finding the true reason they want to change. If she has a client that wants to lose weight, she describes how they need to find a deeper reason than just “look good in my clothes” or even “feel more confident”.

Amy shares the importance of forming a habit loop; your habits should be obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying. Simplify your habit process if you’re feeling overwhelmed and then build from there. Deanna explains the importance of progress over perfection and finding a community when you are trying to create positive change.

Free Healthy Habit Guide

Connect with Amy: https://www.thefitsoul.com/

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

Books mentioned:

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg

Today, Angela Stevens joins Deanna on the podcast. The two met last June when Angela started as a client of Deanna’s in The FASTer WAY to Fat Loss and have since become good friends. Angela has great stories to tell about her fat loss as well as how she is dealing with the COVID-19 quarantine. She and her husband have five-year-old identical twins and she has been a realtor for around five years as well.

Angela admits that the quarantine has been tough, but her family has been adapting every day. She brings us through the schedule she has set for her children and Deanna explains the importance of getting exercise outdoors.

Deanna asks if Angela thinks she will continue her morning routine after the pandemic ends, which involves getting her FASTer Way workout in and her shower in before her boys wake up. She’s seen herself be very productive right after waking up during the pandemic which leads into a discussion about intermittent fasting. The two then discuss their eating habits during quarantine.

The first week of quarantine was quite rough on Angela when it comes to sleep. She shares how her anxiety was keeping her awake but explains what has changed that now allows her to sleep healthily. Deanna then likens the quarantine to her experience of going through a divorce.

Our world is going to look different once the COVID-19 pandemic ends, but that includes improvements as well. Deanna and Angela hope we continue to appreciate the little things and consider what we want our lives to look like on the other side. How will you be more intentional and in the moment?

Join Deanna for her next round of  FASTer Way to Fat Loss  .

Angela Steven on Instagram

In today’s episode, Deanna is joined by her friend Neillie Butler, whom she previously hosted in January to speak about overcoming obstacles. Neillie has overcome a learning disability, cancer three times, a divorce, starting a business without money, a new marriage with two stepdaughters, a son, and is now a wedding planner. Her company is named Mariée Ami.

Who would have thought Deanna and Neillie would be talking about overcoming another obstacle so soon after the podcast in January?

During this coronavirus pandemic, Neillie’s work has been affected because gatherings are prohibited. Up until the fourth week of quarantine, her company has already postponed eleven weddings and canceled one. What’s really challenging is that the whole situation is indefinite, and no one knows a suitable alternative date for sure. This is leaving people in tears.

Speaking about her company, Neillie discusses the meaning of its name and how many people from around the world trust her to take care of all the details related to their wedding. She usually ends up developing strong friendships that extend beyond the business-related period and this brings her a lot of joy.

Neillie and Deanna discuss the current obstacles caused by COVID-19 and how to get over them. Neillie recommends being there for one another and constantly checking on our friends using online resources. Deanna supports that and insists that we shouldn’t judge one another as everybody has their own experience.

Niellie discusses how anxiety and panic are very common during such a difficult period and encourages people to take it day by day, trying their best to remain calm. Deanna and Neillie agree that we should all show each other a lot of grace, especially during these times. And like always we are overcoming another obstacle but this time we are all in it together. 

Overcoming Obstacles with Neillie Butler

Neillie Butler on Instagram

Marie Ami on Instagram

Ami a Vie on Instagram

Deanna is joined today by Jenny Ryan, founder, and creator of The Blueroot Company. Her company focuses on democratizing access to healthy food to people across the community. In these unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses have had to adapt to stay afloat, and The Blueroot Company is no different. Jenny shares the challenges she’s faced, how her company has been able to adapt to the new world of social distancing, and her Seven Steps of Sanity. 

Life as usual has changed for everyone during these crazy times. Jenny had to rethink the health and safety of her entire team and community, while still looking to provide some sense of normalcy in their services. She and Deanna discuss both the positives and negatives of The Blueroot Company being a young, small business and how this played a role in their reaction.

Jenny shares how she realized her company was more than just a food program; it is a wellness program that benefits many in the community. In response to this, The Blueroot Company has started hosting a Sunday supper club. Jenny and Deanna discuss how the club works and the benefits of staying connected with your community in these times. 

