"What In The Wellness?!" A global perspective on integrative health &wellness Hosted by Ansley Knopf

In this episode, I discuss with James Yeo about slaying stress eating. It's something that a lot of us struggle with and have questions about! 

In this interview, James shares his most valuable advice and knowledge about stress eating, and answers questions like: 

What is Stress Eating - 

When does stress eating occur - 

The science behind stress eating, and why is it not your fault - 

Things you can do now to reduce/avoid stress eating - 

What if you fail?

Trained in all areas of sports science, James is known in the industry as a jack of all trades and master of one –Sports Nutrition.   Packed with 9 years of experience, he has worked with multiple individuals including busy working adults looking to get back in shape to high-performance athletes. With an interest in endurance sport, James also helped ultra trail, marathon, triathlon, and half-ironman athletes complete their races with the top ten positions.  James also had the privilege to speak at public events at places like  Adidas Runners and Fitness First and even conducted train-the-trainer workshops with TripleFit, Virgin Active, and Fitness First. Most recently, James spoke as a presenter at the Annual ExproFitness  Convention.

He holds the following education:

BSc. Sports & Exercise Science (Distinction) ISSN Diploma in Sports Nutrition (Distinction) Precision Nutrition Level 1 & 2 Certified International Society of Sports Nutrition (CISSN) 

And some of his accomplishments:  - Performance Nutritionist of High-Performance Athletes; SEA Games basketball, marathon, ultra-endurance sports, horseback riding, F1  racing - Educator for Personal Trainers for big gyms like Fitness First and  Virgin Active - Performance Nutrition Public Speaker, spoke for brands like Adidas,  UnderArmour & Esquire - Personal weight loss of 32kg - Work experience in all things sports science. 

His actionable advice? "If you fail today, it's okay - failure is part and parcel of building a  good relationship with food, and acknowledging your shortfall is the  beginning of overcoming your giants." 

He recommends the following 3 Websites to follow for evidence-based nutrition:  - Precision Nutrition - Examine.com - Nature (the journal).

You can follow him on social media at IG: @SportsNutritionistJames  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerformanceBite/  Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yeo-yi-quan-bsc-dipissn-cissn-pn2-19708ba8/ or at his website: http://sportsnutritionistjames.com/

And as always you can find me on IG @ansleyknopf_valkyrie and @trainandflourish or email me directly at [email protected].

In this episode, I interview Lo Bannerman, who is a nutritionist, meditation leader, and mama on a mission helping young families foster mindfulness and nourishment from the start!

She offers the practical advice of: "Declutter your home, mind, and/or to-do list. Even going through one drawer, delegating one task, or saying no to one commitment can create  space for a million yeses!"

Her favorite recommended books are: 

The Art of Extreme Self-Care by Cheryl Richardson

 Do Less by Kate Northrup

 The Best Yes by Lisa TerKeurst

She and I discuss questions like: 

What does doing too much look like?, What is the path out of doing too much?, How can one respectfully say no? and so many other questions and practical advice about becoming more mindful, saying no to say yes and how to maximize the joy in our lives. 

You can find Lo at @nourishingfamiliesllc on social media or at her website: https://www.nourishingfamilies.org 

And as always you can reach me at [email protected]

In this episode, we have a conversation about flow and how it brings both freedom and fulfillment. My guest is Irek Zareba, 

A Human Potential Teacher, Martial Art, and Freedom Coach, Founder of  Awareness Academy.  ​ 

 ​Explorer of eastern culture and philosophy. He has been studying and practicing the traditional health approach and Chinese Martial Arts for 20  years, including meditation, chi gong, tai chi, kung fu. 

For the last decade has been exclusively studying Zhong Xin Dao I Liq Chuan - an internal martial art based on Tao and Zen philosophy - directly from Grandmaster  Sam F.S. Chin, the founder of the system. Later became an instructor and his personal disciple. He currently holds 2nd instructor & 6th  student levels. 

Successfully competed in tournaments and was awarded two  silver medals and one bronze medal during the 2015 TCFE European  Championship of Chinese Internal Martial Arts in Oxford.   ​

  He is a discoverer of human performance and natural approaches for optimizing  biology and psychology, inspired by Dave Asprey and his  concept of biohacking. First-ever  Polish Bulletproof Human Potential  Coach. 

During rigorous 12 months training, he met his teacher and mentor  Dr. Mark Atkinson - medical doctor, mind/body health expert, and founder of the Human Potential Institute, creator of human potential coaching.     His teachers and mentors are Grandmaster Sam Chin and Dr. Mark Atkinson. 

 He is a master of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology. From Złotów/Poland.

