PATH Positive Approaches To Health: Recent Episodes
Jenny Pitcher
PATH is a cross-country road trip navigated by registered dietitians and long-time friends Jenny and Toni. PATH spotlights America’s diverse subcultures—in communities from Berkeley to Birmingham—revealing some surprising and practical roads to healthier living for ourselves and the nation. PATH is our Positive Approach To Health. Ride along with us!
To access show notes, recipes, resources and pics of our awesome pups check us out at:
https://www.thepathpod.com/
Toni travelled solo during this leg of the PATH Pod journey, taking a short jaunt down the west coast to SanDiego, CA. She had a lovely conversation with Dr. Sabrina Falquier, a board certified internal medicine, culinary medicine and lifestyle medicine physician who was a previous guest on the show in October of 2022. The two of them discussed Doctors+ Premium, a podcast Sabrina hosts on Apple Podcasts. They also take a dive into culinary medicine, one of Dr. Falquier’s great passions where she spends a lot of time bridging the silos that exist between allopathic and alternative medicine. She peels back some of the culinary medicine layers, touching on the training that enables her to suggest food and spice substitutions to help meet patients where they are and to bring a sensitivity to their cultural roots. She shares how to participate in a culinary medicine appointment and how it fits into the Lifestyle Medicine paradigm. She also looks forward by sharing where she thinks this area of medicine is going in the future – becoming more mainstream with medicine shifting to a prevention model where food is front and center, and most importantly, paid for! You can see her work firsthand through the powerful documentary The Kitchenistas, visit her website, or follow along @SensationsSalud on social media.
Toni heads to Columbus, Ohio where she meets up with Jenny and their guest, Jenn Gebhart for part two of this August series on nervous system regulation. Jenn is a master facilitator for Everyday Mindfulness and Movements in the Columbus City Schools, offering well-being and self-care in education for staff and administrators. Jenn has also shared Urban Zen at The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center and James Cancer Hospital working with patients, staff and caregivers and Ohio Health Corporate Wellness programs. The three of them take a deep dive into the concept of regulating the nervous system and the role of the vagus nerve in the healing process. Jenn shares her very simple yet incredibly effective tools for toning the vagus nerve and self-healing using somatic practices. They discuss the idea of befriending your body and the self-awareness it takes to do this work. This episode is so incredibly empowering and offers an armful of tools to dump into your self-care toolbox that you will find yourself pulling out again and again as your travel your path. Follow Jenn and the inspiring healing work she engages in on Instagram @yogaandinspiration. Disclaimer: We had some issues with our music and Toni offers up an on-the-fly solution!
The ladies of the PATH Pod are on the road again this month for the first in a two-part series on nervous system regulation. On this leg of their journey, they head east to New Jersey and a conversation about pain, perfection and problem solving. They sit down with Dr. Kelly Kessler, Physical Therapist and Host of the Rewiring Health Podcast. Kelly tells the story of her Path, recovering from an eating disorder and years of physical pain to becoming a physical therapist who helps others deal with their pain and trauma through nervous system regulation. She explains how she turned her life around by focusing and harnessing the energy she put into her eating disorder and put it into getting better. She explains that her work in nervous system regulation is broken into four different areas – breath work, vagus nerve techniques, gentle movement and visual techniques. Kelly believes that no problem can be solved with the same level of consciousness that created it and it starts with gratitude. Kelly is an inspiration and her work is absolutely transformative! You can learn more about Dr. Kelly Kessler and her work here, follow her on Instagram @drkellykessler or check out her Podcast, Rewiring Health on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
The ladies of the PATHPod stay south, heading from Greenville, SC to Atlanta, GA. In this latest episode they meet up with Candace Doby. Candace is an amazing author, podcast host, speaker and coach who works with organizations to create a culture of courage where employees perform at their highest potential. The three of them talk about the risk of taking action and the very real risk of NOT taking action, which is the place of ultimate possibility. They also talk about the “rules” we tell ourselves and how we fall into the trap of following rules that don’t even exist. Most importantly, Candace speaks to the importance of understanding your motivation and your why. And, that it CANNOT be external – she explains that courage absolutely requires us to be internally motivated and align with our values. This conversation sparked Toni and Jenny to stop and think clearly about their own values and they share those with each other. This is a fun conversation full of positivity and hope that you will want to share far and wide! It will also inspire you to learn more about Candace and follow her on Instagram @candacedoby.
Toni and Jenny head to Phoenix on this leg of the PATH Pod road trip. They meet up with Joshua Becker, author of Things That Matter: Overcoming Distractions to Pursue a More Meaningful Life. Joshua shares his incredible story of happiness and purpose that lead him to engage in this life-changing work. In his latest book, he shares the eight common distractions to a meaningful and no-regrets life. During their conversation he breaks down very practical steps we can all begin to experiment with as we move towards living a more intentional and worthwhile life with less distractions. This is yet another can’t-miss episode to share with friends and family during this holiday of giving thanks. The PATH Pod cannot thank Joshua enough for taking the time to engage in such a rich & significant conversation. Toni & Jenny believe this conversation is an incredible gift and they are grateful to share it with their PATH Pod family this Thanksgiving holiday. Find out more about Joshua’s work, where you can order his books and read his blog here.
During this episode, the ladies of the PATHPod head to Reno, NV where they connected with Bridget Wood, a registered dietitian nutritionist, certified diabetes care and education specialist, recipe developer, and media dietitian living with type one diabetes. The three of them talked a lot about inclusivity and belonging, focusing on person-first language and why it is so important for healthcare practitioners to adopt. Bridget talked about the significance of connection and the tribe she is creating through her social media presence along with her role as an advocate and positive role model. One of the biggest myths she busted was people living with diabetes cannot eat certain foods – she spoke a lot about normalizing the notion all foods fit and the value of having a good relationship with food and flavor. And of course, living in the grey came up quite a bit, as it does during many of these road trips. If you are living with diabetes or know someone who is, this episode is sure to hit many notes! You can follow her on YouTube or Instagram @balancedwithbridgetwood.
The PATHPod has been on the road trip of a lifetime during this episode. They are in National City, CA near the southern border between California and Mexico. National City is home to Olivewood Gardens, an interactive, indoor-outdoor classroom for children and adults from around San Diego County. Olivewood Gardens is the birthplace of the Cooking For Salud program and the graduates of that program, The Kitchenistas. This program has been so successful and impactful it has been made into a documentary film short streaming now on Apple TV and other home streaming devices. It has been accepted by ten film festivals including Global Health Film Festival (London). The film illustrates the struggles and triumphs of families in National City living with Diabetes, Obesity, and other health conditions related to food. Toni and Jenny had the opportunity to engage in a conversation with 3 women who have been instrumental in making these programs come to life – Dr. Sabrina Falquier Montgrain, Patty Corona and Mary Ann Beyster. Below are their abbreviated bios and social media information.
Bios:
- Sabrina A. Falquier Montgrain, MD, CCMS
Internal Medicine, Culinary Medicine
Founder and CEO, Sensations Salud, LLC - Culinary Medicine. Education. Consulting
Faculty, Culinary Medicine Specialist Board
Clinical Professor, Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, UC San Diego Health Sciences
Chair, Advisory Board, Culinary Medicine Specialist Board
Vice-Chair, Board of Directors, Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center
email: sfm@sensationssalud.com
website: SensationsSalud.com
Linkedin (Business)
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
Twitter
TikTok
- Patty Corona
1st generation Kitchenista and Cooking for Salud® Coordinator at Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center®. She has her B.A. in Foreign Trade and Customs at Universidad Iberoamericana del Noroeste. Pattyworks to deliver behavior and lifestyle change programs including Cooking for Salud® Patty grew up between Tijuana, Santa Veronica Ranch in Tecate and summers at her grandmother’s ranch in San Pedro, Jalisco. After a year as a volunteer at Olivewood, Patty became highly motivated to serve her community of National City through learning and inspiring others to learn.
- Mary Ann Beyster
Founder of Yellow Warbler Media, works on multi-media educational projects and documentaries to explore entrepreneurial stories of conservation, community wellbeing, and equity through ownership. Mary Ann is a native San Diegan, and community leader with a diverse 30-year career as an engineer, a business and non-profit technology executive, board member, and documentary producer. Her works have been broadcasted and/or distributed by PBS, Films Media Group, Cinema Guild, The Aspen Institute, The Democracy Collaborative, Department of Defense, Apple TV, and seen by tens of thousands of students annually via academic institutions.
Social Media - Film
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekitchenistasmovie
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekitchenistasmovie/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thekitchmovie
Social Media –Kitchenistas
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/olivewood.kitchenistas/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olivewoodkitchenistas/
Social Media –SensationsSalud
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sensationssalud
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sensationssalud/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sensationssalud
Social Media – Olivewood
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/olivewoodgardens
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olivewoodgardens/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OlivewoodGarden
The ladies of The PATH Pod are on the road again! This week they head back up to the pacific northwest to spend time with their friend Ginger Hultin. They first met Ginger on episode 70 during one of their road trips to Seattle. That conversation focused on meal planning and her book, The Anti-Inflammatory Diet Meal Prep Cookbook. This conversation revolved around her new e-book, Meal Prep For Weight Loss 101. The three of them dove into the world of managing weight and discussed the contentious nature of that space right now. Ginger explained how at the heart of her integrative nutrition practice is the importance of meeting people where they are which sums up her gentle approach and philosophy. Just like their first conversation, everything comes down to planning ahead and using the templates and tools in her e-book make it super-easy and helpful to get started! Learn more about Ginger, Ginger Hultin Nutrition and how to get her new e-book here. And, follow her on Instagram @gingerhultinnutrition.
The PATHPod Gals head to Pittsburgh, PA on their latest journey to meet up with Laura Ali, Registered Dietitian and author of the Mind Diet For Two. They jump right into the MIND diet, or the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay diet. Although it is a mouthful, Laura was able to break it down very easily and concisely, explaining how following this type of eating plan even just moderately can result in a 35% reduction in Alzheimers disease risk. They swooned over the recipes, honing in on the Grilled Pork Chops with Blueberry Barbeque Sauce, Shakshuka and Poached Cod with Tomatoes and Beans over Polenta. Laura shared her greatest wishes for the consumers she works with when it comes to cooking – to make it low stakes and to decrease fear. Her perspective is driven home after hearing her personal Positive Approach To Health! Give this a listen and share far and wide because this way of eating can impact EVERYONE – whether you are 25 or 65! Check out Laura’s website for her blog and recipes. Follow her on Instagram @lauraali_rd for kitchen tip and inspo!
Toni and Jenny make a road trip once again visiting our neighbor to the north – Toronto, Canada. They were able to spend some time with pal of the PATHPod, Andy De Santis. Andy was on the Pod back in December of 2020 to talk about using humor as a means of communicating nutrition information. He is back at it again – with more humor and another cookbook! This time it is all about Fatty Liver, an interesting topic considering its novelty and the lifestyle implications. Andy does a beautiful job unpacking this disease introducing topics such as fat transport to the mitochondria, the gut-liver axis and symbiotic supplements. He lays out some easy strategies for how to fit more of the foods we need to fight this disease into our diet without feeling like it’s a huge and overbearing stretch. He calls out what he terms the path of least resistance – the afternoon snack and how it can be used to our advantage. Since 1 in 4 people have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and a large majority of people don’t even know it, this is an episode everyone needs to hear! Andy can be found giving out hilarious, evidence-based nutrition advice & resources on Instagram @AndytheRD or his website.