To help herself find a routine, Jenny created her Seven Steps of Sanity. These seven steps are simple things you can implement each day to provide structure and routine in your life, as well as keep you mindful and grateful for what you have. 

Local businesses need your support now more than ever during this time. Please consider supporting your local food bank through either monetary or food donations. 

Frontline Heroes, a Birmingham, Alabama charity focused on feeding frontline healthcare workers: https://lifelutzurious.com/frontline-heroes/

Deanna’s previous chat with Jenny: https://www.wellandworthylife.com/making-a-difference-in-your-community-and-filling-a-need/

The Blueroot Company:

https://bluerootco.com/

https://www.instagram.com/blueroot_co

https://www.facebook.com/bluerootco/

Connect with Deanna:

https://www.wellandworthylife.com/

https://www.instagram.com/wellandworthylife/

https://www.facebook.com/wellandworthylife/

Laura Quick and her husband Shane join Deanna in this episode. Laura recently asked her Facebook followers how they are fighting for their marriage while in quarantine, which inspired Deanna to invite the couple onto the podcast. Laura is the CEO of Good Grit Magazine which is based in Birmingham, while Shane is an artist manager and promoter.

There are some tools that Laura and Shane are using to navigate through these tough times. Some of these tools they learned before they got married when each of them went to Onsite.  Shane shares with us about why he was scared to enter a marriage with Laura. The two have weekly meetings with each other but have increased the frequency of these during the pandemic.

Everything is changing daily, but Laura and Shane talk about how the negativity that television news portrays causes them to avoid it. Laura reveals a worrisome thing that came up in one of the couple’s meetings and then proceeds to discuss the importance of maintaining a date night. They provide some tips on how to do this even if you’ve got kids at home.

Are you fighting for your marriage?

Laura gets into how she has realized that saying what’s on her mind instead of nagging allows Shane to show up for her. It’s important to remember that our spouses can’t read our minds and accept that you both won’t agree about everything.

Marriages need to be fought for not just during quarantine, but in our daily lives. Laura and Shane admit that they are certainly not experts, but they work hard to do whatever it takes to have a healthy marriage.

Laura Quick Facebook

Good Grit Magazine

Check out my blog post on How My Marriage survived A Remodel

Brené on Comparative Suffering,the 50/50 Myth, and Settling the Ball - another great podcast

Deanna is joined today by Regan Walsh, an executive life coach for women. Deanna and Regan discuss shifting from survival to purpose mode, getting clear on what matters in your life, and setting boundaries in order to thrive.

A lot of women are just in survival mode, feeling overwhelmed by everything going on in their lives. Regan recommends shifting your focus to be clear on what you want, why, and blocking out all the noise around you that is preventing you from getting there. She stresses the importance of putting your needs first. If it doesn’t have a reward for you, say no.

When trying to get clear on what matters, Regan asks her clients to take a life wheel assessment, ranking the top eight areas of their life by importance and then defining what success means to them in each area. Once they have done that, she recommends focusing only on the top three areas for a while. Deanna and Regan discuss the importance of saying no to things that are a distraction.

Once you are clear on what matters to you and know how you plan to achieve it, it is important to set boundaries in order to thrive. Regan shares a personal story on how her life changed for the better once she learned to respect her own time and to say no. Regan discusses her ranking system for how she decides if she wants to take part in an activity.

Check out Regan’s guide for shifting from survival to purpose mode: https://reganwalsh.com/resources/survival-purpose/

Connect with Regan: https://reganwalsh.com/

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReganWalshLifeCoach/

Send any recommendations for the next Well & Worthy Life podcast topic to [email protected]

Deanna joins her friend Jaime today on her podcast, The Savvy Cast. Deanna and Jamie discuss middle age for women, along with using a SWOT analysis to analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

Many women are scared of getting to middle age, but Deanna and Jamie share how they wouldn’t trade their current lives for anything. Age brings wisdom and experience, which helps us relate to other people and learn from situations in ways we may have been unable to before. Jamie explains how as she has aged, she has learned to see other women more as partners rather than competitors.

Women also experience certain weaknesses in middle age, but knowing what these are can help you navigate them. One of the biggest struggles faced by many women as they age is a loss of focus or purpose in life once they have an empty nest.

