Don't you love it when you have a conversation and it helps you reflect and you have that A-ha moment? That recently happened to Stephanie and she wanted to share her quick thoughts with you! She is speaking to finding and restoring balance.

Yoga. In my world this has been a 4 letter word. I have a visceral reaction to the word Chaturanga. However, I recently did a class and loved it! I felt strong at times and at others times, felt my weaknesses. It was an incredible gift to get to try this practice again! My wish for you is that if you have tried something in the past, but did not love it, or you felt intimidated for any reason, give it another try. This has taken me years to like. Years of trying different classes. If you have been hemming and hawing about trying something again, this is me cheering you on saying GO FOR IT!

What a gift to get back to doing something you love! Recently, I was able to get back into training routine with running. It has been a few years since running has been a big part of my life due to injury or time or whatever else has come up. My hope for you is that if you have taken time away from something you love, you can get back to it and experience joy, gratitude and excitement. Thanks again for listening.

In this episode, Stephanie allows herself to go deep and get personal with how she deals with change. She is trying to let herself be vulnerable. It's hard as she always wants to appear strong and as if nothing bothers her! Her body told her otherwise. Thanks as always for listening.

Hi everyone and Happy 2023. Thanks so much for coming back to season 2 of Your Empowered Evolution. I am so grateful you are here to listen. In this episode, I have the pleasure of chatting with Leslie DeGrande-trainer, yoga therapist and core specialist. I love what she has to say about motivation and how to get started doing the things we may not be so excited to do. Thanks for being here. Happy 2023.

Holy smokes! 30 episodes. So exciting. Thanks for being here to listen, yet again. In this episode, I am sharing how my life is evolving in the coming months. Thanks for listening and here is to more podcasting in 2023!

Welcome back Rebecca Thomas of Not Another Diet. In this conversation, Rebecca shares 5 things she would never do to lose weight. There is so much goodness in this episode. So many of us feel bad about ourselves because we think we don't have willpower or we don't want to count calories. Well, let all that stuff go. Try cooking your food at home, paying attention to sugars in your foods and moving your body in a way that feels good. She has wonderful suggestions. I hope you enjoy this episode. Rebecca has a program called Recipes are for Weekends, check it out at the link below.

https://www.notanotherdiet.co/makerealfood

#strongmindfulfeisty #eatrealfood #recipes #nutrition #cooking #wholefood #midlife #menopause #perimenopause #fitover40#movement #exercise

In this episode, Stephanie speaks with her friend, Carmen, about her experience with training and summiting Mt Kilimanjaro. Carmen began her training with the intention of checking this adventure off of her bucket list. Over the course of the hike and through journaling and reflection, Carmen learned something interesting about herself that she is currently focusing on in her day to day life. Carmen has known all along that she has had grit, drive, motivation and independence in her life. However, there was something she realized did not practice. Learn about that in the podcast. I think many of us can relate. I loved how Carmen evolved with the training and her ultimate summit. Have you done something where you learned something or gained insight unexpectedly?

In this episode, I had the privilege to speak with Dr. Maria Luque about body image and how it affects women during the midlife years. She shares strategies about how to improve our body image when it comes to our changing bodies. The reality of midlife for many of us (I know everyone has a different experience), is that our bodies do change. The question is, how are we going to handle it? Will we be kind to ourselves? Will we go through this time with grace and compassion for our bodies? What is important for women to understand is major hormones that have helped to regulate systems in our bodies for so long are now shifting and ultimately declining and will no longer be produced. This does cause a change in our bodies as well as our minds. Here is to practicing strategies for a more positive body image and finding more joy in our day to day lives.

Dr. Maria Luque is a fitness expert, health science professor, menopause nerd, and busy mother passionate about sharing knowledge and helping women lead healthier, happier lives. She’s the creator of Fitness in Menopause, a company dedicated to helping women navigate the challenges and rewards of menopause. She currently holds both graduate and post-graduate degrees in health sciences and certifications as Certified Health Education Specialist, ACE Certified Personal Trainer, and ACE Fitness Nutrition Specialist. In her Fitness in Menopause Masterclass she helps women find the fun in movement during menopause and her course Menopausal Fitness: Training the Menopausal Client is a NASM, AFAA, and ACE- accredited continuing education course for fitness professionals. She teaches at the College of Health and Human Services at Trident University International and is a freelance writer for fitness publications. You can reach her on IG @drmarialuque and FB @fitnessinmenopause. Her website is www.FitnessInMenopause.com

Dr. Mary has over 25+ years of experience as a self-employed business woman and consultant … AND 15 years ago, she experienced burnout firsthand and crashed hard! At the time, she didn’t have the necessary tools or resources to navigate the difficult period in her life, so she panicked and ran away to the other side of the world. Now, she is wholeheartedly committed to supporting women who want to transform the way they show up in this world and experience thriving health, happiness, and purpose, utilizing the tools of energy medicine, chiropractic, functional blood chemistry analysis, and positive psychology.