The Ladies of the PATHPod are on the road again headed south to Atlanta, GA. During this road trip they take a deep dive into the world of Food Is Medicine with Registered Dietitian Kristen Avera. Kristen works for Open Hand Atlanta as the Nutrition Services Coordinator, providing group nutrition education as well as medical nutrition therapy to a variety of populations throughout the metro Atlanta area. Open Hand’s prepared meal programs serve vulnerable low-income clients in a variety of settings, providing freshly cooked, home-delivered meals, combined with snacks or supplements, to meet their daily nutrition needs. Meals are designed by Registered Dietitian Nutritionists to meet individual clients’ dietary requirements and tailored to their specific health conditions. This is an important part of the treatment portion of the Food Is Medicine initiative which includes a variety of services and interventions that realize and respond to the critical connection between nutrition and the illnesses that so many Americans are dealing with. These three ladies get into the specifics of the work that Kristen is part of along with who pays for these services and what she predicts for the future. They even talk about a collaboration that involves honey bees! If you ever wondered what the future of nutrition might look like – Food Is Medicine is it! Learn about Open Hand & their work or donate to help.
The ladies of the PATHPod head west once again, finding themselves in LA talking with an amazing researcher and clinician. Dr. David Wiss is a Registered Dietitian who founded Nutrition In Recovery, a group practice of RDNs specializing in the treatment of eating and substance use disorders in 2013. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD) in 2022 by investigating the links between adverse childhood experiences and various mental health outcomes among socially disadvantaged men. The three of them talked about nutrition and its role in substance use disorder and the recovery process. That lead them to dig into the role of nutrition in mental health, food addiction and the relationship between eating disorders and substance use disorder, adverse childhood experiences and the role social determinants of health play in all of it. Dr. Wiss tackles challenging information and his brilliance is in synthesizing it, communicating in a way that can be easily understood and impactful. This is an episode to share far and wide as these issues effect far too many and solutions are less than ideal. Dr. Wiss is truly a pioneer and what he offers here is profound and healing. You can find Dr. Wiss at his clinical practice, Nutrition In Recovery or at Wise Mind Nutrition. Also check him out on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @drdavidwiss or on YouTube at Wise Mind Nutrition.
Toni and Jenny of The PATHPod head out on the road again, this time making a beauTEAful stop in Arlington, VA to talk to the Minister of Commerce and Enlightenment at Republic of Tea, Kristina Richens Tucker. Kristina shares her vast knowledge about Republic of Tea, the mythical place she has been a citizen of since the 1990’s and defected to in 2003. Since that time, she has been steeped in Camelia Sinensis and the incredible properties this plant has to offer, both physically and spiritually. The three of them talk about the art and science of drinking tea, the incredible health benefits of flavonoids and the calm yet alert state one can reach with the caffeine and L-Theanine inherent in tea. Kristina shares what is trending in the world of tea and how Republic of Tea keeps evolving with over 350 varieties of tea to their name. Kristina teaches Toni and Jenny about Ta Shun – the great harmony and well-being of the collective whole and how the ritual of having tea together creates a sense of presence allowing for incredible connection. Learn more about Republic Of Tea and where to purchase here.
The PATHPod gals are traveling across the globe to talk with cook, writer and vegelante, Alice Zaslavsky. Alice has been shaking things up down under in her hometown of Melbourne for the last decade plus. The outcome of all that moving and shaking has been the incredible debut of her cookbook, In Praise of Veg. The PATHPod feels like they struck gold connecting with Alice and promoting her beautiful book. Their conversation took place about a year and a half ago and has been sitting on ice, waiting for In Praise of Veg to hit bookshelves in the US. They talk about all things veg and the incredible work Alice has been focused on including children’s food literacy and her time on Master Chef Australia which catapulted her into the broadcasting world. She uses her influence to promote healthy eating with vegetables at the center of the plate and harnesses her karma of connection, allowing that message to stick. Listen to this episode on a walk or while cooking up some veg and find that you will be inspired by this warm and spunky young lady who is taking the world by storm - a veggie storm! Learn more about Alice, her cookbook and her story or follow her across social media @aliceinframes.
Toni and Jenny continue their road trip, this time landing in Mt. Vernon, Ohio a little town northeast of Columbus. They find themselves with Benji Ballmer, the Dave Matthew’s-loving Dad & owner of YellowBird Foodshed. Yellowbird is an innovative food company that works with over 100 food growers and producers from Ohio to bring the food they grow and harvest to the surrounding community. Some people would call them a CSA (community supported agriculture) but Benji prefers to call his business a foodshed, which is a term used to describe a region of food flows, from the area where it is produced, to the place where it is consumed, including: the land it grows on, the route it travels, the markets it passes through, and the tables it ends up on. He has hit the mark with Yellowbird and has a WHOLE LOT to say about local food and decentralizing our current food system. He gives the PATHPod ladies much to consider and will have anyone who gives this a listen wondering about the origins of the food they eat. Check out Yellowbird or follow them on Instagram at yellowbirdfoodshed and then consider checking into a similar organization in the community where you reside.
Toni & Jenny take a quick road trip to the city of San Francisco to meet up with Linda Shiue - physician, chef & culinary medicine powerhouse! The three of them have a conversation about Linda’s Path and how she came to write an incredible cookbook and culinary resource - Spicebox Kitchen. Not only is Linda an amazing creative, she’s a scientist and has melded those two worlds together in this stunning book. It has a beautifully unique aesthetic and is full of stories that give the book incredible dimension. She takes her readers on a cooking journey, visiting all kinds of different flavors using spices, herbs and vegetables from around the globe. Not only is the book an incredible tool to add to your healthy lifestyle toolkit but the culinary thoughts and ideas she offers up during this conversation will inspire and nudge you right into the kitchen. She will have you pulling out a pan and firing up your stove in no time!! Learn more about Dr. Shiue and Spicebox Kitchen. Follow her on Twitter and IG @spiceboxtravels or on FB and YouTube @TheDoctorsSpicebox or check out her blog.
The PATHPod ladies head to Florida for the first time in this episode that is steeped in resilience and purpose. They spend some time in Pensacola talking to Toni’s dear friend from college, Mindi Malone. Mindi is a spunky little go-getter with some serious strength, physically and emotionally. She shares the story of her path and how that lead her to a passion for racing. She has participated in multi-sport competitions for years and has baked this sport into her life. She talks about why this sport is so important to her and how finding the right group of people to do it with has made all the difference. She surrounds herself with motivating and encouraging people who provide her accountability to get shit done! She is a registered dietitian, business owner and races for the SisterChain triathlon team (you can follow on Insta @sisterchaintriteam). She is race director for the non-profit Give It A Tri and the Santa Rosa Triathlon in Pensacola, FLA. There are so many nuggets to glean from this inspiring conversation. Take a listen and then share with a friend!
The ladies of the PATH Pod head to beautiful Santa Barbara, CA on their next leg of the PATH journey. They sit down with entrepreneur and innovator, Ivan Pelly of IvanBar to talk all about the delicious nut and seed bars he has created. Ivan developed his bars out of a specific need – to keep himself well-nourished and fueled to support his active lifestyle. A bunch of people took notice and Ivan, the software engineer is now Ivan, the snack engineer. But this is not just any snack! This is a whole food bar designed to provide steady, long-lasting fuel and keep people off the proverbial blood sugar roller coaster. He has met the mark on this one!! The bars are delicious, flavorful and provide long-lasting satisfaction – Toni, Jenny and their families concur! This is a fun conversation that goes well beyond food and dives into purpose, paying it forward and of course, connection. Check out ingredients & flavors, connect and find out where you can buy IvanBar here!
Toni and Jenny head back out on the road and find themselves in Utah for a delightful visit with Annika Weeks. Anni is a Nutrition and Dietetic Technician, Registered, or as she likes to call herself, a Digital Diet Tech! She has created a unique business that combines her technical skills with her creative experience to help health professionals enhance their online presence. As a natural connector, Anni helps create content & improve SEO to reach the ideal audience. Anni gets real and shares the story of her challenging and curvy Path, which has shaped her into a true entrepreneur – building bridges and filling gaps for busy health professionals who can’t seem to get it all done. Her story is incredibly relatable as it is one of struggle and having to forge your own path. She has a thing or two to say about diet culture, religious fasting and diversity as well - don’t miss this interesting and uplifting conversation!! Check out her business or follow her on Instagram @anniweeksnutrition. Disclaimer - we mentioned this was episode 103 during the conversation but we snuck another episode in, so this is really episode 104 - keeping you all on your toes!
Jenny actually hops on a plane to visit Toni and the PATHPod ladies have a quick conversational "debrief" about the trip. They chat about the surreal nature of seeing each other after 2 years apart and how it feels to be back in the world again. The two of them have a lot to unpack and discover as they talk through the wonderful time they were able to spend together.
Toni and Jenny travel around the globe in this episode that spans New Zealand to London to Orange County, CA. During this epic trip they nerd out with food and biomedical sciences researcher Natalie Paterson. Natalie explains her path, which started in New Zealand where she was inspired by her Māori upbringing to explore the value of growing your own food. She then found herself in London and saw first-hand how growing your own food might be quite difficult in a large metropolitan area. Melding her two experiences together lead her to co-found Ingarden, an innovative company that has developed an indoor hydroponic smart garden harnessing nature’s processes using high-quality, sustainable materials to grow the freshest, most nutritious microgreens to enjoy at home. The three of them get into the nutritional value and benefits of micro-greens, how to use them and the importance of sustainability. There is so much to take away from this episode and if you are inspired to grow your own microgreens after listening, Natalie has provided the PATHPod community with this discount code to purchase your own InGarden! Learn more about InGarden and Natalie and follow InGarden on Instagram at ingarden_com.
The ladies of the PATHPod take another trip to NYC – this time to Manhattan to meet with chef and Registered Dietitian Abbie Gellman. Abbie is all about the taste and their discussion is around making healthy food that tastes good, or as Abbie says – “Scrumptious – both healthy and hella good!” Man, does she deliver! She saw this need to bridge the worlds of health and food early in her dietetic career and she has spent over a decade perfecting her art and science mash-up. Throughout this episode, she offers easy and fun suggestions for making veggies and gives her thumbs up or down on kitchen gadgets as well. She offers a ton of tools to drop right in your tool bag with a big focus on culinary approaches that are sustainable. Because, if food doesn’t taste fantastic, it’s hard to come back to it again and again!! Learn more about Abbie, her work and her recipes here. Connect with her on Instagram accounts @chefabbiegellman or learn about her latest project @culinarynutritionstudio.
Toni and Jenny mix it up on this episode – the tables are turned as Toni’s dear friend and Pal of the Pod, Joel Giullian interviews the gals of the PATH Pod for this 100th episode!! They reminisce about the first few years of Positive Approaches To Health, their feelings of trepidation starting the podcast and the incredible connection and support they continue to feel from the PATH Pod community. There is a lot of talk about their own self-care and it is not what you would expect from a couple of dietitians! There are plenty of surprises, including their biggest take away from the conversations with their incredibly generous guests and a look into the future at Episode 200! They share what tools they have dropped into their own toolboxes - both personal and professional and what they have learned from each other. Lastly, there is plenty of music, even though this episode is not really a road trip!! Join the celebration!