While the feeling of dealing with an empty nest may be a weakness, it also leads to opportunities. It can feel like you are isolated, and you may be unsure of what to do with yourself. This is a perfect time to achieve goals you always dreamed of, learn new skills, or pursue hobbies that you may have previously lacked time for.

Middle age is a great time of growth for women, but you have to be aware of potential threats at this time as well. Disease is a real threat for many people, especially those with a family history. While you can’t fully prevent any disease, you can ensure you are staying as healthy as possible.

Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Savvy Cast: https://www.familysavvy.com/the-savvycast-podcast/

Deanna is going solo in this episode where she covers the topic of what is holding you back from achieving your goals and dreams. She shares her own personal stories, as well as common reasons for someone to feel held back and the ways to overcome them.

About ten years ago, Deanna was newly divorced for the second time and looking for something new to do. She had always dreamed of owning her own business but wasn’t sure how to make that dream into a reality. In January of that year, the first Pure Barre studio opened in her area. She went to a class, realized this was something she wanted to be involved in, and offered to invest when the owners opened a new studio.

The owners of the studio weren’t ready to expand, but they did need an instructor. Deanna feared she was too old at the time, but they encouraged her to get out of her comfort zone. By overcoming her fears, Deanna worked for years as a Pure Barre instructor and eventually opened her own studio. 

Deanna discusses the top reasons someone might feel held back from taking a chance on their personal development and how to defeat them. The number one reason is usually fear, but this can be overcome with persistent practice. Other reasons may be the belief that you don’t have enough time or you feel you aren’t making progress fast enough. Patience is key.

Many women feel that they have to be perfect and compete with other women instead of supporting them. Everyone does things differently. Learn from others and support them so you can grow together. 

Connect with Deanna: https://www.wellandworthylife.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wellandworthylife/

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

Deanna is joined in this episode by friend and home design guru Andrew Dooley. Andrew is the principal creative force behind Andrew Dooley Design Associates, which hosts studios in Mobile, Alabama and Los Angeles, California. The company has created signature home designs across the country, and Andrew believes the design of a home has a big impact on health.

Our homes are our biggest support systems, making it extremely important to create a space that’s conducive to your wellbeing.

Clutter is one of the biggest stressors in a home and Andrew works with his design team to eliminate this and ensure everything has its place. He encourages people to take inventory of what makes them happy and from there can decide which elements need to be in a space.

Deanna and Andrew discuss steps for someone who is not ready for a full redesign just yet can take to start improving their home. One of the most important aspects to consider is how much light is in a space. Andrew offers tips for improving natural light, as well as creating illusions of more light and space. 

The popularity of different color schemes and designs has waned over the years. Andrew and Deanna discuss these, as well as the most popular schemes right now and if their popularity will persist. You can never go wrong with taking a contemporary approach to design and Andrew explains the benefits of this method, as well as ways the unexpected can still be introduced to more subtle design schemes. 

Check out Andrew Dooley Design Associates and their work at https://www.andrewdooley.com/

Connect with Andrew:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrewdooleydesign/

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

In this episode of Well and Worthy Life, Deanna is now the guest as she joins Tova Sido on her podcast, The Remedy. Tova is a Christian author, speaker, and mom living in Dallas, Texas. Deanna and Tova share their anecdotes regarding divorce and the challenges of dating afterword - you have to rewire your brain to think about so many things you didn’t have to while married!

This topic is important for everyone to cover because, even if you are not divorced, you probably know someone who is, and you will be able to offer them guidance. The two explain how important it is to share your own personal experiences as others can always learn from them. Deanna also touches on the importance of being honest with your children during a divorce, and the power the simple words “I’m sorry” can have on a child.

Deanna and Tova cover the truth around the phrase “time heals all wounds”, the dangers of jumping into dating too quickly after a divorce, tips on “becoming the person that the person you’re looking for is looking for”, and share their personal stories on meeting new people after divorce.

Aside from dating advice, Deanna and Tova also cover the importance of spending alone time to figure out who you are, as you may have changed as a person. Tova speaks on the importance of independence and how she learned to love being single and independent.

Check out Tova’s podcast, The Remedy: https://www.tovasido.com/podcast

Connect with Deanna: https://www.wellandworthylife.com/