Dr. Mary earned her doctorate in Chiropractic from Logan College of Chiropractic in St. Louis, MO. She completed her Certificate in Positive Psychology from the Wholebeing Institute in Lennox, MA and studied under Dr. Tal Ben Shahar. In addition, she completed her Masters in Intuition Medicine® from the Academy of Intuition Medicine® in Sausalito, CA and studied under Dr. Francesca McCartney.

Offerings:

Bounce Back from Burnout: From Surviving to Thriving! A 5-month bespoke healing program for successful women over 40 who are ready to experience health, happiness, and purpose. The next cohort starts August 9th, 2022 and there are still spaces available.

https://www.drmarysanders.com/bounce-back-from-burnout

Dr. Mary on the web. Check out her links below!

https://www.drmarysanders.com

https://www.instagram.com/dr.maryesanders/

https://www.facebook.com/dr.maryesanders

Welcome back sweet listeners. I am so excited to share this conversation about becoming plant based. Today, I speak with Ann Keating.

Ann is a plant-based coach, culinary creator and blogger, and has received a certificate in plant-based nutrition from Cornell. She works with clients helping them incorporate more plants into their diets. As a cancer survivor, she understands the importance of balancing a healthy diet with food that actually tastes good. Ann works with her clients to help them incorporate more plants in their diet without giving up things they love.

Check her out here on Social Media:

Instagram: @cantbeetplants Facebook: Can’t Beet Plants Website: cantbeetplants.com Email: ann@cantbeetplants.com

In this episode, I speak with Tonya Bray, former professional mountain biker, Dharma and Wellness Coach, and Ski Instructor. Tonya is passionate about helping people find out that their purpose is so that they may live a life that flows and feels good. I love our conversation today as she teaches us about her coaching work and the field of Human Design.

Currently, Tonya is offering a mini-course called Mastering Me-Time; Self-Adoration Adventure: Body Image + Self Worth Transformation; Adventure to Freedom (coming soon!). For 1-1 coaching I am offering Dharma Base Camp, 4 weeks; Climb High 6 months and 1 year bespoke programs.

https://tonyareneebray.com

https://www.instagram.com/dharma_adventure_coaching/

I am so excited to share this episode with you. I speak with Leslie Coates Burpee, NCC, CCTP. Leslie is a Licensed and Board Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor. She attended Davidson College in North Carolina and earned an MA in Psychology from Harvard University, where she collaborated with Ellen J. Langer, Ph.D. on innovative mindfulness research. She went on to earn an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Marymount University. Leslie Coates Burpee completed the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Core Curriculum and several advanced-level trainings directly under the instruction of Dr’s. Aaron and Judith Beck. She maintains membership with Northern Virginia Licensed Professional Counselors (NVLPC), American Counseling Association (ACA), Virginia Counselors Association (VCA), and Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA). (She is a total badass!)

In this episode we chat about social media and phone use.

I am so excited to share this episode with you. I speak with Leslie Coates Burpee, NCC, CCTP. Leslie is a Licensed and Board Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor. She attended Davidson College in North Carolina and earned an MA in Psychology from Harvard University, where she collaborated with Ellen J. Langer, Ph.D. on innovative mindfulness research. She went on to earn an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Marymount University. Leslie Coates Burpee completed the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Core Curriculum and several advanced-level trainings directly under the instruction of Dr’s. Aaron and Judith Beck. She maintains membership with Northern Virginia Licensed Professional Counselors (NVLPC), American Counseling Association (ACA), Virginia Counselors Association (VCA), and Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA). (She is a total badass!)

Not only is Leslie a wonderful counselor, she is such a dear friend.I loved our conversation as we discussed the book,

How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain by Lisa Feldman Barrett. I think understanding our emotions is essential, especially during midlife. I hope you find this helpful and insightful.