The PATH Pod ladies head up to San Francisco to meet yet another incredible human who inhabits that lovely little city. During this episode they have the absolute pleasure of talking with Erin Gordon, author of Peeps, a beautifully written story of Meg, a 51-year-old podcaster who’s spent her life afraid of “what ifs.” Toni and Jenny saw so many parallels to the PATH podcast and their own lives while getting the chance to read her tale and so many more showed up during their conversation with her. It is a journey story about finding a place in the world – much like our beloved PATHFinders, our podcast community, are on their own journey to create what health and well-being looks like to them. The conversation was so much fun - this is a put on your shoes, grab your phone and listen-while-you walk kind of thing! Learn about Erin & her work, her novels or follow her on Instagram @eringordonsf.
The PATH Pod gals continue their jaunt on the east coast, visiting Green Brook, New Jersey during this episode where they run into Lauren Harris-Pincus. Lauren is a nutrition communications specialist, author, speaker, spokesperson, corporate consultant, and registered dietitian in private practice. She is the founder and owner of Nutrition Starring YOU, LLC where she specializes in weight management and pre diabetes. She sat down with Toni and Jenny to have a conversation about her latest book, The Everything Easy Pre Diabetes Cookbook. Lauren gives a great primer on pre diabetes and how it differs from diabetes, along with some sneak-peeks into her book with a discussion on sorghum and seafood! Find out more about Lauren, her book & follow her on Instagram @laurenpincusrd.
Toni and Jenny head out on their next PATH Pod road trip to Bridgehampton, New York to learn all about the amazing work of Joyce Shulman. Joyce has been on a journey for decades and her current path includes encouraging women to take ownership of their minds, their moods and their bodies through the simple act of lacing up their sneakers and walking together. Her overall mission is to get a million women walking their way to better. Joyce is a powerful entrepreneur who is disrupting the fitness and wellness industry. As an ex-attorney, she found fighting other people’s problems incredibly exhausting, so she made a change and decided to inspire people instead! She has a book, Walk your Way To Better that contains 99 “walk starters” to help people get up and get moving. Her business, 99 Walks is not just a fitness business with an App, it is a community of people who encourage each other to be better. Not only is Joyce’s story uplifting, but the research she shares during their conversation about what walking can do for the brain, body & spirit is super-motivating! Learn about Joyce, 99 Walks, Walk Your Way To Better or listen to her TedTalk and get ready to hit the road walking!
The PATH Pod ladies are livin’ it up, eating their way through New Orleans, Louisiana with their new pal Molly Kimball. Molly is a rockstar dietitian who is turning the local restaurant scene on its head! Molly and her incredible team of dietitians have collaborated with local chefs & restaurants to bring healthy dishes to more than 300 menus in the state of Louisiana. Their Eat Fit project has grown and is now a beautiful cookbook with 224 pages full of delicious recipes with beautiful pictures and even more beautiful stories from their communities. The accomplishments Molly has made in such a short period of time go well beyond Eat Fit to include a podcast, multiple media appearances and leading the Ochsner nutrition program. Her nutrition savvy, servant leadership & curiosity ring loud and clear and are woven throughout her story, the story that started with “What If…” Learn more about Molly & her work, the Eat Fit Program and where to buy The Eat Fit Cookbook, along with 20% off for PATH Pod listeners through the end of the year with the code PATH. Thanks Molly! Follow Molly on Instagram as well @mollykimballrd
On this episode of The PATH Pod Jenny takes a solo trip all the way to Israel where she finds Dr. Rani Polak, Director of Spaulding CHEF Coaching Program, Harvard Medical School & Director of Sheba Lifestyle Medicine Program. Dr. Polak is the innovator behind The Culinary Healthcare Education Fundamentals (CHEF) Coaching program. They chat about the bridge Dr. Polak is building between the healthcare system and the culinary world, similar to the gap he bridged between medicine and patient-centered skills when he decided to quit medical school and attend Le Cordon Bleu. He shares how his path finally lead him back to medical school, taking with him his newfound culinary skills, enabling him to meet patients where they are by combining medicine and cooking. They talk kitchen organization, batch cooking and tahini sauce, offering many culinary tips & tricks along the way! This is an episode you will absolutely want to share with family and friends. Find out more about Dr. Polak, his research and the CHEF Coaching Program or follow him on Twitter @RaniPolakMD or connect with the CHEF Coaching program on Instagram @chef_coaching.
What An Inspiring Trip!!! The ladies of PATH take another trip to NYC, this time to visit with nutrition extraordinaire & Food Network star Ellie Krieger. Ellie is the host of “Healthy Appetite” and is the host and executive producer of the cooking series “Ellie's Real Good Food” on Public Television. She is also a New York Times bestselling, IACP and two-time James Beard Foundation award-winning cookbook author and writes two regular columns for The Washington Post. She has also been a columnist for Fine Cooking, Food Network magazines, and USA Today. Ellie’s stories about how she came to be such an icon in the nutrition world are so genuine and authentic. From her struggles with food as a child to an international modeling career and her very first cookbook, her chronicles are incredibly gracious and heartfelt. She gives insight into how she synthesizes nutrition and food, giving wise advice on a healthy approach to cooking and eating. They end the interview with Ellie offering a beautiful example of self-care while answering the question about her own positive approach to health.
Find details about her food network show. Read her content, buy her cookbooks, learn more about Ellie's Real Good Food or peruse her recipes here!
Toni and Jenny take another trip to the sun but this time they are in Hilton Head, South Carolina visiting with Registered Dietitian & Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, Toby Smithson of Diabetes Everyday. Toby opens up and tells her childhood story of being taught to keep her own Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis a secret and how that has shaped her view of diabetes self-care. She busts some serious diabetes myths and shares her number 1 pro tip for thriving with diabetes! The three of them talk about her awesome YouTube Channel where she fights diabetes-related misinformation while offering sound nutrition advice and about her experience writing her Dummies book, Diabetes Meal Planning & Nutrition. To learn more about Toby and to access her content or book, click here!!
The ladies of the PATH Pod take a trip out into the hot, hot heat of the Mojave Desert in Southeastern California. There they found Doug Evans, author of The Sprout Book living off the grid in a yurt, essentially living on sprouts! Their conversation is all about sprouts and Doug takes Toni and Jenny on a sprouting journey… they talk about growing, harvesting, cost savings and how to make them into delicious food! The three of them also touch on the health benefits and the differences between how Doug eats and the Standard American Diet. Doug also gives some great resources on where to purchase sprouts and how to start growing them. You can check out Doug and his book here.
Sprouting Resources:
True Leaf Market
Sprout Man
Sprout People
Disclaimer: This podcast represents the opinions of Doug Evans. The content here should not be taken as medical advice. The content here is for informational purposes only and because each person is so unique, please consult your healthcare professional for any medical questions.
Once again, the ladies of the PATH Pod find themselves in the Pacific Northwest on their Positive Approaches To Health road trip. During this episode they are gifted time spent with a delightful young Dietitian/Doula by the name of Carly Knowles. Carly specializes in holistic postpartum care for new mamas and families including nutritional counseling and private chef services. These three gals talked quite a bit about culinary medicine, an emerging evidence-based field that blends the art of cooking and food with the science of medicine. They also salivated over Carly’s cookbook, The Nutritionist’s Kitchen, a comprehensive guide that includes over 60 seasonal, whole food recipes. It is way more than a cookbook – it is a resource guide for anyone trying to embrace a whole food, plant-based diet. Carly’s brain power cannot be overlooked but it is her heart that shines during this conversation as she talks about her love of helping new mamas recover from pregnancy and birth. Check out Carly, her nutrition and doula services, along with here cookbook here.
Toni and Jenny make a return trip to Columbia, Missouri for a deeper dive into Mindful Eating with Dr. Lynn Rossy. This is the first repeat guest the ladies of the PATHPod have visited and they could not be more excited!!! Their first road trip to Columbia to talk with Dr. Rossy about Mindful Eating was released on April 15, 2019. Give it a listen! During this episode, Dr. Rossy shares her stories and wisdom about her own journey to mindful eating and how mindfulness has truly transformed her life and the work she engages in. Dr. Rossy also introduces her new book, Savor Every Bite: Mindful Ways to Eat, Love Your Body and Live With Joy. The three of them discuss some of the savoring practices and tools in the book that are super-effective, practical and quite simple to start. She also unpacks the similarities and differences between intuitive and mindful eating, revealing some interesting truths about these two practices. If having a better relationship with your body and your food is on your to-do list, this episode is a must! To learn more about Dr. Rossy and her work: lynnrossy.com. To learn more about The Center For Mindful Eating and their amazing resources: thecenterformindfuleating.org.
The PATHPod gals make the trek back up to the Pacific Northwest to have an incredible conversation with Mary Purdy, an Integrative & Eco Dietitian. Mary is the Big Brain behind the Nutrition Show Podcast and is an adjunct faculty lecturer at Bastyr University in Kenmore, Washington. The three of them sat down to talk a bit about the microbiome and perimenopause and ended up going down an entirely different path! The conversation took a natural turn to systems-thinking and root cause of disease, which lead to a discussion about social determinants of health and health disparities. Mary is a great story-teller with deep roots in the theater-world of NYC. She has an uncanny ability to take a complex topic and whittle it down into easy, first-step tips & tricks that can be used right away! Listen in and walk away with a wealth of info to put into practice today! To learn more about Mary and the work she is engaged in check her out here.
The PATHPod ladies head east to Princeton, New Jersey in this episode that is all things environmental health! They have an eye-opening conversation with Aly Cohen, a physician who is tripled board certified in internal medicine, rheumatology, and integrative medicine. She is also a trained specialist in environmental health and the three of them dive head-first into this topic. In 2013, Dr. Cohen created The Smart Human LLC, a company designed to inform the public and private institutions about environmental health concerns and practical solutions to help minimize chemical exposures. She has co-authored a book for the lay public with Frederick vom Saal, PhD called Non Toxic: Living Healthy In A Chemical World. She has also published a text book on the subject. Dr. Cohen gives a slew of ideas and steps to take to start living healthier without using so many chemicals. She explains how our society is getting sicker with endocrine and autoimmune diseases and what can be done about it. She wants everyone to understand the full story so tune in for a wealth of information with actionable steps to take on your PATH! Check out her work at alycohenmd.com. To learn more about the Environmental Working Group go to EWG.org or Healthcare Without Harm go to noharm.org.
The ladies of the PATHPod head to the beautiful state of New Mexico for a delightful conversation with Fallon Bader. Fallon is a registered dietitian-nutritionist and the founder/owner of the Sprouting Kitchen where she marries nutrition and farming in and around the Albuquerque area. Fallon is super-passionate about teaching people how to cook at the source of where their food grows – on the farm! Fallon explains that because of the unique natural resources in the Albuquerque area, there are many farms very close to the city so getting people there to cook and eat together is a snap! She is all about creating community and connection by meeting people where their food is grown, which creates the ultimate experiential learning opportunity. She follows what is in season and always involves innovative, plant-based recipes and ideas that are super-accessible. Even if you cannot make it to the Albuquerque area, you can check out her work and join her for a virtual cooking class at thesproutingkitchen.org or follow her on Instagram @thesproutingkitchen.
Toni travels solo on this PATHPod trip to Carmichael, CA to have a conversation about resilience with Amy Myrdal Miller. Amy is an award-winning Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, farmer’s daughter, highly regarded public speaker, published author, and founder and president of Farmer’s Daughter® Consulting, Inc., a privately-held agriculture, food, and culinary communications firm. Amy gets deeply personal during their conversation and shares the story of how she contracted Bells Palsy in the middle of the pandemic. Her openness about the challenges of this rare diagnosis along with what lead her to ultimately build personal resilience is a conversation that is sure to inspire. The last year and a half has thrown us collectively into a place no one knew how to navigate and building resilience to continue through is paramount. Tune in, take a listen and forward because everyone needs this, now more than ever. To learn more about Amy, check out her work at farmersdaughterconsulting.com or follow her on Instagram @amymyrdalmiller.
