Strength & Grace: Off The Mat: Recent Episodes
Navina Yoga
Conversations with some of YEG’s finest to support wellness in its entirety - whether its physical, mental, emotional, social or financial wellness. Our goal is to hold a space to bring the practice of yoga off the mat by hosting important conversations to help support overall health & well-being.
Can anyone else relate to feeling as though 2021 was the slowest but fastest year yet? Meg and Sarah sit down to review the year as they discuss the challenges and the necessary shifts to ensure that Navina Yoga continued to grow through the company had to go through. One of the most important lessons we can all take from this year is to acknowledge when fear is driving our decisions and emotions. This heightened self awareness will be the key to recognizing the opportunity to shift our thinking away from being scared of getting sick to making it a daily practice to nourish our ability to be well.
The ladies have some great plans to support your journey on the mat as they discuss what comes next for 2022 and how they plan to face the inevitable challenges that are already presenting itself for next year. Although they will be taking a break from the podcast to recharge they have some incredible plans to continue to support your journey off the mat through this podcast so be sure you subscribe so you don't miss the next episode!
In the meantime visit https://www.online.navinayoga.ca to keep moving with them on the mat and stay connected with Navina Yoga on Instagram!
Meg and Sarah welcomed Melissa Stevenson, the owner of Desire Fitness for a conversation about her approach to a healthy balanced lifestyle. The name of the company should be familiar to you if you follow us on social media as she is our talented photographer. Melissa graduated from Nait with a diploma in business administration and photographic technology, which she attended on a hockey scholarship and that is where her she fell in love with fitness and nutrition. In 2015 she entered her first bikini competition and her last year of competition was in 2018 where she placed 2nd in Canada! From there she continued to focus on building her business by focusing on women's health, and designing custom programming for overall health and wellness.
The ladies discuss the mental toll it takes to compete on that level, the importance of nourishing your body with healthy food, how you can achieve your diet goals despite busy schedules and of course some tips for the holiday's too. Movement is truly medicine but it's incredible how great you will feel if you combine it with foods that fuel your ability to be well which is why we are so excited for our collaboration coming this January!
We challenge you to complete 20 classes in the month of January and we wanted to take it one step deeper and invited Desire Fitness to challenge you to four weekly nutrition goals! We will be celebrating as a group on January 31st as we give away some amazing prizes to go with it! Member's can join the challenge for free and non-member's can join for only $135 which includes unlimited access to both online and in studio classes.
In the meantime we highly recommend you check out Melissa and all of the great things she is offering through Desire Fitness and her blog which has some amazing recipes that are both gluten and dairy free!
Follow her on instagram at desire_fitness_ and on Facebook at Desire Fitness.
Through the journey of becoming a mom and navigating through the challenges of running a business Meg has a new appreciation for all parents and can appreciate that it truly does take a village! She has a pretty incredible one but many new parents don’t which is why the amazing community of Mommy Connections has such an incredible impact! Navina Yoga has had the pleasure of hosting some of their classes and it is abundantly clear that they are executing their mission of creating meaningful and lasting connections!
Meg and Sarah had the pleasure of welcoming Chelsey Borys, the program director for Mommy Connections onto the show and they discussed the challenges that new parents faced during the pandemic, how to deal with the self imposed pressure we place on ourselves to ‘get it right’, ways you can keep both yourself and your family nourished and more. We hope you find this conversation helpful in understanding that you are never alone and no matter how much you are trying to juggle, you are doing a great job!
Mommy Connections offers a variety of programs and events for new moms and families. Their focus is on facilitating genuine connections between families, while trying fun activities and learning from local experts. Their main programs include Mom & Baby (0-9 months), Mini Movers (8-16 months), and Travelling Tots (1.5 -4 years). They also offer Just for Mom events, Outdoor Adventure Camps, and seasonal events like Baby's First Christmas. Find your local chapter and join in on the fun!
