Embrace. Live. Thrive.: Recent Episodes
Sarah
A podcast to start the hard conversations surrounding motherhood and normalizing issues with mental health. To teach women that taking care of themselves is the best way to care for their families. We will be talking through issues in mental, social, nutritional, and physical health to educate ourselves on living a balanced life. But knowing we have to first address our mental health as a means to create success in all areas of your life.
Today, Carol Prosser, joins me on the podcast and we talk about one of biggest topics that many parents struggle with knowing where to start, discipline. Parenting is filled with so many responsibilities and often feels overwhelming and just plain hard. Carol shares her wisdom and insight on the topic of biblical discipline and helps grounds us in truths that God shares with us through His word.
Carol walks us through different levels of misbehavior, tips around how to make discipline more impactful for our children, natural/logical consequences, and even helps us think through ways we might be training our kids in disobedience. Parenting will always be unique to each of our families as we all have different needs. As mothers we know our children best, and this conversation holds some great information about how to structure our discipline to help our children address the root (heart) of the misbehavior and not just the fruit (action).
Please like and share this episode with friends and family. You are not alone in this journey and there are many amazing resources to help you as you navigate all the ups and downs that come. Remember, it is ok to not be ok, but let's not stay there.
Book Resources:
Boundaries with Kids: How Healthy Choices Grow Healthy Children
Ways to Find Carol:
Contact me and I'll connect you.
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Today, Katie Fischer, LPC-S, RPT, joins me on the podcast and we have an excellent conversation surrounding this big topic of our children and anxiety. There is a lot to process when it comes to understanding the world around us, add anxiety to the mix and it can become paralyzing. Now, think about how we might handle that understanding with decades less of experience. Our little humans have so much to learn, helping provide them with support and coping strategies can help make some of that learning a little smoother.
Katie knocks it out of the park teaching us about understanding basic needs, how to recognize signs of that our children might be struggling and gives us so many tips on how to equip them when they are in a moment of anxiety. I felt so encouraged and seen as we talked through questions surrounding this topic. I know I will be referring to this information again and again.
Please listen, like, and leave a review as we work to continue to build awareness that it's ok to not be ok, but let's not stay there. I know a lot of us are living in survival mode at the moment, but does it have to be that way? There will always be moments where we are just surviving, but learning how to care for our body's mental, social, nutritional, and physical health is how we transition from just surviving to thriving. Curious to know more? Send me a message and let's chat.
Ways to Find Katie:
Website: Stay & Play Counseling (stayandplaycounseling.com)
Facebook: (7) Facebook
Calm Breathing Fish
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Katie Bio:
Welcome! The fact that you have made your way here is HUGE! It means that you have taken the first step to seeking the help your child needs. Finding your way to a healthy, happy child is a journey that takes one step at a time. Hello! My name is Katie Fischer and I am the owner of Stay & Play Counseling, LLC. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Play Therapist who is passionate about using the power of play to help children through difficult times. I bring over 20 years of experience working with children to my private practice including many years of work in the school setting as an elementary school teacher and school counselor, as well as a therapist in an early childhood setting.
I work primarily with children ages 3-12 and their families to navigate challenging circumstances in their lives including trauma, anxiety, depression, behavioral problems, school-related struggles, death and loss, divorce, peer/sibling conflict, and anger management. Each child deserves a personal, unique approach to achieving their best self and I believe Play Therapy is the answer! Play Therapy allows the child to process these struggles through a non-judgemental, play-based approach with a safe, trusting adult. Through Play Therapy, children learn ways to improve communication skills, express feelings appropriately, gain problem solving skills, and develop better relational skills. I value a strong relationship with my client, as well as their caregivers and communication between the family and therapist.
Finding the right person to work with your child can be a daunting process and I am so glad you found Stay & Play! Please reach out to me with any questions you may have or to learn more about my practice.
Today, Tori Tilton, owner of "Share the Soap" joins me on the podcast and we talk all things goat milk. Tori started her journey with goats needing an alternative source of milk for her family and decided to try out soap making as a way to use the extra milk she had around her home. What began as a learning experience for her family turned into an entire goat milk empire.
Tori shares about her experiences with her own products and why a low tox alternative to skin care products became so important for her and her family. We know that we need to be mindful of what we are putting into our bodies and being active, but have you considered the impact of what you are putting on your body? Being intentional about all your products is key in living a truly healthy lifestyle.
Please check out Tori's websites and social media for a ton of awesome information and products. Also, like and share this episode to spread awareness that you don't ever have to settle about what you are putting on, in, or around your body.
Ways to Find Tori:
Website: Share the soap goat milk aromatic bath and body skin care – ShareTheSoap
Share the Soap, with CBD – Share The Soap, with CBD (bathbombswithcbd.com)
FB: (2) Facebook
IG: Share the Soap (@sharethesoap) • Instagram photos and videos
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Tori Bio:
In the Fall of 2003 I started making goat milk soap while looking for something to do with the extra milk from our dairy goats. My first batch of soap was a failure! That started a passion of researching oils, attending soap courses, studying formulation and MANY test batches of soap until I got it right and that Winter, was the first Winter my hands didn't crack and bleed for as long as I could remember (years!)! Today, I'm convinced we have the very best soap you can use for your skin! It's like using a soap and a lotion at the same time and as a lifelong student of aromatherapy, I love incorporating what I'm learning into our products to enhance your day naturally while caring for your skin.
A little more about our products: We have family that have severe chemical sensitivities so I started studying about essential oils and decided to only use essential oils or plant fragrances, not chemical fragrances in our products. The colorants I use for our soaps are made from natural colorings and mineral micas.
The oils and butters you'll find in our soaps are not the cheapest, but the highest grade and purest that we can source as close to home as possible. I am not interested in producing the cheapest bar of soap possible, there are lots of those out there already. I'm interested in creating the BEST formulations and most skin-loving bars for your skin, even if you have sensitive skin.
Our packaging and materials used for shipping are eco-friendly and we're constantly trying new items and ideas to reduce waste and our carbon footprint. Our workshop is powered by solar and we reduce and reuse as much as possible.
We work hard to provide ways for you to enhance your day naturally and to support you thru your every day "to do list" as well as when you need a little more rest and relaxation. We would love to support your journey! We invite you to experience the difference with Share the Soap!
Today, Amy Keith, DoTerra Wellness Advocate, joins me on the podcast and we have a wonderful conversation about all things essential oils. Amy is a teacher who has found a passion for not only teaching kids in the daytime, but also educating adults about how to use essential oils to support their health and daily wellness. From the very first conversation I had with Amy about essential oils, her passion it was clear to me, and that she was the perfect person to help break down the foundational information around understanding essential oils.
I would imagine you have heard about oils and likely even used them at this point, but, if you are like me, you are iffy on how to use them more than just sporadically in my diffuser. Amy tells us all the ways to use them safely and does a phenomenal explaining the importance of understanding where your oils have come from and why you need to use quality oils. She shares about how, in her own life, she has moved to using her oils preventively to help support her stress levels and health. I have been inspired to use my oils more in my daily life as well after this awesome conversation.
As you listen, I hope you are inspired to learn more about how to use oils in your own life. Amy reminds us that its just start with understanding just one oil, getting comfortable with that, and then adding another. Please like and share this episode with your friends and let's help spread awareness about this incredible way to naturally support your body and health. Remember, it's ok to not be ok, but let's not stay there.
Resources Mentioned:
Book: Modern Essential Handbook: The Premier Introductory Guide to the Therapeutic Use of Essential Oils
Websites:
AromaTools - Essential Oil Tools & Accessories
Oil Magic Book
doTERRA eBooks—Archive | doTERRA Essential Oils
Ways to Find Amy:
Email: amy.keith@sbcglobal.net
Instagram: Amy Keith (@wellness.is.worth.it) • Instagram photos and videos
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Amy Bio:
Welcome, friend! I’m so glad you are here! Although I don’t know enough about technology to be doing this, here I am! My hope is that I can help you find natural solutions to your health and wellness issues! Wellness is a journey, and I can promise, it is worth it! My husband and I have been married for 37 years and we have two beautiful kids, both grown and married! Our labradoodle, Sophie, is a fully trained therapy dog and is about to retire along aside myself in just a couple of months from teaching reading to special needs kiddos. I love nature, gardening, reading, my family, and learning and teaching about DoTerra essential oils and everything wellness.
Katie Bynum returns to the podcast to share about her incredible new ministry, E3. Katie has had a passion to create a safe space to encourage, equip, and embrace all things motherhood for women since her own motherhood journey began 16 years ago.
Katie and I talk about the foundations of E3, but we go on to discuss common anxiety triggers in motherhood, and practical tips to help manage all the changes that come with starting a family. Katie's kindness and passion shines through with every word and tip she shares. I hope you hear today's conversation and are encouraged to know you are not alone, equipped knowing it takes daily renewal, and excited to continue to embrace your high calling of motherhood.
As you listen and are inspired, please share this podcast with your loved ones and help spread the missions of E3 and Embrace. Live. Thrive. Remembering that it's ok to not be ok, but let's not stay there. If you are struggling, please reach out and let's figure out your next step to health and healing.
Ways to Find Katie:
E3 Registration: https://2rivers.churchcenter.com/registrat.../events/2034953
Facebook: (1) Facebook
Instagram: Katie Black Bynum (@katiecbynum) • Instagram photos and videos
E3 Details:
The vision of E3 Moms Group is to encourage and equip moms of all ages and stages to embrace the high calling of motherhood. Each week we will apply God’s Word to mothering and incorporate all 3Es; Encourage, Equip and Embrace.
Through E3 Moms a community will form which will allow moms to support and encourage one another.
2 Corinthians 3:4 - "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."
E3 will meet on Fridays twice a month from 9:00-11:00 am
Childcare will be available (must register your children)
Kelly Wever, Owner of Breath Deep Counseling, joins me on the podcast and shares her incredible story of living with Cystic Fibrosis, learning about true surrender, and ultimately receiving a double lung transplant. Her story is one of faith, strength, and hope. Kelly waited over three years on the transplant list and watched her health decline. She knew that she wasn't ok not being here for her daughter and fought hard during every hospital stay to get back home. During that time Kelly learned a lot about realistic expectations, time and energy management, and how to focus on being intentional with the time that she had with her family.
Now, seven years post-transplant Kelly is determined to support and encourage those struggling with chronic illness. One basic principle that helps us understand healing is to see the connection of how our thoughts influence our emotions, and our emotions often control our behaviors. That is why mindset work is pivotal for all of us.
Please like and share this episode and consider leaving a review. Help Embrace. Live. Thrive. spread awareness and encourage those struggling with depression and anxiety. Because it is ok to not be ok, but let's not stay there.
Books: Get Your Life Back by John Eldredge
Ways to Find Kelly:
Website: Breathe Deep Counseling | Systems Theory | O'Fallon, MO
Facebook: Facebook
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Kelly's Bio:
I am a proud transplant recipient and have lived with chronic illness. I know firsthand the struggles and losses endured and have a deep empathy for my clients and families. Coping with chronic illness, grief and loss can be some of life's longest, hardest roads to walk. It can be isolating, terrifying, depressing and anxiety-provoking. Those are chapters of our lives that we want to skip through, but at the end of the day, those are the chapters that shape us and strengthen us.
I have a Master of Social Work degree and a Graduate Certificate in Gerontology. I am passionate about helping older adults and those with disabilities. I am clinically licensed in the State of Missouri. Additionally, I am a proud member of the Society for Transplant Social Workers, Natural Lifemanship, Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association, and Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International.
I have worked with clients and caregivers in a variety of settings including inpatient, outpatient, hospice, and skilled nursing facilities helping support clients and families through the toughest seasons of their lives.
It would be honor to walk alongside you on your journey to finding peace.
Today on the podcast I am joined by Cathy Pemberton. Cathy is a retired schoolteacher who has a passion to teach others about what they are putting into their bodies. Cathy has self-studied for many years and has an incredible understanding of nutrition. She also has the tenacity to share it wherever she is able to share. She does an excellent job breaking down the main components of nutrition and take some of the scariness out of what it all means. I had a blast chatting with Cathy and was reminded about the importance of understanding where nutrition starts and how to keep moving forward.
Please listen and share this episode with all your friends to help encourage knowledge and understanding about the importance of what you are eating. There are so many additives to the connivence foods that line the shelves at the stores these days. Cathy teaches us, that those foods feed us rather than fill us. Changing eating patterns that you may have had for decades can be overwhelming, but when you focus on just taking one step at a time, you are capable of anything.
*If you are interested in chatting with Cathy, please contact me and I will connect you.
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Today, Jessica Holman, owner of Nurtishop- St. Peter's, joins me on the podcast and shares her inspirational story behind her own health journey and why she chose to open her stop. She is passionate about supporting individuals on their own journeys and helping them feel the importance of good nutrition and supplementation. When you come into her store you are entering a wellness community that is focused on you as an individual and finding what is going to serve you best.
The word supplementation or phrase "taking supplements" are things you hear more and more these days, but what does that mean? Why is it important to you? Our bodies, our walks of life, and our goals are all unique and making sure we are prioritizing what is fueling our bodies is a super important concept to understand.
Jessica does a fantastic job explaining and teaching us some of the basics around the concept of supplementation and how it can increase your energy, focus, improve sleep, and so much more. Make sure to listen all the way through to hear all of the awesome resources Nurtishop - St. Peter's has to offer.
Please like and share, share, share this episode to help support your friends and family as they navigate their own health journeys and learn about this important concept of supplementation. Also, sharing helps Embrace. Live. Thrive. continue to grow and spread awareness that it is ok to not be ok, but let's not stay there.
Ways to Find Jessica:
Email: jessicaholman@nutrishopstpeters.com
Website: St. Peters (nutrishopstpeters.com)
Instagram: Nutrishop St. Peters (@nutrishopstpeters) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: Facebook
TikTok: @nutrishopstpeters
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Today, Maura Eliza, owner of Flex Health with Maura, joins me on the podcast as we have a wonderful conversation about healing and being intentional about listening to your body. Eliza has overcome adrenal fatigue twice and learned so much with her second recovery she wrote her course "The Vibrant Way" to teach others about the journey she went on not only to heal, but to thrive.
"The Vibrant Way" is a course designed for the woman struggling with overwhelm, fatigue, and exhaustion. Maura had set it up where you slowly received the 5 hours of content over a period of time, so you have plenty of time to watch, and then integrate into your real life. Maura teaches that your body doesn't have to hold you back and you can have the energy for yourself and your family. You are not going to want to miss this course.
After you listen to this episode, please like and share this episode with anyone who popped into your mind. We grow by supporting each other and spreading awareness that it is ok to not be ok, but let's not stay there.
Book: Feeling Buried Alive Never Die by Karol K. Truman
Ways to Find Maura:
Instagram: Maura Eliza (@flex.health.with.maura) • Instagram photos and videos
Website: Essentials For A Healthy Life | Breast Implant Illness | Chronic Health Issues | (flexhealthwithmaura.com)
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Maura Bio:ELEVEN YEARS AGO, MY BODY NEEDED HELP. I went to doctors, but they couldn't give me answers or effective advice. So, I started exploring natural options. It was scary to go against the norm, but it was the best decision I ever made.
Stepping outside the mainstream made me realize how amazing our bodies are at healing themselves.
I learned to appreciate the Earth's gifts that keep us healthy and happy. I discovered the incredible connection between our minds and bodies.
This appreciation led me to become a Traditional Naturopath through the Institute of Holistic Integrative Studies in 2023.
Helping others is what I love to do. I want to help you understand your body better so you can have flexible health and feel great. Let's embark on this journey together!
Today. Kilah Lawson, owner of Elephant Baby & founder of Healthy Kingdom Mammas joins me on the podcast, and I am so excited to share our conversation. Kilah is someone who inspires me daily. As a fellow mom of 5 kids, she is well aware of the struggle of how to manage all the things and works to find balance. She shares her own story of postpartum depression and struggle after the birth of her 5th child and describes how she became determine that no mother should have to experience the same thing.
Kilah is an advocate for women not only in their postpartum journey, but also for physical and spiritual healing. Healthy Kingdom Mommas is breaking chains of women who are struggling inside of the church and reminding Christian women the victory they can see as they claim their identity in Christ and peruse stewardship, restoration, and soul reformation.
Please listen, like, and share this episode and join Kilah and I as we educate and encoruage women to know that it is ok to not be ok, but let's not stay there. Let's find you the resources you need to take that next step to become healthy, happy, and whole.
Ways to Find Kilah:
Website: Extensive Postpartum Support For Moms |St. Louis, MO (elephant-baby.com)
Facebook: (1) Facebook
Elephant Baby FB: (1) Facebook
Instagram: Kilah Lawson (@kilahlawson) • Instagram photos and videos
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Kilah's Bio:
I'm super pumped you're here! For years, I have been living in my purpose of restoring transformational care in our community! I started my work as a postpartum doula. While working with new moms, I noticed a few things: more and more moms are experiencing postpartum depression/anxiety/loneliness/lack of support/complete burnout/exhaustion and so much more. 😩 I have also noticed that the struggle often lasts for YEARS after childbirth.
I'm ready to teach you how to deeply heal and replenish in your postpartum journey (even if you're a few years in) so that you can show up to be what you want to be in your motherhood journey!
I understand that every single aspect of health matters--physical, mental, spiritual and emotional. I'm ready to give you the tools and support that you need to thrive. It's really important for me to decolonize postpartum work and get back to the traditions that truly help us to heal in motherhood. It's time to reclaim postpartum and I'm ready to serve you!
Professional Accomplishments:
⭐︎ B.S. Psychology
⭐︎Owner Elephant Baby: Full-Service Postpartum Support
⭐︎ Full-Spectrum Doula Training
⭐︎ Creator/Instructor-Restoring Transformational Postpartum Care (holistic postpartum enhancement training for professionals)
⭐︎Creator/Coordinator- The Postpartum Wellness Revolution (membership for postpartum mothers)
Zones of joy and genius:
- holistic postpartum healing
- postpartum nutrition
- postnatal depletion prevention & recovery
- addressing postpartum depression/anxiety without pharmaceutical drugs
- hormone balance
Happy Holiday season friends!! Today, Britt Smith, founder of She Is Kindred, joins me on the podcast and we get real about what it means as mothers when hear the phrase "holiday season". To be honest that is a loaded phrase often associated with exhaustion and endless lists of things to accomplish. But why? Who sets those boundaries and expectations? The short answer is we do!! So, what if we start to change that narrative?
Britt and I talk though how to be intentional during this season and the importance of about quality interactions over quantity. Kids look back and remember moments. Setting boundaries with activities and events is key for your mental health during this season. Please remember your responsibility is to support your family and your health and maybe that makes the holiday season look a little different this year and that is ok!
Please like and share this episode with all of your friends and let's start normalizing a slower pace around the holidays and simply encouraging each other to be present. I hope you find this episode empowering and I want to wish you a joyous season filled with laughter and time spent with the ones you love.
109: She is Kindred: A Storytelling Collective w/ Britt Smith
Ways to find Britt:
Instagram: Brittany Smith (@brittnikelsmith) • Instagram photos and videos
Instagram: She is Kindred (@sheiskindredco) • Instagram photos and videos
Website: Home (sheiskindred.org)
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Britt Bio: Brittany Smith is the vision casting dreamer behind She is Kindred. She's a full-time creative, with a thriving photography + film business that she owns with her husband, Smitty. Britt is a lifelong writer + musician with a heart for storytelling through the arts, and She is Kindred is a project that she believes God has been forming in her for much of her adult life. She lives in the St. Louis area with her husband, Smitty, their four homeschooled kids, and their incredible au pair from Ecuador.
Today, Carla Powderly, owner of Carla Powderly Counseling, joins me on the podcast. We talk about what I consider to be pivotal topic for all healing journeys, the concept of gratitude. Manors dictate that we say thank you and appreciate what individuals have done for us, but the practice of gratitude has a deeper meaning and purpose. It is the ability to see and acknowledge the good that surrounds you no matter what circumstances you are walking through, and it is the driver of joy.
Carla does an excellent job of explaining to us the basics of gratitude and even helps us to understand what gratitude is not. We talk through many important concepts around the mental and physical benefits, but here is one of the most important things I want you to understand, it starts wherever you are. Not sure what I mean? Take a listen and let Carla validate whatever you are feeling and help you take another step on your healing journey. Plus, she shares some super fun exercises to help get you started with the practice of gratitude.
Please listen, like, and share this episode and help us continue to spread awareness that it's ok to not be ok, but let's not stay there.
Book Mentioned: Try Softer By Aundi Kolber
Ways to Find Carla:
Website: Therapy for Individuals, Couples, & Families | St Charles, MO (carlapowderly.com)
FB: (10) Facebook
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
FB: (1) Embrace, Live, Thrive | Facebook
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embrace.live.thrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Carla Bio:
I received my MA in Counseling from Covenant Theological Seminary and am a licensed counselor in Missouri.
My personal life experiences are vast and help me to understand and connect with clients from varied backgrounds. Years in the corporate and non-profit sectors give me a unique ability to relate to clients in any profession. Helping people discover the importance of their stories, and helping them navigate their unique process of healing and renewal, are some of my greatest delights.
I believe accessing our creativity, wandering about in nature and allowing quiet exploration in times of solitude and silence are integral components of the healing process. I offer walk-and-talk therapy as an alternative to traditional in-office therapy, when appropriate, and as weather permits.
I am a contracted preferred counselor for pastors and their families through Converge Mid America, and spent three years leading women’s cohort groups at Covenant Seminary in St. Louis. I am available to lead retreats, workshops and seminars, and enjoy partnering with area churches, businesses and community organizations.
Grief, sorrow and desperation are familiar companions, and I know shame and fear. Likewise, the joy of childlike belly laughing, goofy dancing around the kitchen, and celebrating life’s myriad minuscule triumphs buoy my soul. Let’s be human together.
Today, Christy Brimm, owner of Two Bridges Counseling joins me on the podcast. Chisty was my counselor, and her calm spirit and gentle guidance helped me get through some of the darkest moments of my life. She joined us back on episode #3 and taught us all about imposter syndrome and is back today to educate us about mindset.
Mindset is a something you have likely heard about but may not completely understand. It is foundational to our healing journeys and an indicator of how we are moving forward. Christy does an incredible job of explaining the difference between fixed and growth mindset and gives us 5 tips on how to encourage growth mindset in our everyday life.
Please like and share this episode and help us continue to grow. Embrace. Live. Thrive. is on mission to destigmatize mental health issues in motherhood and educate on foundations of healthy living. Change can't start without awareness and knowledge of how to move forward. It's time to understand that it is ok to not be ok, but let's not stay there.
Books:
Mindset by Carol
Think Again by Adam Grant
Ways to Find Christy:
Website: Two Bridges Counseling | Therapy | O'Fallon, MO 63366
FB: (8) Facebook
Instagram: Two Bridges Counseling (@twobridgescounseling) • Instagram photos and videos
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
FB: (1) Embrace, Live, Thrive | Facebook
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embrace.live.thrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Christy Bio:
Hi. I’m Christy Brimm. I’m so glad you found me at Two Bridges. I grew up in the St. Louis Metro area but on the Illinois side. When I married and moved to Missouri with my husband, the bridge between our states seemed like a great divide. I felt equal parts excitement about what my future might hold and grief about what I was leaving behind. When we moved to St. Charles, it was yet another bridge for me to get back home. I’ve done a lot of work to integrate who I have always been with what life has taught me—making me who I am today.
I know that I wouldn’t be complete without embracing my past, and I need that part of my life to launch me into my future. My way of doing therapy is to focus on your story. Your identity is not locked into where you came from; it is also who you are becoming. In that quest there is joy and sorrow. Pain and beauty. Hurt and healing. Maybe some of those hurts require “two bridges” to restore.
I would be honored to walk with you through your past—the triumph and the regret—to help you realize a peaceful present and anticipate a hopeful future.
I currently live in St. Charles, MO, with my husband of 24 years, 3 teenagers, and a sweet dog named Blu. I find my “happy place” in a good cup of coffee, walks in nature, and belly laughs with friends and family. I value my faith as part of my wellbeing and am open to exploring yours with you as well.
I’m looking forward to getting to know you and your story. You can reach me directly at christy@twobridgescounseling.com or 636-896-5693.
Today, Joselyn Miller, owner of Motherhood Strong joins me on the podcast cast and we have such a fun conversation. Becoming a mother is something that changes every priority without you even realizing it. It also changes the way you are able to do a lot of things, including your ability to exercise and be active. Especially when you are "in the trenches" those first 18 months to 2 years.
Joselyn started Motherhood Strong to build community and support women in ways that was helpful to the specific season they are in with prenatal and postnatal fitness. She knows that your body is different as you are preparing for having a baby and then again after you deliver. Maintaining your fitness or regaining your fitness has to look different and Joselyn knows just how to teach you how to listen to your body and still get the results that you want. She teases that she actually put this community together so she could have friends.
Please check out her website and social media. Be sure to share this episode with all of your mom friends and let them know they are not alone if their exercise currently looks really weird. We know that the season of motherhood is one of the hardest we will experience so together let's be Motherhood Strong.
Ways to Find Motherhood Strong:
Website: Motherhood Strong
Facebook: Facebook
Instagram: Motherhood Strong (@motherhoodstrongstl) • Instagram photos and videos
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
FB: (1) Embrace, Live, Thrive | Facebook
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embrace.live.thrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Joselyn Bio:
Joselyn, the founder of Motherhood Strong, is a mother of three and lover of movement. With a background in dance as well as CrossFit, guiding people to move efficiently and functionally has always been a passion. Since becoming a mother and realizing that there is very little guidance for training during the motherhood journey Joselyn has made it her mission to help other women have the best and most comfortable prenatal and postpartum experiences possible. Joselyn is a certified Pregnancy & Postpartum Athleticism (PPA) coach and Level 2 CrossFit Trainer.
Today, Sara Chandler, from The Grace Period joins me on the podcast. Sara is one of those people that you meet and can't help but smile. Her passion to support and encourage everyone she meets was clear from the first time we met. Sara's story of struggle is unique in that many of us have never heard the phrase "working homeless". As a young adult, Sara moved out on her own and ran into difficulty as she navigated roommates, money management, and the appeal of addicting substances. Although she was still working, she got evicted from her apartment and had difficulty getting back on her feet. Sara and her story of redemption, healing, and inspiration to now help others who have similar struggles is incredible.
The Grace Period is on mission to adults and families who can't yet afford stable housing into self-sufficiency by utilizing transitional housing, high accountability, education and goal setting led by a family-like, faith-based team of staff and volunteers. Please see website and social media for more details.
Episode #129 is another way to bring awareness, understanding, and empathy to all those around us. We know life is hard and we are all struggling with something. If you are having a hard time and help finding direction. I have coaching spots available and would love to talk more about how to start your journey moving forward. Remember, its ok to not be ok, but let's not stay there.
Ways to Find The Grace Period:
Website: Non-Profit faith-based organization | The Grace Period
Facebook: (3) Facebook
Phone #: 636-542-2720
Homeless Helpline: 211
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
FB: (1) Embrace, Live, Thrive | Facebook
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embrace.live.thrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Sara's Bio:
Sara drives the organization forward and fulfills the Treasurer function, managing and overseeing the financial affairs (including investments, annual budgets and annual reports). “As a kid, I had two hard-working parents who struggled financially. We didn’t know how to access available resources. As I grew up, I realized that we weren't the only ones going through this. I was the girl who had the open house friends who were homeless or who didn't have food or electricity in their house. I started The Grace Period for parents like mine, for families - like my friends’ families - who just need a little help to get through a hard time. The Grace Period aids in creating self-sufficiency in a society that doesn’t always understand the impact of circumstances that are beyond one’s control. The Grace Period could have helped my parents get their family to a more stable place.”
Today, Michelle Wallweber, Owner of The Drip Factor joins me, and we have a fantastic conversation all about IV nutrition and the importance of supplementation. Michelle is knowledgeable and driven to help individuals start targeting the root cause of their struggles and not just symptom modification. Michelle explains that IV nutrition is a great way to get the vitamins and minerals that our bodies need in a completely bioavailable form. That means our bodies can use it as soon as it enters the body.
Please check out Michelle and The Drip Factor at her website, Facebook, and Instagram. Managing your health is making sure you are taking one step and then another and another. Remembering that it is importance to consider what you are putting in our bodies as that becomes the fuel for every process in our bodies.
After listening to this week's episode please be sure to hit that like button and share with your friends. Our mission to support mommas that are struggling continues and we know that nothing can change without awareness. Healing will never be linear but will always require forward motion.
Ways to Find Michelle:
Website: The Drip Factor | IV Therapy & Hydration In Lake St. Louis
Facebook: (8) Facebook
Instagram: The Drip Factor LLC (@thedripfactorx) • Instagram photos and videos
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
FB: (1) Embrace, Live, Thrive | Facebook
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embrace.live.thrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Michelle Bio:
After 20 years as a Registered Nurse with 9 of those coordinating infusion centers and more than 2 years teaching IV Therapy in a nursing program, The Drip Factor gives me the opportunity to combine what I KNOW with what I LOVE! As I continue to work through another graduate program, this time in the Family Nurse Practitioner Track, my ultimate vision is for a Functional Medicine Practice which incorporates IV Therapy.
Today, Casey Merrell, Owner of Midwest Placenta Encapsulation & U Cord Keepsakes, joins me on the podcast. Casey is one of those individuals that you can't help but smile when you are around her as her joy and enthusiasm shines through in everything that she does. This homeschooling mom of 4 has a passion to not only teach her family but to support and love on women who are navigating their post-partum health journeys. After researching and struggling to find a good option for placenta encapsulation for her own post-partum journey, she determined to figure out for herself and as all good things it has grown and blossomed into a business that she could have never imagined.
This topic is unique and may not fit everyone's journey but is a fascinating option for those looking for natural ways to support their bodies and healing after having their baby. Casey is knowledgeable and passionate about this topic and shares a lot of great information on the podcast, but has even more information about this topic on her website, which is linked below.
Please listen, like, and share to support the mission of Embrace. Live. Thrive. to destigmatize mental health issues in motherhood and educate women on healthy living.
Ways to Find Casey:
Website: Midwest Placenta Encapsulation – Encapsulating Since 2015. Certified Placenta Encapsulator. Local Services to St. Louis, St. Charles, Lincoln, & Warren Counties in Missouri. Nationwide Shipping Program.
FB: Facebook
Instagram: Midwest Placenta Encapsulation (@midwest_placenta_encapsulation) • Instagram photos and videos
Tik Tok:Midwest Placenta Encapsulation (@midwestplacenta) | TikTok
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
FB: (1) Embrace, Live, Thrive | Facebook
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embrace.live.thrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Casey Bio:
My name is Casey and I’m located in Wentzville, Missouri. I’ve been encapsulating placentas since 2015. A little back story… I started researching placenta encapsulation when I was first pregnant with my son in 2015, but it was hard to find someone in my area who did placenta encapsulation (at that time I lived in rural mid-missouri). Therefore, I researched how to do it myself, I checked out a few books, I read a million blogs (at least it feels like it), watched hours of video tutorials, etc. I bought all the needed supplies (empty capsules, pill/capsule press machine, nutrabullet, dehydrator, stainless steel pot, etc.) and once my son was born, I encapsulated his placenta right away and I was astounded by the effects. Throughout the next few weeks, I could literally tell a difference in my mood and energy level when I forgot to take the capsules. Then, I was hooked. I started telling every pregnant friend and family member about it! Since I was telling everyone about it… people started asking me to do it for them. So, I casually encapsulated placentas for a friends and family members over a few years, and then again for myself when my daughter was born in 2017. Since opening, I encapsulated over 400 placentas for so many lovely mamas from all walks of motherhood. Other than that, I’m a stay-at-home mom with four ‘littles’ and a super supportive husband. I truly love anything to do with pregnancy, labor, birth, cloth diapering, baby wearing, houseplants, and of course placenta encapsulation. I’ll be thrilled to work with you if you move forward with placenta encapsulation. 💕
Today, Victoria Nieveen, shares so much important information about post-partum nutrition. This is an incredible conversation you are going to want to listen to multiple times and share with all of your new mom friends. She teaches us the how and the why of how to support your body post-partum and a big tip is . . . making sure you are eating enough!! We also finish our conversation with a great discussion on communication in marriage after baby.