The ladies of the PATHPod head down to the great state of Texas to visit with Mary Ellen Phipps, the registered dietitian behind Milk and Honey Nutrition. Her mission and Milk and Honey is to provide healthful recipes and resources to help properly manage health condition(s) while allowing patients and clients to experience true joy and contentment from the food they are eating. The three of them talk all things diabetes and how her approach at Milk and Honey as well as through her book, The Easy Diabetes Cookbook, is to have fun around food while making a few changes in the process to elicit sustainable change. Mary Ellen shares the story of her own journey with diabetes starting at the age of 5 and how her experience as a person living with diabetes is what has pushed her to help others live well with the disease. They chat it up about flavor and the importance of making food taste delicious when dealing with diabetes. Milk and Honey is an incredible resource that provides a ton of delicious meal ideas along with solid, evidence-based information to help individuals live their best lives – check out Mary Ellen and her work at milkandhoneynutrition.com or follow her on Instagram at milknhoneynutrition.
The ladies of the PATH Pod show up in Indianapolis, Indiana during this episode steeped in humanism and deep connection. Toni and Jenny have an incredible conversation with Dr. Laura Vater, a hematology-oncologist who developed the SMILE Scale to help patients and clinicians prioritize their own health. It was through the recognition of the need for her own self-care that this simple, yet effective tool was born. Dr. Vater explains how her belief in seeing people beyond their diagnosis is the key to deep and meaningful connection with her patients and is why she is an advocate for humanism in medicine. She weaves together the connection between humanism, social justice and health disparities while sharing her vision for disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment and end of life care that serves everyone by addressing the root causes. This is a cannot-miss episode focused on self-care along with a deep dive into what it means to truly care for others. To learn more about the SMILE Scale and Dr. Vaters work visit lauravater.com
The gals of the PATHPod hung out in SanFran with their new bestie, Sarah Koszyk. Sarah is a dynamic influencer, mover and shaker in the green beauty space who also happens to be a registered dietitian and cookbook author. Sarah runs a thriving nutrition practice in SanFrancisco where she helps clients feel and look their best! The three of them get into what it takes to be successful in business – including how to fuel and hydrate yourself for optimal brain power and sustainable energy. They also touch on some of the other must-have skills it takes to make it as an entrepreneur. Get inspired to move out of your comfort zone with this interview and learn a few tricks and hacks for getting your veggies in at the same time. Follow Sarah and her innovative ideas for keeping well on Instagram @sarahkoszyk or check out her website: sarahkoszyk.com. For more info on green beauty/organic produce/healthy home products: EWG.org
The PATHPod ladies embark on a journey during this episode – a spiritual journey to self-care as they visit with Shelly Tygielski, author of the upcoming book Sit Down To Rise Up, How Radical Self Care Can Change The World. Shelly is the founder of Pandemic Of Love, Meditation Teacher, Self-Care Activist and an extraordinary human. This episode will inspire, ignite and embolden while offering some serious can-do’s for self-care including a nudge to perform some “presilience”. They spend a lot of time talking about the idea of familiarizing yourself with yourself by creating awareness, allowing that concept to unfold. Shelly shares the notion of self-care through her story of delamination and exfoliation – and the time it took for her to peel back her own layers until she was able to see and know her true self. Learn all about Shelly, her book and the inspiring work she is engaged in: shellytygielski.com or follow her on Instagram @mindfulskatergirl. You can check out her SeeYouOnTheSand playlist on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5JuhTw0LIzfimofdTR0E3t
The Femmes of the PATHPod head to France on another “roadtrip” to Europe! Toni and Jenny were able to pick the brain of Dionne Detraz, an integrative dietitian who specializes in the prevention, treatment and recovery of cancer in this informative interview. Dionne’s passion for helping others through their cancer journey is felt all the way through this conversation, which is part story, part practical. They touch on why she wrote her first cookbook; The Cancer Diet Cookbook, to the tactical spelling out the specific cancer-fighting foods to introduce into the diet as well as strategies for increasing the effectiveness of chemo therapies. Of course, the importance of community and self-care are part of the conversation as these themes tend to show up quite often on the PATHPod!
Follow Dionne on Instagram @therusticdietitian or visit her website therusticdietitian.com to find more info and her online study course on how to build an anti-cancer diet – Nutrition Solutions For Cancer or learn about Nutrition Group Coaching.
Watch her video from SoulFoodSalon on Nourishing Your Immune System here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6Txs7qI2Cw&t=4020s
The PATHPod gals are back in the Bay Area for a delightful conversation with Dr. Kyra Bobinet, an expert in the areas of Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), learned helplessness and the iterative mindset. Kyra shares her personal story that lead her to go deep into SDOH and her desire to illicit engagement in whole populations. She does this by way of combining her backgrounds in neuroscience & public health to increase awareness around SDOH and the effect it has on all of us. Her unique perspective on behavior change, incorporating the ideas of learned helplessness and iteration will get you thinking, for sure. It certainly got Toni and Jenny’s wheels spinning! To learn more about how she uses these concepts to help others change their behavior, check out her work at freshtri.com or on Insta at fresh_tri. To understand more about this amazing human who is changing the world, visit her website at drkyrabobinet.com.
What can the gals of the PATHPod say??? They love New York! Toni & Jenny embark on another journey to the Big Apple that affords them the chance to chat with an absolute treasure in the sports nutrition world. This time around…they have an illuminating conversation with Natalie Rizzo, MS, RD. Natalie’s experience as a runner who happens to be a vegetarian and super-savvy when it comes to nutrition for athletes makes her a super-star guest! She’s a marathon runner and a long-time veggie-lover, dedicated to helping her clients learn how to fuel their bodies with plants.
Natalie answers some tough questions about running and nutrition as well as some curve-balls that Jenny and Toni toss her way about general plant-based nutrition. She answers them like a pro (because she is a PRO) and leaves the listener with lots of great information to consider for their health overall.
Her personality and practicality will make this an enjoyable listen, no doubt! Plus, she has a ton of great resources on her website www.greenletes.com, including The 4 Week Plant-Based Athlete Roadmap and The No-Brainer Nutrition Guide For Every Runner and more! Follow her amazing Instagram account for daily inspiration and great recipes as well other great tips and hacks. Check her out @greenletes.
Toni travels solo to NYC in this episode of PATH Positive Approaches To Health and engages in an incredible conversation with Bradford and Brian Manning of Two Blind Brothers. Brad and Brian were both diagnosed at a young age with Stargardt’s disease, a form of macular degeneration. They are in the business of creating ultra-soft designer clothing from natural fibers for the sole purpose of funding blindness research. Their conversation takes them down many paths as they touch on community, connection, adversity and purpose. This is a conversation you will not want to miss and teaches so many life lessons. You will fall in love with these two gentlemen as you listen to their story, the approach to their challenge and how they harnessed their passion and made it their mission to help find a cure for blindness. You can read their story and help support this cause at twoblindbrothers.com or watch one of their talks at https://twoblindbrothers.com/blogs/the-blind-spot/how-to-speak-your-truth-and-make-people-listen. To learn more about the book Toni referenced, Cry Like A Man by Jason Wilson go to https://www.amazon.com/Cry-Like-Man-Emotional-Incarceration/dp/0830775943.
The PATHPod gals road trip up to Bend, Oregon to have a heartfelt and inspiring conversation with an entrepreneur and amazing human---Kristi Coughlin, MS RDN. Kristi is a trained Registered Dietitian Nutritionist but her path has taken her away from direct service to a different form of DIRECT IMPACT through inspirational products and messages. For three years Kristi ran an online nutrition practice, until she started to realize something — all her clients had the same issue but it wasn’t nutrition related. Instead, they all lacked self-love. And, perfectionism was hindering their progress. As a result, Kristi launched an online product business called Bring About Happy.
At Bring About Happy, Kristi creates and sells products inspired by her private practice clients with messages such as You are Enough and REAL. Better than Perfect. This transition opened the door to Kristi’s true passion — helping others through a creative outlet. She has since closed her private practice to pursue her product business full-time. In this episode there are so many thought-provoking moments shared…it can get you thinking about how important it is to LISTEN to what your heart is telling you or what you are being called to do…
To learn more about Kristi and Bring About Happy you can check out Bringabouthappy.com and on IG bringabouthappy. Whatever you do…check out this Happy Infuser, Kristi Coughlin and enjoy the episode.
The ladies of the PATHPod head north into Canada to talk with Tamara Saslove and Elis Halenko – co-founders of the RD Collective, a business that helps dietitians and food & nutrition entrepreneurs build and scale the business of their dreams. The topic of their conversation was Imposter Syndrome and it was eye opening to say the least! It creeps up on the best of us and can do a number on our well-being, making us feel less-than in an already crazy and confusing time. Don’t let the fact that these two amazing women focus on nutrition businesses deter you from tuning into this unique and powerful episode. They share some inspiring stories about adaptability and the art of the pivot during this challenging year. The themes they delve into cut across myriad professions and will undoubtedly leave you with some take-away nuggets to start exploring. To learn more about the work they do and what they are up to follow them on Insta @TheRDCollective or the-rd-collective.teachable.com
The ladies of the PATH Pod took a fun little trip over to the California coast, landing in the little beach town of Santa Cruz to chat with Antonella Dewell. She is a registered dietitian who specializes in helping people who are dealing with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Antonella uses a low FODMAP protocol and explains the process along with the forensic nature of her work. She also helps to dispel some myths surrounding this “diet” and IBS itself, emphasizing how important it is to work with someone who specializes in this way of eating, as it is very personalized. The protocol works because the goal is to find the least restrictive diet so that it is sustainable for a lifetime, allowing her patients to find freedom, not restriction.
To learn more about Antonella and her private practice visit: antonelladewell.com or visit her on Instagram at ibs.fodmap.nutritionist
To learn more about Monash University: https://www.monashfodmap.com/
To learn more about the difference between IBS & IBD: https://www.webmd.com/ibs/guide/ibs-ibd-differences
The PATHPod gals head over to the UK for a delightful conversation with Maeve Hanan, a Registered Dietitian who has a passion for spreading evidence-based nutrition messages - just what the world needs more of! This super-fun conversation focused on food flexibility with snippets of content from Maeve’s blog and e-book which can be found on her website, Dietetically Speaking. Maeve explains what eating can look like when it compliments your life instead of dominating it and reinforced what the ladies of the PathPod preach ad nauseam - the importance of moving away from all or nothing thinking!! To check out Maeve’s work visit dieteticallyspeaking.com
Toni and Jenny take a small but mighty trip up the peninsula to SanFrancisco for a myth-busting game of Fact or Crap with Marcella Cox, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist specializing in treating eating disorders. Marcella is the Founder of Kindful Body, a collaboration of seasoned eating disorder professionals who provide online therapy and nutrition counseling throughout California. She is also Co-founder and Executive Director of the IFS Telehealth Collective, a multi-state mental health group practice dedicated to providing high quality-Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy. Marcella shed some much-needed light on the area of eating disorders and how this disease is so often missed, especially in marginalized communities. She shared multiple eye-opening statistics on top of her own personal, extremely vulnerable story. This is an episode that will touch everyone because after listening to the conversation it will become very clear that eating disorders and diet culture affect all of us.