North Edmonton & St. Albert
Website: https://mommyconnections.ca/north-edmonton-st-albert/our-classes-events/
Facebook: @MommyConnections.EdmontonNorth
Instagram: @mommyconnectnorth
South Edmonton
Website: https://mommyconnections.ca/edmonton-south/our-classes-events/
Facebook: @mommyconnectionsedmontonsouth
Instagram: @mommyconnectionsedmontonsouth
Leduc & Beaumont
Website: https://mommyconnections.ca/leduc/our-classes-events/
Facebook: @MommyConnectionsLeducBeaumont
Instagram: @mommyconnectleducbeaumont
Naturally the holidays will pull us out of our regular routine as we try to soak up cherished time with friends and family but often we let go of our self care habits completely and then we tend to justify it by saying we will make up for it in January. At some point in our lives we can all relate to this so this year we hope this conversation will lead you to feeling inspired to continue your self care routine while still enjoying the holidays. Life is about balance after all but do not underestimate the value of small steps when taken consistently!
The ladies dive into one of the most avoided conversations as they welcome Chad MacKenzie who has a certified financial planning designation and Shaun Maslyk, a financial wellness advocate. Throughout their discussion they unpack why money is one of the top stressors in our world, why we are so afraid to talk about this openly and most importantly, how you can create a healthy relationship with money.
Interestingly enough, many of the answers kept circling back to creating a sense of curiosity around the subject so that you can build a heightened sense of awareness as to understand your beliefs and what drives your behaviours around the subject. Sounds a lot like yoga don't you think? We hope you enjoy this conversation and find value in it so you can get curious and start developing healthy habits to build a strong financial plan that supports your goals and aspirations because money may not buy happiness, but a healthy relationship with it sure will!
- The Most Hated F-Word Podcast: CLICK HERE
- Dr. Brad Klontz Money Script Assessment (free) CLICK HERE
- Chad MacKenzie on LinkedIn CLICK HERE
- Shaun Maslyk on LinkedIn CLICK HERE
- The Most Hated F-Word Instagram CLICK HERE
Meg and Sarah sit down to discuss why it is so important to stop the glorification of being busy. This constant strive for more has created a status symbol out of being busy and often our self worth becomes reliant on how busy we are. The ladies discuss the signs to recognize if you are addicted to being busy and offered some ways that you can pull yourself out of these patterns that will only drive you towards burnout and ultimately pull you away from a healthy relationship with yourself, your work, and others.
Articles cited:
https://www.verywellmind.com/how-the-glorification-of-busyness-impacts-our-well-being-4175360
https://www.countryliving.com/uk/wellbeing/news/a3526/signs-addicted-being-busy/
Meg and Sarah sit down to discuss the current situation the studio is facing as the community of Navina Yoga has once again been incredibly supportive as we navigate through these challenges times. What a wild world we are living in when you are grateful for not receiving hate mail.....and with that, they discuss the importance of kindness and the ripple effects this can have on our wellbeing.
There is no question that we are living through some wild times which is why there has never been a better time to dive into the topic of meditation! Meg and Sarah debunk the myths of meditation, discuss what becomes possible through this transformative practice and hope to equip you with the ability to consciously create a healthy and sustainable approach to whatever you are facing. Want to know more? We highly recommend you read Sarah's recent blog post!
Navina Yoga has officially turned five so Meg and Sarah dive into a conversation about milestones and obstacles and why both should be celebrated and appreciated. Learn more about why Navina Yoga was created with a little advice as to how best to face hard things. At 30 minutes we faced an obstacle with the audio and our mixer but we felt this conversation was too valuable to let go off.
As promised in the episode here is the link to our first blog post: Why we like it not hot.
Meg and Sarah have pleasure of welcoming back Marnie Ashcroft, the founder of Glow Juicery. The ladies dive into a conversation about how nourishment is so much more than just the food we put in our bodies but how it can optimize our wellbeing both physically and mentally. They discuss what it is like to run a business that honours what this should feel like versus what we want to look like and what becomes possible when we can operate from that space. We hope you can find value in this discussion and feel inspired to take better care of yourself, because you deserve to feel great!