Please listen, like, and consider leaving a review and help me continue to spread awareness and education around caring for yourself mind, body, and soul. This platform grows one listener at a time as you hear a message you wished you had known sooner, and you like and share. Together, we can change the stigma around post-partum mood disorders and how to everyone find the support they need.
Resources Mentioned: Prenatal Recommendations
-Fullwell Prenatal: https://fullwellfertility.com (discount code is pending)
-Prenatal thisisneeded.com codes: FLOFERTILITY for 20% off first orders or FLOFERTILITY100 for $100 total off first 3 mo of the Complete Plan ($33.33 off months 1,2,3) or FLOFERTILITYSAMPLE for $10 off sample packs
Mineral Mocktail recipe:
-1/8 - 1/4 tsp Celtic sea salt or Redmond's salt in a glass of coconut water or water with a splash of fresh orange juice, POM juice, or tart cherry juice. Add magnesium capsules (you can open them and stir them in OR just take them with the drink). There are also magnesium powders that can be added.
- Brands that sell mineral powders:Rayvi andLMNT to mix into water.
Ways to Find Victoria:
Website: vn-nutrition.com
FB: (8) Facebook
Instagram: Victoria | Fertility & Period Nutrition (@flo.fertilitynutrition) • Instagram photos and videos
Victoria Bio: I am an Integrative & Functional Nutrition dietitian who specializes in women’s health. Helping women with absent or irregular cycles nourish their bodies and balance their hormones, so that they can conceive naturally. Unlike conventional protocols, I use a whole-body approach with faith-based coaching to help my clients reconnect with their bodies, regulate their cycles, and optimize their fertility.
My story is what sparked my passion to help women with their cycles and their fertility. I help women with optimizing fertility whether they hope to conceive naturally or if using Assisted Reproductive Technology. This means finally trusting their own body again, cultivating a positive relationship with food, achieving their healthy hormone goals, and integrating all forms of wellness into their lives.
You are not broken. When you work with me, we will make sense of the pieces together. If anyone wants to join my waitlist for the fertility program or for 1:1 coaching, they can email me at victoria@vn-nutrition.com
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
FB: (1) Embrace, Live, Thrive | Facebook
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embrace.live.thrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Today, Mandy Thorne, owner of Wonderfully Made Body in Balance, joins me on the podcast and we have a fantastic conversation. She teaches us about one of the techniques she uses to support her clients, emotional acupressure. This technique combines energy work and the foundational understanding of how the brain processes emotions when it is supported in the right way. Mandy also teaches about life and how we are all still learning.
Please listen, like, and share to help this platform continue to grow. There is a lot of heavy surrounding us these days and let's join together and make a stand to say it's ok to not be ok, but let's not stay there. Asking for help is one of the hardest steps, but bravest steps you can make for you and your family.
Ways to Find Mandy:
Website: Emotional Accupressurist - Wonderfully Made Body In Balance (13914bodyinbalance.com)
Facebook: (2) Facebook
Phone #: 314-409-1372
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
FB: (1) Embrace, Live, Thrive | Facebook
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embrace.live.thrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Mandy's Bio:
Hello, I’m Mandy. I’m the very proud mother of four children, three of which are on the autism spectrum. I’m also the very proud mother of 3 fabulous foster kiddos. So if you are counting with me that brings my kid load to 7! Needless to say I love kids, I love my family and I love serving others. During my children’s trying times of autism and the additional stress that children in the foster system bare and hold onto we found that the natural approach of reiki and healthy eating helped all of the children heal their bodies, hearts and minds.
Our bodies are meant to heal, we are fearfully and wonderfully made. The typical American diet and daily stress of life itself can leave our bodies “gummed up” feeling literally sick and tired. Through proper diet and relaxation our bodies can let go of stress, worry and sickness and finally heal.
For the past 10 years I've had the privilege of helping parents win the battle over the dinner table. Having personally dealt with picky eating, living life with food allergies and childhood weight loss I understand first-hand how hard it can be to get children and adults of all abilities to eat healthy. I’ve also had the pleasure of helping children and adults heal simply by relaxing and letting their own bodies energy do the work to rebuild and repair the body and mind. At Wonderfully Made Body in Balance it is or mission to help families combine nutrition and relaxation to create a balanced body and mind.
Resources Mentioned:
Marie Forleo - Everything is Figureoutable : https://amzn.to/3NJlPTKJames Clear - Atomic Habits : https://amzn.to/44cXcUH
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
FB: (1) Embrace, Live, Thrive | Facebook
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embrace.live.thrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Ways to Find Erica:
Website : empoweringleowcoaching.com
Instagram: Erica (@empoweringleow) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook group : https://www.facebook.com/groups/1933689860296872
Erica Bio:As police wives, we put ourselves on the backburner and don’t self-advocate. Oftentimes, we negotiate that our husband’s job is so important that our needs can go unmet. We start sacrificing the small things (like a shower) and wake up one day, and don’t even recognize who we are anymore. I created Empowering Law Enforcement Wives as a catalyst for any woman who has lost herself in this life – because I too, was lost.
Welcome to my thoughts, encouragement and honest truths.
For some right now relief, check out all of the freebies I’ve created for you.
I’ve also been curating a super sweet monthly gift for you to receive right on your front porch – a box to make you feel empowered and beautiful. Whatever you choose, I hope to make some kind of difference in your life. After all, we are sisters in blue.
Today, Paige & Sarah, co-founders of Altogether Beautiful Ministries join me on the podcast, and we have an incredible conversation surrounding real life and women's sexuality from a biblical perspective. This is such a hard topic that has been avoided by the church for so long or even worse, taught as a bad thing, that is has become a topic that feels icky when anyone ever brings it up. God created us to need connection and intimacy and when it is done how God designed it to be it is truly one of the most beautiful parts of our time here on earth.
Please take the time to honestly listen and hear what Paige and Sarah are educating and empowering us with information that is essential for all Christian women to be taught. Like and share this episode with all of your friends and help us continue our mission to normalize hard conversations around women in the church and understanding their God given sexuality.
Resources Mentioned:
Website: Home - Authentic Intimacy
Book: God, Sex, and Your Marriage *Newly Released! – Authentic Intimacy
Ways to Find Altogether Beautiful Ministries:
Website: Altogether Beautiful Ministries – A ministry dedicated to providing Christ-centered education, encouragement, and empowerment to the women in our churches and community.
FB: (6) Facebook
Instagram: Altogether Beautiful Ministries (@altogetherbeautifulministries) | Instagram
Conference 2023 Registration: Conference 2023 – Altogether Beautiful Ministries
Use Promo Code ELT25 for 25% off your registration
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
FB: (1) Embrace, Live, Thrive | Facebook
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embrace.live.thrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Altogether Beautiful Ministries:
Paige Baldwin, Co-Founder, Executive DirectorHello, my name is Paige. I’m the Executive Director and Co-founder for Altogether Beautiful Ministries. I live in St. Louis with my husband, son, and fur baby. I love this ministry because it gives me a chance to serve women who don’t know where to turn with their big questions. When I’m not working for ABM you’ll find me chasing my toddler, attempting to sew, hosting afternoon tea, or at an antique mall.
Sarah Cassmeyer, Co-Founder, Chairman, Managing DirectorHi everyone, my name is Sarah. I am the Co-founder, Chairman, and Managing Director for Altogether Beautiful Ministries. My husband, daughter, two very insane dogs and I live in Saint Charles. My favorite thing about ABM is giving women a place to be heard and feel safe to ask the hard questions. I love horseback riding, board games, and binge watching cheesy romantic comedies.
Today, Karen Glavin, owner of Glavin Hypnotherapy joins me on the podcast. Karen does an incredible job of not only explaining how hypnotherapy works, but how it aligns with her faith. Hypnotherapy was approved by the Catholic Church and American Medical Association in the 1950's. In recent years it is becoming more mainstream and understood the benefits it can offer by working with the subconscious mind. Karen, does an incredible job of walking us through all of the information and teaches us the value of “not listening”.
Please download and listen to episode 121 and learn more about the incredible resource of hypnotherapy. Consider liking, writing a review, and sharing with a friend as we continue to work towards a culture that no longer shames or misunderstands those struggling with depression or anxiety.
Resources Mentioned:
Reticular Activating System video: https://youtu.be/QCnfAzAIhVw
Ways to Find Karen:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karenannglavin?mibextid=LQQJ4dWebsite: https://www.glavinhypnotherapy.com/
Email: Karen@glavinhypnotherapy.com
Contact: 314-285-5721
820 S Main St., Apt 205, St. Charles, Mo 63301
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
FB: (1) Embrace, Live, Thrive | Facebook
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embrace.live.thrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Karen Bio:I wonder what your thought processes were when you first heard about hypnosis? I know many years ago I was really skeptical and then my brother was hypnotized and able to quit smoking in one session. 30 years later, he's still smoke-free. He was so impressed with the processes that he became certified and opened up a small business so he could help family and friends overcome challenges. However, I was skeptical. He educated me over time, and he told me about the American Medical Association, as well as the Catholic Church approving of hypnosis back in the fifties. And a bump in the road negatively affected my life. I was in my early thirties and really struggling, so I asked him if he would work with me, and after three to four sessions it completely changed the direction of my life. I remember opening up my eyes in that last session and thinking to myself, "Wow. The world really needs to know about this." So, I followed in my brother's footsteps, got certified, and 25 plus years later, here I am hypnotizing hundreds and hundreds of people helping them to quit smoking, lose weight, and my favorite area to work in is helping people overcome limiting beliefs. We tend to sabotage ourselves and become our own worst enemies, so just a few sessions one’s life can quickly change. I also help people to improve sports performance and creativity. A lot of times people will ask me, "Does hypnosis really work?" And jokingly will say to them, "No, I just like to take people's money for a living." And then I'll explain to them that hypnosis is something we do every day. Did you know that you hypnotize yourself every day, many times a day? And what we're doing in a session is helping you to make the changes you need, to have the desired results that you want. My client's ages start with the age of seven on up to senior citizens. I'm also pediatric certified as well. So, if you're experiencing challenges in your life, you have some bad habits you want to overcome, quit smoking, or have limiting beliefs that you would like to change, give me a call.
Today, Reena Dennis, an LPC that specializes in working individuals struggling with addiction joins me on the podcast. We have an excellent conversation about understanding the concept of ambivalence and how it can affect the motivation to change. We all get comfortable in what we know, and it is considered "safe" by our subconscious. That "safety" can extend to addiction, abuse, or destructive health patterns because that is what is known, and what is unknown could be way worse. Reena masterfully walks us through understanding ambivalence and how the acronym "DARNCAT" can be used to help determine where you are when it comes to being ready to make a necessary change.
This is a fantastic conversation that I am sure is going to get your mind working on a change that you may be avoiding. Let's face it, if change were easy, if forward progress was always simple, no one would ever get stuck. But it isn't, the motivation to change comes with a moment of clarity that things can no longer stay the same.
Listen, like, and share this powerful conversation. Help spread awareness that it is ok to not be ok, but let's not stay there and together we can make a difference.
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
FB: (1) Embrace, Live, Thrive | Facebook
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embrace.live.thrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Ways to Connect with Reena:
email: reenadennis0721@gmail.com
Today, Connie Houlihan, owner of Own Your Life Coaching joins me on the podcast and we talk through her story and how she became inspired to begin coaching. Her unique approach to coaching addresses the subconscious mind, conscious mind, and regulates the frequencies in our bodies that may be off due to a variety of reasons. Connie exudes joy and peace and on mission to help teach individuals how to thrive and be successful in all areas of her life.
Please listen, like, and share this episode with all of you friends. The path to healing is never linear and has many layers. Understanding that depression and anxiety have a root cause is so important to growth mindset and the ability to move forward. Together, we can make the difference and begin shifting the dialogue about mental health and motherhood.
Resources Mentioned: Positive Intelligence | Building mental fitness for all
Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
FB: (1) Embrace, Live, Thrive | Facebook
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embrace.live.thrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Ways to Find Connie:
Website: Home | Own Your Life (conniehoulihan.wixsite.com)
Email: conniehoulihan@gmail.com
Facebook: (5) Own Your Life | Facebook
Soul Sisters FB: (5) Soul Sister Adventures | Facebook
Soul Sisters YouTube: Soul Sister Adventures - YouTube
Connie Bio:
Connie Houlihan is the Founder of Own Your Life, LLC, a St. Louis, MO based training and coaching enterprise where she develops, facilitates and implements effective programs utilizing Brain Fitness, Quantum Frequencies, Neuro Linguistic Programming and Financial Freedom. Connie has been involved in personal growth and development since she was 8 years old when her dad gave her the book, How To Win Friends and Influence People.
During her diverse career, Connie has brought her unique combination of insight, humor, and interaction to assist others in realizing their personal best. She is committed to helping people live their purpose with passion while making their brain their new best friend! You really can own your life in ALL areas of your life!
In addition, she has worked in education, both as an instructor, speaker and facilitating workshops. Connie is also a musician, composer, and mother of two children in Heaven, Hope Marie and Nicholas Jenkins. She lives in the St. Louis area and her company’s charitable program supports scholarships in memory of her son’s legacy.
Today, Dr. Brooke Kalisiak, owner of Legacy Physical Therapy joins me on the podcast. Dr. Brooke specializes in pelvic floor health and is passionate about normalizing conversations about pelvic disfunctions and helping people to know they are not alone. She also wants individuals to know there is so much more to the pelvic floor then bladder and bowel, when you have instability in the bottom of your "core canister" it will contribute to disfunction throughout your body. A healthy pelvic floor is vital to our health and wellness. If you are struggling with bowel or bladder issues, painful sex, lingering pain in hip, back, even shoulder, then it is time to go see Dr. Brooke.
After you listen to today's episode please like, share, and consider writing a review. Sharing this episode is how this platform grows and expands. This is a pivotal moment in our culture that we have to start having the hard conversations around mental health, physical health, and so much more. As mothers struggle with anxiety, depression, guilt, it is no longer ok to just be "fine." Change cannot occur without a difficult conversation. It's ok to not be ok, but let's not stay there. What conversation are you avoiding?
Ways to Find Dr. Brooke:
Website: Home - Legacy Physical Therapy (legacytherapystl.com)
Facebook: Legacy Physical Therapy, LLC | St. Louis MO | Facebook
Instagram: Saint Louis Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy (@legacyphysicaltherapystl) | Instagram
YouTube: Legacy Physical Therapy - YouTube
Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
FB: (1) Embrace, Live, Thrive | Facebook
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embrace.live.thrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Dr. Brooke Bio:
Brooke Kalisiak PT, DPT (she/her) is Saint Louis’s leading physical therapist who helps people overcome frustrating, confusing and embarrassing pelvic health issues. She is passionate about making sure people do not end up suffering with pelvic health symptoms for years, giving up activities they love, or undergoing unnecessary surgeries.
She founded Legacy Physical Therapy because she was frustrated with the way women with pelvic health issues were being treated in our healthcare system. Too many people are being told that their pelvic symptoms (ie bladder leakage, pelvic pain, pain with sex, etc) are normal or that there is nothing that they can do except take medication, have surgery, or just live with it. This is far from the truth. Many pelvic health issues are COMMON but NOT NORMAL. It is Brooke’s mission to help people make the best decisions about their pelvic health while creating a positive healing experience.
Brooke has a Doctorate of Physical Therapy and a Master of Science in Physical Therapy from Washington University in Saint Louis. She is a wife and mother. In her free time she enjoys, hiking, mountain biking, taekwondo, reading, and checking out local restaurants.
Today, I have the joy of talking with Rebekah Coste, founder of St. Louis Mom. St. Louis Mom is an organization that's on mission to support and connect mommas locally. They have guides for recommended playgrounds/coffee shops/date nights, they host in person events, park-hops, and write must read articles that are relatable and relevant. This is an absolute must resources for all mommas in all stages of motherhood.
Rebekah and I start our conversation discussing the importance of understanding your faith as a foundation of identity, the distinction between roles, and how they impact your identity. It's so good!! As we continue our conversation, she shares about her journey into motherhood, the inspiration behind St. Louis Mom, her top 5 mom tips, and we wrap up our conversation with heart felt encouragement reminding mothers they are not alone, and it is ok to ask for help.
Please listen, like, leave a comment, and share this episode with all of your mom friends. It is time we start joining together and share about the importance of taking care of yourself not instead of your family, but for your family. The time for change is now and change can't occur without awareness.
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Ways To Find St. Louis Mom:
Website: St. Louis Moms | A local parenting resource for St. Louis moms (momcollective.com)
Facebook: (3) St. Louis Mom | Facebook
Instagram: St. Louis Mom (@stlouis_mom) | Instagram
Rebekah Bio:
Rebekah Coste is the founder and owner of St. Louis Mom. Born and raised in St. Louis, she loves the city for its rich history and small-town feel, Cardinals baseball, and toasted ravioli!
Rebekah has a bachelor’s degree in Magazine Journalism and a minor degree in French from the University of Missouri-Columbia. During her time at Mizzou, she completed internships with Associated Press Television News in Brussels, Belgium, Standard & Poors in New York, New York, and Alive Magazine in St. Louis. She returned to St. Louis where she worked in corporate communications for five years. She then moved to Paris, France to teach English in a French high school, where she remained for three years.
She is thrilled to be home in St. Louis. She is a full-time stay at home mom to two beautiful daughters and a son (one born in France, and two born in STL!) She is married to Jean-Christophe and is currently outnumbered as the only non-French citizen in her household! They reside in Rock Hill.
Rebekah is passionate about encouraging and equipping mothers on their motherhood journey and giving local moms a voice to share their stories while connecting with other mothers. Her hope for St. Louis Mom is that it will be a powerful tool for building community between mothers and a space where authentic motherhood can be shared and celebrated.
Today, Jessica Domke, owner of Glimmers of Hope, joins me on the podcast to help us understand the field of art therapy and why it offers so many benefits. We all need the ability to express ourselves creatively and art therapy gives us a safe space to process emotions when words don't seem to be working. Jessica is passionate about serving her community and clients.
Please listen, like, and share as much as you can to help spread awareness for this growing field. Not everyone is going to heal in the same manor and art therapy is yet another tool to help us work towards healing and taking that next best step.
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Ways to Find Jessica:
Facebook: Glimmers of Hope | Facebook
Linked In: Jessica Domke - Art Therapist - Loaves & Fishes for St. Louis | LinkedIn
Phone #: (314) 656-6113
Jessica's Bio:
I have a passion for anything creative! I have 8 years of experience as an Art therapist and currently do Art therapy groups at Loaves and Fishes for St. Louis, working with groups of homeless children and their parents. Art therapy is a great way for people to express feelings, build self esteem, help manage anxiety, etc. I hear many stories of how it has positively affected the lives of people I serve.
I also have an Art therapy/counseling business called Glimmers of Hope in Bridgeton, MO which is a faith based business serving women, children,& families. www.facebook.com/glimmersofhope.arttherapy.
Today, my friend Lisa Craig, owner of The Body works solution joins me on the podcast to share about massage. We discuss some of the basic strokes and the importance of touch. This episode is a fun, easy listen and one I am sure you will enjoy. Lisa shares with us her joy by working with her clients from a holistic perspective making sure she is addressing them mind, body, and spirit.
Please take a listen and leave a like and review. As Embrace. Live. Thrive. continues through your kind words and telling your friends about our mission. Take a look at our socials and website for ways to support our causse, but also see my recently released coaching programs. We are going to change the narrative around mental health and motherhood, but we have to do it together.
Ways to Find Lisa:
Website: Integrative Bodywork Solutions LLC (abmp.com)
Facebook: (3) Integrative Bodywork Solutions, LLC | Saint Peters MO | Facebook
Email: lisa@thebodyworksolution.com
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Lisa"s Bio:
Lisa has 25+ years of experience and is a licensed massage therapist and certified licensed athletic trainer. She has built a career working for various physical therapy companies and at several high schools throughout St. Louis and St. Charles counties in Missouri. During that time, she also spent hours working alongside orthopedic physicians, both on the field and in the office. She is also certified to teach Biology and Anatomy/Physiology and currently teaches high school Biology. Most recently, Lisa has obtained certification in the Aromatouch Massage Technique and has been incorporating essential oils and nutritional supplementation into her practice.
Lisa believes in a holistic approach to healing the body and the mind, through the combined therapies of integrative dry needling and massage and bodywork that consists of an integrative blend of Swedish massage, deep tissue massage, sports massage, trigger point therapy, reflexology, aromatherapy, and techniques to reduce pain, stress, anxiety, and depression.
Lisa has a passion for helping and teaching people how to take care of themselves and their bodies. She understands the body's natural ability to heal itself with proper nutrition, physical activity, and bodywork, and is eager and focused on continuing education to bring more innovative modalities into her practice. Currently, she is pursuing education and certification in Functional Medicine Diagnostic Nutrition. She has been the competitive athlete, the weekend warrior, suffered injuries, been through surgeries and rehab, and has experienced the positive results of integrative dry needling. Through her own experiences and training, she understands what her clients are going through and how to get them to where they want to be.
When Lisa is not in the office or the classroom, She can be found hanging out with her 2 kids, spending time with family and friends, or embarking on an adventure in nature. She enjoys spending time in her kayak on lakes and rivers, bike riding, hiking, and working out.
Lisa earned her Bachelor of Science in Health and Exercise Science from Truman State University and her Master of Arts in Teaching from Fontbonne University. Her professional memberships include: National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) and Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP.)
Today, Dr. Andrew Dorough, a pediatric chiropractic physician and owner of Dorough Chiropractic joins me on the podcast. We talk about stress-strain trauma that newborn experience during delivery and the impact it can have on not only the infant, but the family as a unit. I was floored as I began to think through the implications of all the signs and symptoms that indicate further examination. This incredible topic that does not get the time or attention it deserves in the medical field. I encourage you to listen to this conversation, check out Dr. Dorough's articles and help spread awareness about birth injuries in newborns.
As you download and listen to this episode please like and share to continue to expand our reach and help women know there are so many resources out there to help support you wherever you are struggling. Motherhood is exhausting, exacerbating, but we don't have to do it alone. Please watch "Embrace. Live. Thrive.'s" socials to keep up to date about all the upcoming events.
How to Find Dr. Dorough:
website: Home - Andrew Dorough DC, CACCP (drandrewdorough.com)
FB: (2) Andrew Dorough DC | Facebook
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Dr. Dorough Bio:
As an experienced pediatric chiropractic physician, I have:
-Earned a Doctorate of Chiropractic at Logan Universityin St. Louis, MO.
-Instructed with theInternational Chiropractic Pediatric Association(CACCP).
-provided seven years of clinical care for pregnant women, infants and families.
-helped to establish and develop the first multidisciplinary mother and baby care facility in St. Louis that addresses pregnancy and infant feeding troubles.
-Instructed for international lactation consultant through GOLD learning.
- developing and practicing pediatric chiropractic care and best methods of treatment.
- presented lectures at Logan University on multiple topics, including colleague collaboration
- delivered educational talks at local hospitals and mother/ baby support groups to help answer questions and provide information
- published a paper on pediatric chiropractic care (See this article)
- offered classes, seminars and support for parents and health care professionals
- been a guest on an internationally-syndicated podcast for breastfeeding information and support.
- functioned as a mentor and coach for new chiropractic physicians
I encourage you to contact me if you are a:
- pregnant woman, or a parent who is seeking care for your infant. See my Contact page.
- health care professional seeking to collaborate with me or someone like me.
- chiropractic physician looking for guidance on how to set up a multidisciplinary patient care model that looks like mine.
Today, Sam & Taylor creators and founders of "The MOTHER of all podcasts" join me to share about what they are doing through their podcast and platform. I had an absolute blast chatting with them and hearing about their origin stories from becoming best friends to starting a podcast. They started with a desire to have fun and do something for themselves and quickly realized how this platform was making a difference in helping mothers feel less alone.
I know this conversation is going to leave you with a smile on your face. Please like and share this episode with all your mom friends and continue to support and grow incredible platforms working to serve and support mothers.
My Conversation with Sam & Taylor:
The MOTHER of All Podcasts: 56: Embrace Live Thrive on Apple Podcasts
Ways to Find "The MOTHER of All Podcasts":
Facebook: The Mother of All Podcasts | Facebook
Instagram: MOTHERofallpodcasts (@motherofallpodcasts) • Instagram photos and videos
website: MOTHERofallpodcasts
email: hosts@motherofallpodcast.com
TikTok: @motherofallpodcasts
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Sam Bio:
Samantha is a Mom, Wife, and Nurse Practitioner.
Hobbies Include:
- Quality family time with my husband and two daughters
- Exercising/exploring the outdoors
- Reading
- The MOTHER of all Podcasts — beyond excited that Taylor and I are able to work on this together. This has really allowed us to hone in on our parenting skills, our relationship with our spouses, friendships, and parenting/our lives as a whole.
Taylor Bio:Hello! I’m Taylor, one of the co-hosts for the Mother of All Podcasts. I am so excited to be on this journey with one of my best friends, Sam. We have been friends for a long time and I am happy to share some of our parenting experiences with our followers. I am married to my husband Brandon and we have two kids, a 4 year old girl and a 1 year old boy. We have been married for 5 years. We are both teachers and coaches for high schools in our hometown. We are so busy keeping up with everything, but enjoy spending time together as a family. When I’m not spending time with family, I enjoy baking cakes and other sugary sweets!
Today. Kristina Ginn, owner of Midwest Practice Solutions, and she comes on to talk about the popular topic, collagen. I think most of us have heard about collagen at this point, but Kristina does an incredible job of explaining to us what collagen is and how it has so many health benefits beyond just hair, skin, and nails.
Please listen, learn, and share this episode. We learn about collagen, but Kristina shares with us so many great tidbits about health and nutrition. Please email her with questions. Don't foget to check out the website as there is new information up about my mom coaching program and several events coming soon.
Ways to Find Kristina:
email: kristina@myfavoritecollagen.com
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Today, I had the pleasure of talking with Lisa Remley owner of 2 St. Louis F45 facilities, and one in Tennessee as well. Lisa was vulnerable and shares with us briefly about her childhood and how it has impacted her as a parent. We talk about the importance being aware the influence our parents had on us not only as children, but how that influence still has a direct effect on how we parent today.
Lisa has been in fitness for over 25 years and tells us about how she not only fell in love with exercise, but personal training as well. She and her husband ultimately transitioned to owning three F45 studios, which does personal training in group settings.
Lisa explains the importance of exercise and how it is a necessity not a luxury. Taking care of our bodies is an absolute must for making sure we are our best selves for a long time. Lisa gives us simple tips on how to get started such as mindset, accountability, and making realistic/achievable goals. This conversation is so good. Please listen and share and let's encourage all of us to be a little more intentional about taking care of our bodies.
Ways to Find Lisa:
Facebook: F45 O'Fallon Dardenne Prairie | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Phone #: 314-346-2150
Website: F45 Training O'Fallon Dardenne Prairie | Team Training | Sign Up Today
Facebook: F45 Ellisville | Ellisville MO | Facebook
Phone #: 314-346-2683
Website: View Our Workout Schedule | F45 Training Ellisville
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Lisa Bio:
I have nearly 25 years experience in the fitness industry. Fitness is not only my passion; it is my profession. I have worked in all areas of the fitness industry, beginning with the front desk check-in procedure to owning and operating my own gym and multiple fitness studios.
It's been exciting to watch the fitness industry evolve over the years. The greatest advantage to this is that I am able to appreciate where the industry is going and also share my knowledge and experience with those that are new to the industry. It is important to understand and be able to articulate with customers of all ages and fitness levels. Having vast experience, such as mine, makes this much easier.
Training and development is by far my strongest attribute. Over the years I have created training material to be used in fitness facilities. This material ranges from basic selling skills to the overall management of a facility, which has been referred to as "the four-wall program."
I have truly enjoyed mentoring others in the fitness industry over years and am confident those of us in the fitness industry are improving the quality of life for so many!
Today my good friend, Dr. Marlee Coleman joins me on the podcast and talk us through such an important topic. Understanding chiropractic care throughout pregnancy. She is passionate about educating and supporting women that you don't have to be miserable there are options for relief with some of the aches and pains surrounding your pregnancy.
As a doula, Dr. Marlee's passion is to stand in the gap and support all women. She is an advocate and coach for her clients encouraging them that preparing for a baby is physical and mental. She educates women that the post-partum phase is going to have some hard moments and to ask for help when you need it most.
Dr. Marlee talk us through so many important topics and issues surrounding pregnancy. Please share this episode with all of your friends that are currently walking through pregnancy or preparing for that season of life. Also, like and consider leaving a review to help Embrace. Live. Thrive. continue to grow and support women who are struggling know that it is ok to not be ok, but let's not stay there.
Ways to Find Dr. Marlee:
Website: https://www.drmarlee.com
Facebook: Marlee Coleman | Facebook
Instagram: Marlee Coleman (@marleeg_coleman) • Instagram photos and videos
Tiktok: STL Pregnancy Coach
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Dr. Marlee Bio:
If you told me four years ago that I was going to end up living in Missouri, I would have said you're crazy! I was born and raised in Connecticut and did my undergraduate degree in West Virginia, majoring in Athletic Training. Earning my Doctorate in Chiropractic at Logan University brought me to Missouri and right away I knew this is where my God-given purpose was going to be fulfilled.
I've always had a passion for helping people improve their function, health and wellness. There was a time in my life where the pain I had, prevented me from playing the sport I loved. I thought medications was the only answer, until I found chiropractic care. I developed a new understanding of how capable our bodies are in healing itself, if we allow it. "The power that made the body heals the body," by B.J. Palmer is one of my all time favorite quotes, and my mission is to encourage others to realize that health is already within them, I simply play a role in helping them express it to their fullest potential.
It wasn't until my goddaughter was born that I became interested in working with the pediatric population. Her first few years of life were filled with hospital visits and different medications that seemed to give her parents more questions than answers. Understanding how stressful birth can be for both mom and baby, I realized working with babies and young children started while developing in mom's belly. I wanted to help expectant mom's with the entire process; from start to finish and after. This inspired me to become a certified Doula in 2021, so I could not only help expectant mom's through chiropractic care, but I could also play a significant role in the birthing process and be present on the big day.
As a Chiropractic Doula, I witness the entire process come full circle; I not only love helping moms prepare for the arrival of her baby, but I also have the privilege of helping the baby prepare for a life outside of the womb.
Today, Britt Smith, Founder of She is Kindred joins me on the podcast and shares so much valuable information. Britt has a similar story of walking into motherhood and realizing that she had placed her identity in her plan for her life and it took God's grace and firm guidance to realize He was calling her to something more. Britt is encouraging and passionate for us to understand that "our community comes together over our shared humanity and the stories that are woven throughout."
Britt and her team have built this beautiful space for all women to come and share story through a variety of mediums including podcast, blog, and art. Please check out her podcast and website, but also consider joining them as they celebrate their first birthday (registration link below). As you listen to today's conversation, and you fill stirred by something that was said please share with your friends and loved ones. We as a community of women need to know that we are not alone and there are women, community, and connection waiting for them.
Ways to find Britt:
Instagram: Brittany Smith (@brittnikelsmith) • Instagram photos and videos
Instagram: She is Kindred (@sheiskindredco) • Instagram photos and videos
Website: Home (sheiskindred.org)
Storycraft WorkShop: Birthday Storycraft Workshop (sheiskindred.org)
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Britt Bio: Brittany Smith is the vision casting dreamer behind She is Kindred. She's a full-time creative, with a thriving photography + film business that she owns with her husband, Smitty. Britt is a lifelong writer + musician with a heart for storytelling through the arts, and She is Kindred is a project that she believes God has been forming in her for much of her adult life. She lives in the St. Louis area with her husband, Smitty, their four homeschooled kids, and their incredible au pair from Ecuador.
Today, Dr. Kallie Fischer, returns to the podcast and walks us through a topic that a lot of women don't even realize they are having difficulty, our menstrual cycle. I know this can be a really uncomfortable conversation, but none the less it is a super important one. There are so many of us having monthly struggles that are common, but not normal. Dr. Kallie does an excellent job walking us through what she sees most often with her patient's and cycle irregularities, but, if you are struggling and think there is something not right with your cycle, trust your gut.
Dr. Kallie is a wonderful resource and huge proponent for understanding your body. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to her. Help us continue to share awareness of this podcast and reach other women who might need to hear this conversation. It's ok to not be ok, but let's not stay there, Please like and share this episode and if you are feeing extra motivated go ahead and write a review.