To learn more about Marcella and her work:
https://www.kindfulbody.com/ or http://www.ifstherapyonline.com
or check her out on her social media channels:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kindfulbody/ or https://www.instagram.com/ifstherapyonline/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/kindfulbody or https://www.facebook.com/ifstherapyonline
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/kindfulbody/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/ifs-telehealth-collective/
Additional Resources:
For further information and more resources check out the work of Hilary Kinavey and Dana Sturtevant from Be Nourished
Kristen Neff and Self-Compassion - https://self-compassion.org/
Intuitive Eating - https://www.intuitiveeating.org/
Health At Any Size - https://haescommunity.com/
Body Trust - https://benourished.org/what-is-body-trust/
Brene Brown and Shame Resilience Theory - https://benourished.org/what-is-body-trust/
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Eating Disorders - https://anad.org/
National Eating Disorders Association - https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/
Project Eat - https://www.sph.umn.edu/research/projects/project-eat/
Toni and Jenny head back to Vermont to talk with another one of EatingWell’s rockstar team. Victoria Seaver is senior digital editor at EatingWell.com and she was a ton of fun to chat with about her Path, what she thinks about meal prep and of course, her ideas for making veggies delicious! Victoria shares a little bit about her Prep School series along with EatingWell’s digital content on Instagram. This one is sure to get you thinking differently about meal prep & self-care! Catch Victoria and all of Eating Well’s delicious content on Instagram at eatingwell or on eatingwell.com
Toni and Jenny take a trip over the Golden Gate and head to Marin County to visit with the ladies of Today I Noticed. Willow Older and Deb Huber started their community adventure in paying attention, Today I Noticed on November 12, 2018 and they have been T.I.N.ing ever since! They describe the act of T.I.N.ing as a small, manageable, creative process and a way to slow down. They explain that it started as a conversation between two friends but it has blossomed into a project that anyone can participate in – all one has to do is pay attention and notice. As Mary Oliver writes in Instructions for living a life… Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it. You will be astonished and want to tell others about this episode after you listen to it! To find out more about their lovely project go to todayinoticed.com or follow them on Instagram at today.i.noticed.
Toni and Jenny make the trek up to Seattle, Washington to visit with an amazing Dietitian and author of the Anti-Inflammatory Diet Meal Prep cookbook, Ginger Hultin. The three of them had a hopeful conversation about collaboration within the field of nutrition while touching on the importance of practicing evidence-based nutrition while keeping an open mind. They also dove head-first into meal prep, an anti-inflammatory, whole foods plant-based diet and the delicious recipes & resources in Ginger’s new book. If you have been wondering about an anti-inflammatory or a whole food, plant-based diet this episode is a MUST LISTEN!
To learn more about Ginger, the work she engages in and her cookbook visit https://www.champagnenutrition.com/ or follow her on Instagram at champagnenutrition
This episode is part Road Trip, part Behavior Change Basics and part Kitchen Surprise all wrapped up in one! The PATHPod Gals head to San Fran to talk about behavior change and creating habits with Lindsey Kane who is a registered dietitian, nutrition consultant and lifestyle blogger. Lindsey splits her time between her private practice, Bite For Change and Sun Basket, a healthy meal kit delivery service. It is through the use of meal kit delivery services that these three ladies identify a slew of opportunities for healthy lifestyle habit creation. They discuss the importance of creativity, the how versus the what and boredom versus resistance when embarking on the nutrition behavior change journey. Ride along with PATH on this road trip, pick up a habit-forming strategy along the way and listen to some John Mayer while you’re at it!
Visit biteforchange.com to learn more about Lindsey and the work she does and visit sunbasket.com to learn more about healthy meal kit delivery services.
This is a CANNOT MISS episode! Toni and Jenny head to the East Bay to engage in a very timely and somewhat emotional conversation with Laura DeTar, the super-dynamic Executive Director of Fresh Approach, a Bay Area non-profit. Fresh Approach connects communities and farmers, while increasing access to fresh, healthy foods through educational outreach and programs. Laura shared how this vibrant organization has fared through the COVID-era and how she and her staff have had to embrace vulnerability, connection, innovation and creativity to continue to be of service to the many at risk communities they serve throughout the Bay Area. The three of them also dug into the very unique plight of farmers during the pandemic and how Fresh Approach has stepped up to help. Visit www.freshapproach.org to learn more about this imaginative organization or donation to help increase their reach.
Toni and Jenny head to the City of Brotherly Love for a conversation with Felicia Porrazza, one heck of a registered dietitian and personal trainer who gives a ton of insight on the topic of fueling for exercise and movement. Felicia answers their barrage of questions including pre and post workout fuel timing, plant-based protein and protein requirements. They dig into the topic of non-scale victories and had a lot of fun talking through all of the many ways to measure success beyond the number that shows up when you weigh in. Felicia gives much to ponder during this little hour - Give it a listen!
To learn more about Felicia and her services: https://porrazzanutrition.com/
The PATH Pod ladies celebrate 2021 and say goodbye to 2020 by taking on the freezing cold as they head to New Hampshire for a delightful conversation with David Baum. David is many things, but boring is certainly not one of them! With two PhD’s – one in organizational psychology and one in divinity, along with a stint in the circus, he is one interesting human with plenty of wisdom to share. Their conversation is about joy and the many strategies to practice it and design it into the day. David weaves in stories about connection, higher purpose humor and “feeling our way through it”. This is a cannot-miss conversation to usher in the New Year with hope and positivity.
To learn more about David Baum and his work: https://www.davidbaum.com/
Check out David’s Soul Food Salon: https://youtu.be/ynXrr-g7uEw
On this Holiday episode of PATH, Toni heads back to Columbus, Ohio to meet up with Jenny and have a conversation with April Blaine, lead pastor at Hilliard United Methodist Church in Hilliard, Ohio. They hit on many themes during their chat including courage, community, strategies for coping and capacity. They talk about the difficulty of the last year, how April has shown up differently for her congregation and her family and what it will take for all of us to do that too. This episode is a way of giving back. The community that has been created at PATH is such a blessing and this exchange with April is truly a gift to all the many listeners that support The PATHPod. Happy Holidays everyone! Enjoy!!!
To check out April Blaine and the work she engages in at Hilliard United Methodist Church: https://www.hilliardumc.org/
To learn more about Richard Rohr, The Center For Action & Contemplation or The Living School: https://cac.org/
Toni and Jenny take a trip to the big city of San Francisco to have a conversation about making space and providing perspective with Registered Dietitian Tami Lyon. Tami is a specialist in eating disorders and has extensive background in weight management and behavior change. She currently has a private nutrition practice, Healthy Living Nutritional Counseling & Consulting LLC where she helps people create a better relationship with their food by meeting them where they are and slowly building skills that fit their lifestyle. Tami is also the Chief Nutrition Officer at Meal Enders and explains the benefit behind their innovative product that helps with post-meal decision making by creating awareness and providing a much-needed pause.
You can learn more about Tami and her private practice or contact her at http://hlnutrition.com/dietitians.html#lyon
To learn more about Meal Enders: http://bit.ly/2WlhDhe
Toni and Jenny head east to our Nation’s capital in this episode of PATH. They meet up with Gregory Lewis, Executive Director and CEO of True Colors United, a non-profit based in DC that implements innovative solutions to youth homelessness focusing on the unique experiences of LGTBQ youth. Gregory connects the dots early in their conversation linking the issue of youth homelessness with positive approaches to health. Their conversation is steeped in community & connection along with vulnerability and hope. This hope stems from the youth collaboration that is at the heart of the work True Colors United engages in everyday on behalf of the 4.2 million youth experiencing homelessness every year.
To learn more about True Colors United and the amazing work they are engaged in or to donate check out: https://truecolorsunited.org/about/
For more information about their virtual Home for The Holidays event on 12/11 & 13: https://truecolorsunited.org/homefortheholidays/
To learn more about the organizations Gregory mentions in this episode or to donate: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/about/
https://www.matthewshepard.org/about-us/our-story/
https://www.hrc.org/
To see Cyndi Lauper receive the High Note Global Award: https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/pride/8546017/cyndi-lauper-un-high-note-global-prize-lgbtq-advocacy-kesha-cher
The PATHPod gals visit our neighbor to the north taking a trip to Toronto to have a few laughs and talk a bit about nutrition with Andy DeSantis. Andy is a Registered Dietitian & Author who has a gift for making nutrition, health and food info pretty darn funny and shares some background on how that came to fruition. The three of them also touch on what it is like to be male in a female-dominated profession and even dive into the topics of pro-wrestling, yoga and soccer. Everyone could use a bit of humor right now so this conversation sure is timely. Come for the jokes and stay for the information on gut health. You will be glad you did! Follow Andy DeSantis on Insta at andytherd or visit his website at https://andytherd.com/
Toni and Jenny take a trip down to the beaches of Ventura and the town of Santa Barbara in this Thanksgiving Episode. This is a story. The story of a dog named Haole. It is also the story of his mom, Kim Murphy and how her open spirit allowed for Haole to give his gifts freely to others in a very unique way. It is the story of holding space for others, it is the story of community, connection and service. It will surely touch your heart, it will lift you up and it might even bring you to tears. Grab a cup of tea or a glass of wine, sit back and enjoy this beautiful story about an amazing dog named HaoleBoy.
To learn more about Haole Boy and how to support his legacy and give back to the organizations he touched: https://haoleboylife.com/about-haole
To learn more about AWOW and surf therapy: https://awalkonwater.org/
To learn more about the BrodieFund: https://thebrodiefund.org/
Toni and Jenny head to Indiana for another Kitchen Surprise! They talk with Katy Maher who has been a dietitian for 10 years and has found her home in the culinary world in the past few years. They talk about all things wellness before jumping into spices and the spice blends that Katy uses at home for food prep ease and adding a ton of flavor. Katy’s love of food and making it flavorful is palpable during this interview and will inspire you to get into the kitchen and start to explore the world of spice! Join us on this fun and up-beat road trip to the mid-west and learn a trick or two from this “spice girl”! You can catch Katy and her culinary nutrition info on Insta at ginandcarrotkitchen or on her website at https://katymahernutrition.com/
The PATHPod gals hike up the peninsula to Woodside, CA and talk with Jeanne Rosner of SoulFoodSalon, a platform to share ideas, gain practical knowledge on healthy cooking, create confidence in living a healthy life and ensuring a future healthy planet. Jeanne hosts a salon event monthly featuring local chefs, health & wellness experts, and nutrition culinarians. The three of them talk about balance and what feeds the soul, along with approachable connections and how these are important elements of a thriving, healthy life. They also unpack an article from Jeanne’s newsletter, SOULFUL Insights titled Time For Reflection and how important it is to make space for looking within. Jeanne gives some great advice for starting or enhancing a journaling practice and how it can help deepen gratitude and provide some needed grounding during this particularly challenging time.