Sarah and Meg sit down with one of Navina's own instructors, Blazenka who is a full time Registered Nurse for the Stollery Children's hospital and the University Of Alberta Emergency Room. In this conversation Blaze shares her journey about becoming a pediatric nurse, how she found yoga, and how she manages to stay committed to her self care while juggling multiple roles through an incredibly demanding time.
Follow Blazenka's journey on instagram @blazingheartyoga
Have you ever been late to a meeting or event after hitting every red light or even a train? If so this episode is a MUST LISTEN as the ladies dive into an important conversation about starting to consciously drive in the right lane. We often chase success ripping through the passing lane but you would be surprised what happens when you start to slow down, do less and create space to feel more. The are so many benefits both physically and mentally, you will also start to appreciate life more and you will be shocked when you start attracting success on a whole new level!
Please note this is episode 8......one day we will get that together!
Meg and Sarah welcome Giselle Denis, an incredible artist who is the performance painter for the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald and Raffles Dubai. Giselle discovered her talent at a very young age and after selling her first painting at the young age of 13, she became inspired to create a career as an artist. Despite the many challenges she faced, she stayed focused on her goals and through many hours of devoted work she discovered the art of live painting. This new talent has since taken her work to a whole new level that has brought her across the world, literally living into her dreams and creating even bigger things for both her career and her family.
Her work is based on scenes of nature that are depictions of the natural world as she sees it. Each painting tells a beautiful story with the main underlining message being of hope.
Giselle is the perfect example of what is possible when you trust your ability and follow your heart, and she has an incredibly large one as she set an audacious goal of raising $1,000,000 for charity with her paintings and she is getting so close to achieving it! Her story is an exceptionally inspiring one and we hope you enjoy this conversation because there is a lot to be gained from it!
Check out Giselle's Online Gallery by visiting: http://www.giselledenis.com/
View Giselle live every Thursday night on the terrace or lounge if weather does not permit from 5:00-8:00pm!
Connect with Giselle on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GiselleDenisFineArt
Instagram: giselledenisfineart
Linkedin: Giselle Denis
TikTok: giselledenisfineart
Meg and Sarah sit down to talk about signs and symptoms of feeling overwhelmed and provide ways you can work through it so you can create space to pursue what you are really put on this planet to do. The busyness of our everyday lives often hold us back from taking the time to create bigger things but let's face it, you get what you aim for....we hope you find this conversation about how to set smart goals valuable because through the pursuit you will find happiness, and feel great while you do it!
Meg & Sarah welcome Sara Hastings Morris who has been with Navina Yoga since day one. The ladies dive into a conversation about Sara's work, her contributions, and how self doubt has held her back from taking this next exciting step in her career as she prepares to facilitate her first kids yoga teacher training. Sara is a teacher of MANY talents, whether it's teaching prenatal or a strong flow, she always brings something new to the mat but her true calling is inspiring children through kids yoga. The practice is certainly not what you think it will look like and as she shares her story it becomes very clear why she has made such a lasting impact on so many children.
Check out Sara's website at www.littlewondersyoga.ca and follow her on instagram yogasara_78.
Yoga kids cards available through www. 3sistersyoga.ca and you can also follow their business on instagram 3sistersyogaforkids.