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Ways to Find Dr. Kallie:
Email: Drkalliefischer@gmail.com
Instagram: Kallie Fischer DC (@drkallie) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook:Dr. Kallie Fischer | Weldon Spring MO | Facebook
Bio Kallie Fischer, D.C.:
Since I was three years old, I knew I was going to be a chiropractor. Growing up with a chiropractor dad, it was inevitable. I have been adjusted since birth and I want to share the importance of chiropractic from birth throughout life. Chiropractic changed my life, and I am so blessed to help families achieve their health goals by removing interference from the nervous system and allowing the body to function at its fullest potential.
After graduating with my undergraduate degree from Kent State University in Ohio, I decided to live out my life's purpose and pursue my Chiropractic degree at Logan University. While at Logan, I wanted to learn to be the best doctor I could possibly be for my future patients. That's when I came across Gonstead Chiropractic.
I am so passionate about Gonstead Chiropractic and I especially love working with the pediatrics population. I look forward to the opportunity to serve you and your family. In my spare time, I love being active and social. You will find me on the volleyball court, hiking, hanging out with friends, or teaching Gonstead Chiropractic to students.
Professional Accomplishments:
- Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Logan University - Chesterfield, MO
- Bachelor of Business (summa cum laude) from Kent State University
- Service Award from Logan University
- Maximize Human Performance Award from Logan University
- Legacy recognition from Logan University
- Recipient of 100 Hours Certificate from the Dr. Wood Gonstead Boot Camp Series
- Head intern of the Gonstead Intern Program
- President of Fellowship of Christian Chiropractors
- Social Chair of Chi Rho Sigma - professional chiropractic fraternity
- Founder and President of the Logan University Chapter of the Student International Chiropractic Association
- President of Chiropractic on Purpose organization
- Finalist in the 2018 International Talk the Tic Competition
- Member of Beta Gamma Sigma - professional business fraternity
- Achieved Competent Communicator through Toastmasters International
Today, Dr. Nicole Robinson, owner of Functional Medicine at Synergy Chiropractic, joins me on the podcast to share about her journey into health, but also God's call on her life to begin functional medicine. She is so encouraging and up lifting about the importance and difference functional medicine makes in the lives of her patients. Dr. Nicole explains a specific technique called Mercier therapy, which works o increased your internal organ mobilty. This becomes important after any events such as c-section, abdominal injury, endometriosis, and so much more.
Please like and share this conversation to all your friends. There is hope and healing out there , you just need to know where to begin. Dr. Nicole is the perfect provider to come along side of you and support you right where you are currently. Please continue to spread the word and help Embrace. Live. Thrive. grow.
Video on Mercier: (5) Watch | Facebook
Ways to Contact Dr. Nicole:
FB: (5) Functional Medicine at Synergy Chiropractic Center | Wentzville MO | Facebook
Email: drrobinson@wentzvillesynergyfm.com
Phone #: 636-639-9660
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Registration Link For 2023 Women's Health Conference: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Dr. Nicole Bio:
Hello friends! I'm Dr. Nicole Robinson. I graduated with my Doctor of Pharmacy degree from St. Louis College of Pharmacy in 2011. My background includes 6 years as a U.S. Army pharmacist as well as experience in community pharmacy. After 10 years in practice, I wanted to pursue a more natural approach to health for myself and those I served in the community. I completed further training in 2020 through Functional Medicine University, and am now a certified Functional Medicine Practitioner.
Over the past few years, my thirst for knowledge in the area of holistic health has grown exponentially. I literally saturate my life with Functional Medicine! I am passionate about helping women get to optimal health. I believe it is crucial to treat the body, mind and spirit as a whole, interconnected system. When we support it; it can heal!
If this is the approach you're looking for, consider working with me.
Today, Keri Beth Jones, independent certified Optavia coach, joins me and shares her incredible journey of health, nutrition, and overcoming limiting beliefs. The moment I met Keri Beth, I could feel strength and joy radiating off of her and I knew this was someone I needed to get to know. As she shared her journey of struggle and then of finding community and the deeper understanding of how to make maintainable changes I was totally obsessed.
Keri Beth shares about how she connected with her Optavia community when the world shut down and how it was the mini challenges and all the incredible resources that Optavia offers was what drove her success. Keri Beth is going to inspire you talking able overcoming all of her limiting beliefs, and just doing it, and trusting God for the rest.
Please listen, like, and share this episode. We all could use Keri Beth's motivation and determination as we work towards making our own maintainable changes.
Books Mentioned:
Full: Food, Jesus, and the Battle for Satisfaction by Asheritah Ciuciu
Habits of Health by Dr. Anderson
Your Life Book by Dr. Anderson
Ways to Find Keri Beth:
Facebook: (1) Keri Beth Jones | Facebook
Instagram: Keri Beth Jones (@keribethjones) • Instagram photos and videos
Health Form: Start Your Health Journey Today! (jotform.com)
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Registration Link For 2023 Women's Health Conference: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Today, Kathryn Barton, couple's therapist, and owner of Uplift and Connect Counseling joins me on the podcast and knocks this conversation about communication in committed relationships out of the park. She talks us through common struggles, what is underlying issues, and strategies to start working towards healthier communication. I'm obsessed with this conversation and think everyone to hear this one at least twice to get all the details about what Kathryn shares with us.
Please download, like, and share this conversation. Everyone has struggled in their relationship at some point and this episode is a great resource if you are struggling on where to start.
Ways to Find Katheryn:
Website: Upliftandconnectcounseling.net
Instagram: Katheryn Barton (@upliftandconnectcounseling) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/upliftandconnectcounseling
Phone: 314-761-7200
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Facebook: (2) Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Conference Registration: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Katheryn Bio:
Our personal relationships are such an integral part of our existence and our happiness. When we are feeling disconnected with those most important to us it impacts so much more in our lives. I have a passion for looking at relationships and figuring out where the partners are missing each other.
Working with couples to reignite their spark and finding that safe place with each other is my jam 🙂
I look at communication tools and go deeper into that emotional connection to help my couples feel understood and truly seen within their relationship. If you are feeling like things have changed somewhere along the way reach out to me and we’ll explore it together. I know what it’s like to build a life with your best friend and at times feel lost because the connection and safety have gotten muddled or lost.
I am here to help. Contact me by phone 314-325-4922
Today, Danielle White, owner of Lakeside Therapy LCC, LPC, RPT-S, joins me on the podcast and we discuss the concept of neuro synchrony and its implications to parenting. In our womb, our children imprint our nervous system and are connected to us on a deeper level throughout their lifespan. That is why one of the first things that happens after birth is the nurses placing the baby, skin to skin, on our chest to help them regulate breathing, temperature, and blood pressure.
Has your toddler ever gotten upset and struggled to calm down, and then you get frustrated and struggle to calm down, and then everything erupts into chaos? That is directly impacted by neuro synchrony. It is a multi-directional phenomenon that contributes to moments of stress but can also be used for good. This is why it is so important to take care of ourselves so we can teach our children how to take care of themselves.
Danielle shares how losing our cool is totally normal and goes on to explain when it goes beyond normal, and you may need some additional resources. She also has incredibly helpful tips for how to build positive neuro synchrony with our infants, kids, and moody teenagers. Please listen, like, and share with all of your friends. In my mind, there isn't a parent that doesn't need to hear this conversation.
Ways to find Danielle:
Website: Lakeside Therapy, LLC - Home (therapybythelake.com)
Email: white.danielle.r@gmail.com
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Facebook: (2) Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Conference Registration: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Danielle Bio:
Hi, my name is Danielle White. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor. I believe in a holistic approach, meaning that I want to help you heal in all areas of your life, not just pieces of it. I specialize in early childhood play therapy (ages 18 months-5) but also work with individuals 5-18 and at times adults.
What is play therapy you ask? It is a therapeutic approach for ages 2-12 that offers children a way to grow and heal through their natural language of play. It is widely known that children understand and process things much differently than adults. So why then should we expect to treat children in a therapeutic setting with a traditional talk therapy approach, as if they were adults? Children are not ready to process difficulties merely through verbal processing. Children practice and learn the most through playing, and play therapists use that strength to help children overcome adverse situations and everyday difficulties.
The goal of a play therapist is to bring about understanding and help develop a variety of skills in children through playing. Everything in the playroom is there for the purpose of facilitating understanding. When children are struggling with something, they will enter the playroom and naturally gravitate towards something that provides an outlet to process that struggle. For example, a child struggling with the death of a loved one might use dolls or animal miniatures to act out a family member being with the family and then suddenly disappearing. A play therapist’s role is to take confusing, scary, negative experiences, and communicate them in a way the child understands, or help the child process in a way that is age appropriate.
Today, Leah Diffey, Emotion Code Practitioner, joins me on the podcast and we discuss emotional healing. Emotions can be tricky in that are influenced by how we were raised, our perceptions, and traumas we might have stored in our bodies that we don't even realize are there. Leah walks us through what might be holding us back from identifying and productively using our emotions. She reminds us that it is ok to take a moment to sit, do the deep breaths, as we learn how to be still. Leah encourages that the best way to move forward with our emotional healing is to add something in our routine such as journaling, mediation, and or prayer. By simply adding an intentional 5 minutes a day to focus on what you are feeling and why, this will begin that process of health and healing.
I wish you all a happy and healthy 2023. May this be the year to start your process of change. I am 3 years into my health journey and there are days I still get discouraged, stressed, overwhelmed, but I promise you it gets easier and easier to pick yourself back up after those moments and get right back to doing the things you know help you the most. I look back and am in awe of where God has brought me over the last few years.
Please listen, like, and share this podcast. Consider telling a friend specifically about this episode or one of my 102 other episodes to help this podcast grow. It is my passion to support mothers who are hurting and need support and encouragement. Healing is possible, you just have to know where to start.
Ways to Find Leah:
FB: Leah Diffey | Facebook
FB: Diffey Farmacy | Facebook
Instagram: Leah Diffey (@diffeyfarmacy) • Instagram photos and videos
Website: The Farmacy – Emotion Code Release and Handcrafted Herbal Remedies (diffeyfarmacy.com)
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.
FB: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Leah Bio:
“The positive transformation I have experienced through Emotion Code therapy has been a beautiful experience. As a Certified Emotion Code Practitioner (CECP) it brings me joy to facilitate similar changes and healing in others. ” Leah Diffey, CECP
Releasing Trapped Emotions allows the body to flow in a more balanced and harmonious way. This holistic approach honors our divine design and removes the emotional baggage that can contribute to a variety of physical and mental discomforts.
The Emotion Code is a specialized type of emotional release therapy. This simple yet transformative healing method works by detecting negative emotions stored in the subconscious mind then releases the vibrational energy. The process is quick and effective and allows the body to flow with greater ease. My clients have reported feeling lighter, calmer, and less stressed. Physical discomforts such as tightness in the back and heaviness in the chest have also been relieved.
Today, Bre Kleeschulte, owner of Light Up Cottleville, joins me on the podcast and we have a beautiful conversation recapping her tree lighting event at the beginning of December. Bre is so dynamic and passionate about spreading joy and encouraging those around her all year long. Two years ago, she was inspired with a dream and vision to create a family event to connect her community, and this year she was able to see all her hard work come the life. Light Up Cottleville connected businesses, families, but most importantly the city of Cottleville. Bre is a force in the community, and I am so blessed for the opportunity to talk with her on this episode of the podcast.
Bre also shares with us about understanding the importance of family and traditions during this season, but also holding firm boundaries and saying no when something doesn't fit the needs of your family. Listen to this back row, a "no" to an activity or an event this year isn't a no forever, it may just what you need this year to protect your health and the health of your family.
Please listen, like, and share this episode and help spread the word about this awesome event and get it on your calendar for next year, but also to encourage all the moms that may be struggling with balance this year. Embrace. Live. Thrive. has an event coming up in January 2023, and our next women's health conference coming in February of 2023. Please watch my website and socials for more details.
Ways to Find Bre:
Facebook: (4) Light Up Cottleville | Cottleville MO | Facebook
Instagram: Light Up Cottleville🎄 (@lightupcottleville) • Instagram photos and videos
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Today, Noelle Robinson, Sound Therapist/Health and Wellness Speaker, joins me on the podcast. Noelle shares with us about what has inspired her the most and her journey discovering sound therapy. She is amazing and her passion to support her community shines through in everything she does. I know as you listen to this conversation you won't be able to help being inspired by Noelle and her story.
If sound therapy is something new to you, I think you are really going to enjoy this conversation. I was extremely anxious (that's how I roll most days) about trying a sound session because sound can be triggering for me, but let me tell you, it was so relaxing and peaceful. It is a top priority for Noelle to help you feel comfortable, set your intentions for the session, and really reach space where you can just be.
Please go and check out Noelle all of her information is linked below. Make sure to hop on her website and book a session ASAP. Also, keep a close eye on all things Embrace. Live. Thrive. as we have multiple opportunities coming up to connect, learn, and grow.
Ways to Find Noelle:
Facebook: (2) The Sound Spa | Saint Peters MO | Facebook
Instagram: Noelle Robinson (@thesoundspa_stl) • Instagram photos and videos
Website: HOME | STLNoelle.com
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO (facebook.com)
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Noelle's Bio:We are living in a time of IMMENSE stress and anxiety! We are busy, worried, and often just trying to get by each day.
But do we really have to live with such stress? Science continues to find the awful impact our current lifestyles are having on our bodies, on our relationships, and our futures.
With so many distractions, triggers, and drains on our energy today, it's more important than ever that we take time for self-care, so that we can be our BEST SELVES in all areas of our lives.
This is Self-Care that STICKS WITH YOU. That means that not only will you feel more relaxed after a session, but you will continue to feel the benefits for days, even months to come.
By taking this time to relax and rejuvenate, you will not only increase your ability to be present for the ones you love, but you will also increase your mindfulness, your energy, and your capacity to do the things you enjoy most!
Today is a day I think I have only dreamed about, 100 episodes. So many amazing conversations, connections, and opportunities for learning. Podcasting is seriously one of the coolest things I have ever been a part of doing. This podcast has been a labor of love and I am so grateful for the ability to share all of the amazing things I am learning, and God has been revealing to me over the last 2 years.
I hope you enjoy this conversation and helps give you a little more of a glimpse into the world of Embrace. Live. Thrive. Please continue to like and share my podcast episodes, information I share on my social, all the upcoming learning opportunities to help me continue to grow this platform and help women who so desperately need to hear its ok to not be ok but let's not stay there.
Sarah Bio:
Sarah Meyer has been married to her husband Mike for 16 years and they have 5 children all aged 8 and under. She graduated with her doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2011 and worked full time in outpatient therapy until starting her family in 2014. She and her husband made the decision for her to step away from her career and stay home while their children were little. Sarah struggled with severe depression and anxiety as she continued to have children. She ultimately spiraled down to the point of suicidal ideations and limited to basic care for her children. It was through a series of God moments that she was led back into a healthy lifestyle and now has a passion to help other women who are struggling with the same thing.
Sarah launched Embrace. Live. Thrive. at the end of 2020 and is on mission to destigmatize mental health issues in motherhood and educate women on foundations of self -care. She has been working to build her podcast also tilted “Embrace. Live. Thrive”, which can be found on all the major podcast apps. Sarah is active on Facebook and Instagram working to bring awareness and connection to a world that is hurting. She will be releasing her coaching programs later this month working to support women who are struggling with identity, healthy living, and so much more.
Ways to Find Me:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Today, Teresa Reiniger, grief coach joins me to discuss the extremely difficult topic of grief. Teresa is so kind and compassionate as she supports woman and families in their hardest moment. It is time to start normalizing the conversations around grief, to just sit with our loved ones who are hurting even when we have no idea what to say, to embrace the discomfort of these hard emotions to simply support them with our presence.
Teresa encourages individuals struggling with grief to know you are not alone and its ok to use your voice to tell those around you what you need. There is hope and healing after a loss, but it doesn't have to be on anyone else's timeline, but yours. We are all unique individuals with unique stories. Please listen, learn, and share with your friends and family so we can all normalize supporting and encouraging our loved ones who are struggling during a difficult season of life.
Teresa Podcast: Labor Pains: Dealing with infertility and loss during pregnancy or infancy. on Apple Podcasts
My Episode with Teresa: Labor Pains: Dealing with infertility and loss during pregnancy or infancy.: 112: We rise by lifting up others in their loss with Dr. Sarah Meyer on Apple Podcasts
Ways to Find Teresa:
Website: Living After Grief
Facebook: (6) Living After Grief | Facebook
Instagram: @livingaftergrief • Instagram photos and videos
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO (facebook.com)
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embracelivethrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Teresa Bio: I am the founder and head coach of Living After Grief, Certified Grief Coach with the Institute of Life Coaching Training (ILCT), has a companion certificate with the National Share organization, a certified practitioner of neurolinguistics programming and success mastery. As CEO and Founder of Women Connect and Support LLC and the founder and podcast host for Labor Pains Podcast.
When two of my daughters started experiencing infertility struggles as well as multiple miscarriages, I began to grieve those grandchildren and realized I still had some unresolved grief from two miscarriages I experienced years ago. Beginning to support numerous close friends and family members that had experienced infertility, miscarriages, stillbirth & infant loss I started a weekly podcast to spread awareness about infertility and loss where women and men could find their voice in sharing their stories to help themselves and others. After a year of interview people for the podcast episodes and finding that there was a tremendous amount of them continuing to struggle with grief. I felt a huge tug on my heart, which I know was God guiding me to take some time and learn how to help people navigate through grief and to give them hope that they can reengage in living life again.
I help people navigate through the challenges that come with the difficult stages of grief. My goal is to work with you to be that beacon of light in the darkness directing you to the hope of finding laughter and joy in your life without blame and guilt. And to bring awareness to others as to how to support you and others that are grieving loss.
Today, Shelly Snow Pordea, returns to the podcast and shares with us the importance of gratitude and creativity. She is so encouraging and inspiring as she talks about her daily practices with gratitude and how it has been life changing for her. Shelly also shares with us about the inspiration behind her creativity mindset journal and reminds us about Brené Brown teaching that creativity is where innovation begins. This conversation is heartfelt and a great reminder to focus on what you can control and let go of what you cannot control.
Please share this episode and help spread the importance of gratitude, mindfulness, and creativity as we head into this busy season of the year. Please watch Facebook and Instagram as we announce new events and a soon to release mom coaching program. I hope you consider joining us for our next women's health conference on Feburary 3rd - 4th, 2023.
Ways to Find Shelly:
Website: Author Shelly Snow Pordea | TheCreativU
Instagram: Shelly Snow Pordea (@shellysnowpordea) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: Shelly Snow Pordea - The Creativ U | Facebook
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Instagram Sarah Meyer (@embrace.live.thrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO (facebook.com)
Shelly Bio:
Shelly Snow Pordea is author of The Tracing Time Trilogy, a story which spans three generations of women who find their way in the world while seeking to save themselves and those they love. A timely message for a planet faced with irreversible damage, Tracing Time explores the potential of learning from the past in order to save our future. This time-travel love story is simply a message of hope and light for humanity and the planet we share.
Her first children's book,The Hug Who Had No Arms, debuted on Amazon as a #1 bestseller in several categories. Inspired by a time when the world seemed to stop hugging, Shelly took to her love of drawing and storytelling to create a children's tale to help families express love through the strange practice of social distancing.
Shelly is a cult survivor using her voice through the power of storytelling in order to promote change. A victim of childhood sexual abuse, she reached out to church leaders as a teenager, only to be “handled” in a culture of shame and misogyny. Today, she advocates for survivors of spiritual, sexual, and institutional abuse with #igotout, and is writing a memoir about her experiences.
For nearly 15 years, Shelly lived abroad with her Eastern European husband and three children doing church and humanitarian work. Overseas, she was a volunteer, a classroom teacher, and an academic director for an international school. In 2013, she and her family of five moved to the US where she later began her writing career. She now works as a ghostwriter, blogger, author and screenwriting newbie, and is thrilled to become a grandmother in early 2022.
Today, Sara Chinnock joins me on the podcast, and share tips and tricks for hosting this season.
Today Erin Darling, Nutrition Professional, and owner of Mindset Nutrition, joins me on the podcast to teach us all about intermittent fasting. It is such a fascinating topic that feels like a new fade diet, but in reality, has been around for hundreds and hundreds of years. Erin helps us to understand the basics about what the purpose is behind intermittent fasting and why it can be so beneficial for your body. She does a great job teaching us how to successfully begin intermittent fasting, what red flags to watch out for, but also helps us understand that it isn't the right fit for everyone.
Erin is passionate about helping individuals who are frustrated where they are with their eating, and they literally don't know what else there is to do. Please listen to this episode and share like crazy to anyone who has ever mentioned the words intermittent fasting to you. Also, please like and leave a review on wherever you listen to your podcast content.
Erin's Interview over Binge Eating: Episode #23
Ways to Find Erin:
Website: Mindset Nutrition (mindsetnutritionstl.com)
Instagram: Erin Darling MS MA (@mindsetnutritionstl) • Instagram photos and videos
FB: (3) Mindset Nutrition | Cottleville MO | Facebook
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embrace.live.thrive) • Instagram photos and videos
FB: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Erin's Bio:
When I was young, I was one of the heaviest kids in school. I suffered from terrible self-esteem, asthma and allergies. The teasing was relentless and painful. I desperately wanted to look like everyone else but more than anything, I wanted to be healthy and strong. By the time I was eight, I attempted my first diet.
Fast forward to eighth grade...my brother began running nightly at a nearby track. I started tagging along and before long we were running 5K's together. After years of trying and failing at sports, running was finally a way I could feel strong! My new found love of exercise motivated me to start eating differently. As a young teen, these well intended comments did a wonder on me. This brought upon years of restricting and yo yo dieting as I was always chasing that low number and more compliments. I was stuck in an unhealthy habit loop of binging and restricting and since food was my major source of comfort, I couldn't escape it.
Finally, in 2006 after my husband I got married, I just couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't weigh, track or count any longer. I knew I needed to learn how to be healthy in a new way. This revelation brought years of self discovery. I read many amazing books, worked with a mindful eating therapist, learned to meditate, hired a life coach, and invested a lot of time working on my mindset. It was a lot of work but it was worth all the time and money I invested in myself.
Today, I still keep my self care list very long. I make sure every day I meditate, move my body, drink 100 ounces of water, eat mostly real food and let go of guilt when I don't :). This is what I offer to my clients. We work on creating a healthy lifestyle that is sustainable and free of self judgement. We get to the root of the problem and find new ways to cope. It is possible to create the life you want without being obsessive or overly restrictive, and I can show you how!
Today, my good friend Amery, joins me on the podcast and shares her health journey. She is now able to look back and see how she struggled with post-partum depression for a while after the birth of her daughter and it was her focused intention and asking for help that is what made the difference for her health at that time. Amery also shares about her battle with her autoimmune disease and embracing the lifestyle modification she needed to walk back into the healthiest version of herself.
Amery has a passion to help serve new mothers that are struggling with nursing and aren't sure what to do next. Her company, BLISS, is a in home service that focuses not only one the nursing infant, but the mom as a whole and what offers help to make sure that all the needs of mom and baby are being met.
Please listen to today's episode and share with all your new mom friends or ones that might be having their first baby soon. Motherhood is an incredible role but is also overwhelming. Let's help normalize that asking for help when you are struggling post-partum isn't weakness, but the bravest thing that any mother can do for themselves and their child.
Ways to Find Amery:
Website: Lactation Specialist | BLISS (blissbabylc.com)
Facebook: (8) BLISS | Lake Saint Louis MO | Facebook
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embrace.live.thrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Amery Bio:
I'm Amery Friedrichs, RN, BSN, and Certified Lactation Counselor. I have always had a passion for working with breastfeeding moms. I have been assisting with lactation throughout my entire nursing career. Over the past 2 years, I have met so many moms just out of the hospital who are in complete distress over breastfeeding. Instead of being overwhelmed with happiness and beaming with joy over their precious new baby, I am often met with tears, self-doubt, and looks of sheer panic. I would do the best I could with the very limited time I had to help them feel some ounce of confidence and reassurance when it came to nursing their baby.
Seeing their faces light up and their bodies relax after a successful consult was PRICELESS. It was in those moments that I realized there was a great need for community breastfeeding support beyond the typical quick (and often overwhelming) hospital visit from the lactation consultant. Breastfeeding is natural, yes, but it has to be learned. It can be a beautiful and successful journey if a mom is given the proper support and encouragement. So, BLISS was born. The name is not only an acronym (Breastfeeding, Lactation, Infant feeding, Support, Services), but a word that depicts calmness and peace. I believe that every mom deserves the chance to achieve BLISS in breastfeeding their baby.
I offer Postpartum and Return-to-Work consultations. At each visit, clients will receive one-on-one care and attention that includes a thorough hands on mother-baby feeding assessment, education/helpful tips/resources to promote success, and a complete individualized plan of care relating to your specific breastfeeding goals.
Today, April Bryant, cofounder/partner with Fast Bryant Consulting, joins me on the podcast and shares powerfully about what has helped shaped her into the woman she is today, and she encourages us to be empowered and always be able to stand on our own two feet. April goes on to share with us about all the incredible things she and her business partner, Lauren Fast, are doing to support small and medium sized businesses grow.
April shares with us some of her top strategies for time management, ways to conquer the million things that get thrown our way as mothers and businesswomen. We also briefly discuss how inefficient multi-tasking actually is for your productivity. I know you are going to listen, be inspired, and start improving your time management skills ASAP. Notice I mentioned, skill, it is going to take time and a lot of practice to get good at time management if that is not something you have already been working to improve. Please listen, like, and share this episode with all your momma friends.
Ways to Find April:
FB: Fast Bryant Consulting | Facebook
Instagram: FB Consulting📱Digital Generals (@fastbryantconsulting) • Instagram photos and videos
Website: Fast Bryant Consulting, LLC - Strategic Communication, Branding & Social Media Consultants (business.site)
Tik Tok: @fastbryantconsulting
Linkin: @fastbryantconsulting
April's Bio:
Professional Specialty:
Public Relations, Content
Marketing, Strategic
Communications, Crisis
Communications, & Storytelling
Key Credentials:
Accredited in Public
Relations
Accomplished Public
Speaker
Community Volunteer & Advocate
A national and state award-winning communications professional with two decades of experience in public relations, digital media, and communication strategy. A regional, state, and national presenter on topics including increasing audience engagement, content marketing, innovative digital media for businesses and organizations, and effective communication. Bryant is experienced in strengthening organizations’ social media presence and protecting brands through issues management and crisis communications. She is skilled in developing key messages for target audiences. April helps businesses enhance their online presence with consistent and creative content that stops the scroll and inspires action.
April is a Co-Founder and Partner at Fast Bryant Consulting, a full-service digital agency that works with local B2C brands in Missouri. She is also a professor in the Communications Department of Missouri Baptist University in addition to her favorite role as “mom” and “cheerleader” for her children.
Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
FB: (4) Embrace, Live, Thrive | O'Fallon MO | Facebook
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embrace.live.thrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Today, Hanna Bier, energy healer, family constellation expert, and life coach joins me on the podcast and shares parts of her incredible healing journey and the organic roots of her business Money Bliss. She educates women on how to overcome potential family of origin blocks that surround their earning potential and cultivate them how to be amazing receivers of money. Hanna is so inspirational and encouraging on such a difficult topic and even completes our conversation with tips for managing our money around the holidays.
Please listen and hear as Hanna tells us profoundly that "the only safe path I have discovered is the soul path." There are so many great things to learn from this conversation, please share with anyone that comes to mind as you listen to what Hanna has to teach us. Help Embrace. Live. Thrive. continue to grow and touch women's lives to know it is ok to not be ok, but let's not stay there.
Ways to Find Hanna:
website: Hanna Bier
Instagram: HANNA 🦋 (@hannamoneybliss) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: (7) Hanna Bier | Facebook
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embrace.live.thrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: (4) Embrace, Live, Thrive | Facebook
Hanna Bio:
Hanna Bier works with ambitious women all over the world to recreate their relationship with money in a life-affirming, positive and loving way. She is an energy healer, family-constellation expert and certified life coach, who has woven her diverse skill set into a proven, and innovative capacity to allow her clients to transform their relationship with money from the inside out. Hanna spent seven years trying to answer the question: Is it possible to create wealth without compromising our health, wellness and/or happiness. Can we actually create abundant lives while living a life of joy? Happily, the answer is a resounding YES. And this is the work she now does with clients. Her passion, enthusiasm and effervescence instantly creates openness, connection, and inspiration, effortlessly engaging her audiences. Passionate about helping women fall head over heels in love with money, so that they can
Today, Kathleen Fischer, a successful business coach joins me on the podcast and shares from her heart about the importance of starting with your relationship with Jesus as the base of building your business. She tells us about how God cultivated this desire to coach businessmen and businesswomen but showed her that she was to do it in a manner that empowered them through Christ. Kathleen talks about how our biggest limitations are often due to our struggles with identity and fear, to which Christ is the antidote for both.
Kathleen is honest and encouraging about the distinction of growing our businesses not for Christ, but through Christ. Her passion for this topic shines through our whole conversation. Please listen and share this conversation with all of your friends that currently are running a business or have a dream to launch something of their own.
Ways to Find Kathleen:
FB: (6) Christ-Centered Success with Kathleen Fischer | Facebook
Instagram: Kathleen Fischer (@christcenteredsuccess) • Instagram photos and videos
YouTube: Christ Centered Success with Kathleen Fischer - YouTube
Website: Home - Kathleen Fischer Coaching
Embrace. Live. Thrive.:FB: (6) Embrace, Live, Thrive | Facebook
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embrace.live.thrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Kathleen's Bio:
It is my PASSION to equip highly motivated, faith-filled women like you to build successful businesses and joy-filled lives through the power of Christ.
When God called me to build a business, I had no idea how hard it would be! But, the process contained rich lessons and a deep fellowship with God that shaped me into the woman I am today. Joy replaced fear as I saw how God uses our WHOLE STORY to fulfill the plans He has for us.
As a child, I heard my stepfather’s stories about helping companies recover from mistakes and putting systems in place to get them back on track. I thought that was cool! Later, I obtained a B.S. in Computer Science and Business so I, too, could help businesses create order out of chaos.
In my late twenties, I created a computer consulting company to help small businesses automate their systems and processes. I loved helping them overcome their fear of technology and equipping them to do things they had never done before.
When I became a mother, I worked as the “techie” in my husband’s business, implementing computer systems and managing internal financial processes
Today I enjoy the fruit of 35 years with an amazing man who is wired completely differently from me. Our two children are blossoming as adults in their unique spheres of influence. Spending time with them is one of my greatest delights!
When it comes to fun, you will always find my family outside. Living in Rhode Island, just minutes from the ocean with a husband and children who surf, means we play in the waves!
I have a deep love for nature, the sea and the quaint beauty of New England. Therefore, paddle-boarding the inlets or hiking along inland trails are some of my favorite ways to relax and commune with God, family and friends. When I learned to follow Christ 25 years ago, I became active as a leader in my community and opened my home for weekly bible study. I love to help women deepen their relationship with God, and the community in my home continues to thrive.
Today, Donalee Gastreich, owner of Complete Solutions LLC , joins me on the podcast and shares her wealth of knowledge on the topic of spirituality. As she shares her journey to understanding her own spirituality and the impact it has had on her business, it is clear that they are inseparable. Over the last ten years Donalee has cultivated awareness, experience, and found a deep understanding of what it means to know yourself.
Donalee writes and shares with us about the importance of educating, engaging, and finally empowering ourselves with our spirituality. There is a deep importance of embracing your beliefs for yourself and trusting those beliefs to guide your intuition. Please listen, grow, and share this incredible conversation and begin to challenge yourself to understand your own spirituality.
Donalee's Book: Bringing Spirituality into Business – Complete Solutions (complete-solutionsllc.com)
Ways to Find Donalee:
Websites: Meet Donalee Gastreich Best Selling Author and Speaker (donalee360.com)
Complete Solutions – to mastering you and your results. (complete-solutionsllc.com)
FB: Life Mastery with Donalee | Facebook
Instagram: Donalee Gastreich (@lifemasterywithdonalee) • Instagram photos and videos
Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
FB: Embrace, Live, Thrive | Facebook
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embrace.live.thrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Donalee Bio:
1 BestSelling Author and Speaker, Donalee Gastreich specializes in human behavior and how it impacts your success or stagnates your results. She grew up in the “Show Me State” where proving and validating seemed common practice. Her young curiosity to what makes us all so different led her on a path of fulfilling her insatiable appetite to learn by engulfing herself in psychology, philosophy, science, quantum physics and what true well-being really is.