To learn more about Jeanne Rosner and Soul Food Salon: https://www.soulfoodsalon.com/ or follow her on Instagram at soulfoodsalon
Sign up for the next Salon with Shauna Shapiro, PhD on the Power of Mindfulness and Compassion: https://www.soulfoodsalon.com/events
Check out Soul Food Salon’s partner organization Off Their Plate, a volunteer-run grassroots organization, which was founded in the midst of our current pandemic and delivers nutritious meals to frontline healthcare workers and food-insecure families, while also providing economic relief to COVID-impacted restaurant employees in cities across the US: https://offtheirplate.org/about-us/
The PATHPod ladies head to Oklahoma City, OK in this episode that is all about Self-Care. Toni and Jenny talk it up with Katrina Leggins who is a mental health therapist, social worker and self-care advocate, writer and speaker. Katrina is the founder and creator of K Nicole Writing, an informational and inspirational platform that creates self-care tools to help support those in need. Considering where we are right now in the world, we could all use some help with self-care! Nicole walks Toni and Jenny through a few of her resources and helps them understand the practicality and usefulness of the tools she created and how they can help all of us get through this challenging time. Whether you are a health professional looking for resources to use with your patients/clients, a mom who is trying to help your child or someone who simply recognizes the need for emotional help – you will get SO MUCH out of the conversation with this lovely lady! For more information on Katrina, her business or her knicolewriting resources check her out at https://www.knicolewriting.com/ or connect with her on Insta at knicolewriting for a big dose of inspiration and hope!
Toni travels solo in this deeply moving interview with her old friend Gina Martin. Gina has worked for National Geographic for 21 years and is the Founder and Executive Director of the Bob and Diane Fund, an award for visual storytelling about Alzheimer’s and dementia. During their conversation, Gina shares the story of how the Bob and Diane Fund came to life and in the process gives a glimpse into the trajectory of her mother’s illness and the effect it had on her family. Her story will resonate with anyone who has known, cared for or loved another human being with Alzheimer’s or dementia. Toni and Gina discuss what the fund means for the visual artists as well as the awareness it brings to the disease and the caregivers that lose so much of themselves in the process. Listen to the conversation. Visit the BodandDianefund.org. It will move and inspire. It will bring light to the darkness. To learn more about Alzheimer’s and dementia visit https://www.alz.org/.
It’s been a busy travel season here at the PATHPod! In their latest adventure, Toni and Jenny go all the way out to lovely, little Manchester-By-The-Sea, Massachusetts where they meet up with Kathleen Johnson, a Registered Dietitian who specializes in Intuitive Eating. Kathleen runs a private nutrition practice called Halve Your Cake where she allows patients the needed space to figure out that eating cake is not a reflection on their self-worth. The three of them talk about Diet Culture and how that has been exacerbated by our current global circumstances. Kathleen explains that Intuitive Eating is ultimately about handling our stress levels, which we could all use some help with right about now and the importance of recognizing that we eat for a lot of reasons other than hunger and that is ok! This conversation will give you a lot to ponder as you glean the tenets of this life-changing method for improving your relationship with food. If there was ever a time we needed to hear these messages, it would be right about now. Give it a listen!
Visit Halve Your Cake at https://www.halveyourcake.com/ or learn more about Intuitive Eating at https://www.intuitiveeating.org/
Join the ever-growing Health At Any Size Movement at https://haescommunity.com/
Check out functional fitness for moms of any age at https://www.mommastrong.com/ourprograms
Toni and Jenny take a road trip to NYC and there is NO BROADWAY involved!!! Whaaaat??? Instead, Toni and Jenny had a wonderful chat with Michelle Routhenstein, a dietitian and cookbook author who specializes in heart health. Considering heart disease is the number 1 killer in this nation and as Michelle points out, 80% of heart disease is changeable with nutrition, this is an important topic! Michelle breaks down fats to an understandable level and emphasizes the point that fat is absolutely essential in the diet. She also explains inflammation and the steps we can all take to decrease the inflammatory process. The three of them get into the “Why” behind food choices and how to harness that power to create momentum around making healthy food a priority on a regular basis. The best part about the conversation is how many quick and easy ideas Michelle offers up for veggie-based meals and snacks, taking the research and boiling it down into usable and creative ways to love your food and your heart! To see more of her ideas and inspiration you can check out her cookbook, The Truly Easy Heart Healthy Cookbook.
Follow Michelle in Insta at heart.health.nutritionist or connect with her on her website at https://www.entirelynourished.com/
September is National Suicide Prevention Month. As a Nation we are facing numerous challenges, many of which don’t seem to be going away any time soon. The struggle is REAL. We are all feeling it. That makes this topic more relevant than ever. Toni and Jenny sit down with Alexis Donato, licensed marriage and family therapist. Alexis takes Toni and Jenny through a mental health “CPR”, called QPR and explains when to call for help. She provides incredibly helpful tools that are easy to remember and can be used to help anyone who is suffering. Toni and Jenny are so grateful that Alexis was willing to talk with them in this powerful episode about awareness of mental health and suicide prevention. And, they learn something new as Alexis leaves them on a positive note with an explanation of Post Traumatic Growth and how going through a traumatic event can be a catalyst for incredible change.
For Immediate Help, 24/7 - National Suicide and Crisis Prevention Hotline: 1.800.273.TALK OR Text Courage or Talk to 741741
Other resources mentioned in the episode:
NAMI – National Alliance on Mental Illness - https://www.nami.org/Home
The Sleep Foundation - https://www.sleepfoundation.org/
Toni and Jenny had a great conversation with Sarika Shah who is a registered dietitian in private practice in Danville, CA in the SanFrancisco Bay Area. Her private practice is focused on the Indian American population and her IG handle is indian.nutritionist. The conversation focused on the work she does with her clients, a big part of which is myth-busting. She tackles this quite a bit on her Insta account as well. The three of them talked about connection, of course, as so happens here on the PATH but also bridging and flexing – with food choices and working with clients; many of whom are immigrants and need the space to figure out how to make healthier choices while immersed in our fast-food culture. They also touch on the importance of listening, learning and applying and how that can help change the way we all think about race and embracing different cultures. To learn more about Sarika and the work she is engaged in, you can check out her website: https://www.thenourishedrd.com/
Toni and Jenny head back to Minnesota to talk with Jenny Breen, a brilliant Chef and Public Health Educator at University of Minnesota. Jenny takes them on a gastronomic PATH “transforming ingredients into meals” as she winds them through the basic elements of cooking and adding flavor to make plants taste delicious. From talking them through making a simple salad dressing to fat & acids and flavor profiles, Jenny makes cooking seem viable and real. She also shares many stories about the way and the how of being in relationship with food, directly tying it to our wellness. At the end of the conversation, you will feel empowered to make vegetables taste amazing and trust the process of cooking them!
You can follow Jenny Breen on IG at jennybroccoli51 or check out her website at https://www.transformingthetable.com/ where you will find her blog, recipes & a link to her cookbook. You can learn more about the work Jenny does at the Healthy Foods Healthy Lives Institute at The University of Minnesota here: https://www.hfhl.umn.edu/about-hfhl/staff/jenny-breen.
The PathPod heads up to Wauwatosa, WI for a surprising interview with Sherrill Knezel who is a graphic recorder, sketchnoter, illustrator and educator. This marks the 50th episode for Toni and Jenny and to be able to celebrate with this dynamic lady couldn’t make them more delighted! They draw the path between Sherrill’s work and wellness right off the bat and it becomes very clear that the two worlds intersect on many different levels. Sherrill explains how her art and craft moves her forward on her PATH and how listening is an integral part of the process. This is an absolute treasure! There is so much to glean from listening to this beautiful soul and we promise that you will walk away wanting to listen more intently, tap into your creativity and work even harder to be a better human.
To learn more about Sherril Knezel and her work head to https://www.meaningfulmarks.net/about or check out her Insta account at sherrill_knezel.
To dig deeper into sketch noting, Sherrill recommends checking out the work of Mike Rohde at https://sketchnotearmy.com/about-us
To watch a trailer for the movie May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4dcxt6DUM0
This is a Part 2, continuing the conversation around goals from our August 4th episode with Shannon Ginther. Toni and Jenny break down the ins and outs of sticking to the goals you have set and how working from a hope mindset is a crucial component. The bulk of the conversation is based on a Zen Habits article, Sticking To Goals When Life Disrupts ‘Em. The full article can be found here: https://zenhabits.net/how-to-stick-to-your-goals-when-life-disrupts-em/. They also talk about the importance of connecting to your emotions and how this can help all of us be more adept and agile. To dig into this concept deeper, check out Susan David’s work on emotional agility at https://www.susandavid.com/new-index. And once again, Toni and Jenny bring up the incredible work of Julie Feldman who was on the podcast May 6 as their road trip to Detroit, Michigan. Give that episode a listen if you have not caught it – it’s a great one. Thanks for riding along with us on PATH Positive Approaches To Health!!
Toni “travels” back to Columbus to see Jenny and have a conversation with Jenny’s friend Shannon Ginther who is a healthcare leader, women’s advocate and yoga teacher. The three of them tackle the fact that we are all still “sitting in the fire” and how we can think about using this time we have been given to focus on what we love. Shannon is quite a goal setter and talks through how she had to figure out the importance of doing less to be more. She gets super-vulnerable about showing up different for her daughter and family and we think this will inspire you to take a look at how you are navigating your own world right now. This is part 1 of a 2-part series on how we are showing up, setting goals and sticking to what we believe is important even though life has thrown all of us some serious curve-balls! Ride along with us on our PATH and join the conversation… DM us on Insta at thepathpod, connect with us or sign up to receive our newsletter through our website at thepathpod.com
We cover a lot of ground in this fun little episode… Toni and Jenny introduce their most recent intern, Annina Bradley and have a conversation with her about what she is up to with her fantastic Instagram account, Nutrition Branched! They introduce PATH’s updated website that Annina has been working on, including new resources and episode links. They even throw in a kitchen surprise as gardens are finally yielding their bounty and there is some conversation around what to do with all that goodness. Take a listen and ride along with us on the PATH Pod!
Annina Bradley’s Instagram: nutrition_branched
ThePATHPod Website: https://www.thepathpod.com/
Toni and Jenny continue their road trip and head to Minneapolis, Minnesota to talk with eating disorder therapist Lee Wolfe Blum. Lee is the author of Brave Is the New Beautiful, her most recent book and the conversation unpacks many of the challenging and surprising emotions that came to the surface as Toni and Jenny worked through this lovely read. Lee explains the genesis of Brave and how it took finding and continuing to explore her own bravery to write this story of other women’s courage. The three of them mull over the amount of fortitude our current situation is requiring of all of us and how sometimes it can leave us feeling less than resolute but they also provide strategies, tools and insight to help see us through. This episode will definitely lead you stop and think, which is exactly what Toni and Jenny are calling on their listeners to do – send feedback on how this landed for you! You can DM the PATHpod on Insta with your thoughts and they will share with the larger PATH community and of course with Lee!!!
Learn more about Lee Wolfe Blum, her work and her books; Table In The Darkness and Brave Is The New Beautiful at https://leewolfeblum.com/
Toni and Jenny head to Denver, CO and take a side trip to the Mediterranean on today’s episode… Whaaaaaat??? Seriously, we talk all things Mediterranean diet and plant-based nutrition with Cole Adam, Registered Dietitian and the brains behind the Instagram account eat.wild.greens. Cole talks Toni and Jenny through the fascinating history of the research behind the Mediterranean diet and what that means in terms of evidence-based recommendations for today. Cole also has a cookbook he co-authored titled The Whole Health Cookbook and he describes some of his favorite recipes from the book while breaking down the research behind them into understandable and delicious-sounding bites. Lots of yumminess and sound nutrition advice in this episode, so ride along with us on our PATH!