Join Meg and Sarah as they welcome Nimi Kelloway, the founder of Haute Coton, a company that is redefining luxury, organically. The ladies discuss the devastating issues in the textile industry, how we can be more conscious in how we shop, and most importantly the value in getting more rest! Nimi is truly an inspiration who is passionate about her company and supporting her mission to provide her customers effective ways to receive the rest both their bodies and minds deserve. Haute Coton has been featured in Vogue, GQ, and CN traveller and her role as CEO is second to being a mom to her beautiful little boy. We hope you enjoy this conversation and leave feeling even half as relaxed as Sarah was by the end of it!
www.hautecoton.com
Follow them on instagram @hautecoton
Take advantage of their EXCLUSIVE OFFER and shop their incredible line and if make a purchase, receive an exclusive 20% discount and also receive a surprise gift with purchase. Simply apply the code NAVINA20 at checkout and take advantage of this incredible offer that has never been done before! Brad and Nimi always like to go above and beyond and they are truly grateful for each purchase 🙏🏽
Meg and Sarah welcome Oddessa who is one of Navina Yoga's incredible teachers specializing in Yin Yoga, Yoga Nidra, and has discovered that she is a natural when it comes to teaching meditation. Her class at Navina was among the most popular and the ladies discuss how this part time work has not only become her passion project on the side but has fuelled her ability to face this last year with both strength and grace as she faced much more than COVID.
Now that we are nearing the end of this pandemic bubble the ladies address a very important issue as we are all facing some inevitable stimulation overload! They discuss the importance of connection and offer some ways we can mitigate social anxiety as we slowly start to settle into what this new normal is becoming.
Article mention in episode can be found: https://www.shondaland.com/live/body/a35951160/why-you-should-feel-justified-in-cursing-right-now/
Start Your Free Two-Week Trial to Navina Yoga Online by visiting www.online.navinayoga.ca.
We are back and we are making this year all about connection so to kick off the second season we tried something new and went live for the episode on YouTube! Through the episode we discuss why we are so excited to be back and address questions from the listeners. Enjoy the conversation and be sure to let us know if you have any questions so we can address it in the next episode. Know that we love feedback so we want to hear from you!
Well that was certainly a year for the books as it was literally bursting with nothing but challenges and we faced them all head on to say the least. Join us a we welcome Alicia Lekhi, one of the leading ladies here at Navina Yoga as we discuss how we moved through this resiliency building year and why we are so excited for what we plan to create in 2021. It only get's better from here so be sure you subscribe and stay tuned for Season Two!
Sarah Cabana is a skincare expert, an aesthetician, and a leader in her industry. She is passionate about providing clients with the tools they need to take charge of their skin.
Growing up in a small town outside of Quebec, Sarah fell in love with skin after watching her grandmother take such good care of her own skin as a girl. After being a brand rep for various skincare companies, it was last year after Sarah moved to Edmonton when she decided to open up a space to offer consultations, treatments, and education for clients regarding their own skin.
Sarah’s approach to skin is one we resonate with deeply. Her mission is to teach people to find the balance needed to maintain healthy skin through skincare. In the aesthetic industry and the era in which we live, everything seems to be allied with the medical industry and injections that freeze your look, and Sarah’s realized over time that there is a lack of empathy in the field of aesthetics & especially a lack of education for the client. Sarah is one passionate woman and a leader in this industry, who takes it upon herself to continually expand her own education.
Her social media is a wealth of knowledge. She include skincare tips & videos talking about a wide arrangement of skin concerns and issues, and she does an inspirational job of promoting loving the skin that we’re in. This refreshing episode gave us the reminder we needed that aging is a natural part of life, and when we learn to embrace ourselves for everything we are we begin to see ourselves in a new light.
You can learn more about Sarah Cabana by visiting her website at https://www.loshen.ca and be sure to follow her on Instagram for some great skin savvy tips
Sarah Cabana: https://instagram.com/sarah.m.cabana?igshid=9pofh5zkuhyo
Loshen & Crem (online boutique): https://instagram.com/loshen_crem?igshid=qc1nmf11pclg
Join Meg as she welcome Marnie Ashcroft, the founder of Glow Juicery, an incredibly successful company that provides a very fresh perspective on nutrition. Glow launched in Edmonton specifically gearing towards those with critical care solutions and athletes, and now her business is arming her customers with knowledge and strength to take command of their health with locations all over Canada.