His recommendations for resources include: 

Interests in martial arts and movements art - GM Sam Chin Psychological fitness - Dr Mark Atkinson Wisdom of Life - Sadghuru

You can follow him at Awareness Academy on social media or at his website: https://www.irekzareba.com/

And as always you can reach me at [email protected]

In this episode, I have a discussion about martial arts, mindfulness, and meditation with Ashe Higgs. 

Ashe has been a Martial arts and meditation instructor for 20 years.  He has taught workshops at the local, national, and international levels. 

And has been a PN2 certified coach since  2018. Some of his accomplishments include Light heavyweight full contact champion - Taiji Legacy 2007, Super heavyweight full contact champion - International Kuoshu Tournament 2008. 

Ashe shares about his journey to finding his health and happiness through martial arts and the importance of being present throughout life. 

We also discuss the differences between mindfulness and meditation and even get to practice a breathwork exercise during the podcast that you can do also! 

To follow and find Ashe, go to https://leanstrongandhealthy.com or find him on Instagram at @ashehiggs. 

Ashe's recommendations include: 

If  y ou had  3 books you would recommend for additional reading what would those be? 

Mindfulness In Plain English, The Four Foundations of Mindfulness, the Kalama Sutta

And you can always reach me at [email protected]

In this episode, I get to sit down and talk with Augusta Locally Grown, Executive Director, Rebecca van Loenen. 

Augusta Locally Grown Inc (ALG) has been connecting local sustainable  farmers to customers for the past 13 years. ALG started with a retiree  selling local farmers produce via a website with customers picking up  from her kitchen,. ALG has flourished to an organization that oversees a  multi-site online market, traditional farmers market that doubles  EBT/SNAP purchases , and a vegetable prescription program. Recently,  Rebecca van Loenen (me) was appointed as the new ED , filling in the  shoes of the past 12 year ED, Kim Hines. Rebecca comes to the table with  a background in web design and a third generation entrepreneur. With  three months into the position, she has had to maneuver the organization  as sales quintuple from the community demand do to the virus.

An incredible testimony to the hard work and dedication of it's members, ALG was the beta test site for the state of Georgia for their vegetable  prescription program six years ago. ALG supports 40+ growers/producers  via their online market. 

Rebecca answered this question with one of the most pivotal messages we've heard on this podcast to date.

What is one takeaway piece of actionable advice you would like to leave with our listeners today? 

Food is foundational. From the moment an eight-month old is  born there's such an emphasis on how to feed for bonding and what to feed. What you feed yourself feeds the very ounce of who you are. Let your food nourish yourself and your community.

You can find and follow Rebecca and the Augusta Locally Grown community at: http://augustalocallygrow.org

Or on facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/AugustaLocallyGrown/

And as always you can reach me at [email protected] 

In this episode, we have a great discussion about the questions we feel help answer so many struggles surrounding food and our relationship with it. Questions like: Why do we eat when we aren’t hungry? Why is food more than just fuel? How do you start “relaxing” around food when you’re scared of gaining weight? What can you do to start listening to your body better? Can you listen to your body AND make changes to it at the same time?

My guest is an incredible woman and coach, Gillian Bennett, who is a PN Level 1 coach as well as IIN Health coach and CrossFit Level 3  trainer.

She loves: travel, eating (obviously!), spending time in nature,  and is currently living in Barcelona Spain.

You can follow her at: @bitesizenutri or visit her website at : http://www.bitesize.es/en

And for those of you who speak Spanish, she also offers most of her content in Spanish and has a podcast that is in Spanish as well!

As always you can reach me at: [email protected]

In this episode, we have a conversation with Juli Madacey, who holds certifications as a Pn L2 Master Nutrition Coach, Certified Online Trainer, TRX Level 1, Holistic Nutritionist, Master Herbalist, and Aromatherapist. She has been ordained as a Priest and knighted as a Dame of Grace with the Hospitaller Order of the Knights of St. Lazarus. She studied nutrition as a hobby during her long career as a corporate HR Professional, and after moving to Italy 6 years ago, decided to finally make it her vocation as well. Her personal health and healing with Hashi's have been a journey and she is passionate about sharing and helping as many people as possible to live their best lives. 

Her book recommendations include Izabella Wentz (The Thyroid Pharmacist), Dr. David Brownstein, Dr.  Brittany Henderson (What you Must Know About Hashimoto's Disease). 

Her actionable advice? "Thyroid symptoms can be very vague and general, but don't let doctors brush you off or simply do a TSH blood test and send you on your way telling you everything is normal.  Find a functional medicine doctor or a  holistic doctor who is willing to look at a broader picture so you can get a proper diagnosis.

You can follow her at @julisplayground and on her website: http://www.evexiahealth.com

And as always you can find me at @ansleyknopf_valkyrie, email@ [email protected], and my website: www.trainandflourish.com