She’s climbed the corporate ladder from entry level positions to top sales agent and on to business owner at Complete Solutions where she teaches the ABC’s to master you and your results. You’ll find her boldly Bringing Spirituality into Business to ignite personal growth, creativity, innovation and the true power of human potential to take organizations soaring to new heights.
Meeting planners love her ability to rock the audience, connect with a crowd and provide training with deliverables everyone can use. Donalee’s down-to-earth relatability and humor drives the audience to laugh and learn. She’s made it her mission to help individuals and businesses – advance beyond expectations.
Donalee’s was awarded Citizen of the Year 2016, voted best Coaching Business 2018, City Council Representative 2020, and #1 International BestSelling Author in 2022.
She loves nature almost as much as her new role of grandma.
Today, Lauren Hanson, Functional Medicine Holistic RN, joins me on the podcast. She shares her family's incredible story of how they began their holistic journey. After her husband became seriously ill and having no answers after seeing multiple doctors across multiple states, a friend suggested essential oils. Lauren did some research and decided to give it a try and within a week or two her husband began seeing improvements and now, eight years later he is 90% better.
Lauren became passionate about helping educate individuals about natural alternatives. Her passion grew into starting her own Functional Medicine Holistic practice. Holistic nursing focuses on looking at the client as a whole, working toward finding root cause, and not just symptom modification. Lauren has helped children with emotional dysregulation, cancer patients needing extra support, supporting women through menopause, and so much more. She is determined to help you find the answers you need to start moving forward on your journey.
Please listen to Lauren's story, be inspired, and head to her website to find out more. After listening to this episode please share with whoever you think could benefit from hearing more about this amazing natural alternative to managing your health care.
Ways to Find Lauren:
Real Health Solutions with a Holistic Focus on Healing (hansonholistichealth.com)
Embrace. Live. Thrive:
Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Embrace, Live, Thrive | Facebook
Sarah Meyer (@embrace.live.thrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Lauren's Bio:
I am Lauren and I am the founder of Hanson Holistic Health LLC. I became a registered nurse in 2007 graduating from Evangel University with my Bachelor of Science in Health Care and Cox College of Nursing with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. After graduation, I went to work in Columbia, MO on the Oncology unit where I also spent time working as a Supportive/Palliative Care RN for Boone Hospital. After 8.5 years, my husband and I, along with our growing family, moved near St. Louis, MO. It was then I decided I wanted to pursue a different type of nursing. While I loved bedside nursing, at the time I still had little ones at home. In 2013, my husband’s health started to decline and the traditional western medicine did not provide answers nor solutions. It was then that I started researching about natural solutions and preventative health. Since that time, my curiosity became my passion.
In the summer of 2021, I decided to combine my experience, education and passion in holistic nursing. I completed my certification in Holistic Nursing program from Pacific College of Health and Science in the Spring of 2022. In April of 2022, my dreams became reality when I opened my office for Hanson Holistic Health in Cottleville, MO. Healing the whole person is a process, but having someone there to listen, encourage and empower is so needed in healthcare today. I look forward to connecting and encouraging you on your path towards healing.
Today, I had the opportunity to talk with my friend Veronica Lane, founder of WellBodyPT2. She is a Physical Therapist who specialize in pelvic floor therapy. Yep, that's a real thing and is helping so many people. Pelvic floor imbalances are one of the most common struggles that includes leaking urine, painful intercourse, urinary urgency/frequency. We get told that if we struggle with any of these after giving birth that it will just "get better", or we just assume that is what happens after having a baby and I am just stuck. I am here to tell you there is hope for healing!
Veronica teaches all about the pelvic floor by giving us the tops 5 myths and top 5 tips to support our pelvic floor. She is passionate about educating people of the importance of deep diaphragmatic breathing, the proper way to pee and poop, and so much more. Veronica is an absolute delight and I hope you enjoy this conversation. I hope that it leaves you feeling empowered in your health and realize there are options if these are things you have been struggling how to handle.
Please look up Veronica on her social and share this episode with all of your friends with a pelvic floor. P.S. that is literally everyone you know. Like, share, and help continue to spread awareness and encouragement for those mommas out there that are struggling.
Ways to Find Veronica:
Website: Pelvic Floor Therapy - WellBodyPT2 - Personal Training
FB: (5) well body pt2 - Search Results | Facebook
Instagram: Well Body PT2 (@wellbodypt2) • Instagram photos and videos
Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
FB: (1) Embrace, Live, Thrive | Facebook
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embrace.live.thrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Today, Kirby Toribio, health and wellness coach joins me on the podcast. She has an incredible journey overcoming her own struggle with balancing her hormones and discovered the importance of good nutrition, appropriate exercise, and God's grace in fitness. She is now coaching and help educating women how to empower themselves around their cycle and how to exercise based on their individual needs and not as a construct of what our culture deems necessary to be healthy.
Kirby is so informative, helping us to understand not only what our cycle even is, but how to support it through exercise. She gives us many different examples of exercises that could be beneficial during the four different phases of our monthly cycle. Please listen, learn, and share and help spread awareness about this important topic.
Resources Mentioned:
Books:
1) WomanCode: Perfect Your Cycle, Amplify Your Fertility, Supercharge Your Sex Drive, and Become a Power Source by Alisa Vitti
2) In the FLO: Unlock Your Hormonal Advantage and Revolutionize Your Life by Alisa Vitti
Apps:
1) MyFlo Period Tracker
2) Stardust Period Tracker
Handout: https://www.embracelivethrive.com/documents/hormone-and-exercise-handout.pdf
Ways to Find Kirby:Instagram: faith + hormone health + fitness (@kirby.toribio) • Instagram photos and videos
Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Facebook: Embrace, Live, Thrive | Facebook
Instagram: Sarah Meyer (@embrace.live.thrive) • Instagram photos and videos
Today, Teresa Goodlett, RN, BSN, joins me on the podcast and we discuss how motherhood is where unconditional love is birthed, and transformative growth begins. Teresa owns “Bloom with Teresa” a practice that specializes in supporting and educating individuals about their gut health. This episode is a deep dive into all things gut. Teresa explains to us what the Gut-Brain Connection is, leaky gut, and most importantly how to heal our leaky guts. She shares so many amazing tips that include sitting to eat, chewing 20-30x, and how to properly hydrate. There are a lot of these tips I am already working on building into my daily routine.
This is a conversation that everyone in your life needs to hear. Please take the time to like, screenshot, and share with that individual that popped into your mind as you are listening to this episode. I am looking to continue to grow and expand this episode and am looking for your feedback for ways to improve or topics you might be interested in hearing more about. Please message me through my socials or head on over to my website and email me through my contact link.
Resources Mentioned:
Instagram: @kids.eat.in.color
Ways to Contact Teresa:
Instagram: @bloom.with.teresa
Website: Bloom with Teresa - GI-MAP™ testing and custom protocol with Teresa Goodlett, RN, BSN
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today, Emilia Rizzuto, Founder/CEO & Chief Elderberry Elixir Mixer joins me on the podcast and shares her story of how she was drawn to the antiviral properties of elderberries after a bad reaction to a flu shot and has never looked back. She developed her elixir for her family, started sharing it with friends, and was encouraged to sell it on a Facebook group. Emilia posted once and received hundreds of orders and it became clear that she was onto something huge that other people wanted as well.
Emilia tells us all about the incredible benefits of elderberries, how they process their fresh berries, and how helpful her elixir can be as we are headed into this new season of germs with kids being back in school. Please check out their website and see all of their awesome products and give your family a natural alternative to fighting this cold/flu season. Use promo code "thrive" at check out and receive 15% off you order.
Please listen. like, and share to help out mission to destigmatize mental health issues continue to grow and help women know they are not alone, and they are so many resources out there to help. Have thoughts, questions, or ideas of something you might like to hear about? Please email me at sarah.meyer@embracelivethrive.com and let's get connected.
Bio Emilia Rizzuto:
Emilia’s life-long battle with Crohn’s Disease led her to seek alternative therapies after a multitude of medications left her more ill and depleted. Emilia began her professional career in the fashion industry, but as she ventured to seek out nutritional support, natural remedies and wellness products to control her symptoms, she found her true calling. Emilia went back to school and obtained her certification in Nutrition Consulting with honors. As she helped herself and her family, she knew she wanted to do more and pass on the knowledge she has gained to others. Through her inspiring wellness journey, Get Real Health and All Things Elderberry were born.
Emilia lives in the suburbs of St. Louis with her amazing husband, son, daughter and furbaby, Kat the Dog. In her spare time, Emilia enjoys studying quantum physics, mastering creative and healthy recipes for everyday foods, taking Kat the Dog on long walks to wear her out, and watching superhero movies with her 10-year-old.
Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
FB: @embracelivethrive
Today, Keirsten Hansen, graciously joins me on the podcast and shares about her business Concierge Sleep Consulting and Family Support. We talk about how sleep is a necessity and sleep consulting is not just knowing how long it takes your baby to fall asleep, but understanding are they doing throughout the entire day. Kiersten looks at your baby as a whole and works to understand sleep patterns that support your entire family unit.
Kiersten is kind, funny, and her presence is instantly calming to be around. She is passionate about helping mothers understand the importance of asking for helping when they need and seeking out the resources that will make them their most successful. Please listen, like, and share this episode with anyone that has a kiddo that is struggling with a consistent bedtime routine. Continue to spread awareness that "its ok to not be ok. but let's not stay there."
Ways to Contact Kiersten:
Instagram: @conciergesleepconsulting
Website: www.conciergesleepconsulting.com (coming soon)
Email: keirsten@conciergesleepconsulting.com
Kiersten Bio:
In the midst of a chaotic world with so many voices of input, I long to see rest, hope, and joy infused in homes. One of the primary things I do is support parents of infants and young children who are exhausted from lack of rest and unsure of what to change in their lives to get their children the sleep the family desperately needs. By partnering with families to establish new routines for their days based on their unique goals, I coach them through sleep training, and help them practically understand child development. After working with me, parents report renewed energy, quality sleep, and hope for today and the future. If this sounds like something that would be helpful to you, let’s talk!
Embrace. Live. Thrive. :
FB: @embracelivethrive.com
Instagram: @embracelivethrive.com
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
Today, I am joined by Jackie King, owner of Yana Healing and Balance. Jackie is an absolute joy to be around and is filled with wisdom and compassion. Her passion is to encourage those around her as they navigate their life journey and help support their bodies to be in an optimal position to heal from in the inside out. Jackie shares specifically with us today about infant bonding and infant massage. These are two extremely important topics to understand for all new parents. Bonding is foundational for babies to learn about navigating their own relationships, hormone/chemical release for rapid brain growth, and maintaining full mobility throughout their little bodies. Massage provides an incredible way to grow that bonding between baby and parent.
Please listen and share this episode with all of your new parent friends. By taking the time to listen, like, and share you are helping Embrace. Live. Thrive. get one step closer to removing the shame associated with anxiety and depression in motherhood and educate women about foundations of self-care.
Ways to Connect with Jackie:
Website: Energy Healing & Massage Therapy | Yana Healing & Balance (yanabalance.com)
email: jackie@yanabalance.com
FB: Yana Healing and Balance
Jackie Bio:My passion has always been to help others be the best they could be on a Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual level. This has inspired my second passion of continued learning to better serve my clients.
Initially, my journey on the health and wellness path began with an AAS Degree in Occupational Therapy, immediately followed by additional schooling and licensing in Massage Therapy (MO License #2001009530). I worked for nearly 20 years in adult rehab teaching my patients self-care skills after a life-altering trauma or surgery. I also worked part-time as a Massage Therapist, helping my clients relax and let go of the daily stressors that cause pain and discomfort. After all those years, I left the OT world to expand my business and pursue my passion. This has been nothing short of a dream come true for me. I am now able to help my clients excel in every area of their life in a more relaxed, alternative manner.
Over the years, I have taken several classes for certification to include Certified Infant Massage Instructor (CIMI #R08290), Level 1 Qigong and Food Healing, The Emotion Code, The Body Code and now, Usui Holy Fire Reiki Master. I have taken many classes specific for use with therapeutic grade essential oils and Tibetan Bowls for Sound Healing. My interests are varied, but all are focused on getting to the root of the problem, healing at the cellular level, and achieving overall balance once again.
I believe we are all on our own journey seeking health, happiness, and abundance and the tools we need are specific for each of us. I am very proud of my accomplishments over the years and extremely grateful to be able to provide my clients with a broad base of healing tips, tools, and techniques to help heal their body and balance their soul.
Embrace. Live. Thrive:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today, Jessica Henman, owner of Primrose Midwifery joins me on the podcast and did an incredible job explaining to us what midwifery is really all about. She begins by telling us the origins of her profession and quotes her favorite verse in Exodus chapter one, "So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous." Jessica shares her incredible wisdom and helps break down some of the common misunderstandings about midwives, versus obstetricians, versus doulas.
Listen, learn, and share all with all of your friends. I know that everyone can learn a thing or two from this conversation with Jessic. Please check out her website listed below for more details on this topic. Please continue to share the mission and passion of this platform as we work towards breaking down the stigma with mental health issues in motherhood and find the perfect resources that make the most sense for you.
Ways to Contact Jessica:
Website: Welcome to Primrose Midwifery | Primrose Midwifery
Email: jessica@primrosemidwifery.com
Jessica Bio:
Jessica Henman APRN, CNM, CPM, received her Master’s degree from Frontier Nursing University in 2010. Prior to becoming a midwife, Jessica worked internationally in humanitarian aid, practiced as a nurse in ER and cardiac surgery, and was a childbirth educator and doula here in St Louis. Jessica is very active in family and church life and supports the midwifery and mothering communities through her role on the Boards of the Missouri Affiliate of the American College of Nurse Midwives and The Sparrows Nest Teen Maternity Home as well as many other educational and community activities. She has lived in St Louis for most of her life and loves being a wife and the mother of 3 wonderful big kids.
Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today I had the incredible opportunity to talk two amazing women. Bridgette Childress and Maggie Hase are sisters that were inspired to start a platform encouraging individuals to focus on gratitude and all the good that surrounds them every day. After losing their mom earlier this year they found a gratitude jar that Bridgette had given her years before and as they were going through what their mother had written they knew this gratitude thing was something they needed to share. They launched "Gratitude Chics" and created their own gratitude journal. Maggie and Bridgette help us understand the importance of practicing gratitude daily and how to get started when life has you overwhelmed.
Please listen and share with your friends. Consider checking out their website and send a gratitude box to one of your besties and wait to see how that brightens their day. Help Embrace. Live. Thrive. continue to expand our reach by sharing the podcast and following me on FB and Instagram. It's time women know that its ok to not be ok, but let's not stay there and here are some resources to help.
Gratitude Journal: Gratitude Journal | Mysite (gratitudechics.com)
Ways to Find Bridgette and Maggie:Website: HOME | Mysite (gratitudechics.com)
FB: @gratitudechics
Instagram: Gratitude Chics
Tik Tok: Gratitude Chics
Email: info@gratitudechics.com
Gratitude Chics Bio:
Bridgette and Maggie are sisters, turned business partners. Both live a life of gratitude and understand the importance of daily infiltration and a mindset to exemplify that. After their mom passed away, Maggie and Bridgette found a Gratitude Jar. Inside, their mom had written things on slips of paper she was grateful for. They instantly knew they wanted to do something together to honor her positive attitude and zest for life- the Gratitude Chics company was born
Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today, Shannon Schindler Redman, owner of Our Free Water Store joins me on the podcast to share about her life, God's Grace, and how she has been inspired to empower and equip women about what they are putting in their bodies. Shannon found a listing on Craig's List about what she currently does, and she became inspired to improve not only her own health, but that of those all around her. The water that she offers through her system repairs, restores, and rejuvenates at a cellular level. She educates us that the body is 75% water, and the brain is more than 80% water so what type of water we are putting in our bodies matter.
Please check out their website, their store in Chesterfield, and follow them on social for so much more incredible, life changing information. Please like and share this episode with all of your friends. There is not one person that could not benefit from hearing this conversation.
Shannon Bio:
Shannon Schindler Redman is a Mom on a MISSION and owns Our Free Water Store.
She Educates and Empowers people to TAKE BACK control of their life!
And in the process GIVES AWAY 10,000 gallons a month of the World's most TRANSFORMATIVE water for FREE.
Connect with Shannon personally at https://www.facebook.com/shannon.schindler.redman
Stop in her store and if you are out of town contact her to learn more as Shannon helps families all over the United States and Canada.
Ways to Find Shannon:
Website: www.ourfreewaterstore.com
Store Front: 37 Forum Shopping Center, Chesterfield, MO, 63017
Store #: 314-485-1677
Facebook: @ourfreewaterstore
Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today, Dr. Lindsey Langendorf with Vital Performance, joins me on the podcast to discuss the difficult topic of infertility. She shares about her journey to understand her own loss and how best to support her body. Dr. Lindsey encourages us to be our own advocate and search out the information if we don't like the answers, we are getting from your provider. There are a lot of good providers out there, but it's important to find the ones that meet your individual needs.
This conversation a great start to normalize the conversation around infertility and the effect it has on so many couples. Please listen and share this episode and help empower women and men wherever they may be on their individual journey.
MTHFR Episode 15:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1581925/8399390-episode-15-diagnosing-mthfr-defects-and-its-impact-on-our-health.mp3?download=true
Ways to Find Lindsey:FB: @VPChiro
FB Group: Daily Vitality
Pre-Qualification Link: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/booking/1ZqHWlYIt24va7aOWPxe
Bath Bombs: Home | Bombs Away Bathtime
Embrace. Live. Thrive.:Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today Suz Entzeroth, retired military, full time momma, and part-time self-defense guru joins me on the podcast. She shares about the importance of motherhood and how it is the ultimate teacher of selflessness. Suz chose to step back from her military career to spend more time with her family and through a series of God moments ended up developing a Self-Defense program with a local pregnancy support organization Home | ThriVe Express Women's Healthcare (thrivestlouis.org). She now has a passion to empower everyone with the knowledge of how to defend themselves no matter the size of your attacker.
Suz talks us through some of her favorite tips for self-defense such as using your voice, target vulnerable areas of the body, and twist like you are your two-year old child who doesn't want to be caught. She teaches free classes throughout the St. Louis area and is schedules them for churches and organizations. This was such an eye-opening conversation with such great information for how to help protect myself. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did and will consider joining us on Monday the 18th at First Baptist in O'Fallon, MO or get on her email list for other upcoming classes. Please listen and share this episode with everyone as there is no one that couldn't benefit from knowing a few tricks for how to defend themselves in a tough situation.
Ways to Contact Suz:
Email: sentzeroth@bestchoicestl.org
Website: Best Choice STL
Free Class: July 18th, 2022, 5-6 pm @ First Baptist O'Fallon, 8750 Veterans Memorial Pkwy, O'Fallon, MO 63366
Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
- Trigger Warning: Marian McCord joins us on the podcast today and shares about the circumstances surrounding the loss of her son, Chad, to suicide.
Today's conversation is a difficult topic, but one that is of the upmost importance to bring awareness about depression and suicide in adolescents. Marian shares that her son struggled with his emotions beginning around the preschool age and ultimately, she discovered that he began to struggle with thoughts of suicide when he was a young child. Marian refused to let the death of her child paralyze her and instead used her grief to start an organization to bring change to an underserved and under-supported population.
CHADS Coalition is making a difference in schools all around the St. Louis area. They offer multiple programs helping with support, counseling, and awareness. Please check out their website for more information and ways to recieve support. As you listen to today's conversation please consider sharing and helping spread awareness of not only maternal mental health and wellness, but adolescent mental health and wellness as well. Marian has left me forever changed and inspired and I know she will do the same for you.
Ways to Connect with CHADS Coalition:
CHADS Coalition
CHADS Direct Line: 314-952-2046
CHADS Family Support Warm Line: 314-952-8274
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Marian Bio:Marian is a daughter, sister, wife, and mother. She was previously a pediatric nurse and is now the Executive Director of CHADS Coalition.
Embrace. Live. Thrive:
Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today, Joy Holdmeier owner of Go Fit Mom, joins me on the podcast and we have an incredible conversation talking about motherhood and fitness. Joy points out to us that in the different chapters of our lives our fitness is going to look different and how even in the hard moments we have to remember that they don't last forever. We have to show our selves grace, compassion, and make sure we are maintaining realistic expectations.
Joy talks to us about letting go of the "all or none" principle. The most important thing is to understand balance. Some days we are going to be able to get our work out in and other days it may be more important to meditate or take a slow walk to process and recuperate. Joy crushes this conversation and leaves us with so much to think about. Please listen, like, and share this conversation and continue to spread awareness of the importance of balance and self-care.
Book Mentioned:
The Slight Edge by Jeff Olsen
Joy Bio:
I've always known I had to do something I loved. What do I love? I love teaching, I love children (I couldn't wait to have my own), I love moving my body, I love being creative, I love people and I LOVE to have fun! I know, that's a whole lot of love, but it's true.
Working in an all female gym throughout college opened my eyes to my passion for fitness, specifically training women and mothers. Witnessing women reach their goals and seeing how happy it made them helped me realize this is what I was meant to do!
I wasn’t always fit. I could eat and drink anyone under the table. I still can, I just choose not to now. It’s really taken a lot of soul searching and practice to find the real, happy me. Ladies, it takes work to keep that happy version of ourselves around. We must recognize all the small wins when we are taking steps to better ourselves. My kids, my family and the women I surround myself with were the inspiration I needed to set my priorities straight and keep them that way.
Throughout my career I’ve accomplished many things, from owning a mom & baby fitness franchise, to a role as a fitness director for a state of the art fitness facility, to teaching PE, to coaching marathon training, and even managing children’s programs. I feel like it was all a part of the perfect journey to becoming who I am today.
And today, I am possibly in the best shape of my life…or maybe that’s still to come. Nothing compares to being in this place, feeling good and living my #1 purpose as a mom. Better yet, a mom who gets to coach other amazing #gofitmoms every single day!
Ways To Find Joy:
Phone #: 314.941.0711
Website: https://www.gofit.mom/
Go Fit Mom
Visit my FB page
Shop doTERRA
Shop Zyia
Today, Shari Montague, Women's Ministry Director for First Light St. Louis, joins me on the podcast and teaches us about the importance of a healthy sexual relationship in marriage/committed relationships. She explains to us the most important traits for a healthy relationship, but also what unhealthy traits might look like.
Shari shares that it is important to make communication a priory so when hard situations come up, and they will, you are better equipped to handle them. At the end of our conversation, she shares tips and recourses for how to help improve our ability to connect on all levels with our spouse. Please share this episode with all of your friends, because we all at one time or another have struggled with this topic in our relationship.
Resources Mentioned:
App: Lasting: Marriage Counseling & Couples Therapy App (getlasting.com)
First Light Bio:
In a world full of confusion and heartbreak, pain and controversy, many individuals – Christians and non-Christians alike – do not understand God’s perspective on sex. The mission of FirstLight is to help them see their sexuality in light of God’s word and recognize that through Jesus Christ, there is hope and healing for anyone caught in patterns of sexual sin.
Ways to Find Shari:
Website: FirstLight | Christian Support Group Ministry | St. Louis, MO (firstlightstlouis.org)
Email: shari@firstlightstlouis.org
Phone #: 314-441-0827
Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today, Dena Woulfe, holistic nurse and owner of Holistic Dena joins me on the podcast and shares about motherhood, parenting, and holistic healing. She was inspired to become a nurse 20 years ago and was quickly caught off guard by the limitations she perceived with the traditional model of health care and began seeking something more, but it was through her mother's healing journey that she found her passion and calling with holistic nursing.
She provides her clients with a biocommunication scan that helps determine nutritional deficiencies, toxicities, and food sensitivities that gets them set up on an individualized diet and supplement program for their own healing journey. The body is capable of healing so much by itself with it is supported in right manors. Please listen, like, and share this episode with any of your friends that are interested in a holistic approach to their health but may not be sure where to start. Dena is a great resource.
Dena's Bio:
Dena Woulfe has been a Registered Nurse for 20 years and in the past decade transitioned to Holistic Care for her clients. She helps them by using a tool called Biocommunication to scan the body for food sensitivities, deficiencies and toxicities. She creates a formula that is designed uniquely for her client’s needs based on the results. Most of her clients confirm they see results within 48 hours of implementing her formula. Your Holistic Health Nurse, Helping You Transform Your Health Naturally.... Dena Woulfe, RN-BSN, HHC, AC, Biocommunication Scan Specialist
Ways to Find Dena:
Website: DenaWoulfeEnterprises.com
Cell number: 760-403-4449
Office Number: 940-784-3355
YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/DenaWoulfe
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DenaWoulfeEnterprises
Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today, Kari Jean Eckelkamp founder of women's wellness weekend, joins me on the podcast to talk about her healing a journey and how it inspired an exciting experience for woman all over the Midwest. Kari felt lost after the initial phase of the pandemic and found herself really struggling with depression and anxiety. She began to dream about the opportunity for women to come together again and find community and help each other grow. In January of 2021 she launched her first weekend and although she designed it with the intent of supporting other women, she found her own healing there as well.
Kari has developed a boutique style, all-inclusive retreat company, focused on creating body, mind and soul nourishing weekends for women in the Midwest. It includes a chef, yoga, guided meditations and so much more. Kari speaks to the mom guilt we all struggle with and encourages us that the time away is not only important for ourselves to get a break, but it's good for our children and their dads to bond. Please listen, like, and share this episode and consider joining Kari on her next women's wellness weekend.
Ways to Find Kari:
Instagram: @womens.wellness.weekend
FB: @womens.wellness.weekendfb
Email: eckelkampk@pm.me
Kari Bio:Kari Eckelkamp is a wife and mother of two in St. Louis who has spent her life helping people find meaning in their life. Her first efforts were in career counseling and recruitment, but she now finds joy in helping people find their happiest and healthiest selves through her Women’s Wellness Weekend retreats. Learn more about her program on Instagram or Facebook at @womens.wellness.weekend
Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Blog: www.embracelivethrive.com
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
FB: @embracelivethrive
Today, Sarah Churchill, joins me on the podcast to discuss some important topics surrounding individuals with special needs. Her son was born with Down Syndrome and was medically fragile the first two years of his life. She recalls the grief that surrounded her as she processed her expectations versus reality with her son's future. Sarah encourages women that it is ok to cry and process those emotions, but remember, that whatever you are facing in this moment isn't always going to be your life. She encourages moms to reach out to people who are experiencing similar journeys and ask for help when you need the extra support.
Sarah and I were also able to tackle the topic of "people first language" and understanding that an individual is not their diagnosis, but in fact simply a person. She is passionate about stopping people from assuming what her son can and can't accomplish. Sarah talks about making her son prove to her that he can't do something before she just accepts that he can't. She wants us to stop the mindset of limiting individuals with special needs and understand that maybe they aren't ready yet or possibly they just need to do it a different way.
This is an incredible conversation about not only understanding individuals with special needs, but how to support and encourage their mothers as well. Sarah notes, when you are willing to get out of your comfort zone and reach out and do the work it takes to connect it only communicates care and that's so important. Please listen and share with your friends. This is truly a conversation that all moms need to hear.
Sarah Bio:
Sarah is mom who homeschools her 3 kids with one on the way. She is passionate about educating about inclusion and awareness of how to support and encourage those with special needs.
Ways To Contact Sarah:
Reach out to me and I will connect you.
Embrace. Live. Thrive.:Blog: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today, Marti Kelly, joins me on the podcast and share her story of overcoming grief and loss after she and her husband got married young. She talks about how difficult of a time it was, but that she and her husband were able to stay together and overcome by making sure they were communicating their needs and aways being there for each other no matter what the circumstance.
Marti also shares her top 10 organizational tips including making sure when you are tiding to put things exactly back where they belong, never buying new hangers, and never fill drawers or cabinets more than 80% full. She finishes with giving us young mothers advice about our mothers-in-law and the importance of finding balance.
Please like, share, and comment on this episode to help us continue to grow and reach woman who need to hear that it is ok to not be ok, but let's not stay there.
Marti Kelly Bio:
Kelly and her husband of 37 years live in O'Fallon, Mo with their golden doodle, Murphy. Kelly has a son who is 33, daughter who is 29, and two beautiful grandchildren who are 4 and 2. She loves being in the kitchen and keeping things organized.
Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
FB: @embracelivethrive
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
Today, Dr. Amanda Krueger, Owner of Whole Health Chiropractic, joins me on the podcast and we have an incredible conversation about understanding how the trauma in your history impacts who you are today and how healing helps you find awareness and ultimately gratitude for what that experience has made you to be today. Dr. Krueger believes in choosing God and choosing possibility. She goes on to talk about her systems-based approach for treatment for her patients and how biofeedback and neuro feedback have been valuable tools in her kit to help support individuals on their healing journey.
Dr. Krueger does an incredible job of explaining how the body systems all operate at a certain frequency and with traumas and illnesses occur it can create "cobwebs" and disrupt how those frequencies resonant in our bodies. Those cobwebs contribute to easier triggers for body responses such as anger, high blood pressure, or anxiety. These treatments are a great alternative to help bridge the gap and calm our systems and help heal our bodies.
This was a fantastic conversation with so much information and value. Please listen and share with all of your friends to help spread awareness of all the resources there are for starting or continuing your healing journey. Also, like, comment, and share Embrace. Live. Thrive. podcast to help women everywhere know they are seen and are not alone.
Ways to Find Dr. Krueger:
Website: Whole Health Chiropractic- Functional Health Care (whcwellness.com)
Phone Number: 618-622-1200
Email: info@whcwellness.com
Dr. Krueger Bio:
Dr. Amanda is board certified and specializes in internal disorders. She has 14 years of experience and over a decade of extra education in how the body works inside and out. She is DABCI (Diplomate of the American Board of Chiropractic Internists) certified. She is also neurofeedback certified through Braincore and she is a level 2 epigenetics coach through Apeiron. She has dedicated her life to learning and helping patients from head to toe as well as systems-based health approach. She is AK, CPK, and basic technique certified which allows her a wide range of options to work with patients for their individual needs.
Embrace. Live. Thrive: Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today, Theresa Lear Levine, coach, blogger, and host of the Becoming More Me podcast, joins me to share about how EFT opened a whole world of freedom for her on her own mental health journey. EFT stands for emotional freedom technique but is also known as tapping. She discusses briefly her journey from stressed out mother looking for ways to cope and heal to becoming obsessed with all things EFT. Thereasa has perfected a series of combined techniques to help women regain joy, develop confidence, and find self-love.
Theresa shares with us a brief example of how EFT during the interview but has also been so gracious to share with us a free eBook that includes all things EFT. Check out 5-Minute Practices for Emotional Freedom (theresasfreegift.com) for your copy.
Today's conversation continues the conversation of acknowledging how powerful our bodies are with healing when it is properly equipped. Our health journey's must encompass work on our minds, our bodies, and our soul. I hope this conversation helps open up your eyes to one of the many opportunities we have to support ourselves. Please like and share this podcast episode with all of your friends and help spread the mission of Embrace. Live. Thrive.
Ways to Find Theresa:
Google - Theresa Lear Levine
Theresa Lear Levine - Master EFT Practitioner & Energy Coach
Theresa Bio:
I specialize in helping women heal from the inside out and find fulfillment, peace, empowerment, happiness, success, abundance & meaning in this complex and ever-changing world.
I enjoy assisting women in reclaiming their power, ditching perfectionism, letting go of controlling tendencies, ending self-sabotage and procrastination, recognizing their true value and worth, and realizing their visualizations and dreams in real life by taking action.
As a busy mom of 4, a wife to a busy man, a dog mom and an ADHD and Anxiety advocate – I completely understand the daily struggle and fight you may be going through in dealing with the stresses of trauma and the difficulties of today’s strange world.
It is my goal to help you discover and collapse the things that you feel are holding you back from being your best self and awaken to new possibilities for living your best life!
I also have a background in Psychology as well as Nutrition & Dietetics, am a Master 3 EFT Practitioner and Energy Coach.
Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today, Samara Mitchell, businesswoman, entrepreneur, and animal lover, joins me on the podcast and shares her incredible story of overcoming childhood trauma and discovering her worth. She talks about knowing she struggled with spelling and reading since she started school, but in the fifth grade, after a spelling test, she had a teacher toss a big dictionary on her desk and tell her that she needed to get used to carrying one of these around with her because she was never going to be successful in this world unless you learn how to spell. Samara was crushed and spent many years feeling unintelligent, unworthy, and strived for perfectionism to try to earn a place to belong.
Samara didn't give up and found her niche in sales and as she moved up into management, she began a mentorship program. That was a game changer for her, and it gave her a starting place for discovering her value and worth. She now looks at life's task not if she can do something, but does she want to do it. Samara knows that she is capable of doing anything she sets her mind to do and so much more. This conversation is going to leave you feeling supported encouraged, and with the inspiration to go out there and do whatever it is in your heart.
Please check out her cat rescue organization, Smelly Cat Rescue, and see all of the awesome ways she is supporting the cat community. Share this episode to continue to spread awareness and help women not feel so alone. We are all walking through something, some of us are just a few steps ahead, and it's our job to reach back and help others along with us.
Ways to Find Samara:
FB: @smellycatrescue
Instagram: @smellycatrescue
Website: Smelly Cat Rescue | St. Louis and St. Charles, MO Cat Rescue and Adoption
email: samara@moverealitystl.com
Samara Bio:Samara grew up in the St. Louis metro area with a love for all animals and has always dreamed of being able to help animals who are unable to help themselves. Samara has over 25 years of experience in business, leadership, sales, and project management working for some of the biggest corporations in the country, most recently Build-A-Bear Workshop. Samara also teams up with her husband and professional REALTOR®, Scott, to lead Mitchell Group powered by Move Realty.
Samara deeply supports and loves to give back to community organizations, especially those that service animals. Samara and her husband live with their four kids and an array of rescued pets, including a pot-bellied pig named Iggy Piggy.
Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Blog: www.embracelivethrive.com
Today, Ryan Mustone, manager and co-owner of Nutrition stop joins me and helps us understand the topic of CBD. This is a difficult topic that is hotly debated, and I wanted to take a few minutes to address it from the ground level of understanding. Ryan does an excellent job describing what CBD is and how it can provide a natural alternative to many of today's common alignments.
Ryan walks us through all the scientific steps of why CBD works with our systems and the importance of hemp in our soils. This is one to have the notebook handy as there is so much fantastic information. Please listen, like, and share this episode to help educate on this highly argued topic.
Ways to Find Ryan:
FB: @TeamNutritionStop
Website: www.nutritionstop.com
Store Front: 4101 Mexico Road, St. Peter's, 63376
Phone #: 636-928-7550
Ryan Bio:
Ryan Mustone was Manager of Nutrition Stop for a period of three years between 2009-2012 after which he left for volunteer work on Hawaiian farms that ranged from avocado orchards and noni production grows to kava-kava and coffee operations which broadened his understanding of the other side of the industry. For close to a decade, he served as a wholesale broker and educator in the natural products industry servicing over 150 health food stores across the Midwest for top manufacturers in the natural products space, learning directly from researchers at the forefront of health. He is a dedicated Wim Hof practitioner, avid hiker, canoeist, world traveler, father, and husband. His mother battled cancer on and off over his childhood that sparked his interest in alternative healing that led him down the natural path enriching his mind with holistic solutions to heal. His Life Lesson: Love Your Family and Surrender to the Flow
Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
www.embracelivethrive.com
Today, Jocelyn Williams, M.A.Ed. and Developmental Movement Consultant, comes on the podcast and shares with us about a technique that offers hope by helping retrain the brain through a specific neurodevelopmental movement system. She teaches us about how the brain develops from the bottom up. Jocelyn encourages us to remember "tummy all the time" and get our babies on their tummies as much as possible. There are many things that can disrupt a normal neural development, but the system that she teaches is able to address a variety of struggles including Autism, ADHD, social anxiety, and difficulty reading, and help those individuals thrive.
Jocelyn reminds us to put down those phones and look at our children, be intentional and engage with them, even if it is only for a small-time frame. It is about the quality of time, not the quantity. She also reminds us that "love has legs" and although this system has a bigger initial time investment it is priceless compared to the long-term health and wellness your child achieves with completing this program.
Please check out Jocelyn, but also like and share this episode. Help continue to spread the message that it is ok to not be ok, but lets not stay there and let's find what help you need.
Ways to Find Jocelyn:
Neurolly Solutions – Equipping the brain for life.
FB: @NeurollySolutions
Instagram: neurollysolutions
Phone #: 317-936-6797
Jocelyn Bio:
Jocelyn’s passion is to give every person equal access and opportunity to equip the brain for life by providing support, education, training, instruction about the Developmental Sequence and NeuroDevelopmental Movement. This work is based on neuroplasticity. When given the right triggers the brain is able to change!
As a professional educator and mother of five, Jocelyn’s journey as a Developmental Movement Consultant began when some of her children were struggling academically, behaviorally, and developmentally. NeuroDevelopmental Movement provided the successful outcomes Jocelyn desired for her children!
Combining her personal experience with 25 years as a professional educator, Jocelyn now offers the same hope to struggling families. Jocelyn is the founder and executive director of Neurolly Solutions Inc., LLC (Neurolly). Neurolly provides education, training, and support in the Development Sequence and NeuroDevelopmental Movement through a variety of services such as NeurollyBaby, NeurollyAcademy, and NeurollyAdults.
Jocelyn shares her message of hope through speaking events and partnering with clients one-
to-one.
Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today, Lisa Maddock, a juice plus educator joins me on the podcast and shares her journey of trauma from a broken home and substance abuse at an early age as a coping mechanism to a successful wife, mother, and businesswoman. Lisa was able to stay clean while she was pregnant and nursing her children but admits that the pull as always there. Over the years she found herself yo-yoing back and forth between being clean and then binge drinking. But it was after a weekend in Florida celebrating her mother's birthday that she realized she was unable to go an entire weekend without drinking and that something had to change.
Lisa talks about how she had to start with being honest with herself how much she was actually drinking and it was her faith that gave her the strength and helped her discover tools to overcome her addiction and clean her lifestyle up once and for all. She now helps teach others who are recovering addicts to channel that all in personality and energy into good things and not things that harm you. Lisa has found alterative drinks, she maintains a running program, and surround herself with people that encourage her and lift her up. Please share with all of your friends and lets end the shame and stigma around substance abuse in motherhood and support everyone to get the help they may need.
Lisa Bio:
Lisa has been married to her husband Bob for 25 years and has four Children. Madalyn 22, Savannah 19, Justus 16 and Canton 12. She was born in WI where she spent her early years and lived in FL from middle school until adulthood. Bob, Lisa & Madalyn moved to MO from FL. in 2000.
Lisa holds an Associates in Early Childhood Education and an American Montessori Society Credential. She has been certified through several state and local certifications for Child Care. Where she used her knowledge to teach outside the home and then homeschooled her children’s own early education. She has been a stay-at-home mom for 20+ years, during this time she had a significant health crisis being diagnosed with several chronic diseases. This is where she found the Juice Plus+ product that later became the company she aligned with to grow a successful business. Lisa has been with the Juice Plus company for 16 years and holds a leadership level. She is passionate about helping others avoid disease & live with optimal health. She is a Certified Health Coach through The Dr. Sears Wellness Institute able to coach families, pregnancies, adults and seniors. Being an educator at heart she is certified as a paraprofessional working directly with special needs kids. Lisa holds a Rhema Correspondence Bible School diploma that she believes is the foundation of everything she does. She grows the Juice Plus+ Tower Garden and teaches nutrition class weekly with two local, faith based addiction recovery homes where she feels pulls all her education together to serve well in this area.
Ways to Find Lisa:
FB: @Lisa D. Merollo-Maddock
FB Group: lifestyle truth with lisa
Instagram: lifestyle_truth_w_lisa
Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today, Terri Drury, owner of Above & Beyond Organizing, joins me on the podcast. She discusses briefly her journey into motherhood but goes on to explain all things home organization. Terri talks about removing the emotion from organization and "just do what you have do." She explains to us that the easiest areas to accumulate clutter are those hidden areas that have no specific vision. It all starts with putting all the things that have no home and then we just conveniently close the door to forget about what is going on in that space.
Terri clearly outlines 5-6 great steps to begin your organization journey. Including a planning session to define your unclear spaces and working to build organizational rhymes into your normal daily routine. This episode is jammed packed with great tips, strategies, and encouragement to get you going on one of the most stress inducing areas of all, home organization during motherhood. Please go check out her website. Also, share this incredible episode with all of your friends.
Ways to Contact Terri:Facebook Messenger: Above & Beyond Organizing
terri@aboveandbeyondorganizing.com
Direct - (636)-299-6053
www.aboveandbeyondorganizing.com
Above and Beyond Organizing-Professional Organizer serving St. Charles, Wentzville, and Surrounding Areas
Terri Bio:
Professional Home Organizer, Terri Hardy
Drury, takes unhappy, chaotic, stress inducing areas then transforms them into tidy, composed, and functional spaces with her business, Above & Beyond Organizing.
She fully believes having an organized home is one of the first steps to living a more worry free life. Terri truly tailors her services to fit the needs of the person and their home.
Her degree in Psychology and Sociology and background in social services has added to her skill set of understanding and responding to the needs of those she works for.
Terri raised two wonderful daughters as a full time working mom in this field. What she enjoys most about owning her own business now is it allows her more free time to be spent with her precious girls and husband of almost 29 years.
Terri knows and understands the importance of talking about mental health as she has witnessed loved ones struggle firsthand. She is dedicated to providing a safe and judgement free environment as she works to restore order in spaces that need attention.
Terri is a firm believer in "everything has its place" and teaches this so her clients can spend less time worried about the material things in their home and can focus more on what really matters: relationships, hobbies, & dreams.
Feel free to reach out to Terri Drury with Above &
Beyond Organizing to receive your
complimentary consult call.
Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today, Sharon Blue, owner of Blue Empress Tarot joins me on the podcast and talks all things safe space. We discuss the definition of a safe space, why it may feel hard as an adult to figure out how to develop one in your household, and she gives us practical tips of how she creates that environment in her own house.
Sharon overcame an extremely hard childhood and has realized her passion is to not only help people understand developing their own safe space, but also assist individuals on their self-care journey. She uses a strengths-based approach to healing and tarot as a tool to help women identify self-limiting beliefs they may have had since childhood.
This conversation is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to understanding and implementing an environment of freedom and unconditional love. This is an extremely difficult topic and one that some days you will crush it and other days you will almost feel crushed. Please hear this conversation and feel supported, encouraged, that everyday it's about one small step forward. Please take the time to share and help grow awareness of what it means to have a "safe space."
Embrace. Live. Thrive. Health Conference 2022
http://www.embracelivethrive.com/register/health-conference-2022
Ways to Find Sharon:
website: blueemperesstarot.com
- Free weekly newsletter that includes a self-care tip & motivation tip in it every week
- Find PDF with printable affirmations when you sign up!
FB: @blueemperesstarot
Instagram: @blueemperesstarot
Sharon Bio:
I am married and have two little ones- 5 & 2. I LOVE coffee , tea, chocolate , wine , crocheting & binge-watching amazing TV shows on Netflix with my hubby once the kids are in bed.
I have been reading tarot cards for others for 4 years but dabbled with tarot as far back as high school, many moons ago. I LOVE helping others through hard times, when they are feeling lost, or needing guidance.
My goal is to help you become the best version of yourself possible! You have it in you! Sometimes we just need help figuring out HOW. I combine my counseling skills, intuition, and tarot to help you navigate your way through this journey called life.
I have a passion for helping people on their journey. Over my 7 years as a School Counselor I helped over 2,200 students work on making good choices to set them up for bright futures. That drive to help, to guide, and to see the potential hiding just underneath is always there. A bright light waiting to be uncovered to shine for all to see. The spark that lies beneath the surface.
We are all different. We all have our struggles and our triumphs. Our dark times and our times in the sun. I’ve been there. I have overcome many struggles in my life, during my childhood, getting through college & graduate school, becoming a mother & transitioning from a working mom to a stay at home mom to a mompreneur. I am here to walk with you for a short while as you look at the many tangled paths that are before you and try to decide which one to take. Which one will lead you towards YOUR purpose and calling. It will not always be easy and the cards tell the truth, whether it is what you want to hear or not. But truth is the light showing you what obstacles you must overcome and what work you must do to reach your highest potential.
You have a purpose. You have choices. Sometimes you just need a little clarity to highlight what those choices are and to help you find your purpose again or for the first time. Let’s take this journey together and learn what the Universe has in store for you! What choice will you make? Let me help you find the GREATNESS within and together we will light the path forward so you can define and achieve your goals.
Today, Steph Darst, owner of FitCrew.Online, joins me on the podcast and shares her story of how God healed her disordered eating that started at the age of 9 and found freedom through her faith with her health and fitness. She went from restricting her calories to 1000 or less a day to no longer even owning a scale. Steph will inspire you that working out to just look better on the outside leaves a lot left on the table and there is so much more to fitness.
Steph compares training our physical body with that of training our spirit. It is when things get broken down and pushed harder than they have before that they are able to rebuild stronger and more focused. "We train inside these walls to prepare for what's outside these walls". "We train because love is heavy." These are just a couple of the incredible things that Steph shares with us on today's podcast.
Please listen and be encouraged to start your fitness journey wherever you are and know that any workout is better than no workout. It is about being intentional with your time. Take the time to share this episode with all your momma friends that may be struggling to figure out how to get activity back in their lives with babies and toddlers around. Check out FitCrew. Online for what resources Steph has to offer to help as well.
Ways to Find Steph:
Instagram: @fitcrew.online
Website: www.fitcrew.online
(Remember Code: EMBRACE to receive 50% any service. Expires May 1st)
Steph Bio:
For way too long, the way I viewed and used my body swung on a pendulum between obsession and neglect. Finally, in 2013, I began to invite the Lord into the conversation surrounding my health and wellness for the first time in my life. As I learned to honor Him with my body, I found freedom in the middle: No longer obsessing OR neglecting... but enjoying life in freedom! It didn't take long for me to realize this freedom was meant to be shared. I began my journey as a group fitness instructor, personal trainer, & yoga teacher, and have never looked back.
After years of teaching classes in-person, I created FitCrew.Online as a virtual community committed to empowering women to honor God in the areas of fitness and wellness. All of my classes weave together biblical teaching with movement, for an encouraging experience that will quickly become a welcome addition to your fitness routine.
Faith + Fitness... can we do that? Oh yeah. Hop aboard this freedom train... There's plenty of room!
Credentials: 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher, Revelation Wellness Instructor, ACE-GFI
Embrace. Live. Thrive.
website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today, Amanda Shaheen, joins me on the podcast and shares about her and her daughter's stay in the hospital after she was delivered 6+ weeks premature. After her water broke in the middle of the night, she rushed to the hospital, and it seemed like things were normal until they realized the umbilical cord was around her neck and it became urgent that she was delivered quickly. It went downhill from there. Amanda delivered only weeks after the stay-at-home orders were issues in April of 2020 and found herself isolated the majority of her stay in the NICU with her daughter.
It is difficult to hear how Amanda, in her post-partum phase, was locked down and only allowed in her room and her daughter's hospital room. She describes how her daughter continued to decline and ended up being on a ventilator for 8 days in total, which is almost unheard of with newborn infants. It was a last shot attempt of treatment that ultimately helped her daughter to slowly wean off the ventilator, off oxygen, and get released home on day 19. Amanda's daughter has continued to thrive since she has been home and is now a normal, busy almost two-year-old.
Amanda encourages us to make sure you know your tribe, feel all the feels, hold on to hope, and see beyond those NICU doors. This is an incredible story and I hope it leaves you with the encouraged to make the choice to be brave and move beyond whatever fear is holding you back. Please listen and share with anyone you think might need this encouragement during a difficult stage of their lives. Life is hard, but when you have Hope all things become possible.
Ways To Contact Amanda:
*DM or email me and I will connect you
Amanda Bio:
Amanda is a wife and mother to three beautiful children. She works as a 4th grade teacher at Christian School District. Amanda has had a broad field of experience and enjoys traveling and spending time outdoors. She is passionate about helping others and serving her community.
Embrace. Live. Thrive.:blog: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today, Elizabeth Lowder, MSW, LCSW, Founder + Lead Therapist at Sage Tree Therapy LLC, joins me on the podcast and we discuss the deep topic of family of origin. Elizabeth does an incredible job of breaking down this topic and helping us understand that how we were raised is a huge source of information. As a therapist, understanding a clients childhood gives her insight about how they might react or respond as they are walking through their therapy sessions. Every been told you are just like your mother or done something with your child that reminds you of your childhood, good or bad? How we were raised is ingrained into our subconscious and under moments of stress and anxiety behaviors will surface that we may not even realize are hidden. There is no shame or blame intended as we reflect over our childhood, but an emphasis on understanding of why we may do certain behaviors and gives us a path for growth and healing.
Elizabeth starts our conversation with sharing the beautiful meaning behind naming her company Sage Tree Therapy and we finish our conversation discussing the facade of perfectionism and the value of being your perfectly imperfect self. This episode is packed with information and gives us pause to reflect and recognized why we made do things a certain way. Please listen and share this episode and help spread awareness of importance of reflecting and understanding your own family of origin.
Ways To Find Elizabeth:
Home | Sage Tree Therapy
Phone #: 314-485-SAGE
Email: Elizabeth@sagetreetherapy.com
FB: @sagetreetherapy
Instagram: @sagetreetherapy
YouTube: Sage Tree Therapy
Elizabeth Bio:
Elizabeth Stallone-Lowder founded Sage Tree Therapy, a private therapy practice specializing in perinatal mood and anxiety disorders as well as birth & pregnancy trauma, in 2012 to serve pregnant women on bedrest with individual at-home therapy and has expanded over the years. She has worked in the field of women’s trauma since the late 1990's as the director of a shelter for intimate partner violence, a patient advocate for adults with HIV/AIDS, a trauma therapist for women and girls affected by chronic abuse/neglect and sexual violence, and is DONA Doula trained as well as a Our Whole Lives (O.W.L.) Sexuality Educator. Elizabeth has written original curriculum and facilitated therapy support groups on topics related to PTSD, trauma recovery, visual art exercises, sexuality and motherhood. She started a teen therapy in-school program for Safe Connections in St. Louis, clinically supervises LMSWs working towards licensure. She has served as the Victim Advocate for the Boone County Prosecutor’s office and Columbia Police Department with the DOVE Unit, as a Health Educator at the Saint Louis County Health Department and a Patient Educator at Planned Parenthood.
Elizabeth earned her BSW from the University of Missouri, Columbia and an MSW from Saint Louis University with a specialty in Sexual Health Education. She is trained in EMDR, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, dream interpretation, sex therapy, journal therapy and expressive visual art therapy. She serves as adjunct faculty at the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University and on the Executive Board of the Hyperemesis Education and Research Foundation. Elizabeth has also co-founded a consulting firm, Heartland PMAD, whose mission is to train and educate healthcare providers on perinatal mental health and prevent moms from falling through the cracks and get the support they deserve.
Ways to Find Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today, Sarah Hall, joins me on the podcast and shares about her journey from being diagnosed with breast cancer during the third trimester of pregnancy with her daughter, to treatment, to the anxiety that started after all the treatment was completed. She learned that even when you think you are living a healthy life if you are not making sure you manage what is causing your stress you will never truly be healthy.
Sarah encourages individuals who are struggling to surround yourself with someone who has already walked through what you are experiencing. It helps with validation, support, but also knowing that you can make it through. She tells us to say yes when someone is offering help and one of the things that was most helpful for her was a friend asking her who she needed her "to be."
Faith through Fire is an amazing organization doing so much to support women and the community. Please check out their website and see where they need support as well. As always listen and share this episode with anyone you think could benefit from this encouraging message.
Faith Through Fire:
Home - Faith Through Fire
FB: @faiththroughfire
Instagram: @faiththroughfire
Podcast: Besties with Breasties
Sarah Bio:
When I was 31 weeks pregnant with my second daughter, a bombshell: breast cancer. A humbling experience when you are an example of health to others. I used the experience to dive deeper into what health meant to me and now I help other women do the same. My purpose is to help women discover what makes them thrive and provide insight and tools so they can live their best life.
Embrace. Live. Thrive.
website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today, Ashley McVey, owner of Hazel and Blues boutique joins me on the podcast and share about her difficult journey through postpartum depression and anxiety. As a first-time mother it is difficult to know what to expect and easy to get overwhelmed with the task of caring for this small child that needs total care. Ashley wasn't even aware they what she was feeling wasn't normal and it was after getting pregnant with her second daughter that she fell into a deep depression.
Ashley made the choice to start asking for help and began actively adding support groups all around her. The road was to healing wasn't easy but looking back she can see how important it is to show yourself grace in those hard moments and remember that you are doing your best. She discusses the importance of finding your tribe and making sure you have support systems in place for when those difficult moments come, you already have your team put together.
Ashley opened her boutique in November of 2021 and has created a beautiful space that supports and encourages women lead businesses. Her boutique is the perfect mix of sophistication and personal connection. Please go check out her store at 890 Knaust Rd, Cottleville , Mo. Please listen and be inspired to follow your dreams.
Ways to find Ashley:
Store Front: 890 Knaust Rd, Cottleville, 63376
FB: @hazelandbluesboutique
Instagram: @hazelandbluesboutique
email: hazelandbluesboutique@gmail.com
website: hazel-and-blues-boutique.myshopify.com
Ashley Bio:
As a mom of three young children, she is very busy, but has a passion to help create a culture of connection and beauty in her boutique. Hazel and Blues is a collective boutique offering clothing, gifts, art and coffee. We are committed to bringing the joy back to in-person shopping. Come in for personal styling assistance, enjoy a latte and shop from woman owned local businesses.
Embrace. Live. Thrive.:
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
website: www.embracelivethrive.com
Today, Rosie Makinney, founder of fight for love ministries comes on the podcast and shares about her inspiration to start talking about the destruction pornography addiction causes in marriage and how to help women find support and healing. She discovered early in her marriage that her husband was struggling with a pornography addiction and through much counseling, group work, and hard work their marriage is now porn free. Rosie and her husband, who is now a certified sexual addiction therapist, have created a team committed to bringing hope and truth to other women battling porn in their relationships. She explains the only cure for this addiction is rigorous honesty.
Pornography addiction is a process addiction where the individual becomes addicted to the dopamine release and no "normal" woman can hope to compete with that chemical release. Fight for Love Ministries offers education about pornography addiction through a podcast "Fight for Love," a book "Fight for Love: How To Take Your Marriage Back from Porn," and a central hub for many different other resources. They also have support groups to get connected and help women build their confidence and ability to set firm boundaries. Please listen, check out their ministry, and share this episode to spread awareness about the truth of pornography addiction.
Resources Mentioned:
Book: "Fight for Love: How To Take Your Marriage Back from Porn"
Support Groups: The Association of Partners of Sex Addicts Trauma Specialists - Sexual Trauma Betrayal - APSATS
Ways to Find Rosie and Fight For Love Ministries:
Website: www.fightforloveministries.com
Instagram: @fightforloveministries
Podcast: Fight for Love
Rosie Bio:
Rosie Makinney is the founder of Fight For Love Ministries, which empowers women with the faith and the facts to fight against porn addiction and its effects on them, their spouses, and their families. She is the author of Fight For Love, an international speaker, and the host of the award-winning Fight For Love Podcast.
Embrace, Live, Thrive:
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today, I am joined by Candace Kluba, a Self-Love and Well Being Coach. Shares about her own journey to self-love, talking about how she learned to sit with herself and used that time to work through all the reasons she hated her body. It was in those times of being still that she was able to find healing and true love for how her body was created. Cadence explains that self-love starts with gratitude and mindfulness.
This is a truly a beautiful conversation that I know will encourage you in your own journey towards self-love and discovering your worth. Please take the time to like, share, and give a shout out if you listened and can relate to anything that Candace's talks about in this episode.
Ways to Find Candace:
website: Home | Candace Kluba Self Love & Well-Being Coach
Instagram: @candacekluba
FB: @candacekluba
Linkin: @candacekluba
Candace Bio:
With 17 years of experience teaching, Candace is an educator at heart. When she found the way to pull herself out of a state of disconnect, self-hate, and autopilot living she knew she had to share what she learned with others. She has 7 years of experience as a Women's Sexual Health Educator with Pure Romance and 3 years of experience coaching women using mindfulness and movement to upgrade their self-love and find optimal health.
Candace's Self-Love group coaching program that will start in March: https://www.candacekluba.com/plans-pricing
Embrace, Live, Thrive:
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
FB: @embracelivethrive
Today, Emma Eppard, comes on the podcast and shares about her and her son's journey as he was diagnosed with severe autism as a toddler. She quickly started arming herself with knowledge and prepared both herself and her son for sucess. Listen as she talks about changing their diet, shifting expectations, and finding her people. Emma will inspire and encourage you with all of her wisdom and determination.
Emma shares about the rapid prompting method and explains that with individuals with Autism their thinking brain is unaffected, but it is their ability to communicate that has become disconnected. She encourages us to "just act normal." Emma is a big proponent of reading, listening to worship music, and building routines around healthy habits. Talking with Emma was so fun. Please listen, like, and share with all your friends. We fear what we don't know, so let's take the opportunity to equip ourselves with knowledge.
Resources Mentioned:
Book: Amazon.com: Motor Matters: The Importance of Developing Motor Skills in Our Autistic Son eBook : Eppard, Emma: Kindle Store
Emma's Bio:
Emma Eppard grew up in a missionary family in Bolivia, South America. She now makes her home in the state of Illinois. Upon her graduation from college, she earned her Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education and Spanish. She joined the autistic community when her oldest son was diagnosed with autism in 2010. Since that time, Emma has been intentionally seeking how to help her son succeed in life. This has included life style changes in diet, education, stress management, and outlook. In 2014, Emma was introduced to Soma’s Rapid Prompting Method (RPM). Inspired, she began implementing RPM into her family culture. Emma attended Soma’s week long RPM training in 2016, attended and hosted several RPM workshops, and in 2017 founded Autistic Able: RPM Lessons to Teach with Confidence. In 2020, she published the book "Motor Matters: The Importance of Developing Motor Skills in Our Autistic Son." Emma believes strongly that children of all diagnosis have the right to be included and taught age appropriately to thrive. Ways To Find Emma:Website: www.autisticable.com
FB: @emmaeppard
Ways to Find Embrace, Live, Thrive:
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today, Christy Neal, author and founder of "Choose Different" comes on the podcast to discuss the circumstances the lead to her affair and all the resulting consequences. She can look back and see the choices that lead her there and was inspired to start her ministry encouraging women to fight for their family, to fight for their children, and to fight for their marriage. Christy struggled after her affair to find anyone to mentor her that she was going to be ok, that she was going to heal, and that going to be able to feel forgiven. As she was crying out to God one night, she felt Him speak to her spirit that "You are Her."
Christy is brutally honest about her choice and the devastation it caused, but through her faith was able to find hope. Christy will encourage and inspire you that nothing is too hard to work through in your marriage. This episode is one that every wife, mother, woman needs to hear. Marriage is hard on the good days and brutal on the worst. Christy's reminder about the importance of communication, telling your spouse what you need, and seeking counseling for a neutral 3rd party if needed are all necessary for a healthy marriage. Listen and share episode 55 and know that you are not alone.
Christy's book: Don’t Ever Tell: A Message of Hope, Healing, and Redemption After Adultery - Kindle edition by Neal, Christy. Health, Fitness & Dieting Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
Ways to Find Christy:
Website: Home (choosedifferent.org)
Podcast: Everyone Has A Voice (libsyn.com)
FB: @choosedifferentlyministries
Instagram: @choosedifferent
Christy's Bio:
Christy Neal is an advocate for women who feel tainted and cast out after adultery. As the author of Don’t Ever Tell and the podcast host of Everyone Has A Voice, Christy is now the voice of victory and catalyst for healing she desperately needed but never found over a decade ago after her own affair. As she has said herself, “God has truly turned my ‘mess’ into a beautiful message of hope and healing.”
Embrace, Live, Thrive:
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Website: Embrace, Live, Thrive! (embracelivethrive.com)
Today, Kelcey Gropp, joins me on the podcast to discuss her journey from believing that cooking was a waste of time to realizing that a healthy diet was necessary for all areas of her life. At the age of 35 she developed adrenal fatigue resulting in severe fatigue, depression, and anxiety. Kelcey realized the value and importance of cleaning up her diet for her health and the health of her family. She encourages us that although starting to change your diet can feel overwhelming by focusing on one thing at a time you can and surrounding yourself with friends are not shocked with you, but help you get determined you are capable of making any change.
Kelcey teaches us that "kitchen" is not a dirty word and by taking control over your diet you become that "aware" mom who knows what she is putting in her body and her children's body. We cannot wait for our bodies to break down before we start allowing it to rest. Listen to this episode and feel inspired and encouraged to take back control of your diet and continue on your journey towards healthy living. Please take the time to like, share, talk about and help spread the message of Embrace, Live, Thrive.
Ways to contact Kelcey:
FB: @kelceygropp
Email: contact Sarah for email
Kelcey Bio:
Kelcey Gropp has a passion for helping people, especially women, to find health in their daily living. Throughout her life, she consistently pursued health through exercise and trying to maintain her physical appearance. However, after having a health crisis 9 years ago, when she was diagnosed with adrenal fatigue and Hashimoto's thyroid disease, she began to understand that internal health--the unseen--is vitally important to thriving in all aspects of life. Health is about so much more than just maintaining a certain weight and body type. And health is about so much more than just your body. She now understands how interconnected our bodies are with our minds and spirits.
Having a Master's in Communication, Kelcey has been passionate for years about using words--whether written or spoken--to help teach, lead, and inspire others. During her journey back to health, she found a new mission for this heart for inspiring others. She became passionate about inspiring others to regain and pursue health in their bodies, minds, and spirits. Kelcey hopes as she shares her story and what she has learned, others can become emboldened with the courage and practical steps to thrive in their lives in the area of healthy living.
Kelcey has an amazing music-loving husband, Joel, and a mom of two super-fun kids, Jianna and Landon. She currently lives in Northern Illinois and works at Heritage Church as the Director of Ministries. In her free time, she loves running, biking, travelling, hanging out with friends, and watching HGTV.
Embrace, Live, Thrive:
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Website: @embracelivethrive
Today, Caroline Raposo, licensed professional counselor joins me on the podcast and explains how the treatment "Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR)" originated and how beneficial it can be for helping individual who are struggling with any type of trauma. Caorline did a session with me and let me tell you it truly blew me away. She had me feeling all the feels, but I processed them and now feel 100% relieved of those emotions. Caroline's journey to push herself as an individual and a professional has led her to start her own successful practice.
Caroline is encouraging, supportive and helps us also understand the importance of finding the right counselor for you. A great therapist can be a great person, but still not be the right fit for you. Listen to this week's interview and learn about his incredible technique and be inspired to start healing and in 2022 start reaching your full potential.
Ways to Find Caroline Raposo:
website: www.navigationcounselingservices.net
work #: 636-236-379
FB: @navigationcounseling
Caroline Bio:
Caroline Raposo is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Missouri. She received her Master of Arts in Counseling from Missouri Baptist University in 2011. Caroline has always felt called into the helping profession. She believes we all have our spiritual gifts, hers being emotional insight and the ability to deeply empathize with others' emotions.
Caroline has a history in social work and mental health care since
May 2007. Upon receiving her license to practice counseling in Missouri in
August 2014, Caroline has been working in private practice, opening Navigation
Counseling Services in March 2019. Caroline specializes in Dialectical Behavior
Therapy and treatment options for symptoms of PTSD and developmental trauma.
Her passion now is helping clients experience freedom from the pain
of the past and develop emotionally healthy lives. She loves to offer EMDR
therapy to help heal our hurts and change our habits.
Caroline loves her family which include her husband Micah, three
children Lola-Joan, Bobby J and Davin, as well as two fur babies and two snakes!
Caroline is the Owner and Clinical Director of Navigation Counseling
Services, llc.