Marnie is a true leader in the health and wellness industry and she discussed what it took to build a Canada wide franchise, how to keep your ego in check so we can continue to operate from a place of intention, how she supported her team of owners through the most challenging year in business, and most importantly how our own wellness is our own responsibility and what we can do to support that journey.
Join Meg as she welcomes Amanda Wagner for a conversation about how to achieve work life harmony and resiliency fatigue.
Amanda is a former teacher and now founder of The Complement, a company in which she shares the art and intention of service. Despite her love for working with teams and large groups, Amanda has since launched "The Amanda Wagner" where she works to help individuals figure out what they want, why it matters, and how to get it. She also hosts her own podcast called "The Amanda Wagner Podcast" in which she and her co-host Liz Pitman discuss the challenges of bravery, living thoughtfully and strategically, and share their experiences as women with impatient ambition.
Learn more about Amanda:
www.theamandawagner.com
www.thecomplement.ca
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-amanda-wagner-podcast/id1494024118
Instagram: theamandawagner / thecomplement.ca
https://www.facebook.com/theamandawagner
Visit Navina Yoga Online:
https://www.navinayoga.ca
Join Meg for Strength & Grace: Off The Mat episode 11 as she welcomes co-founder of Poppy Barley, Kendall Barber. After a light bulb moment at a handcrafted boot shop in Bali, sisters Justine and Kendall Barber launched Poppy Barley in 2012. They travelled to León, Mexico in search of a leather shoe factory that prioritized its people and could offer flexibility in sizing and inventory through small-batch manufacturing. Although they were newcomers to shoemaking, Justine and Kendall were raised to be creative, ambitious, industrious and ask a lot of questions. Collaborating with factory owners and artisans, Poppy Barley started producing beautiful footwear and accessories designed for modern life.
Poppy Barley is a Canadian luxury brand that’s rethinking every step of the fashion industry—from design to factory relationships to retail experience. Partnering with family-owned factories in Mexico and Brazil, they ethically craft polished, foundational footwear and chic, functional accessories—selling them at fair prices and donating 1% of sales back into the communities.
Poppy Barley is a certified B Corporation, meeting the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. Certified B Corporations are a forward-thinking businesses that balance purpose and profit. They are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community and the environment. In the episode Kendall discuss the importance of maintaining B corporation status, ways to support the environment through consumerism, and why she’s so passionate about it.
Kendall offers some great advice for new entrepreneurs and why upholding values is integral if you want to truly make an impact in your community. Intentional in everything she does, Kendall’s transparency and openness to be vulnerably herself is inspiring and we encourage anyone who is looking to truly create conscious change to listen to this episode for tips on how to do just that with more mindfulness and grace.
Poppy Barley website: https://poppybarley.com
Visit Navina Yoga Online:
https://www.navinayoga.ca
Episode 10 of Strength & Grace: Off The Mat is here! In this episode Meg & Sarah welcome on of Navina’s most important team leads - Frank!
Frank Stevenson is one driven man. Not only is he the main man behind the scenes for us at Navina Yoga - directing & editing videos for our online studio, troubleshooting technology issues so that we can deliver the highest quality classes to our online members, and ensuring our physical studio is running as it should - he’s also a business owner himself.
Frank is a full time Pressure Vessel Inspector who has worked very hard to create a legacy for himself. Originally a pipe fitter, Frank was tired of being an employee and decided to start his own business. Frank walks us through his journey and how his role within Navina has evolved over the years.
Frank and Meg’s relationship has evolved over the years too. Especially throughout the past several months as their professional relationship has had the opportunity to grow in a way they never imaged, that growth hasn’t always been easy. The two of them discuss the challenges they’ve had to overcome as a working couple and how that’s affected them personally and their life at home. They speak to how they keep each other balanced and offer some great advice on how to maintain a sustainable working relationship.
Frank’s story reminds us of the power that lies in the ability to open ourselves up to other people’s perspective and ideas, and how that openness gives us the freedom to live out our values fully. His hard work, dedication to excellence in anything he does, and love for Meg and the Navina community is truly felt in this episode and we cannot thank Frank enough for joining us.