Episode Info:
The Whole Health Cookbook: https://store.bookbaby.com/book/the-whole-health-cookbook
Cole Adam’s Website: https://eatwildgreens.com/
Mediterranean diet information:
https://oldwayspt.org/traditional-diets/mediterranean-diet
https://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/0519p18.shtml
Toni does a special solo episode with the help and support of the entire PATHPod Community - our first-ever listener challenge! Toni dives into listener responses to the question posed on social media… What is your Positive Approach To Health (PATH) during this time of COVID? The responses were incredible and overwhelming!! Our community is engaging in so many positive behaviors – from starting gardens to hiking to nightly pot brownies. Hearing the ways in which our listeners are taking care of themselves and putting their health and well-being at the forefront is not only inspiring but motivating as well. So, as you take a listen to this fun little episode, be ready to glean some new ideas for your own self-care! To learn more about some of the great suggestions that came out of the episode:
The Fitness Marshall: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheFitnessMarshall
The Bellicon Rebounder: https://www.bellicon.com/int_en
Tami Roos: https://tamiroos.com/
The Music: https://www.hadestown.com
This little episode really packs a punch, giving us tons to contemplate as we continue to navigate the COVID pandemic. It’s Toni’s third Tale from the Trail and her first in this extremely odd and surprising year of 2020! Toni has a thoughtful conversation with her friend Shelby Edwards, who she met on the Los Gatos Creek Trail. They both talk about what their beloved trail has meant to each of them and how they have been affected by not being able to use it right now. This lovely chat includes talk about gratitude & grace, relationships, the importance of impromptu conversation and being your real self; all of which have come to fruition thanks to The Trail. These two also touch on how they will surely appreciate it in a whole new way when they are able to return. It is a “space” that has created and nurtured friendships like Toni and Shelby’s and will certainly push anyone who listens to realize the importance of a “space” as part of their PATH. And as always, music, laughter and even some great book recommendations will be found in this episode of PATH Positive Approaches To Health. Ride along with us!
In this episode, Toni and Jenny take another trip to Southern California. This time they head to LA to learn about upcycling of food waste with social entrepreneur Kaitlin Mogentale, founder of Pulp Pantry, a social enterprise that sells food products made from recycled fruit and vegetable pulp. The conversation started with understanding more about Kaitlin and why she chose this PATH and opened up to a greater conversation about food waste and what each of us can do on an individual level and in our communities to collectively make a difference. They also touched on how our current crisis is creating challenge as well as opportunity and the importance of being able to adapt and overcome… which has become quite the theme here at PATH! Toni and Jenny guarantee that after listening to the conversation with this young go-getter, you will have HOPE in our collective future!!
For more information on Pulp Pantry, order their yummy chips, or learn more about Kaitlin and social entrepreneurship, head to https://pulppantry.com/.
Toni & Jenny head down to Southern California in this Episode of PATH for a conversation with Toni’s childhood friend and comedian Joe Sib. Their chat is not necessarily what you would expect from a comedian… it’s not all jokes and laughs, but a heartfelt back and forth filled with rich, detailed storytelling and a great message about using the time and space we have been given to do something different. Joe leads Toni and Jenny through some incredible stories about how he grew up and the people who shaped him, showing his sense of gratitude for who he is today. He talks about the importance of community and connection – something that we at PATH give a nod to in almost every episode. There are some rough audio spots throughout as recording challenges came up during the interview but a few small blips cannot overshadow the message Joe shares about what he has taken away from his time during Shelter In Place; what is and is not essential to him. We think it will make you question what is essential for you, in your own life too.
To learn more about Joe Sib or to check out his work:
On Instagram at joe_sib or through his website at https://www.joesib.com/
On this road trip, Toni has the heavy lift of traveling across the county while Jenny takes a short jump north as they head to Detroit, Michigan to talk with registered dietitian-nutritionist Julie Feldman about trauma and its impact on nutrition. Julie breaks down trauma to allow for a better understanding of what it entails. She also speaks to the impact of our current collective trauma and how that might be showing up differently in everyone. Julie walks Toni and Jenny through valuable tools & strategies to mitigate fear, pain and anxiety and introduces them to values driven nutrition and how it can help us all live more in the gray, moving away from all or nothing thinking about our food. As always, the episode includes laughter and music as our road trip continues. So, ride along with us on our PATH!
Helpful links and associated info from the episode:
Julie Feldman’s website: http://www.dietitianjuliefeldman.com/
ACE’s study mentioned in the episode: https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/acestudy/index.html
Hannah Heredia joins The PATH Pod and chats with Toni about the benefits of getting out in nature. Hannah shares how hiking brings her incredible joy along with being a positive vehicle for working through challenges. She explains that completing a tough hike helps to inspire and build intrinsic confidence and motivation to tackle other difficulties. As a fellow registered dietitian, Hannah and Toni talk through the value of taking supportive foods along when hiking and you may be surprised by some of the suggestions! Hannah runs an inspiring Instagram account called HikesandHealth. Follow her and take in the amazing scenery of the Southwest along with the delicious food she noshes on along the way. You can also check out her meal and hiking plans at www.hikeshealth.com
Registered Dietitian and Public Health Professional Elizabeth Aong joins Toni and Jenny to continue the Shelter In Place (SIP) series. As the weeks now turn into months, we are all really feeling the ramifications of isolation. Elizabeth offers guidance on how to tackle the resulting stress and anxiety based on work from Emily Nagoski in Burnout and Kelly McGonigal in The Upside of Stress. Elizabeth explains how completing the stress cycle and “clearing out” the stress hormones that build up in the body as a result of prolonged strain can help us feel better, emotionally, mentally and physically. This is a great listen for ALL OF US as we continue to navigate our new pandemic world. You probably have some extra time so hop on board and ride along with us on PATH!
Toni and Jenny decide to hit the record button while talking through their struggles and revelations as they complete week 1 of Shelter In Place (SIP). They recognize the challenges that we all must be facing along with tools that could be quite helpful during this scary and difficult time. Toni shares her struggles with taking a few too many trips to the kitchen for “inspiration” as Jenny laments the unique hardship of getting multiple families from divorce on the same page. As always, Toni and Jenny discuss the importance of recognizing what you need and having the courage and grace during this time to give yourself what you deserve. In addition, they both emphasize how being present and having a practice which allows for being in the here and now can change perspective and get us through another day as we head into the unknown.
We are in unprecedented times, no doubt. We are scared, anxious and isolated. But, many of us are finding creative ways to be connected and see the good. Toni does just that in this interview with her father’s long-time friend, Tom Francois. Tom gives us a large and much-needed dose of inspiration in this beautiful and touching interview. Tom has seen a whole host of challenges in his lifetime and shares how he has improvised, adapted and overcome. He gives us strategies for how to do the same in this period of complete unknown. We promise you will listen to this episode more than once! If you would like to learn more about Tom and his encouraging story check out:
https://bit.ly/2xkyass, https://bit.ly/3biJ8NU, or
https://abc7news.com/4146724
We took a “road trip” a couple blocks over from Toni’s home in Campbell, CA to visit Steve Smith, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Steve owns The Enlightened Mind, a mental health therapy practice. This episode is super-timely as our nation is hunkering down in their homes to help limit the spread of Covid-19. One of Steve’s areas of expertise is resolving stress, anxiety &/or depression and listening to what he has to say could help many of us during this trying time. The overall theme of our time together was of course… connection. Steve explains beautifully that what lies at the heart of why we don’t feel connected to others is that we are not connected to ourselves. Steve gives us tools that we can easily use and store in our wellness toolboxes to bring out again and again. He also introduces us to a card deck that he and his wife created to help families connect with each other more deeply, a helpful game as we are stuck inside with our family’s and although we are in close proximity, we may feel even more disconnected than ever. You can understand more about Steve’s work and order a deck of cards for you and your family on his website, https://www.theenlightenedmind.net/.
Toni and Jenny tackle Challenging Assumptions in this new BCB episode. It is one of the biggest road blocks between what we want to achieve and our actual success. It drives our self-talk and shapes our beliefs. But, most of us are not aware enough to stop and question ourselves. This is an eye-opening conversation for sure! Toni and Jenny even share some personal assumptions that they have made and how challenging those assumptions have created a completely different and more positive outcome for them both. This is the first time that Toni and Jenny request audience participation by asking listeners to send their own assumptions that they have either challenged or plan to challenge and they will feature these in a part two episode! DM us on Insta at thepathpod or at our website at www.thepathpod.com. We would love to hear from you!!!
Toni and Jenny celebrate their first year of the PATH Pod by taking a trip down memory lane in their “Road Trip Recap”. They raised a toast to the many places they have traveled across the nation and the fantastic guests they were able to chat with along the way. If you have not been able to listen the PATH Pod in its entirety, this is a great cheater episode, where you can hear a little bit about each one, create your list and make a plan to start listening to the episodes that resonate with you! Toni and Jenny also talk about what they expected from this project and a little bit about where they will go from here. They unpack the various side adventures they took while on the road – their Series: Behavior Change Basics, Kitchen Surprise, Tales From and of course, the music. Lots and lots of music! And Broadway! So, ride along with us and join in celebration of the year on this inspiring journey we have taken with you, our PATH Pod listeners… We could not have made this trip without you!
In a nod to her Dear mother, Minnie Toledo, Toni created this Minnie Episode...
Toni and her sweet mom head to Port Townsend in the lovely state of Washington. They visited with Minnie’s family and Toni finds herself thinking about the PATH community and how much her current trip overlaps with the many trips we have taken over the past year. She tells the story of her Auntie Lorrie, who was the catalyst, in a way, for the PATH Pod with the meatless meatloaf she created in the 1960’s and her daughters Lisa and Linda. As Toni shares the story of the time with her family, she weaves in music from Bring It On: The Musical (2012) and shares how some of the song titles coincide with the stories of her relative’s lives. These are tales of incredibly strong, independent women who have been role models for Toni her entire life. The fact that Toni was able to take this trip with her mom Minnie, her greatest role model of all time, was the cherry on Top! Follow along on this Minnie PATH and you just might conjure up in your own mind those role models in your life who inspire and push you to be your best self.
In this episode, Toni and Jenny take a profound and meaningful journey into the heart-space to learn why it is so important to forgive. They had a wonderful conversation with Dr. Fred Luskin, founder and director of the Stanford University Forgiveness Projects. Dr. Luskin explains some of the challenges forgiveness presents and why many people find it so incredibly difficult. He also lays out a simple, 4-step plan for initiating the practice of forgiveness. It is a powerful tool that all of us should have at our disposal - not only for our emotional health but for our physical health as well. To read more about the life-altering work Dr. Luskin has engaged in with people all over the world, along with his books and audio content, check out https://learningtoforgive.com/
We go down under (not really, our expert was in Toni's office in San Jose!) on this virtual road trip to learn more about meditation. We spoke with meditation teacher Tami Roos and learned so much! If any of you are wondering about meditation and what the benefits are as well as how to start your own practice, this episode is for you!! There is a ton of research in this area and Tami breaks it down beautifully. She even leads a short, simple and effective guided meditation that you can use to start a daily practice. She also gives great ideas for how to deepen your current practice if you are that far in. She was an absolute delight to talk to and we know you will enjoy listening to this uplifting and hopeful conversation! You can check out all of Tami's work at https://www.tamiroos.com/, including her books, blog posts and meditations. Ride along with us on this PATH!