Embrace, Live, Thrive:website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today, Tina Asher, founder of Build U Up Consulting joins me on the podcast. Tina shares about her journey from highly successful businesswomen who had lost her identity, to a business owner who is now following her purpose. She tells us about how she had become driven to find fulfillment outside of her home and that ultimately caused her marriage to crumble. After a long dark battle, she was able to re-discover her true authentic self and is passionate to help individuals find the same thing.
Tina's book "Teetering: A Frazzled, Overworked Person's Guide To Embrace Change and Find Balance" is not only her story of overcoming adversity, but gives you tips and journaling prompts to help you understand what you are really looking for with your job. I highly recommend the reading this one and using it to continue to move yourself forward in 2022. Her book can be found on Amazon.
Resources Mentioned:
Free 30 Minute Consultation. https://builduup.coachesconsole.com/calendar/strategy-session.
Tina's Bio:
Tina Asher, Business Owner/Career Development Coach and Consultant/Author
Tina is the founder and President of Build U Up Consulting and enjoys helping busy professionals get out of the rat race and build on a career that they love.
Prior to opening her practice, Tina served as a leader in the mortgage insurance and finance industry for over 30 years. Her experience in the corporate world included roles in management, sales, marketing, operations, training, and customer service.
She knows first-hand what the challenges are in balancing a successful career and having time for family and self.
Tina is certified in the following areas: Professional Behavior (DISC)Analyst (CPBA); Professional Driving Forces Analyst (CPDFA), Professional TriMetrixHD Analyst (CPHDA), and Professional Emotional Quotient Analyst (CEQA).
Tina’s passion is and has always been encouraging others to reach their full potential while balancing a full and productive life. Tina is the mother of three young adults and lives with her husband Dan in Missouri.
Ways to Find Tina:
Website: builduup.net
Email: tina@builduup.net
Phone #: 636-439-8824
FB: @tinacareercoach
Ways to Find Embrace, Live, Thrive:
website: www.emrbacelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today, Angel Magasano, Founder and CEO of Little Black Book joins me to discuss her organization's origin story and the importance of visualization for goal setting. Angel shares her incredible journey of not only starting LBB, but how she had a pivotal decision point whether to persevere during a difficult stage of her life or return to the corporate world. She stayed the course, and her organization is not only an incredible environment that women can come network, learn, and grow, but also give back to the community.
Angel shares with us how she plans and preps for the upcoming year. She visualizes where she wants to be on December 31st of the next year and plans her goals backward from there. Angel shares on the importance of mindset, focus, and vision not only as she is forming her goals, but as she is continually checking in on them as the year progresses. She finishes our conversation talking about how true commitment is the best way to start and grow a business. Please share this conversation with all of the women in your life and help inspire them to make 2022 their best year yet.
Ways to Find Angel:
Website: www.womenoflbb.com
FB: @womenofLBB
Instagram: @womenoflittleblackbook
Angel Bio:Angel Magasano, Founder of Little Black Book: Women in Business works with female professionals to connect them to the personal and professional opportunities they seek. Angel is passionate about inspiring, empowering, and supporting women in business through offering numerous networking events, self development workshops , and promotional opportunities for female professionals. She and her team have grown the Little Black Book organization to over 250 members over five chapters in the region. Over the past several years, the organization has raised over $50,000 for local charities.
Angel holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication Management from Missouri State University. While in college she was a Sugar Bear in the SMSU Bruin Pride Marching band which gave her the opportunity to perform in The Macy's Day Parade, The Orange Bowl Parade, The Lord Mayor of Westminster's New Year's Day Parade and at Disney World. She served as the Community Outreach Coordinator for KSMU, the university's National Public Radio affiliate station.
Angel has received numerous awards throughout her career including A Certificate of Recognition issued by the City of Wentzville under Mayor Nick Guccione for services to the City, The Beyond the Best Top 50 Community Leaders awarded by Streetscape Magazine, Honorable Sponsor of Toys for Tots program given by the US Marine Corps, and the Inspire Award for services to community by the Western St Charles Chamber of Commerce.
Angel has two grown children Nicholas, who graduated with a degree in sound engineering, and Danielle, who is enrolled in her university's Honors Program majoring in Business Administration, Finance. She and her family enjoy experiencing art, culture, and food through travel.
Embrace, Live, Thrive:
website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today Kristen Tippet joins me on the podcast and discusses her family's experience with the NICU after her youngest son had low blood sugar after birth. She and her partner found several gaps throughout their stay including advocacy, expectations, communication barriers, and wishing they had someone else to talk to about what was going on with their son. After 22 days they graduated from the NICU but were left with a desire to help other parents where they had struggled.
LOGIC.baby was born with the desire to support, educate, and empower parents who have a child in the NICU. Currently, they have up a lot of video content about different topic surrounding the NICU but also have several other projects in the works. Including a course walking you through a NICU stay and the emotions involved, and a book being co-authored to help siblings understand about a NICU stay. Please listen and learn about this incredible non-profit.
Resources Mentioned:
MOMS Line, call (314) 768-8570. The MOMS Line was made possible with support from the St. Mary's Hospital Foundation. It is the only peer-support program in St. Louis for pregnant and new moms who are experiencing depression, anxiety and other mental health issues.
Kristen Bio:
Kristen Tippit is the co-founder and CEO of The NICU Nonprofit LOGiC.baby whose mission is to teach parents about the NICU, offer an ally during their stay, and provide support and resources once they are home. After a life-changing experience directing The Vagina Monologues at her small university in Western Kentucky back in 2002, Kristen knew she wanted to work with women; finding ways to educate, support, empower, and love them through their life's journey. Once she became a mom (now to 4 amazing kiddos!), she became even more passionate about creating space and community for women in an effort to eliminate the isolation that inevitably follows matrescence. After her last baby was born and needed a 22 day NICU stay in May 2020, she and her partner created the nonprofit to help parents who are navigating a very traumatic time. Kristen lives in south city and loves running, connecting, and a good scone. She is also the creator of the blog/page/group 'Mom life is hard, let's run' which connects people through running, authenticity, and humor.
Ways to Find Kristen:
website: logic.baby
FB: @logicdotbaby
Instagram: @logicdotbaby
TikTok: @logicdotbaby
Running Group:
FB: @momlifeishardletsrun
Instagram: @momlifeishardletsrun
Embrace, Live, Thrive:
website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today, Tami McCandlish joins me on the podcast and shares her painful story of bullying from an early age and how it intensified in her senior year of high school causing her to ultimately petition to do school from home. She shares how at that time the administration told her there was nothing they could do for invisible actions. Even after high school Tami continued to struggle making connections with women and often felt rejected and excluded leaving her bitter and angry towards most of the world.
Tami found her healing through her Faith in God and realizing that her identity was in Christ and not in status, relationships, or achievements. She now has a speaking platform educating women and adolescents of the effects of bullying and how you can find peace and healing. Tami is so inspiring and encourages that forgiveness is an important part of your healing journey.
Please listen, like, and share. I am almost certain that all of us have a memory at some point regarding a person who bullied us and left a wound that we carry us to this day. Healing is possible, forgiveness is possible, all it requires is taking that first step and admitting you are hurting.
Resources Mentioned:Guide to Healing after being Bullied: Resources | Tami McCandlish
Additional Resources:
Bullying Scars: The Impact on Adult Life and Relationships by Ellen Walser deLara
Ways to Find Tami:
www.tamimccandlish.com
Tami Bio: a Midwestern country girl raised at the edge of the Appalachian foothills. I'm married to my college sweetheart, Charlie. We live in the Buckeye state and work together, coaching people in exercise and wellness.
I struggle with socializing because people aren't always easy to love, but neither am I. So I strive to give others room to express themselves as I, myself, want the same.
I honor friendship because I know the pain of losing friends. I know the sting of gossip, betrayal, and rejection. The aftermath of a wrecked reputation. The heartbreak caused by someone who will never knock on my door again. The absence of community. And the challenge of regaining authentic friends.
When I was 17, bullying changed my life forever. It created a mess in my mind and shook my identity. Twenty years later, what happened to me in school still impacts me, but it no longer controls me. I am not defined by the hurtful things people did or by the mistakes I made defending myself. Others’ approval doesn’t dictate my value. My worth is in Jesus, who taught me to forgive my enemies and move forward in love.
I’ve been sharing my experience since 2007, but I don't consider myself an anti-bullying speaker. I'm just a girl with a story, using my interests to help people navigate the imprint of bullying.
Whether you’re trying to figure out how to survive one more day of school, or you carried the pain of the past into adulthood, I hope what I share resonates with you. When you feel attacked for who you are, I hope my words remind you God's love outweighs all the affection of this world. Although He allows us to endure tough times, He is the Best Friend who will never abandon us. I hope you'll join me in drawing close to the King of the outcasts, who understands our hurt like no one ever could. He frees us from shame and restores what was lost.
Although we may never meet in person, I value you just the same and care about your growth. I hope we can be friends. God led you here, so don’t hesitate to reach out. I’d love to hear your story and pray for you.
Embrace, Live, Thrive:
www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today, Sarah Weeger, founder of Hey Weegs a greeting card company that makes cards for real life joins me on the podcast to talk about her journey through anxiety and depression. Her anxiety started in her 7 month of pregnancy with insomnia and was amplified by the birth of her daughter. She looks back an reflects that although it wasn't her daughter job, that is what got her out of bed everyday.
Sarah talks about one day she was sitting watching her 6-month-old play instead of being with her and in that moment, she realized this was not the mom she wanted to be, and she needed help. She reminds us that your life doesn't have to be terrible before you start seeking resources. Sarah encourages that the easiest way to start your healing journey is to be honest with yourself and how you feel,
This is such a great conversation. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I loved recording it. Please Like, Share, and help Embrace, Live, Thrive continue to grow.
Resources Mentioned:
Instagram: @realdepressionproject
@learningmotherhood
@returnityproject
Sarah"s Bio:
Sarah Weeger is a mom to her and her husband' four-year-old daughter, and the founder and owner of her greeting card company, Hey Weegs. Sarah's cards tell it like it is in a way that's always uplifting. Her sweet spot is in designing cards for moms to help them feel seen without trying to fix the problem – because she knows first-hand what it's like to receive cards that try to do otherwise. Today, Sarah shares her story of postpartum depression and anxiety while keeping it real and maintaining her sense of humor – just like her cards.
To view her cards for moms, and all other occasions, visit her shop: www.heyweegs.com
Sarah also recently launched her new card-writing community, JUST SEND THE DAMN CARD, because she realized she's terrible at actually sending cards even though they can make a huge impact, just like a lot of us are. To learn more about her membership, visit justsendthedamncard.com or www.jstdc.com.
Ways to Find Sarah:
websites: www.heyweegs.com
www.jstdc.com
Instagram: @heyweegs
Embrace, Live, Thrive:
website: www.embracelivethrive.com
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
FB: @embracelivethrive
Today, Paula Mosher Wallace, author and president of Bloom in The Dark, a ministry teaching healing strategies 4 life joins us on the podcast. We begin our conversation hearing how Paula's faith and past trauma inspired her to start building a place that removes the shame and victim stigma often associated with recovery and helps individuals realize hope and healing is possible. Bloom is the dark offers a variety of resources including syndicated tv shows, course material, blogs, and their own podcast all targeted at supporting and encouraging those recovering from addiction and trauma.
Paula shares about learning the importance of emotional time management as she navigated her own healing journey in the midst of being a single, working, home schooling mother. She educates us on the importance of bilateral processing and making your mental health just as important as healing from any other illness. Paula reminds us that God created us with intrinsic value and that is what drives our identity not what has happened to us in the past. This is an incredible conversation that I truly believe you will be inspired. encouraged, and learn so much from listening.
Please like, share, and tell anyone you think could benefit from listening to Paula's wisdom and passion. Let's continue to educate those around us about the importance of understanding and healing your mental health. It's time to stop suffering in silence.
Resources Mentioned:Bloom In the Dark: True Stories of Hope and Redemption by Paula Mosher Wallace
Bloom Forward: A Journal to Renew Your Mind...One Day at a Time By Paula Mosher Wallace, Kylie E. Snow, Ginny Priz
Ways to Find Paula:
website: www.bloominthedark.org
App: Bloom In The Dark & Bloom Channel
Paula's Bio:
Paula Mosher Wallace
Ex-Victim & President of Bloom In The Dark, Inc.
An ex-victim herself, Paula wrote Bloom in the Dark, true stories of women healing from brokenness, abuse, and addiction. In 2016, Paula founded Bloom In The Dark, Inc. as a 501c3 nonprofit. Paula has produced, directed and co-hosted a TV talk show, Bloom Today, which is now licensed with 43 television networks and won a Telly award. Along with 5 more books, Paula has a second television show and video curriculum, Recovery Strategies 4 Life. Now a media executive, Paula focuses on working with other leaders to share hope and healing with the broken world. A single mother of 3 sons, Paula lives as a media missionary and credits God for healing her and leading her on this mission.
Embrace, Live, Thrive:website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today Katelynn Scannell MA, PLPC, NCC joins us on the podcast and shares with us about her journey into motherhood. She had an unexpected pregnancy and started her journey into motherhood as a single mother. Katelynn tells us about how she had been prepared for the delivery, but when she went home alone she began struggling with postpartum depression and anxiety. She talks about the importance her support system and other resources played in her healing journey.
Katelynn goes on to explain to us about Perinatal Mood Disorders such as Postpartum Anxiety, Depression, Panic, OCD, and Psychosis. She educates us about the differences and importance of knowing the signs of normal baby blues and when intrusive thoughts cross the line to needing more help. Katelynn encourages to ask for help and make your health a priority as your health reflects the health of your family. Please listen, learn, and share with that person that pops in your mind as you listen to all of the amazing information Katelynn has to share.
Ways to Find Katelynn:
Website: www.perfectlyimperfecttherapy.net
FB: @KatelynnsCounseling
Email: katelynn@perfectlyimperfect-counseling.com
Katelynn Bio:
The decision to seek therapy involves more than a willingness to grow - It also requires the ability to develop a healthy therapeutic relationship built on trust, empathy, and unconditional acceptance. Creating a healthy and supportive relationship allows the client to discover more about themselves and creates an environment for change. My goal as a counselor is to create an environment that revolves around empathy and compassion in order to foster growth and introspection. Life experiences are unique to each individual and effective counseling requires an innate ability to walk with clients as they navigate past and current experiences. Embracing a holistic approach, addressing physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of well-being, promotes maximum healing. I believe the key to mindfulness begins with positive self-image and self- talk. Without becoming conscious of our negative thought processes we will be unable to succeed in participating in a positive growth experience.
Embrace, Live, Thrive:
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today Dr. Robin Murray joins us on the podcast and shares about her journey into motherhood later in life and its impact on her as she navigates through the different stages of her kids childhood. Robin also shares with us about her passion topic she teaches to her Nursing students. . .civility. She is a firm believer that nothing will ever change if you don't start from the bottom up. Learning how to be polite, encouraging, and respectful of your co-workers creates a supportive environment that is so important in all areas of work.
Robin shares so much valuable information about civility and even sprinkles in a few tips for gratitude. Listen and share ,share, share to help start shifting our cultures narrative to civility and kindness in all situations. Help me continue to shine a light into the darkness and help educate women on how to not only survive life, but how to thrive.
Resources Mentioned:
Book: Have You Filled A Bucket Today by Carol McCloud & David Messing
Robin's Bio:
Robin Murray has been a registered nurse since 1997 and taught pre-licensure registered nursing and online courses at the college level since 2004. Robin earned her bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) from Indiana University in 1997 and her master of science in nursing (MSN) nurse educator track from Webster University in 2003. She earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in Educational Leadership from American Sentinel University in 2019 with a research focus on Civility in Nursing. Clinically, Robin has worked with adult patients in medical-surgical units, home care, occupational health, burn intensive care, cardiac and trauma step-down, behavioral health, management, and faith community nursing. She was inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau, the International Honor Society for Nursing in 1996, Golden Key in 2018, and Delta Epsilon Tau Honor Society in 2019. She is a member of the American Nurses Association, the Missouri Nurses Association, the Nurses Christian Fellowship, and the National League for Nursing. Before her career in nursing, Murray served in the United States Air Force and Air Force Reserve Forces from 1990-1997. Robin is the proud mama of Noah (12), Isaac (10), & Stella (8), and wife to her loving husband, Matt.
Ways To Contact Robin:
Email: Robin.Murray@mobap.edu
Embrace, Live, Thrive:
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Stephanie Winslow, Author of Ascent to Hope: The Rugged Climb From Fear To Faith, joins us on the podcast and shares the story of her brother's addiction to alcohol and her lessons in hope, faith, and gratitude. She talks about how she tried to "fix" her brother and ended up driving a wedge between the two of them. It took multiple God moments for her to realize that her brother's struggles weren't for her to fix and that she was supposed to be present, love, and support him the best that she could without enabling him.
Stephanie defines hope as surrender and explains how hope can be developed by understanding the acronym SLOW - Surrender, Listen, Obey, and Worship. She tells us that it is ok to grieve the relationships that you thought you would have with you loved one, but then being the support they need where ever they are struggling. Please listen and be encouraged if you are struggling with a loved one that is currently battling addiction. As always please share and help destigmatize the struggles with addiction and mental health issues.
Resources Mentioned:
Ascent to Hope: The Rugged Climb From Fear To Faith By Stephanie Winslow
Jesus Calling: 365 Devotionals for Kids By Sarah Young
Indescribable: 100 Devotions for Kids About God and Science (Indescribable Kids) by Louie Giglio
Stephanie Bio:
Stephanie Winslow is the proud wife of Marshall and mother of two girls. Stephanie spends her days helping women find their voice and making their dreams become a reality in life and business. In her business Blind Spot Consultants, she partners with women entrepreneurs to help them build lean processes and strategic plans that will enable them to live their best life.
Stephanie is a Christian author, blogger and speaker. She uses her gifts of writing and speaking to inspire transformational change in the lives of those who need hope, healing and restoration. Stephanie’s passion is to awaken the complacent and comfort the wounded.
In her free time Stephanie enjoys trail running, hiking with family, coffee dates with girlfriends, the comfort of yoga pants and catching the latest Netflix show with her husband.
Ways to Find Stephanie:
Website: www.stephaniewinslow.com
FB: @stephaniewinslow
Embrace, Live, Thrive:
website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today LaTonya Thomas, Founder of Sweet Start Ministries joins the podcast and shares how her traumatic childhood and difficulty in early adulthood had distorted her understanding of love. She attempted several times to start her business and God kept having her walk seasons of difficulty. It seemed as though she would take two steps forward and then one step back. It wasn't until she finally realized that she can't show real love to others until she really understood love herself. Listen to her powerful testament of realizing that her identity is defined by her faith and not the things that had happened to her in the past. LaTonya is going to leave you encouraged and inspired. Please listen and share I know there are so many individuals that need to hear what LaTonya shares with us in this interview.
Sweet Start Ministries is an encouragement ministry educating people about how much they are lovable and are loved. LaTonya works on teaching that love is an action and developing practical ways to share that love with those around us. Please check LaTonya's website out and follow her on Facebook and Instagram. Let's join the movement in realizing that love is an action.
LaTonya's Bio:I'm married to my high school sweetie and mother to 5 wonderful children. I'm the Founder and CEO of Sweet Start Ministries. I'm passionate about people and their FULL well being.
I value building relationships and connections. I believe that everyday is a brand new start, so begin again with an open heart!
Ways to Find LaTonya:
Website: www.sweetstartministries.org
FB: @SweetStartMinistries
Instagram: @sweet_start_ministries
Email: Latonya@sweetstartministries.org
Phone #: 636-293-6831
Embrace, Live, Thrive
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today Melissa Samaki, RN, IBCLC, Certified Postpartum Doula takes the time to come on the podcast and share her own story of depression and anxiety after the births of her four children. She was caught completely unprepared for how much it took to care for a newborn and struggled with depression realizing how different her life had now become. Melissa talks us through her hard moments and how it wasn't until she was in nursing school that she realized how depressed and anxious she had become after the births of her children. She encourages us to reach out and ask for help in those moments and keep asking until you get the answers you need.
Melissa also does an amazing job of explaining to us what a Doula is and how there are many different types. Her business Nurturing New Beginnings is designed to help soon to deliver mommas and postpartum mommas build a plan and be prepare for what is to come once that new baby is here. Please take the time to check out her website and see all the amazing services Melissa has to offer. As always listen, like, and share to continue to spread awareness of Embrace, Live, Thrives mission to destigmatize mental health issues in motherhood.
Resources Mentioned:
HALTS (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired, Sick) - Self Assessment tool to bring awareness to what you might be feeling.
Melissa Bio:
I am a registered nurse with over 8 years of experience caring for mothers and newborns in and out of the hospital setting. I am an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant helping families along their breastfeeding journey during pregnancy and beyond. As a trained peer emotional coach, I support mothers experiencing emotional challenges during pregnancy and postpartum. My years of teaching prenatal classes and facilitating postpartum and breastfeeding support groups give me a unique perspective on the needs of growing families.
As a certified postpartum doula, I provide support out of a heart of compassion and understanding. As a mother of four children, I experienced first-hand how challenging the first months with a baby can be, physically and emotionally. My desire is to normalize the need to support growing families so they can thrive. Many times families are not aware of how to use the third trimester to prepare their “nest” for the new life to come. I offer prenatal classes in postpartum planning, breastfeeding, and newborn care so families can welcome their little one with knowledge and confidence. There are misconceptions about what motherhood and postpartum are supposed to be like. I walk alongside families validating their experiences and emotions as they make this journey and seek to connect with a broader village of support. My in-home postpartum services are designed to give families the space and time they need to rest, recover, bond with baby, and adjust to a new normal. I want to help families during this special time for a better heart, health, and home
Ways to Find Melissa:
Website: www.nurturingnewbeginnings.com
FB: @nurturingnewbeginnings
Instagram: @nurturingnewbeginnings
Embrace, Live, Thrive:
Website: www.emrbacelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today Laura Mullen, NTP comes on the podcast and shares her own nutritional journey that started as a young teen who was unhappy with her appearance. She lost over 40 pounds focusing on what she was eating and starting to walk 3 miles after school everyday. However, it wasn't until late High School that she began to realize her worth was not tied to her weight and she was lovable for who she was and not how she looked.
Laura shares tips, recommendations, and encouragement for all of us as we approach this holiday season. She talks through strategies for managing Halloween candy, how to prepare for all of the family events built around food, and how to avoid over indulging at those open bars with all of those high calorie cocktails. Laura tells us that success is not synonymous with perfectionism, but about perseverance and resilience for the long game.
This episode is so good and worth a listen to help us all be prepared for this busy season that is fast approaching. Please listen, like, and share with anyone you think could benefit from this episode preparing us for the next 2.5 months of the year.
Laura's Bio:
“Helping you learn to nourish your body with real food so that you can carry on & carry out your Kingdom calling”
Credentials: Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (through the Nutritional Therapy Association)
Best way to stay connected with me is through my Instagram page - @made4morewellness
Best way to schedule or inquire about working with me as a practitioner is to contact our office either through our website or by our office phone
314-439-0777
crossroadschiropractic-stl.com
Embrace, Live, Thrive:
www.emrbacelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today Dr. Abbe Keen comes and talks to us about coping strategies for grief and how Nutritional Response Testing has changed the way she is able to care for her patients.
Dr. Keen lost her daughter, Hannah, at 34 weeks gestation. She talks us through the hope she found in her faith and the support of the community that was around her at that time of complete darkness. Dr. Keen was vulnerable telling us about how 11 years later she still has moments where she mourns the loss of her daughter, but finds comfort in sharing about Hannah.
Dr. Keen has been practicing Chiropractic care for 12 years and is passionate about helping families be successful and find much needed support with nursing, digestive issues, skin rashes, and so much more. She felt there was something missing and when she was exposed to Nutritional Response Testing® she knew that what she needed to round out treatment for her patients. Nutritional Response Testing® assesses the body and through a series of strength tests and palpation to determine nutritional deficits. It sounds truly amazing and totally worth checking out!!
There is so much packed into this interview, you are not going to want to miss one minute. Please listen and share this episode with that person that pops in your mind that needs to hear this conversation. Sharing is caring and sharing helps Embrace, Live, Thrive continue to spread our message of hope to those mommas that are hurting.
Resources Mentioned:
The Healing Path: How the Hurts in Your Past Can Lead You to a More Abundant Life by Dan Allender
Abbe Bio:
Dr. Keen’s passion to learn has earned her a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Ohio University, a Bachelor of Human Biology and Doctor of Chiropractic degrees from Logan University. Dr. Keen is also a licensed acupuncturist, Revelation Wellness Group Fitness Instructor, and is an Advanced Clinical Practitioner of Nutrition Response Testing.
Dr. Keen’s passion for health and her heart’s goal to glorify Christ are melding together to provide the greater St. Louis region with a different kind of healthcare. Her desire for wholistic care creates a safe space where individuals and families can utilize the full spectrum of healthcare services and begin a journey of health that focuses on the whole person; mind, body, and spirit. She recognizes that true health comes from strengthening your walk with God and caring for your temple. This type of care will not only be life changing for you, but will transform the legacy of health and wholeness that you will pass on to those around you.
Ways to Find Dr. Keen:
Website: https://www.crossroadschiropractic-stl.com/
FB: @crossroadsfamilychiropractic
Instagram: @crossroadschiropracticstl
Embrace, Live, ThriveWebsite: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCiLNqXvPXpNvZL2mvrM2chQ
Today Angela Meier, owner of A.I.M. For Health LLC, comes on the podcast and talks about how nutrition impacts so many different areas of our lives and the importance of whole foods. She tells us about her professional dancing career and how it drove her eating disorder that ended up wreaking her bone and digestive health. It took her many years to recover, but through supplements and focusing on a balanced diet she was able to find relief from those aliments.
After her professional dancing career came to a close, she and her husband attempted to begin a family. After years of disappointment and finding out her husband struggled with fertility, their only option was for her to go through in vitro fertilization. After delivering her daughter and struggling with health issues for years, Angela found a doctor who was able to figure out she no longer produced DHEA , a hormone that is pivotal for the regulation of other important hormones. She is a huge advocate to find a doctor that listens and supports you.
Angela gives us so much valuable information and shares vulnerably about her journey with nutrition for her digestive and bone health, but also with infertility and hormonal regulation. **Understanding your nutritional health is so important, please listen and share with your friends.
Ways to Contact Angela:**Text or Call: 314-775-8105
Angela Bio:
Mom, wife. Professional dancer turned ACE certified personal trainer.
Got into Nutrition industry 17 years ago
L.E.A.N certified In Pregnancy, Family and Adult nutrition.
Owner of A.I.M. For Health LLC.
Focus on foundational principles of healthy living keeping it simple. Being healthy is not rocket science- it’s simple.
Mission statement- Leading people to the health God designed them to have, so they have the life God created them for.
Embrace, Live, ThriveWebsite/Blog: www.embracelivethrive.com FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today Gina Birkemeier, licensed counselor/author, comes to discuss her book Generations Deep: Unmasking Inherited Dysfunction and Trauma to Rewrite our story through Faith and Therapy.
Gina talks about how she struggled most with leaning into the safe places during her healing journey because when you find your function in dysfunction safety looks dangerous. She explains to us forgiveness versus reconciliation, corrective emotions, and corrective experiences and their importance. Gina lists the most important things in her healing process including her relationship with God, therapy, relationships, forgiveness, and stop living out of the script she had been told.
This interview is full with so much value. Please listen and share with anyone you know that is healing from trauma. There is such validation in Gina's story. I highly recommend her book to buy and read, because you are going to want to take notes and use it as a reference with all of the amazing information that is included.
Ways to Find Gina:
Websites: Generations Deep by Gina Birkemeier
Gina Birkemeier (itsmyoutloudvoice.com)
FB: @itsmyoutloudvoice
Instagram: @myoutloudvoice
Gina's Bio:
Growing up, my home life overflowed with chaos and dysfunction, patterns passed down from one generation in my family to the next. As a result, my sense of self and of the world were distorted, along with my sense of value and ability to trust. What I believed about others, myself, and even God was tainted.
The verbal and physical trauma of my childhood resulted in the hallmarks of a traumatic upbringing. For years, I walked around in the fog of a disjointed self-narrative due to missing pieces of my story. The holes in my memory caused by my brain’s response to trauma and, later in life, self-destructive behaviors, made it difficult for me to understand and acknowledge my brokenness. Consequently, embracing the need for healing was difficult, too. The result was pain and shame, perpetuating the cycles of dysfunction that had been passed on to me. I lived out that legacy for more than two decades.
Then came healing.
Over time, I healed from the toxic abundance of my youth through the beautiful abundance of God’s grace combined with some powerful therapeutic interventions. Those life-changing interventions worked because they were designed to honor how God created us to heal and grow. Once I experienced that kind of healing, and came face to face with a God who saw my worth and loved me unconditionally, I knew I had to tell others. (When you find what makes your heart whole and experience the freedom you deserve, you will want to tell others too.)
Over the years my journey has taken many forms. First in ministry and as a lay counselor to the homeless, those coming out of prison, domestic violence survivors, and single moms. As I walked with these precious souls, I heard many stories that resonated with my experiences growing up. I became aware of my inadequacies to help them with their deeper mental and emotional struggles. I knew clinical training was the missing piece, but I also knew that whatever formal education I pursued, it would need to include faith and therapy.
I pursued my master’s degree in counseling and theology from Covenant Theological Seminary and then advanced training in trauma and techniques to help people heal from the impact of trauma. The study of intergenerational dysfunction and trauma have been areas of particular interest to me as it was a big part of understanding my own journey.
Embrace, Live, Thrive:
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today's Angie Harness, a successful residential realtor, comes on the podcast and opens up about trauma experienced in childhood and its impact on her adult life. As a child she disassociated much of her trauma, but started having severe flashbacks as an adult that was holding her back from growing as an individual and in her business. Angie had done therapy before, but was recommended to try a specific type of therapy called EMDR, which stands for eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. Although an intense form of therapy, she had found a path to healing from her flashbacks and physical triggers.
Angie encourages us that one of the most important thing that we can do no matter what we are experiencing is the practice of gratitude. This conversation is so encouraging for those who have experienced trauma and shows that there is hope for processing and healing from those experiences. Please listen and know that any trauma that you have experienced is legitimate and you don't have to let it control you any longer. If anything in this episode is thought provoking or inspiring to you, please share with anyone and everyone that comes to mind.
Resources Mentioned:
Caroline Raposo: https://navigationcounselingservices.net/
Angie Bio:
A never ending quest for excellence, achievement & a strong work ethic are in my DNA. As a kid I remember watching my 70 something year old guelito (grandfather) shear sheep. This was a nasty, hot, smelly & dirty job! Yet, my guelito took great care and had much pride in his work. This is such a proud memory for me and serves as humbling reminder to always do the absolute best for my clients. Working with me is more than about the house...The EXPERIENCE IS ABOUT YOU… your dreams and your future!
Ways To Contact Angie:
Phone #: (636) 856-6485
Email: angie@harnessyourdream.com
Website: Angie Harness Real Estate Consulting (kw.com)
FB: @theangieharness Embrace, Live, ThriveFB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
Today's interview is with Rebecca Nicastro, a strong woman I met through my networking community. I was instantly drawn to her story and knew I had to share about her discovering her strength, overcoming adversity, and relearning who she is as an individual after a painful second divorce. Rebecca encourages us that turning the focus outward and looking for ways to help others when you are hurting is one of the best ways to help the healing process.
Rebecca's journey is not for the faint of heart. She was betrayed by one of the people she loved the most and that scar does not heal quickly. Rebecca struggled knowing how or if she was going to make it through her second divorce. It took being reminded by her therapist that everything she was doing was being watched by her daughter. That was the encouragement she needed to start slowly clearing her head and getting back on her feet. Rebecca began to train for a body building competition to help keep herself focused and away from the common negative coping mechanisms people use when they are deeply hurting. However, what she found through her training and eventually competing was so much more than just a distraction. Rebecca began to rediscover who she really was and what was truly important.
If you are walking through divorce or have been divorced listen to Rebecca's story and know that you are not alone and there is hope. Listen and share Rebecca's story with anyone you think might be encouraged.
Ways to Contact Rebecca:
FB: @Rebecca Zingrich Nicastro
Rebecca's Bio:
Rebecca Nicastro of O'Fallon Missouri, holds a bachelors degree in psychology and a master's in business. Rebecca's has worked in the healthcare industry for 21 years, and currently working for a large health insurance carrier. She is a proud mother of an adult daughter, a world traveler, fitness competitor, dog lover, and Christian.