Visit Navina's website for information about the studio and services:
https://www.navinayoga.ca
Episode 9 of Strength & Grace: Off The Mat is here and in it the ladies are back for an important conversation surrounding our values. In it, Sarah and Meg sit down to discuss their values and how the idea of perfection can disconnect us from our values and creates internal unrest. Especially in a time when things are far from perfect, Meg & Sarah offer tips on how to stay grounded and connected to what really matters - gratitude.
Growing up as the oldest sibling in the seemingly perfect household came with its own set of expectations for Sarah, and in this episode she talks about how her attachment to the unrealistic idea that perfection was necessary in order to be happy lead her to many missed opportunities on experiencing true joy, and how she moved through that mindset to find authentic happiness in the everyday world.
Meg’s experience, especially as the owner of Navina teaches us that there will never be a perfect time for anything - all we have is now so rather than waiting for the ‘perfect’ moment to come, what would happen if we allowed ourselves to have hiccups every now & again while remembering that progress is so much more important than perfection.
The ladies offer some insight on how to maintain mindfulness through the Thanksgiving and Halloween festivities and although things may not look like how we envisioned, that there are so many more possibilities for unique experiences that the kiddos will remember much more and may even surprise you with how fun these new ways of connecting can be! Meg shares a wonderful story of how one of our incredible Navina Yoga members chose to embody her values with her family, so expect to leave with a little homework after listening to this one that will be beneficial for the whole family.
Listen to Strength & Grace: Off The Mat: https://linktr.ee/strengthandgracepodcast
Visit Navina Yoga Online:
https://www.navinayoga.ca
Arri McWatt is one of two owners of Optimize Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Clinic here in Edmonton. Alongside his partner Aaron Norris, their space is much more than just a physiotherapy clinic.
Optimize offers a wide variety of services including working with MVA and workplace injuries, post-op rehab, manual osteopathy, nutrition services, pelvic health, massage therapy, acupuncture, vestibular rehabilitation, myofascial taping, and much more. Their multidisciplinary team works collaboratively to provide an overall approach to wellness, offering patients a high quality care plan that encourages healthy living in its entirety.
Optimize has been voted as Edmonton’s top physio clinic several years in a row through YEG Fitness, and Arri personally has taken the cake as top physiotherapist, however starting and building a successful business from the ground up has come with its unique challenges. Arri offers insight through his journey to the top and what the lessons he’s learned along the way has taught him.
As a business owner, trainer, charity advocate, husband, and soon-to-be father, Arri discusses how he stays in check and how he avoids burnout, an experience many of us can relate to. We often get so caught up in the busyness of life and the guilt that surrounds taking a break, Arri chats about how his wife and team keep him accountable for balancing out work and home life.
For more information about Optimize Physiotherapy and to explore the services they offer and their incredible team of highly experienced staff, visit their website link below. As Arri mentions in the podcast their next charity event is Movember, so stay tuned as we post the link closer to the date on how you can support our good friends for an important cause.
Optimize Physiotherapy & Sports Injury Clinic: http://optimizephysio.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/optimizephysiotherapy/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/optimizephysio?igshid=15bci94ozkikr
Jaime Bonnett is one inspirational woman. For as long as she could remember she has felt deeply connected and passionate about health & wellness. As a little girl, Jaime paid close attention to medical terms and the science behind the human body. This passion translated into her desire for education within the health and wellness field. In her heart was a want to help others. To make a tough or challenging situation comforting. To be the reason an individual had the strength to overcome and find their resilience.
Jamie first began her career in the health & wellness industry in diagnostic imaging, specializing in breast health. As it turns our however her career path didn’t fulfill her the way she planned. It felt more like McDonald’s - patients in and patients out. Never impacting them in the positive way she anticipated. Never making a real difference in their journey.