To celebrate the start of the new year, we are browsing another book! This time it is a brand new cookbook, hot off the press! Half The Sugar, All the Love is a collaboration between Jennifer Tyler Lee and Anisha Patel, MD that launched this month and is already the #1 seller in cooking with kids! Toni and Jenny sat down with Jennifer, who is an award winning author to talk about her new book. They discussed cutting down on sugar (not ELIMINATING it!), how to sweeten foods with plants and modeling healthy behaviors for our kids. It was a fun conversation that went by quick! This is a great resource full of delicious recipes to help you and your family cut down on sugar. And it's not just desserts - you will find recipes for every meal of the day with helpful strategies, tips and tricks! You can find a copy at your local bookstore or online. For more information about the book or to check out Jennifer's work:
https://www.52newfoods.com/half-sugar-cookbook/
Toni and Jenny learn all about Functional Mental Toughness (fMT) during their conversation with Dr. Brad Cooper. Brad explains what lead him to this research and how his own findings helped his performance as an endurance athlete, a researcher and a business leader. Brad sheds a lot of light on how anyone can build fMT - it is a skill that can be practiced and harnessed when needed. This is an episode that is sure to inspire as we start not only a new year, but a new decade - 2020, with a new VISION to guide us on our PATHS. Ride along with us!
For more information on the work Brad is doing, along with tools and resources, check out his websites:
http://www.USCorporateWellness.com
http://www.CatalystCoachingInstitute.com
Toni travels to NYC for her much needed Broadway fix and spends some time with a dear friend, Martin Navarrette. Martin shares a lovely tale about finding the right balance for his health and well-being and how connection, community, creativity and collaboration helped him forge this new PATH. We think this is the best gift we could give to our listeners today. The gift of finding your power - how one person decided it was time for a change, connected with others and is now thriving in one of the biggest cities in the world. And, he did it on his own terms. Martin talks about his community - the Lightning Society, you can follow them on Insta or at https://www.lightningsociety.com/. He talks about Urbanzen and how this organization is helping others heal all over the world. Check out their work at https://urbanzen.org/
He also mentions The Big Quiet, a massive meditation movement:
https://thebigquiet.com/
and how this is part of the Medi Club in NYC - found here: https://www.instagram.com/mediclubmediclub/?hl=en.
These are alternative therapies that are more mainstream than you first might think and are a fascinating illustration of how many are taking this PATH and discovering their Positive Approach To Health. Ride along with us on this journey to NYC!
Toni chats with Melanie Larsen about her experience presenting at Women's Night Out in Santa Rosa, California. Women's Night Out is a collaboration between Kaiser Permanente and The YMCA and has been thriving for over a decade. During the debrief between Toni and Melanie, they discuss how connection, community and collaboration are what bring these women together year after year to eat, talk and share. Through their conversation, they determine that it is the power of STORY that allows for "making things happen". Just as Toni uses story in this podcast, her presentation was a story about mindfulness and letting go to let things open up and just be. Toni shares how you, our listeners can bring a "Women's Night Out" to your part of the world to share, make connection and create community all in the name of health and well-being. For more inspiration and information go to https://thrive.kaiserpermanente.org/
Join Jenny and Toni for Anna Bohbot's debut on PATH! Anna will be a regular contributor on the podcast in 2020, giving her take on a myriad topics, the first one being food waste. Anna is super-passionate about sustainable and just food systems and increasing access to fresh, local and seasonal food - right up our alley at PATH! This episode is a great primer for anyone interested in the subject of food waste and steps one can take to be part of the solution. You might be surprised at how little it takes to make a major impact. For more information or to check out the Food Recovery Hierarchy mentioned during our conversation, check out: https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/food-recovery-hierarchy
For a discount on delicious products made to help reduce food waste, Pulp Pantry is offering PATHPod listeners 15% off using the following link: https://pulppantry.com/discount/PATHPOD
Anna's books, mentioned in the intro will be listed on our website soon, so visit us at https://www.thepathpod.com/
Ride along with us!
Jenny takes us with her on a trip to her second home - Give Yoga in Columbus, Ohio. This is where Jenny has practiced week after week for most of the last decade. It is where she went through yoga teacher training and considers it a safe haven for weathering tough times. This is a tale of self-compassion and grace as Jenny took a 6 week break from yoga after a bout of back pain coupled with a minor surgery. It is the longest she has ever gone without practicing and she thought that sharing this experience might resonate with others as we all journey on our PATH. You can check out the studio at https://www.giveyoga.com/
In this episode we travel to Bend, Oregon to hear how Elyse Kopecky turned her passion for eating well and cooking into a NYC marathon win for her dear friend, Shalane Flanagan. Now, Elyse and Shalane have written two cookbooks, inspiring other runners and non-runners to cook more, using real, whole foods. They have a meal planner/inspirational journal due out in December as well as a top-secret fourth book due sometime soon! You can check out her work at https://runfasteatslow.com/
Just as Toni gave a bit of insight into who Jenny is a few weeks ago, Jenny does the same in this episode all about Toni T! From her quirky sense of humor, her brilliance with the word and her huge capacity for love, you will get know and understand Toni a little bit better as you ride along with her on your PATH!
We went north to Minnesota for this episode that was a road trip mixed with a reunion and a kitchen surprise all in one! We spoke with our former colleague and friend, Sharon Lehrman who is a Registered Dietitian and incredible cook of all things veg! She has been involved with a delicious program called Garden Fresh Culinary, a part of SLP Seeds in St Louis Park. You can check them out at https://www.slpseeds.org/.
We had a ball listening to Sharon talk about innovative ways to add vegetables to your everyday cooking. She makes it easy and accessible. We promise that you will be inspired to grow a garden and cook more at home after listening to this episode! To get started, take a look at these raised beds Sharon recommends: https://www.gardencircledesigns.com/
Ride Along with us!
Toni takes us with her on another run along the Los Gatos Creek Trail on a day where she does not feel particularly motivated or inspired. By the end of her PATH it is clear that she got so much more out of it than an endorphin high! She felt compelled to share her story... of why it is so worthwhile to stay on our PATH, even though many times it is hard and to remember how our future-selves will Thank us when we do!
Teachers and Educators, listen up!!! We spoke at length with the lovely and talented Gina Koepf in this episode of PATH. Gina is an educator at Village School in Campbell, CA who uses her gift of song along with her creativity in the kitchen to inspire young children to cook, eat more plant-based foods and learn about their world through cooking and making music together in her delightful program, Cooking With Character. This is an episode that will give you HOPE – about how this one dedicated teacher is inspiring a generation of children to be better citizens of our world. Her music can be found on iTunes by searching Regina Koepf Little Echoes and her book can be printed upon request by emailing Gina at rkoepf@campbellusd.org Ride along with us!
This super-fun episode is one-part road trip, one-part kitchen surprise as we converse with Jessie Price, editor of Eating Well Magazine. We touch on local food, Vermont goodies and how convenience food can fit into your PATH. We learned all sorts of interesting tidbits including Jessie's must haves for quick, make-at-home meals, her love of reggae music and her sister Katie's blog, @healthyseasonal.
This BCB episode takes a deep dive into the Stages of Change, which is the scaffold of building and sustaining any kind of healthy lifestyle behavior. Jenny and Toni unpack the 6 stages and take a close look at each one, giving listeners a sense of where they might be on their own PATH. Listeners, this one is powerful. A game-changer for sure!
Here at The PATHPod we thought it might be nice for our listeners to get to know us a bit better and provide more context during our conversations. In the course of this short, little spotlight, Toni shines a light on her friend and co-host, Jenny, aka "Miss J". Tune in as Toni shares why she chose to go on this journey with Jenny, on this PATH!
We had THE BEST conversation with Kyra Palmbush, author of Make Your Mark, a children's book about body image and self acceptance. What is so remarkable about Kyra is that she just graduated from High School at Freestyle Academy in Mountain View, CA and is on her way to play volleyball at the University of Idaho! We chatted with Kyra about how her book came to fruition and her hopes for how it will land with young people. She is an incredibly insightful young lady and this interview gives us hope that we are in good hands with this next generation - It's one you won't want to miss.
Toni goes solo as she shares her PATH - The Los Gatos Creek Trail, which lies in the heart of Silicon Valley. Toni and her clan have spent a good part of their lives running, walking, talking and laughing along this trek, amid the hustle and bustle of the tech world. Toni escorts us on one of her runs as she brings the trail alive & gives us a sense of how it has helped shape and develop the PATH she is on today.
To celebrate our Nation's birth, we are browsing a thoughtful and influential book that everyone should read because we think it will inspire a REVOLUTION! A FOOD REVOLUTION! The Real Food Revolution by Tim Ryan, Congressman from Ohio, is a hopeful message about the current food system and what we can do to make it work better for all of us. Toni and Jenny share their thoughts on the ideas and actions that Congressman Ryan suggests for helping our Nation get it's food system and health on the right track. Take a listen... Disclaimer - we had some editing challenges and it's a bit lengthy, but work with us, this is a BIG Topic! Happy 4th of July!
Toni and Jenny talk all things veggie during this first in a PATH series called Kitchen Surprise! Get a glimpse into how their kitchens work as they have a conversation around food, cooking and making it all work for them, on their PATHs. Along the way, they have some ideas about plant-based diets and what that means... their thoughts may just surprise you!
We are headed to Fort Collins, Colorado to chat it up with Dr. Tiffany Weir, Associate Professor of Food Science & Human Nutrition. Her fun and practical manner helped us understand all things fermented, probiotics, the human microbiome and the role of good bacteria in keeping us healthy and well.
What do 80's Hairbands, Hardhats and Ultra Marathon Competitions have in common? Well, you will find out if you head down to Conway, Arkansas with us to talk with Jayme Mayo about her award-winning Worksite Wellness program and the health promotion work she is doing at Nabholz Construction Company.
Making real and lasting connections to support you on your PATH is the topic of episode 3 in the BCB series. Jenny and Toni talk through connecting to your WHY, positive and negative connections that you have established in your life and the importance of connecting to yourself.
We continue on our road trip through the mid-west, stopping in Columbia, Missouri to chat with Dr. Lynn Rossy about mindful eating and how this simple awareness tool has the power to change the way you look at your food, your body and your health.
Prompted by an event at her son's high school, Toni takes another side trip on her own and explores the idea of self-compassion. Anyone who is trying to build and make lasting behavior change will appreciate this short message of kindness and self-acceptance.
WHAT? A quick road trip to Broadway? Yes. This short episode was inspired by the fact that one of Toni’s favorite Broadway musicals Kinky Boots is closing after 6 years on the Great White Way.
Listening to the Kinky Boots soundtrack on one of her runs got Toni thinking about how many inspiring messages are in this musical and how some of those messages prove helpful to integrating long-term behavior change. That might sound wild but take a listen to this brief podcast and see what you think. You just might be inspired to download the Kinky Boots soundtrack for yourself, who knows? For more information on this mini-episode—check out https://www.thepathpod.com
Creating and maintaining motivation is the topic of the next episode in a series of many where we explore the myriad topics that are critical to enabling health behavior change and preserving it long term.
This is the first episode in a series of many where we explore the myriad topics that are critical to enabling health behavior change and preserving it long term.
…Continuing our road trip from the San Francisco Bay Area all the way to Columbus, Ohio! In our second episode we engage in a powerful conversation with Michelle Moskowitz Brown, the executive director of Local Matters, a non-profit located in the heart of the city. Michelle shares the story of her childhood and how it developed her passion to build healthy communities. During our exchange, we touch on nutrition and food education, food access, local food advocacy and how that work can inspire others to take action in their own communities and lives.
Welcome to our inaugural PATH Episode! The destination of our first virtual road trip is… drum roll please… California!!! This episode tells the story of a unique recipe with deep family ties that has become a flavorful and nutritious mainstay for one of our podcast hosts. This creative recipe serves as a metaphor for the heart and soul of what PATH is all about. Take a listen, get to know us and walk away with ideas and inspiration for developing your own PATH to better health.