Embrace, Live, Thrive:
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today's episode is an incredible conversation with author/speaker Marcy Bursac. She grew up knowing that adoption was her path for family planning and after she and her husband met it became clear that adoption from the foster care system was the perfect way to grow their family. She walks us through peoples responses to their decision about not having biological children and also to not adopt a baby. People struggled to understand, but Marcy knew what was right for her family.
Marcy shares their adoption story and tells us about the one hundred and twenty thousand children in the foster care system that have had their parental rights severed and are referred to as the "waiting" because they are waiting for their forever homes. Her book "The Forgotten Adoption Option" and podcast by the same name, was inspired by her passion to help people understand the process of adoption from the foster care system. Marcy talks us through common limiting beliefs about adoption and kids in the foster care system and helps us understand why they are not accurate. Please take the time to not only listen to this amazing conversation, but also share with everyone you know to start helping these one hundred and twenty thousand children find their forever homes!!
MarcyBio:Marcy Bursac is an adoptive mom of a biological sibling pair who saw how children who are waiting in foster care for an adoptive home were being overlooked. So, during the pandemic, she wrote a book (The Forgotten Adoption Option), launched a podcast (The Forgotten Adoption Option Podcast), and will be competing in the Mrs. Missouri Pageant on Saturday, Sept. 11th as a way to shine bright light on 120,000 children in the United States who are waiting for forever families.
Ways to Find Marcy:
Website: https://forgottenadoptionoption.com/
Podcast: https://forgottenadoptionoption.com/the-forgotten-adoption-option-podcast/
Blog: https://forgottenadoptionoption.com/background/
Private Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theforgottenadoptionoptioncommunity
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marcybursac/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcybursac/
Where to buy the book - it's available on Amazon, Target, Audible, and more. See a complete list of retailers here: https://forgottenadoptionoption.com/the-book/
Embrace, Live, Thrive:Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Trigger Warning: Today Julie Sullivan, a Children's Minister with Waypoint Church, comes on the podcast and discusses an extremely difficult, but important topic of miscarriage. She starts by sharing her own journey with the loss of two of her own pregnancies and her healing journey, but goes on to discuss the importance of talking what you have experienced with the people that have earned the right to that story. Held by Hope is a ministry through Waypoint that walks with women who are struggling and provides not only support, but also resources for grieving for you and your spouse.
Julie reminds us that shame and guilt are not truth when it comes to the grieving process and we have to combat those lies with the truth of the gospel and its healing abilities. She talks through what are things that are helpful, but also talks through things that are not helpful to say to friends as they are struggling to understand what has happened. This episode is not only for women who are recovering from a miscarriage, but for everyone to be better equipped to support a loved one who has experienced the devastating loss of a pregnancy. Please take the time to share this with someone who is struggling and needs the extra encouragement is a dark season of life.
Resources Mentioned:
Book: A Time For Everything: Mourning and Dancing by She Reads Truth
Grieving the Child I Never Knew By Kathe Wunnenburg
I Will Carry: The Sacred Dance of Grief and Joy You By Angie Smith
Grace Like Scarlett: Grieving with Hope After Miscarriage and Loss by Adriel Booker
Anchored in the Storm: Pursuing Christ in the Midst of Life's Trials By Adam Holland
Tragedy to Hope: A Guide for Support and Ministry After Miscarriage, Still Birth and Infant Death by Don Sides
Julie's Bio: Julie Sullivan is a Children’s Minister at Waypoint Church where she has served for four years. A life-long Missourian, she received her religious education degree from Missouri Baptist University. Julie lives in Wentzville with her husband of 20 years and her children Jack and Ava.
Websites: Miscarriage & Infant Loss (weebly.com)
Adriel Booker - author - speaker - advocate
Ways to Contact Julie: julie.sullivan@waypointchurch.com
Embrace, Live, Thrive:
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today Meredith Ruben Daniels comes on the podcast and explains how important Generational Emotional Mapping (GEM) is for healing not only trauma that is effecting you as an individual, but through energy heals your ancestral DNA as well. She discusses the importance of our emotions and the role they play in our gene expressions. This technique specifically targets finding our unhealthy emotions and clearing them from their associated chakra, which becomes key in healing not only consciously, but subconsciously as well.
Meredith does a beautiful job of encouraging us to take the time to self reflect and realize that true healing occurs when we are willing to honestly let go of what we are struggling with and no longer hold onto trauma as an identity. GEM is such a unique process and I know there will be many mothers who could benefit from this type of healing process. Please listen and share with anyone you know that might need GEM to start their own health journey.
Resources Mentioned:
Books: Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death Experiences by Dr. Jeffery Long
Generational Emotional Mapping : Reprogramming the subconscious with Essential Oils by Joyce Turkington
The Wisdom of Your Cells: How your Beliefs Control Your Biology by Dr. Bruce Lipton
Ways to Find Meredith:
Website: www.soulful-wellness.com
FB: @soulfulwellnesswithmeredithrubendaniels
Instagram: @meredithrubendaniels
Meredith Bio:I am married to my high school sweetheart, Kevin, and we have 3 beautiful boys together in St. Louis, MO. I have a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Elementary and Early Childhood Education and spent 9 years in the classroom. As much as I loved my students, the Universe had other plans for me.
My spiritual journey began when my Dad passed away unexpectedly when I was 21. I was not ready to simply not have a relationship with him anymore, and after I processed through the initial grief, I set out to discover the truth about Heaven and the afterlife. After reading “Evidence of the Afterlife, The Science of Near-Death Experiences” by Dr. Jeffrey Long, I began my journey of connection by recognizing signs and following my gut. I attended spiritual workshops and retreats, had readings by several psychics and mediums, became Reiki certified, and eventually discovered that I am a Medium myself. In the meantime, I decided to use Hypnobabies to have an unmedicated birth with my first baby, which opened my eyes to a more natural way of living. My lifestyle changed from using Western medicine daily to using doTERRA Essential Oils and other natural products in our home and as part of our daily routines.
I became certified in GEM in the spring of 2020. I have witnessed and personally experienced so many amazing shifts in myself, my family and my clients using this technique. I am always blown away at the accuracy of the emotions that come up and how they connect with the issue being healed.
I have received so many beautiful signs and messages from my loved ones, as well as other people’s loved ones, that I have no doubt in my soul that there is life beyond what we experience in our bodies. Our human experience and the knowledge that we have is so miniscule in comparison to the vastness of the Universe. I am honored and humbled to be able to access the energy of the Universe to be able to help people heal
Embrace, Live, Thrive:Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today licensed professional counselor, Taylor Keen, comes on the podcast and has an in depth conversation with us about relationships, communication, perception, and so much more. He breaks down needing to understand your own story and how that influences your reactions and decisions in every conversation, discussion, and argument you have with your significant other. Taylor emphasizes not to go 25 years before addressing struggles and come into therapy as a last ditch effort before divorce. The ability to find success with counseling is directly related to accountability, relationship, and the willingness to push into hard things and not shut down.
There are so many valuable topics addressed in this conversation you are going to want to listen whether you have been married one year or twenty years. The ability to be vulnerable and have curiosity about why you respond certain ways to your significant other is key to working through to hard moments in your relationship. Taylor reminds us that sometimes fighting is productive and that disagreements are normal, however degrading and demeaning each other is not. Clear communication is key in not only healthy relationships, but in overall healthy living. Please not only listen, but share with anyone you know might be struggling with talking to their significant other in a productive way.
Books Mentioned:
Eight Dates: Essential Conversations for a Lifetime of Love - by John & Julie Gottman
Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living - by Shauna Niequest
Taylor's Bio:
Taylor received his Master of Arts in Counseling from Covenant Theological Seminary. He is currently a Licensed Professional Counselor and has worked within the counseling field for nearly 12 years, including experience working with teenagers at a therapeutic wilderness school. Taylor is passionate about helping people learn to live a better story. Because he sees marriage as a crucial part of, not only healthy families, but a healthy society, he is eager to help couples work through trust or communication issues, intimacy and parenting. He also loves walking with individuals in healing from anxiety, depression, relationship issues, and sexual addiction.
Taylor has served in Christian ministry for over 15 years and is happily married and with three children. As a therapist, he endeavors to provide a safe, trusting environment where clients can begin understand their story more completely. It is only when we understand where we come from do we begin to exert some power in the choice of where we are going. Taylor counsels individuals, couples, teens and families and is in network with United Healthcare and Anthem.
Ways to Find Taylor:www.generations-counseling.com
email: tkeen@generations-counseling.com
Embrace, Live, Thrive:
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
Today Sherry Ruyle, a successful real estate agent, joins us on the podcast and opens up about an extremely difficult topic in parenting. She shares about learning the importance of boundaries in motherhood and how we can still be their safe haven for emotions, but don't also have to be their verbal punching bags. As part of her learning about boundaries, Sherry realized that her puzzle piece wasn't fitting into her family puzzle and made the decision to start addressing her own struggles with worth. She made it a priority to start taking care of herself mind, body, soul and has now found herself thriving in business, a with happy family, and joyfully looks for ways to give back to help others.
Boundaries are an extremely difficult topic for a lot of people, but boundaries with children adds an extra layer of complication. Making the effort to put them in place is so important not only for you, but for them as well. It teaches respect, compassion, and helps them understand how to set boundaries themselves when needed. Please share this episode with your friends and help get mommas thinking about the importance boundaries with all ages of kids.
Ways to find Sherry:
FB: @sherryruyle
Website: www.sherryruyle.com
Sherry's Bio:As a Full-Time REALTOR for the past 18 years I have helped my clients buy and sell property in Missouri, Illinois and Tennessee. I am a licensed professional with experience in
Residential, New Construction, Commercial and Farm Land transactions. I have worked in every aspect of real estate including the listing of properties, selling properties, hosting Open Houses, assisting other agents, as well as managing a team of agents. With my years of experience I truly do understand the process from start to finish, and
every step in-between. My professional real estate knowledge and experience will benefit you whether you are a first-time client, or a returning client who needs help buying or selling your property. I take pride in providing superior quality service to all of my clients. My approach has always been: “Satisfaction Guaranteed.” I have a proven track record of Excellent Customer Service. Just ask any of my current or past clients. I am known for my professionalism, exceptional work ethic, attention to detail, negotiating experience, and for making a personal connection with all of my clients. I truly have my clients’ best interest at heart, and I understand the meaning of commitment and dedication to ensure the job is done right. It is my #1 goal as your professional real estate agent to provide you with quality service, to exceed your expectations, and to make your real estate transaction both a positive and pain-free experience.
“My passion is assisting, serving and giving back to others. The bonus for me is the life-long relationships that I create along the way….” ~ Sherry Ruyle
Embrace, Live, Thrive
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
Today Stephanie Korpal, M.Ed., LPC-S comes on and shares so much valuable information about understanding what therapy is, why it is important, and what are signs for when we might need to consider seeking counseling. She talks about the statement "but, its not that bad" is likely a sign your perception is off and that you are already ready for help. Stephanie shares about the importance of making rhythms and automate as much of your schedule as you can so you can make sure to make time for other things likes dating your significant other and making time for yourself.
This episode is one that I truly I think all mom's need to hear. Stephanie is beyond generous with all of the important information she shares and this episode is loaded with tips, encouragement, and support for all mothers. Please take the time to listen, but also share with all of your mom friends. There is something in Stephanie has to say that they all need to hear.
Ways to find Stephanie:
Website: www.marblewellness.com
Phone: 636-234-3052
Email: hello@marblewellness.com
FB: @marblewellnessSTL
Instagram: @marblewellness
Stephanie's Bio:I believe that everyone deserves a life free from feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and/or depressed on a daily basis. And even if those feelings aren’t present on a daily basis, but are present on a “more often than not” basis, I believe you deserve a life better than that. Those feelings can rob you of so much energy, joy, and hope. They can take away your sense of purpose, social connection, and belief in a hopeful future. They can negatively impact your work performance, relationships, and can take away your potential to thrive. And that’s no place to live your life.
When you work with me in the counseling process, I get to know the whole you—from your physical health habits to your support system to your daily tasks (and everything in between!) —so we can have the best opportunity of getting you to a place of feeling healthy and able. We reflect on patterns to build a better future. We talk about how your days and weeks flow and adjust micro-habits and incorporate bigger activities if that fits. I want to help you wake up each day confident in your ability to tackle any obstacles that may (and let's be honest: will!) arrive. And to feel less stressed when you're doing just that! And to also be in a place where all of those positive feelings! Excitement, happiness, and fulfillment that can easily flow into your daily experience.
Often, that involves changing some of your thought processes while also increasing your self-care habits and tools for emotional regulation. It involves learning more about yourself and being willing to show up to get the results. It isn’t something that happens overnight, but when the change does happen, it is something you can carry forward for the remainder of your life. That may seem like a lot to do, but that’s why I am with you—teaching, exploring, and keeping you accountable.
Counseling is not a process that is always easy, but it’s a process that is worthwhile. Because you are worthwhile. And if that is a belief you’re grappling with I can hold onto it for you until you are ready to hold onto it yourself.
Embrace, Live, ThriveFB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
Today Jackie Ginther, a gold dōTERRA wellness coach joins us on the podcast and walks us through so much great information about oils, healthy living, and so much more. She educates us that oils and healthy living are about taking care of our health proactively instead of reactively. Jackie is a huge proponent that you don't know what you don't know, but once you know its your job to start making changes. Making lifestyle changes and using oils to support healthy living becomes about getting down to the root cause of health issues and not just putting a band aid on illness.
Jackie also reminds us of the importance of taking the time to slow down and just enjoy motherhood and our littles. The time goes so fast and once its gone it is gone. Encouraging us to put the phones down and just embrace where our little ones are at in that moment. This episode is full of helpful tips, encouragement, and so much information you are not going to want to miss it. Please go onto your favorite podcast app and like this episode and leave a review!! Help continue to spread awareness around the topic of maternal mental health and wellness.
Share this episode with all your friends and help them catch a glimpse of what non-traditional health alternatives look like and how to implement them in your life.
Ways to Find Jackie
FB: @Jackie Ginther
Instagram: @jackieswellnesslife
Jackie's Bio:Welcome everyone! My name is Jackie and I am a Gold dōTERRA Wellness Coach. This group is designed to educate you on all dōTERRAs oils and products. I will post information on how to use our oils as well as keep you up to date on the latest products, promotions and discounts! This is also a safe place to ask oil usage questions. See something you like?? You can reach out to me for the best way to purchase it or go straight to my website jackieginther.com to grab it. Happy oiling!!!
Embrace, Live, Thrive
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
Angela Dexter joins us today on the podcast and gives us such wisdom and insight to her struggles with post-partum anxiety. As a first time mother she loved reading and researching about pregnancy and delivery and felt very prepared when it came to welcome her daughter into the world. However, that is where the her confidence ended and the train wreak started. Angela's daughter had some initial health concerns that contributed to increased fussiness and she felt very unsupported by her pediatrician. She felt she was just being dictated to about what she was supposed to be doing with her daughter. Angela talks about realizing she needed to find a pediatrician that would work with her, listen, and have a conversation. Being your and your children's advocate is so important.
Angela talks to us about learning someone just holding her baby was not helpful, but asking people to help in different ways such a providing a meal or mowing her lawn was what provided her with the help that she truly needed. She also walks us through other resources that she found helpful to help control her anxiety and set her on a path towards health.
Angela's passion is to help educate first time mothers about what information is out there and empower them to make informed decision and not just go with the standard because that is what the are being told to follow. Any mom getting ready to have their first baby needs to hear Angela's story and be encouraged about trusting your mom gut. LIKE and SHARE this episode with all of your pregnant mom friends and young first time mommas.
Ways to Find Angela
Instagram: @enjoylifewithme.angela
Website: www.enjoylifewithme.com
Email - enjoylifewithme.eliza@gmail.com
Angela's Bio
I have been married for almost 8 years to my best friend and am a mom of 2. I was previously a teacher who found a love for pregnancy, birth, and postpartum education during my own journey. I have always been a researcher so when I started reading while pregnant with my first I had my eyes opened to new concepts that society wasn't telling me. I am a firm believer of "informed decision is the best decision"
Favorite Resources:Anything by Ina May Gaskin & Jack Newman
https://evidencebasedbirth.com
Embrace, Live, Thrive
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
The amazing Anna Alt of LSL Finishes comes on the podcast and shares her story of what it was like growing up in the Jehovah Witness Culture. She felt at a young age that she wasn't entirely sure that what she was following was correct, but wasn't ready to rock the boat. She met and married her husband who was also raised Jehovah Witness and continued that path until her kids became school age and she knew she couldn't do this anymore. Listen to her journey of finding she and her husband finding freedom and discovering a new life outside of the Jehovah Witnesses. Anna is demonstrates such strength and grace as she walked through this difficult time in her life and will lead you emboldened to follow your intuition no matter the consequence. She encourages us to acknowledge when something doesn't feel right and then dive into the research and see if there is really something to how you are feeling or not. I was entranced with Anna's story. I can't wait for all of you to listen and be as inspired as I am. Please like, leave a comment, and share with everyone you know that might benefit from hearing Anna's story.
Resources Mentioned:
YouTube Channel: John Cedars
Crisis of Conscious by Raymond Franz
Anna's Bio:
As a wife, mother of two, a co-owner of multiple businesses, a community partner and people
connector, I’m always out and about! My husband, Dan, and I share an entrepreneurial spirit and are always exploring new concepts, products and services for the construction industry! I love being the Sales and Marketing Director at LSL Finishes, and am proud we provide high caliber services at a fair price. Our efforts have earned us the 2020 Western St. Charles Chamber’s Star Award, and the 2019 Best of St. Charles Award from the Post Dispatch.
My true passion is to meet people, learn what they do and what drives them, and then make connections - supporting local businesses through referrals. Who would you like to meet?!?
Chambers I serve include O’Fallon Chamber of Commerce & Industries, Western St. Charles County Chamber, Greater St. Charles and I’m an ambassador for the Cottleville Chamber. I’m a 2020 graduate of the Visions St. Charles County Leadership Class. I lead O’Fallon’s Chapter of No. 9 Networking, and am a member of O’Fallon All Stars. As Director of Family & Community Connections for Little Black Book (LBB): Women in Business, l oversee the ambassador program, the Street Team and Moms on the Move. I was humbled and honored to receive LBB’s Founders Award in 2019. I love to network!
Most recently, I led the campaign for Jason Law, Mayor Elect for Lake St. Louis. Community is important to me, and I enjoy being an active part of the Lake Saint Louis Swim Team and Lake Saint Louis Ski Club with my family. Prior to business ownership, I was an Instructional Assistant and Substitute Teacher for Wentzville R IV and Pattonville School Districts, respectively. My greatest joy is my family. Samantha (12) and Brody (11) keep Dan and me busy! We love skiing and being outdoors, relaxing and watching TV, and having friends over for a cookout at our Lake St. Louis
home. How do I manage it all? Let’s have a one-on-one meeting and I’ll tell you!
Ways to Connect with Anna
FB Messenger: @annabroederalt
Embrace, Live, Thrive
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
Today April Kaiserlian, LMSW joins us on the podcast and shares with us about her hard journey into motherhood and the realization that her path was not going to look like the traditional path. She opens up, telling us about her early years of motherhood spent in anxiety and anger. But found hope and healing after taking a Mindfulness course. April describes as she completed that course, that she finally saw some cracks in the pain she had been feeling for so long. She continued to grow and learn coping strategies, but was sent into despair when her husband decided they needed to divorce. April describes the mental image of drowning and having to hold onto other peoples docks as she was so uncertain during that initial time. But her story doesn't end there, she encourages us to welcome despair and spend time understanding what you are experiencing as a way to learn about yourself and begin to move forward. April shares such wisdom and encouragement as she courageously recounts some of her life's toughest moment. She quotes William Blake - "Excessive sorrow laughs and excessive joy weeps." Please share with all of your friends, especially the ones walking through a fresh divorce. They need to hear what April has to say!!
Ways to Find April
FB: @aprilkaiserlian
Instagram: @aprilkaiserlian
Website: www.aprilkaiserlian
April's Bio:
Before I came to the practices of mindfulness and self-compassion in 2008, my life felt serious and heavy. I didn’t know how to laugh. It was as if my sense of humor went missing somewhere in my childhood.
Thankfully my sense of humor reappeared on my first 7-day retreat of silence when, after listening to my own mind loop ‘round and ‘round for days on end, I realized my own thoughts ranged from absurd to insightful and everything in between. I was relieved that I didn’t have to take everything I thought so seriously. In fact, I began to play with how I thought about life, love, and learning. A new sense of playfulness and creativity emerged in my life.
As I began to lighten up and slow down, I made the crucial connection between the importance of stillness and silence, movement and expression as tools of learning how to turn toward sticky patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving. I began to learn how to take seriously that which was serious in my life and to let the rest be beautiful in its simple ordinariness.
After a 7-year stint as a stay-at-home mother to my 3 children, I returned to the professional world when I began teaching Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. I went on to co-found the Grand Rapids Center for Mindfulness in 2010. I opened my private psychotherapy practice in 2013.
Using the tools that have helped me learn how to turn toward both the pain and the joy of life, I welcome people from all walks of life to join me in the process of learning to show up for the fullness of life.
I promise we will laugh and cry together along the way.
Embrace, Live, Thrive
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
Today the podcasts welcomes lifestyle coach Amber Webb. We are grateful for all the encouragement she shared with us. She starts with telling us about her rocky start into motherhood and how she became so depressed she was only be able to lay in bed and play with her son. Amber realized that is not what she wanted her life to be like and begin reading motivational books and found the strength to start writing her own goals, go back to school, and was inspired to start her own coaching program. She has a passion for helping all people find their true drive and overcome limiting beliefs to reach their full potential. She has begun to specialize in Neural Language Processing techniques (NLP) and timeline therapy. Amber shares her heart with us and encourages all of us to start taking care of ourselves and start addressing those underlying reasons that are holding us back from doing the things we are meant to do.
Resources Mentioned:
Books
- Jack Canfield: The Success Principles
- Joe Dispenso: Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself
- Jen Sincero: You Are a Badass
- Jen Sincero: You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth
Ways to Find Amber:
FB: @Amberwebb
Instagram: @amberwebblife
Embrace, Live, Thrive
Website/Blog: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Dr. Felicity Keough-Bligh joins the podcast today and encourages us to take care of our bodies in all stages of life. Educating us that care during pregnancy is possible in the management of all of the aches and pains that accompany growing a person. We talk through awareness of post partum depression and being proactive on knowing your resources.
Dr. Keough tells us about a technique that she found helpful postpartum with placenta encapsulation. She also discusses the importance of experiencing a least a small portion of labor to help with not only your own endorphins for labor, but also for your baby, and it helps with post partum health. Share this episode with all of your momma friends, but especially your pregnant and post partum ones as this episode is full of great information!!
Resources Mentioned:
Book: The Thinking Woman's Guide to Better Delivery by Henci Goer
Resources not Mentioned
Book: Healing from Within: A Simple Guide to Lifelong Wellness by Dr. Felicity Keough-Bligh
Dr. Keough-Bligh Bio:
Dr. Felicity Keough-Bligh is a St. Louis native and spent her time growing up in St. Charles, MO. Upon graduating from St. Charles High School she realized she had a passion for creating health and wellness in the body. She strives to understand why the body becomes sick, diseased and injured, and how to address these issues naturally and to prevent future problems.
It Runs in the Family
Her grandparents, Drs. Joseph and Belle Keough, are a HUGE inspiration for her. Through their practice of Chiropractic, they have helped people attain higher quality of life in St. Charles for over 55 years.
Training and Learning Chiropractic
After three years of intense pre-chiropractic studies, she began her matriculation at Logan College of Chiropractic in Chesterfield, MO. While at Logan, Dr. Keough was involved in the latest pediatric sports rehabilitation techniques. She also completed over 300 hours of training, where she learned techniques to help with the treatment of pediatric and pregnant patients and was fortunate to see a variety of cases.
She underwent many hours of study with the International Chiropractic Pediatrics Association learning how to treat children and pregnant mothers. She understands that pregnancy is an important time in a woman’s life. The need for a fully functioning body is crucial to a mother and her developing baby’s health, as well as labor and delivery without complications. She has helped many women achieve their goals of natural birth, VBAC and overall comfort during pregnancy.
In addition, Dr. Keough has spent many hours of study dedicated to Functional Medicine using laboratory testing and analysis, hormonal testing, advanced allergy testing and weight management. She believes that addressing core issues related to weight gain (diet, toxicity and hormonal imbalance) is key to regaining and optimizing the health of her patients.
Dr Felicity Keough has written a book called Healing from within which dives deep into her own personal healing journey and gives fresh insight into the body’s ability to heal itself when given the chance. She enjoys spending her free time doing yoga, running and reading as well as playing with her two boys, husband and dog on their 3 acre ranch.
Ways To Find Dr. Keough-Bligh
Website: www.keoughchiropractic.com
Email: dr.keough@keoughchiropractic.com
FB: @keoughchiropratic
Instagram: @keoughchiro
Embrace, Live, Thrive
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Erin Darling of Mindset Nutrition in Cottleville, Mo joins us today on the podcast and shares so much amazing information about nutrition and mindset. She begins with telling us a little about her own journey of nutrition and wellness starting with being overweight as a child to swinging to the other extreme of obsessive calorie tracking. Erin talks about having to shift from the short term health mind to long term health success with her eating and mindset. She goes on to tell us about shifting to nutritional coaching as a second career and finding her passion to help individuals who are struggling with emotional/binge eating. Let's be honest who doesn't struggle with that type of eating?
Erin talks to us about finding the things that bring you joy, understanding your worth, self love, and self care as a path to control emotional eating. She explains the triggers for binge eating and how to make yourself aware, and how to avoid those triggers. Erin also discusses the importance of meal planning, mindfulness, addressing limiting beliefs, intermittent fasting, and meditation as a means of shifting yourself to a healthy lifestyle. She is huge on helping people understanding that you should eat the foods you love, but that also love you back. This episode is jammed packed full of great information, tips, and resources. SHARE, SHARE, SHARE, no one should miss hearing this episode.
Resources Mentioned:
Books- Atomic Habits by James Clear
Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole
Women, Food, and God by Geneen Roth
5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins
Apps - Insight Timmer
How to Find Erin Darling:
Website - www.mindsetnutritionstl.com
Instagram- @mindsetnutritionstl
FB- @erindarling
Erin Darling Bio:
My name is Erin and I am the Nutrition Professional behind Mindset Nutrition! I am a mom, wife and a lover of musical theater, staying active, talking and all things pink! My greatest love is educating others on how much our mindset determines the success of our health and how to use food as nourishment and not a security blanket.
My Background
I fell in love with food and nutrition at a very young age. I battled my weight growing up and used food as entertainment and comfort. When I grew old enough to make more adult choices I began switching the foods I was eating to healthier options. This change sparked years of restricting and food obsession. Thankfully, right after I got married in 2006, I began working on my mind instead of my body. Learning to retrain my thoughts and replace food with alternate ways of coping was life changing!
Credentials
I started my college career at The University of Missouri - Columbia, where I earned a Bachelor's Degree in Education. Soon after, I earned my Master's Degree in Education from Lindenwood University. I taught for seven years and decided to make a career change. I wanted to combine my love of teaching others with my love of health and wellness. So I earned my Master's Degree in Nutrition and Human Performance from Logan University. Since, I became certified as an Eating Disorder Recovery Coach, specializing emotional eating.
Embrace, Live, Thrive
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today's interview is with Katie Bynum, vice president of Fearless Women, which is a faith based ministry in the St. Louis area helping women to break free from the bounds of anxiety and depression. Katie got married young and moved away from family as her husband pursued his Doctorate. When the decided to start their family, they still were not close to home. Katie describes her journey with her first two children as each time, she had moved to a new area and had to start all over building a support system. Although it was hard, she took the initiative to join mom groups, made getting out and walking a propriety, and developed a tribe to support her when she needed it most. Katie also tells us about the journey to adopt their daughter and how that transition had some of its own struggles, but God's faithfulness never failed and they are blessed with all He has brought their family.
Katie has always had a passion for teaching and God has grown and shifter her to this position with Fearless Women. Please go check out this ministry as it is such a blessing to women who are struggling and now had a teen component that has been newly launched. Listen to this beautiful story of God's hand over Katie and directing every step of her and her families lives. Download and share with anyone who think would benefit from this encouraging and uplifting interview.
Ways to Find Katie:
FB: @katieblackbynum
Instagram: @katiecbbynum
Fearless Women:
Website: www.fearlesswomenstl.com
FB: @fearlesswomen (also, private group you can request to join)
Instagram: @fearlesswomenstl
Tik Tok: Fearless Teens
Katie Bio:
Follower of Jesus, student, and teacher of God’s word, wife to supportive husband Josh and mom to two active boys and a precious daughter. I love to share coffee and conversations where I get to: encourage others through God’s word, remind moms of the importance of motherhood and to embrace it, help ladies be set free from fear, anxiety and depression through Jesus, and talk about our journey of adoption! I currently serve as the Vice President for Fearless Women.
Embrace, Live, Thrive:
website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today's Episode is with Nita Dalton, a certified Hypnotherapist, who owns Nita Dalton Hypnosis. This an incredible interview were we are exposed to a technique that honestly didn't know anything about before meeting Nita. She has a voice that brings you to a place of peace and calm before even starting any treatment. Nita, tells us about her own journey from massage therapy, into therapeutic massage, and finally discovering Hypnosis in a quest to best serve her clients. Her passion to truly help people heal and conquer whatever they are struggling with is evident through this interview. Take a listen and reflect on if this treatment technique might be what you were looking for you in your own healing journey. Please share with anyone you think might benefit from hearing about Hypnotherapy.
Ways to Find Nita Dalton:
Website: www.nitadaltonhypnosis.com
Email: info@nitadalton.com
Phone #: 636-399-0370
Nita's Bio: Nita has practiced a variety of energy-based, alternative health modalities. She continues to add to her repertoire by attending national conferences and studying with master teachers. Her work is safe, ethical and confidential. No practitioner in either traditional or alternative health services can guarantee specific results. What Nita can assure is that you will receive her full attention and best work to achieve goals that matter most to You. When the client is ready to move beyond the limiting beliefs that prevent change, hypnotherapy is an effective means of transmuting subconscious energies. Then any resulting changes are as sustainable as you want them to be. Nita Dalton is professional, strongly ethical and highly confidential. Whether in her office or another setting, she establishes privacy, safety and warmth for the client. This enhances a deeper connection and contributes to sustained change. She is a professional hypnotherapist certified through the National Guild of Hypnotists. See website for full list of trainings, certificates, and memberships.
Embrace, Live, Thrive:
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
FB: @embracelivethrive
Favorite Podcast App: Embrace, Live, Thrive
Today's Interview is with Andrea Denningmann, owner of Addi and Ains Boutique. Guys, this gal is a doer and a go getter. She believes in always pushing herself to the next level and trying new things. Andrea is not afraid to put in the work and do the research to attempt anything that comes into her mind. She is a busy mom of three and started her career in cooperate fashion, but then felt the pull to stay at home after her second child. She followed her heart and became a SAHM, but quickly began working with the children's curriculum in her church part time. During that time she also decided to homeschool, and even became the director of her homeschool group for a period of time. Even through this busy season of her life she couldn't shake the dream of starting her own boutique. Realizing that there would never be a "good" time to start a business. she dove into writing her business plan and seven months later launched her company. She has learned a lot over the last 3 + years in business and continues to grow and push herself to move forward. Andrea is inspirational as a mother and business owner. Listen and be encouraged that now is the time to get going on whatever is your dream business. Please like and share with all of your friends!!
Ways to Find Andrea:
website: www.addiandainsboutique.com
Instagram: @addiandains
Facebook: @addiandains
Consulting Instagram account: @adenningmann
Blooming Daisy Marketplace\
5541 Chestnut Street
Cottleville, Mo 63304
The Painted Tree Boutique-Ballwin
14850 Manchester Road
Ballwin, Mo 63011
The Kindred Shops: Oak Park Mall
11133 W. 95th Street
Overland Park, Kansas | 66214 | 913.307.0099
Independence Center
18801 East 39th St. South
Independence, MO | 64057 | 816.709.3783
Plaza
422 Nichols Road
Kansas City, MO | 64112 | 816.492.7287
Andrea Bio:
Addi and Ains began as a young girl's dream turned into a reality. Established in September 2017, Andrea Denningmann the owner, had a desire to share her love of fashion and faith with others. She has three beautiful children that are the basis of her inspiration and plans to raise her children with an entrepreneurial spirit by living as an example. She saw an opportunity to infuse the contrasting styles and personalities of her daughters, Addison and Ainsley into her boutique.