Eight years into her career Jaime and her family received news that would change their life - a terminal diagnosis that would take the life of her eldest daughter, Ellie. When she was diagnosed the grieving and soul searching began for Jaime. A wise woman had told Jaime that children teach us more than our parents. So if this was the case and nothing happens without a reason, then Jamie wondered what was Ellie here to teach her.
She was here to teach Jaime to use her voice. To follow her passion and impact others with her heart. To pursue her love of health and wellness. To teach. In honour of Ellie, Jaime named her business after her. She is what pushed Jaime to take all of the years of knowledge and schooling and put it into a business. To help transform others from the inside out. Now, with two more beautiful daughters Elizabeth and Emilia, she has a whole new journey. To make an impact on others.
When Ellie was diagnosed, Jaime made a decision, no matter what the outcome that she would no longer play scared. She would celebrate Ellie’s life and her own. Jamie would make her proud. She would change others lives. One person at a time.
To listen to this incredible conversation follow the link below, and be sure to learn more about this inspiring woman by checking out Jaime’s wellness coach and social media business websites.
Link to listen: https://linktr.ee/strengthandgracepodcast
Ellie Rose Wellness: https://www.ellierosewellness.ca
Social Sisters: https://www.socialsisters.ca
Join hosts Meg & Sarah as they reunite for this episode to chat about a few topics that can really affect our overall wellness. They discuss habits, and how easy it can be to fall back into old pattern that keep us from growing into who we are meant to be. They‘ll chat about some of the challenges they’ve faced and obstacles they’ve had to overcome to continue to keep Navina operating successfully - and safely. They also talk about the shift into this ‘new normal’, and what that looks like as we stay connected to our values both professionally and personally, and the importance of remaining kind in a world that can be anything but.
Meg & Sarah talk about emotion in the body, and how when we are emotionally charged we are often moving from a place of reactivity - often times without even realizing. The ladies offer a few mindfulness tips to help you learn the difference between formal vs. informal mindfulness and how you can weave one or both into your life for an increased sense of well-being.
Sarah talks briefly about her time as a wellness coordinator at an elementary/jr. high school and the program MindUP she implemented into classrooms - one that utilizes tools such as positive psychology, mindful awareness, and social-emotional learning to help kids begin to develop an awareness to their own emotions and how to regulate them in an age-appropriate way. For more information on MindUP, visit their website at https://mindup.org/ (they have lots of great free resources available for parents), and for the breathing exercise Sarah specifically mentioned which can easily be done from home, visit https://mindup.org/brain-break-at-home/.
Connect with Strength & Grace: Off The Mat
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strengthandgracepodcast/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/strengthandgracepodcast?igshid=1l93dz8q7utpo
iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-strength-and-grace-off-the-63429437/
YouTube Vlog: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR_CvW133jVdJrhwbPWddTQ
Connect with Navina Yoga
Website: https://www.navinayoga.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Navinayoga/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/navina_yoga?igshid=ovsrp8or54x5
Join Meg for this episode as she sits down with Dr. Michelle Emmerling, a Registered Psychologist practicing in Edmonton with a PhD in Counselling Psychology from the University of Alberta. She is also a founding member and partner at Red Tree Psychology. Dr. Emmerling also offers professional training and supervision in Emotion-Focused Family Therapy, in addition to workshops for parents and loved ones.
Dr. Emmerling has professional training and experience working with a diverse range of mental health concerns from a variety of treatment settings. She has also spent the last 10 years specializing in an exciting and unique approach to working with individuals, couples, and families struggling with eating disorders.
Dr. Emmerling's therapeutic work considers individual, couple, and family issues from a holistic perspective. She believes strongly in developing a collaborative relationship in order to create a safe place for her clients to explore and access new understandings of their experience. She also believes that each individual that she works with brings with him or her unique personal characteristics, ways of coping, beliefs, and values. Therefore, she uses interventions from multiple theoretical orientations that are tailored to the individual needs of each person. These include interventions from: emotion focused therapy for individuals and families, somatic experiencing, mindfulness, existential-humanist therapy, compassion-focused therapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapy.