In today's episode, I chat with Jen Sweeney who is the author of You've Got to Be Kidding Me!: Perimenopause Symptoms, Stages and Strategies. I love this conversation and hope to get to partner with Jen as she works to educate and advocate for women's health. I hope you enjoy the conversation and and purchase the book!

Periwinkle website: www.helloperiwinkle.com and here are the Social Media links:

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

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

The 25% discount code for your listeners is: SMF25 on both the Ebook and Paperback. The link to buy is:

https://store.bookbaby.com/book/youve-got-to-be-kidding-me?format=ebook

In this episode (Holy Smokes...there have been 20), Stephanie reflects on a recent conversation with a friend where they chat about their careers, goals and how to support one another. After Steph downloads all her ideas to her friend, the friend responds with "Wow, that sounds like a lot. What do you really want?" This left Stephanie speechless. Listen to what Steph has done in recent weeks to process and work through figuring out what she really wants with regard to her work-life. Do you ever have similar feelings about achieving a lot and hopes to conquer several goals?

How do you navigate letting go of so many expectations you have of yourself?

Rebecca Thomas joins us today to talk about self trust. How do we learn to not trust ourselves? How can we learn to trust ourselves again? Why do we make the decisions we make? This conversation is one of my favorites. Rebecca always offers such incredible insight.

I love this conversation with Ang Wilson of Sol Yoga Studio. She speaks to how her yoga practice began more than 20 years ago and how it has been such an important part of her life. She is also celebrating one year alcohol free. I love her energy and passion.

I talk with Michelle Mercurio. We go deep. Michelle shares her story and her plan. She shifts the narrative from living a life she thought she should be living and created the life she wanted to live. Listen to her speak candidly and openly as she shares her process to evolve.

What kind of spring commitments do you make to yourself?

Do your feet and legs hurt? Learn why from our guest Nidhi Reva.

Enjoy a reset. Take a moment to sit quietly and listen to the meditation as a little break in your day.

Welcome back, Rebecca Thomas as we share the stories we tell ourselves and how they effect us.

Inspired by the lyrics from the 80's sitcom, Gimmie a Break, Stephanie shares her thoughts on taking breaks throughout the day as a form of self-care.

In this episode, I share with listeners thoughts on self care that I shared at a recent event called the AWE Summit. This is a wonderful event put on annually by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce and it is for female entrepreneurs. At this event, I was honored to sit as a part of a panel that chatted about self care. I wanted to share the thoughts I had with the listeners. Enjoy!

Y'all don't want to miss this episode. In this episode, Rebecca Thomas of Not Another Diet joins us to talk sugar and how we can make intentional choices about our foods. As you can tell, I was blown away by some of the things I heard during our conversation.

Have you looked in the mirror lately or seen a photo of yourself and asked yourself "Who's that Girl"? In this episode, I share my thoughts on our mid-life evolution and how we can view our bodies during this time.

I am so excited to share this episode with you. Nidhi Reva, PA, MPH joins me today to talk about the top 5 things we should bring up with our doctors during our annual exams or even consider scheduling an appointment outside of your exam time to have a consult. We talk wetting ourselves, being tired, changes in periods and more.

Dry January, Sober October, Sober Curious! There are conversations around women's relationship with alcohol are real and they are happening all around us. What is your relationship like with alcohol these days? I will tell my story and learnings to date. Share with me your story and let's keep the conversation going as we support one another, learn and grow!

What is the best workout for a woman in her 40's and 50's? Is it HIIT or yoga or strength? Stephanie shares her thoughts on today's episode.

Impromptu thoughts from Stephanie while she sits in quarantine and isolation. Here is to always just doing our best each and every day.

A brief overview of what perimenopause is and how our hormones affect this time of life.

Stephanie shares the perimenopausal symptoms she has been experiencing since right before the pandemic. Please be sure to see your doctor annually. Don't forget to get your mammogram.

Stephanie takes a moment to describe her core values and her "why" for this podcast and her work. Connecting with women in their 40's and 50's and building a community that can learn and chat about perimenopause and menopause is personal to her. Wishing all of you a happy and healthy 2022.

Welcome to Your Empowered Evolution, A Podcast Dedicated to Women in Mid-Life. Here is the trailer for this podcast. I am beyond excited to connect with you. Thanks for being here.

Welcome to Your Empowered Evolution, A Podcast Dedicated to Women in Mid-Life. Here is the trailer for this podcast. I am beyond excited to connect with you. Thanks for being here.