Addi & Ains Boutique is a women's lifestyle boutique offering on trend, quality
apparel, accessories and gift items at affordable prices. In our boutique you
will find styles that are affordable, fashionable and fun whether you are
dressing for a busy day at the office, running kids around, have a special
occasion, or just want a great look for girls’ night or date night we are here
to help!
We style women from the inside out for God's Glory. Whether you area a busy
mom, career woman or boss babe, we style women in such a way that they will
look and feel confident in their own skin and know that that God created each
of us women on purpose for a purpose. At Addi & Ains we want to
help simplify your shopping needs because we understand just how hard it is to
be a busy working mom. Feel free to contact us anytime! We will respond within
24 hours, always. We want to serve you and help women just like you.
Message us through Facebook for a more immediate response for questions about styling,
family photo ideas, specific styles you are looking for or closet organization
tips to name a few.
Resources Mentioned:
Business Boutique by Christy Wright
Embrace, Live, Thrive:
website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today's Interview is with the amazing Jessica White, Owner of Enact Wellness Solutions in St. Charles, Mo. She has a beautiful story of overcoming obesity and finding herself through her health and fitness. As a busy momma of 3 and military wife she has had many obstacles to overcome, but her health became a priority. Jessica talks about how joining group fitness classes became her community and became such a source of support for her through all of the hard. She progressed from class attendee, to group instructor, but really found her passion with personal training and helping her clients on an individual level. Her story only continues as she decided to open up her own group fitness studio Enact Wellness Solutions. A community built around supporting women from the inside out and helping them learn not only about exercise, but how to love themselves. Jessica has so much insight on health, wellness, and motherhood you are not going to want to miss this episode. So take a listen and SHARE with all of your family and friends.
Enact Wellness Solutions
Website: www.enactwellness.com
FB: @enactwellnessstcharles
Jessica's Bio
Jessica is the CEO and founder of Enact Wellness Solutions. Jessica has lost a total of 170 lbs and kept it off for fifteen years! She knows what it takes to achieve total health. Following her passion, she began teaching fitness classes of all types eleven years ago and added personal training as her full-time job four years ago. Through visiting different gyms, hearing personal stories, and understanding the needs of others currently not met (not even in the country’s leading gyms), she designed Enact Wellness Solutions to fill the gap.
Embrace, Live, Thrive
website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instaram: @embracelivethrive
Today's interview blew me away. Published Author of "I love Jesus, But I want to die" Sarah Robinson comes on the podcast and talks about her journey of mental health from a child into adulthood. She describes how she didn't even realize that suicidal ideations were not normal as young child. Sarah became a Christian in her teenage years and began developing shame because of her negative thoughts/emotions and how it conflicted to what the church was telling who she was supposed to be. After surviving a suicide attempt at 17, in college she began to mange her guilt with self harm. Thank goodness her story didn't end there, Sarah talks with us about the importance of finding the right counselor, what benefits medication can provide and there is no need for shame, and so much more. She is so generous and encouraging. You are are going to want to go to your favorite store to buy her book and get your copy today!!
Resources Mentioned:
Book: Try Softer By Aundi Kolber
Miracles and Other Reasonable Things: A Story of Unlearning and Relearning God by Sarah Bessey
Websites: www.psychologytoday.com/us
Website: www.sarahjrobinson.com
Instagram: @sarahjrbnsn
Sarah Robinson's Bio:
I know what it’s like to wrestle with the darkness.
When I met Jesus, I didn’t know the ache in my chest was depression or the rattle in my bones was anxiety.
Well-meaning church leaders taught that if I did the right things, my life would be full of beauty and joy. But it wasn’t so simple. Though I showed up to church every time the doors were open, read my Bible, prayed, and served on the worship team, the darkness refused to lift.
Years of shame, self-harm, and a few planned suicide attempts taught me something I never expected: God is present in our deepest darkness. With that knowledge, I found the courage to venture beyond the church walls and find the professional help I needed to fight for wholeness and build a rich, beautiful life despite depression.
Now, I use my own ache to make the way easier for others. Through a decade of youth ministry, directing a nonprofit that mentored more than a thousand youth pastors, and working with suicidal young women in a residential facility, and my popular blog, I’ve helped thousands of others beat back the darkness, finding hope even when God chooses not to remove suffering.
I spend my days in Nashville with a man I adore, baring my soul for thousands of readers who need to know they can struggle and still have rich and beautiful lives in Christ.
Embrace, Live, Thrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Facebook: @embracelivethrive
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
Today's episode is my story of miscarriage and grief. The pain of loss of pregnancy is indescribable and can consume your life without the proper intervention. God's is faithful and we were able to conceive again and are due with our rainbow at the beginning of September. I am so excited, but also daily walk through the anxiety of fear of another loss. I have struggled talking about this pregnancy not only out of fear of loss, but also I feel like I have not honored the spark of life I lost in August. This podcast is raw and brought with it a lot of emotion, but I hope the realness of what I have to say speaks not only to women who have experienced a miscarriage, but helps with understanding for those who have not. I hope you listen and are encouraged and it helps to know you are not alone. Below listed is a small number of resources if you need someone to walk along side you as you heal. There are so many more resources out there if you just start looking.
Support Groups
Share Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support - nationalshare.org
Miscarriage Grief Support - www.miscarriagehurts.com/find-help/support
Counselors
Marbel Wellness - www.marblewellness.com
Carla Powderly - carlapowderly.com
Waypoint Care Ministry - Julie Sullivan: julie.sullivan@waypoint.com (Biblical Counseling)
Today's interview with my good friend Laruen Trimmer is something all allergy mom's need to hear. She walked through post partum depression after her first daughter and gives us valuable insight about regaining her health. However, her story continues with her second daughter being diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis or EOE and food allergies after being sick the first year of her life. She talks about the fear and anxiety of her child never having a normal life, not to mention the overwhelming anxiety of what even to feed her daughter. She found her strength through the people she had around her and realized that a normal life was possible, it was just their new normal. She leaves mom with a message of strength and encouragement that you can figure it out, you just need to focus on one meal at a time and they rest will come. This interview is an absolute must for any mom or individual struggling with the fear, anxiety, and isolation that can come with food allergies and/or EOE. SHARE!!
Mentioned Resources:
Blog: Allergy Awesomeness
App: Spookin
Book: The Conscious Parent by Shefali Tsabary
Lauren's Bio: Lauren has two beautiful girls who keep her busy. She has been in HR most of her working career and worked for Foss Swim school for the last few years. She was a site director, but choose to switch to back to recruiting as it fits in better with her family's schedule. Lauren enjoys spending time with her family and is on a quest to find what is her best form of self care.
Embrace, Live, Thrive:
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
Today's interview is going to blow you away. Dr. Emily Hecker breaks down the MTHFR gene mutation and how it effects about 50% of people, but often doesn't diagnosed until you are struggling with fertility. She explains the importance of not only of a healthy diet, but also liver and gallbladder health to make sure you are absorbing all the healthy foods you are eating. We talk about how genes are a factory and when those factories are not working right we have to figure out how best to support them. We finish our conversation about specific environmental concerns that we can address to improve our health. Dr. Hecker gives us a wealth of information and repeatedly encourages us to clean up our diets to help clean up our health. There is so much value in this episode!! Listen and share it with everyone you know.
Resources Referenced:
StrateGene®: Strategic Genetic Testing :StrateGene®
Book: Ben Lynch - Dirty Genes
App: Calm or Headspace
Ways to Find:
Website - Home - Enlighten Functional Medicine (enlightenstl.com)
FB - @dremilystl
Instagram - @dremilystl
Bio:
Dr. Emily is a board certified chiropractic physician who is passionate about Functional Medicine. Patients seek her out specifically for nutrigenomic support for those who have a genetic polymorphism for MTHFR. She is proud to offer nutritional consults for her patients.
Her passion for natural health care started when her aviation career required her to work at a desk job, leading to chronic back pain.
She was amazed at how a chiropractic physician was able to evaluate her body and tell her where she was unknowingly in pain. After a few adjustments, she was pain-free and never needed pain killers to manage her chronic back pain. As private pilot and meteorologist in her previous career, Dr. Emily discovered the human body was similar to operating an aircraft in a thunderstorm, where everything had to be in balance to function perfectly. After completing her Masters of Business Administration degree she decided to dedicate her life to helping people in the most natural way God would allow by obtaining her doctorate of chiropractic.
She specializes in supporting those with autoimmune diseases, MTHFR polymorphisms, food sensitivities and inflammation. She has had extensive training in understanding the methylation pathways trained by Dr. Ben Lynch, world leader and expert in MTHFR. She has post doctorate training in Functional Endocrinology, Functional Blood Chemistry Analysis, Neuroimmunology, Thyroid Disorders, Chiropractic Craniopathy, and the Webster Technique.
She is an active provider for the Shape ReClaimed anti-inflammatory program and uses a supervised ketogenic approach for weight loss in her practice.
She supports natural childbirth, breastfeeding, parental choice and strives to be your best advocate. Her practice in Ballwin, MO is not limited to patients seeking optimal health, but for those who are struggling with chronic health conditions trying to find an answer.
Embrace, Live, Thrive
www.embracelivethirve.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today I had the honor of talking with Kelli Risse, owner of Rise Up and Live Wellness. She spent years in education and then transitioned into a health, life and mindset coach as she discovered her own healing journey from anxiety. She has struggles with body image and perfectionism almost her whole life as she was raised in the dance world, where there always something else you needed be improving. She is so encouraging as she talks about finding gratitude in all areas of your life, but especially about your body. Kelli loves individuals of all age groups and has found her passion in educating adults and professionals about how to regain control of you life and mindset. As you find her words as inspiring as I did, please share with anyone and everyone who is struggling with anxiety, body image, or perfectionism.
Website: www.riseupandlivewellness.com
FB: @kelli.boutellerisse & @riseupandlivewellness
FB Group: Rise Up and Live with Master Coach Kelli Risse
Instagram: @Kelli_Risse
Book: Fearless and Fabulous: Finding Your Way Through Change and Beyond
Kelli is hosting a Renew Yourself Virtual Spring Retreat on May 1 from 9-11.
www.riseupandlivewellness.com/renewyourself
Discount code: SPECIAL -$20 off when registering
Kelli Bio:
My passion is helping busy, stressed people say goodbye to unnecessary anxiety and hello to a life of peace, health, happiness, and success.
After spending too many years battling with myself over my body, stressing out about all my lists and to-dos, and feeling like everything and everyone but me had control over my life, I finally found the key to transforming everything. It wasn’t a new crash diet that would give me the perfect body in a matter of weeks. It wasn’t a quick fix that would suddenly make all the stress in my life go away. And it certainly wasn’t some series of rules to regulate my life into oblivion.
It was the realization that in order to achieve my goals – from my health to my relationships to my career – I had to align my mind, body, and spirit. My personal transformation allowed me to step into the life I had spent so many years dreaming of. I felt empowered. I felt free. And I knew I had to dedicate my life to helping others do the same thing.
Helping others learn and grow has always been a passion of mine. As a former educator, I spent years helping my students empower themselves and work towards a bright future. When I decided to shift gears and focus on health and wellness, it felt only natural to approach my coaching in the same way. I’m not just here to give you quick tips and send you on your way; I’m all about giving you the knowledge and support you need to form lasting, transformative habits – whether you’re looking to get control over your health, your stress, your career, or all of the above.
Now a Certified Health, Life, and Mindset Coach and Master Practitioner of The Transformational Coaching Method and Neuro-Linguistic Programming, I am committed to helping you find inner peace, harmony, and success through sustainable and long-lasting lifestyle change, including stress management, intuitive eating, and success mastery.
Embrace, Live, Thrive
www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today's Episode is with Kim Anderson the owner of Fun2Fit a fitness studio in Weldon Springs, Mo. She is such a shining example of moving forward in her health and using her passion to drive her vision. She has been in the fitness industry for over 15 years and used her used her knowledge and experience to open her own fitness studio. Her studio is focused on showing individuals how to be themselves and have fun while they are getting fit. She offers a variety of in person and virtual classes to fit all individuals comfort levels and has classes for adults and children. This episode is going to leave you feeling encouraged, motivated, and ready to get up and get moving. Take a listen and share, share, share!!
At Fun2Fit they offer a variety of classes such as Piyo, Fit Bootcamp, AMPD, Kettleball, High Fitness, Core De Force, Strength & Stretch, Yoga, and Hitt Fit. Check out the schedule on the website for class description and at Fun2Fit the first class is always free.
Fun2Fit
810 O’Fallon Rd, Suite #60
Weldon Spring, MO 63304
636-244-4054
fun2fittribe@gmail.com
Website: www.fun2fittribe.com
Instagram: @fun2fittribe
FB: @fun2fittribe
Kim's Bio:
Kim Anderson is the owner of Fun2Fit and has been teaching fitness classes for over 15 years now and absolutely loves helping others have fun while getting fit in a positive, welcoming atmosphere. She has 2 kiddos who keep her on her toes and is married to her college sweetheart. One of her favorite things to see is Fun2Fit clients growing in confidence, strength and endurance as they inspire others around them to get moving and healthy too. At Fun2Fit, friends feel like family and we are always laughing and having fun in our workouts!
Embrace, Live, Thrive
www.embracelivethrive.com
sarah.meyer@embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Today's Interview is with Laura Kersting, who is a great friend of mine. You are going to want to listen to this podcast again and again with all the helpful tips she give us for clean eating. You will be inspired as you listen to her journey with diagnosing skin allergies, food allergies, and an esophagus issue and how she found healing. After teaching herself out to cook and manage her own diet, she became inspired to help others with similar issues. Please check out her blog Simple Allergy Living. Laura is a shining example of how to walk through adversity and still come out living your best life.
blog: www.simplyallergyliving.com
FB: @simpleallergyliving
Instagram: @ simpleallergyliving
Mentioned Book: Business Boutique by Christy Wright
Apps: Find me Gluten Free & Allergy Eats
Laura's Bio: Check out her blog for full Bio - simpleallergyliving.com/aboutme
Embrace, Live, Thrive
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Email: sarah.meyer@embracelivethrive.com
Today's Interview with Dr. Jason Wibbenmeyer knocks it out of the park. He is ability to break down anxiety and stress and explain how to manage it from a whole body approach is truly remarkable. His own struggle with anxiety has given him an empathy to understand where individuals are coming from with their anxiety. There are so many great tips and places to start with you own anxiety I know you are going to want to listen to this episode again and again.
website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Dr. Jason Wibbenmeyer
Website: www.innovativehp.com
FB: Dr. Jason Wibbenmeyer
Instagram: @drjasonwibbenmeyer
He understands what it’s like to search for optimal health. He had this idea of what it looked and felt like, and a vision of how he would offer this same reality to his patients. His entire life has been dedicated to learning, evolving and mastering the meaning of true health and wellness, and in fact, continues to apply his personal quest for peak health performance to the goals of his patients.
But it wasn’t until a sudden turn of events that he was afforded this unique perspective and set of skills that give his patients an advantage in their own healing experience. During grad school, while he was learning to be a healer, he found himself becoming a patient. With poorly managed stress, it left him suffering from debilitating anxiety, panic attacks and scary digestive issues. Seeking help, the traditional medical model had no effective or long-term solution other than a prescription for Prozac. He quickly realized that a critical message was missing from traditional healthcare. Thus, leaving himself and 1,000’s of others like him feeling frustrated, confused, and alone.
During this time, two of Dr. Wibbenmeyer’s sisters were diagnosed with two different autoimmune diseases. Knowing the seriousness of autoimmune and the possible role of genetics, this news was devastating, but also motivating. His lifestyle was incongruent with the vision he had for his life, forcing him to change his trajectory and take his health into his own hands. Dr. Wibbenmeyer immersed himself in functional medicine, inspired to ask deeper questions in order to gain a solid understanding of the root causes of disease, realizing that these health issues just don’t happen overnight. He quickly discovered the intricate connections throughout the body, and the key to his success has been addressing the relationship between the gut, the brain, and their response to stress.
With the desire to help others end their chronic suffering, he Co-Founded, Innovative Health Partners in Missouri in 2010 where he has helped countless patients overcome their health challenges with the use of advanced lab testing, the powerful combination of food and nutrition, and the release of emotional tethers that previously limited them from accessing their body’s highest healing potential.
He is humbled to work with patients who share the same zest for life and desire for peak performance to operate at a higher level. Dr. Wibbenmeyer attracts those who are ready to transform and evolve but need help curating and designing the plan, while developing the skills for sustained wellness and longevity
With increasing demand from clients around the country, Dr. Wibbenmeyer has expanded his practice using tele-health to help patients regardless of their geographic location or ability to travel.
For over 10 years Dr. Wibbenmeyer has been a sought-after leader in functional medicine. With a passion for maximizing the body’s healing potential, and an interest in doing so in today’s modern lifestyle, Dr. Wibbenmeyer specializes in integrating advanced medical science with alternative healing techniques, designed to serve the complex individual needs of his dynamic patients.
Today's Interview with Author Shelly Snow Pordea walks us through her story of growing up in a cult that "hides in plain sight" and then in adulthood finding her true faith and purpose. She experienced a life time of indoctrination and was kept separated from anyone outside of the church through her college years. It was after college when she moved overseas with her husband she was finally exposed to other ways of thinking. The walls of her previous beliefs came crashing down. She talks about a crisis of faith, but was able to walk with God to find her true faith. Listen and to her story of courage and faith.
Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: @embracelivethrive
Instagram: @embracelivethrive
Shelly Snow Pordea
I'm an author and seeker. For nearly 15 years, I lived abroad with my Eastern European husband and our three children doing church and humanitarian work. Overseas, I worked as a volunteer, a classroom teacher, and an academic director for an international school. A few years ago, as our kids were all entering their teens, we decided to return to the US.
Though each experience has led me to the place I am today, I never thought that I would see so many years pass as quickly as they did and still end up not being certain about what I wanted to do with my life.
As I considered what it would look like to live another decade without truly doing what I wanted, I knew I needed to make a change. While still working a full-time job, I published my first book. Soon after, I decided to take a leap and live out my dreams. Now, I help others do the same as they find a creative path of their very own! Want to work with me?
Website: www.shellysnowpordea.com
FB: @shellysnowpordea
Instagram: @shellysnowpordea
Free Parenting Course : shellys-school.thinkific.com
Books: T R I L O G Y | TheCreativU
H U G F E S T | TheCreativU
On this episode I interview Marie Sonneman from Ordinary to Badass and let me tell you she is going to inspire you. She started a career as a Police Officer and quickly lost her self confidence. Her lack of confidence ended up effecting all areas of her life. After an embarrassing situation where her credit card was declined on a family vacation she began to realize how limiting her debt had become. She took charge over her finances and as she gain financial independence she found that she had regained her confidence. Listen to her incredible journey as she rediscovered herself and then her passion to encourage other women to find financial independence and their own badassery.
website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/embracelivethrive
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/embrace.live.thrive
Marie Bio: My name is Marie, and I’m a Badass, but I didn’t always feel that way (even when I became a police officer, gulp).
After a lot of inner work, I discovered that Badassery comes from mindset and confidence, not from objects like a gun, a motorcycle, or a leather jacket.
A big part of my journey to Badassery, was paying off $106,000 in debt, and I went on to become a Financial Coach.
I want to help you master your confidence in life, and with your money, and give you the support you need so your inner Badassery can shine through to the outside!
Website: ordinarytobadass.com
Instagram: @ordinarytobadass
Facebook: @ordinarytobadass
Podcast: Ordinary to Badass on all major Podcasts apps
Today's interview is with Dr. Kallie Rogers and she loves what she does and how much it helps her patients. She explains to us how Gonstead is a specific type of Chiropractice care and how it is so good at maintaining your optimal body function. She tells us about how important care can be at any phase of our life as women, including throughout pregnancy and post partum care. She is so fun to listen to and you can hear her passion for life.
website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/embracelivethrive
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/embrace.live.thrive
Lawlor Chiropractic
636-300-8250
https://www.lawlorchiropracticclinic.com
Drkallierogers@gmail.com
Kallie Rogers, D.C.
Since I was three years old, I knew I was going to be a chiropractor. Growing up with a chiropractor dad, it was inevitable. I have been adjusted since birth and I want to share the importance of chiropractic from birth throughout life. Chiropractic changed my life and I am so blessed to help families achieve their health goals by removing interference from the nervous system and allowing the body to function at its fullest potential
Since I grew up in chiropractic, it meant getting adjusted before and after sporting events, when I had a headache, or whenever I got sick. I knew how amazing chiropractic was and, from a young age, I knew I wanted to help people in the same way my dad helped me. After graduating with my undergraduate degree from Kent State University in Ohio, I decided to live out my life's purpose and pursue my Chiropractic degree at Logan University. While at Logan, I wanted to learn to be the best doctor I could possibly be for my future patients. That's when I came across GonsteadChiropractic.
I started receiving care from Dr. Jeff Lawlor for chronic low back pain. Not only did that improve, other symptoms that I thought were "normal" no longer persisted. This made me realize that chiropractic can help with so much more than just sports injuries, headaches, back pain, and neck pain! I knew I had to do whatever it took to become proficient at the Gonstead system. I have spent many hours shadowing Dr. Jeff and was a leader in the Gonstead Intern Program while in school. I also participated in a clinical rotation at Logan's Pediatrics Clinic, where I learned more about the importance of chiropractic care from birth.
I am so passionate about Gonstead Chiropractic and I especially love working with the pediatrics population. I look forward to the opportunity to serve you and your family.
In my spare time, I love being active and social. You will find me on the volleyball court, hiking, hanging out with friends, or teaching Gonstead Chiropractic to students.
Professional Accomplishments:
- Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Logan University - Chesterfield, MO
- Bachelor of Business (summa cum laude) from Kent State University - Kent, OH
- Service Award from Logan University
- Maximize Human Performance Award from Logan University
- Legacy recognition from Logan University
- Recipient of 100 Hours Certificate from the Dr. Wood Gonstead Boot Camp Series
- Head intern of the Gonstead Intern Program
- President of Fellowship of Christian Chiropractors
- Social Chair of Chi Rho Sigma - professional chiropractic fraternity
- Founder and President of the Logan University Chapter of the Student International Chiropractic Association
- President of Chiropractic on Purpose organization
- Finalist in the 2018 International Talk the Tic Competition
- Member of Beta Gamma Sigma - professional business fraternity
- Achieved Competent Communicator through Toastmasters International
Listen in to Heather and I in this really fun episode where we walk through an introduction to Functional Medicine and all the benefits it can provide as an alternative or in addition to traditional medicine. We talk about everything from her acupuncture, gut-brain barrier, to sound therapy. I think you will enjoy this episode and it will help open your eyes to all the options we have as consumers when it comes to our health.
website: www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/embracelivethrive
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/embrace.live.thrive/
Wheeler Acupuncture & Functional Wellness
https://www.wheelerwellnessmo.com/
(636) 244-0686
heather@wheelerwellnessmo.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/wheelerwellnessmo
Heather WheelerLicensed Acupuncturist
Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner
After studying nutrition at Arizona State University and preparing to enter the pharmaceutical field, Heather was involved in a car accident that left her with pain. At the advice of her MD, a few relaxing and painless acupuncture treatments quickly resolved her pain. She then continued the treatments to manage chronic endometriosis. Acupuncture and some nutritional changes proved to be very effective and allowed her to avoid medications. That experience taught Heather that pain is not something to be ignored and masked, but should be explored and treated at the source. After all, it is our body's "check engine light!"
Functional Medicine would quickly become a passion when Heather struggled with secondary fertility issues. Not one to sit back and wait for answers, she pursued information. That's when she discovered she had a genetic mutation known as MTHFR. After consulting with experts in the field of genetics, and undergoing another round of diet and lifestyle change, Heather completed her family with a second son. At that point, she knew functional medicine and wellness had to be an essential part of patient care and is constantly pursuing this rapidly evolving area of wellness.
Heather attended Phoenix Institute for Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture in Phoenix, A Completion of a Masters of Science degree, and becoming certified with the NCCAOM (National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine), makes Wheeler Acupuncture and Functional Wellness one of only a small handful of advanced qualified Acupuncturists in the St. Louis, MO, area. Heather and her family and live in St. Peters, MO. They love food, fun, and being outside as much as possible. She looks forward to raising boys who can cook and read food labels, and who understand that they are not destined for illness, but instead have the power every single day to make the decisions that can, and will, affect their health in a positive way.
In this episode Dana Fischer walks us through her story of lifelong struggles with anxiety and chronic pain and how building her successful online business was what she needed to save her life. She speaks honestly about her PPD after having her baby as the pandemic hit in 2020 and even with all the success in her business she still have hard days. You will be encouraged and inspired as you listen to her journey.
Foxtail Lilies is a children's boutique that focuses primarily on girls ages 0-10. Dana is the mom to three daughters and knows the struggles of raising girls to feel empowered.
She started Foxtail Lilies to create clothing to bring children joy, inspire them to dream, and to always feel beautiful, inside and out. There is no better sight than a smile on your child's face. I hope the clothing from Foxtail Lillies can be the reason for that smile.
Website: https://www.foxtaillilies.com/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/foxtaillilies
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foxtaillilies/
Carolyn Griffin walks us through the difficult delivery of both of her sons, but also talks about the fight for her life she experienced after the delivery of her second son. She unexpectedly lost her uterus due to uncontrolled hemorrhaging and is real with us about the pain she experienced being done having children before she was ready. Listen to Carolyn shares her hard story, but also hear the love and the healing she found in the months and years after losing her uterus. Please like and share this incredible story.
www.embracelivethrive.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/Embrace-Live-Thrive-101749581815744
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/embrace.live.thrive/
Carolyn S. Griffin DC
Growing up in a holistic home, Dr. Carolyn Griffin witnessed firsthand how natural methods and Chiropractic were used to keep her entire family well. She saw how it was used to treat childhood illnesses and earaches, as well as take care of the pains and aches she and her two very active brothers had growing up.
Dr. Griffin worked over 7 years in Social Services. She experienced the stressors as a Social Worker which manifested in her body as constant headaches, migraines, and daily stomachaches. After taking numerous medications with no relief or cure for either, she sought Chiropractic treatment as she knew there had to be a better way. Because of her healing through Chiropractic, she was able to get off all medications. After seeing the importance of chiropractic care, Dr. Griffin pursued her dream of becoming a Doctor at Logan College of Chiropractic in St. Louis, MO. There she received her Bachelor’s degree in Human Biology and her Doctor of Chiropractic. She completed postgraduate coursework in Acupuncture and Chinese medicine and shadowed Dr. Ginger Jiang, a Doctor of Chinese Medicine, to understand more about Acupuncture.
Dr. Griffin met her husband, Rick, in Kansas City, MO and they moved to his hometown of St. Charles, MO in 2007. She is the mom to two beautiful boys, Connor and Kellan, who have both been adjusted since birth. Because of the difference Chiropractic made for her during her pregnancy and after, Dr. Griffin also has a special interest in caring for moms during pregnancy and postpartum. She has advanced training in pregnancy and pediatric Chiropractic and she enjoys being able to keep the whole family healthy by treating infants, children, and adults of all ages.
Dr. Carolyn Griffin uses a “whole person approach,” looking for underlying causes of your symptoms and recommends interventions or lifestyle adjustments that would optimize the condition for your normal function. Using this unique approach, Dr. Griffin can help you accelerate and or maintain your journey to good health. Dr. Griffin is dedicated and motivated to helping patients achieve optimal health and wellbeing through gentle, low force Chiropractic adjustments and therapies to complement your body healing from the inside out. She became a Chiropractor because she believes that the body has the innate ability to heal itself.
Dr. Griffin knows that Chiropractic can literally change your life, and enable you to live pain-free, giving you more energy, vitality and time to live a life you love while enjoying motherhood. Chiropractic care will help eliminate interference in the nervous system, reduce pain, inflammation, fatigue and restore nerve flow to all your organs, giving you the energy, drive and peace of mind to go out and live a life of ease. If you have health concerns or aches, and pains in your body, have experienced an accident or injury, headaches or you’re pregnant and looking for wellness care for you and your family, schedule an appointment with Dr. Griffin today by calling 636-345-4565 or email her at drcarolyngriffin@yahoo.com
Find Carolyn on FB by searching : Carolyn S. Griffin DC
Today Cathy Kendrick M.Ed, PLPC joins me and explains all about what boundaries are and how they can be used. She clarifies when we need to use them and how to start implementing them even when its hard. Boundaries can be difficult and exhausting when you start putting them in place, but you deserve having clear lines of expectations to those around you. Stop letting yourself get to the point of break down before you start learning how to say no. I hope this episode give you a little insight on how start living a life that is full, healthy, and happy.
Find me:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Embrace-Live-Thrive-101749581815744
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/embrace.live.thrive/
Email: sarah.meyer@embracelivethrive.com
Find: Cathy Kendrick M.Ed, PLPC
Cathy has experience working with children (play therapy,) adolescents, couples and individuals. She utilizes CBT, DBT and has been trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy and Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy. Cathy is a therapist with Step by Step Counseling in St. Charles, MO and can be reached at 636-395-0556 or through her Psychology Today profile at https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/catherine-l-kendrick-saint-charles-mo/766906.
Today's Episode is an interview with licensed therapist Christy Brimm and it walks us through what imposter syndrome is and how it affects our mindset.
Imposture Syndrome is the internal belief that we are not worthy of anything good, and if anything good happens is just by happenstance and we didn't do anything to contribute to it happening. It also includes thoughts about I could never be successful starting a business or even a certain job because there is nothing special about me.
You are special and you were created for a purpose. There is someone out there that needs to hear your voice. So tune in and listen to this great interview that can start helping you make the changes in yourself to see your true potential.
Please like and share this podcast as you find things of value and help spread the message of Embrace, Live, Thrive.
Christy Brimm, MAC, LPC
Christy received her Master of Arts in Counseling from Missouri Baptist University and her Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Covenant Theological Seminary. Christy has training in both school and clinical settings. She is interested in offering gospel-centered counseling to youth and adults who find themselves in need of a safe place to find healing, wholeness, and deeper connections. She has gained extensive experience working with students, women, and families via her 20+years serving in the Church. Her ministry experience has come in the form of working in student ministry, leading a life group for young families, and through leadership in Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS). Christy enjoys writing and teaching, spending time with her friends and family, soaking in the beauty of nature, and sipping really good coffee. Christy is a Licensed Professional Counselor. She sees clients at the Cottleville office and is an out-of-network provider.
You may email Christy at cbrimm@kaleostl.com.
I interview Linda Huffman my neighbor and a local counselor on the topic of Identity loss in motherhood. She gives a such a great explanation of what we should and shouldn't base our identity on. Linda describes how to understand who we are and how to start rediscovering our identity. If you enjoyed what you heard or something really made sense, please like, share, or screenshot the podcast to any friends you think might benefit from hearing this hard topic. Please listen and start stepping back into who you are meant to be.
Linda holds a Master of Arts in counseling and have been doing counseling, mentoring, and leadership training at her church for over 25 years. She can be contacted at hunneehuf@gmail.com for any questions.
Please check out blog https://www.embracelivethrive.com/ for other resources for other articles and tools for mothers.
I can also be found on Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/embrace.live.thrive/
Check out my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Embrace-Live-Thrive-101749581815744
My name is Sarah Meyer and I am the founder of Embrace, Live, Thrive. I hold my Doctorate in Physical Therapy and am a busy mom entrepreneur with four young children. In this episode I shares my struggles with severe depression and anxiety and how I found healing. During my healing journey I discovered my passion and purpose by starting this platform to start conversations on these hard topics in motherhood. My desire is to help women who struggle with similar issues and help them to feel valued and a little less alone.
Please check out blog https://www.embracelivethrive.com/ for other resources for other articles and tools for mothers.
I can also be found on Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/embrace.live.thrive/
Check out my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Embrace-Live-Thrive-101749581815744