For more information about Dr. Michelle Emmerling and to connect with her, visit her website at http://www.emmerlingpsychology.com
Join Sarah for this episode as she sits down with Nora Salem for a conversation about growing up in a small town as a minority, navigating challenges as an entrepreneur & business owner, and dealing with the hardships of supporting sick fur family members all while maintaining an internal sense of wellness.
Nora is the founder and creative lead of Bud + Bloom, Canada’s first cannafloral company. Born in Egypt and raised in small-town Alberta, Nora has always been a passionate creative. Now specializing in floral and visual arts, her studies began with fashion design in 2009 and developed into studies of fine art, graphic communications, and floristry leading to the eventual opening of this studio that allows her limitless creativity to flourish.
In her spare time, Nora enjoys cuddling up by the fire with her 20lb. feline beasts (Dexter & Buddy), taking off to the mountains on impromptu adventures, re-decorating her home, and sleeping.
To find out more about Nora and her incredible work, be sure to visit her website at https://www.budbloom.ca/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/bud.bloom.yeg?igshid=12bv68s88fdu8
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bud.bloom.yeg/
In this episode, Meg sits down for a conversation with Dr. Mélanie Robinson, licensed Naturopathic Doctor. Dr. Robinson is licensed through the College of Naturopathic Doctors of Alberta (CNDA) as well as being a member of the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors (CAND). Besides her Naturopathic Medical education, she also has additional training in Prolotherapy, Neural therapy, IV therapy, Chelation therapy, and Bowen therapy.
Dr. Robinson has a passion for the mind/body connection, and empowers her patients on reaching optimal health using gentle and evidence-based treatment. She educates her patients to improve their health using dietary and lifestyle counselling, homeopathy, clinical nutrition, traditional Chinese medicine, botanical medicine, injection therapies, and acupuncture.
In her spare time, Dr. Robinson enjoys spending time with her family (especially her little boy, who keeps her busy!), cooking, outdoor activities, and discovering new places. Tune in for a great conversation that may just open you up to the idea of exploring naturopathic therapies in collaboration with Western medicine.
Join Dr. Mélanie Robinson on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Mélanie-Robinson-Naturopathic-Doctor/237880752963289
Follow her on Instagram @ drrobinson_nd
You can find Dr. Mélanie Robinson at:
http://optimumwellnessclinic.ca/
https://www.facebook.com/www.optimumwellnessclinic.ca
Follow Strength And Grace Podcast on Instagram @ strengthandgracepodcast
More info about the strength and Grace: Off the Mat podcast you can head to
https://www.facebook.com/Navinayoga
https://www.navinayoga.ca
Join Sarah for this episode as she sits down with Jordan Jeske, a local trainer and business owner in Edmonton. Sports and fitness have always been a big part of Jordan’s life, playing competitive basketball and football from an early age. Jordan is the owner of The PROJCT, the founder of the YEG Golf Society, a former Lululemon ambassador, and specializes in Golf Performance through TPI (Titleist Performance Institute). He wants to bring the best in golf health & fitness to Edmonton and around the world, and is passionate about bringing the community together and maintaining a high level of enthusiasm & encouragement through his personal training, group classes or golf experiences. To connect with Jordan and to follow along with his ventures, visit
The PROJCT: https://theprojct.com
YEG Golf Society: https://thegolfsociety.ca
Instagram: @jeske_golflife, @theprojct_yeg, @thegolfsociety_yeg
In this episode Meg and Sarah discuss how they discovered yoga and what sparked them to dedicate their career's to sharing this transformative practice.
For more info check us out at:
https://www.navinayoga.ca/
https://www.instagram.com/navina_yoga/
https://www.facebook.com/Navinayoga/
Our hosts Meg and Sarah provide a brief intro to what the podcast is about.
For more info check us out at:
https://www.navinayoga.ca/
https://www.instagram.com/navina_yoga/
https://www.facebook.com/Navinayoga/