Ep. 15: End Emotional Eating and Increase Self-Esteem with Ashley

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In today's episode  Melissa coaches Ashley, who explains how weight gain is slowly eating away at her self-esteem. She has struggled with weight loss for most of her life and is eager to overcome her emotional eating habit that has amplified during the pandemic. 

Melissa investigates further to learn about Ashley’s daily routine, including what she puts in her body,  her workouts and sleep patterns.  She discovers that Ashley is experiencing mental health issues that may be evolving from what she is eating,  as she seems to be tired and sluggish even after a good nights  sleep.

Melissa deduces that Ashley’s dependence on empty, convenience-type foods  is  a contributing factor to her not feeling sustained throughout the day.   As she digs a bit deeper, she discovers that Ashley also suffers from stress eating,  anxiety and panic attacks as well.

Even though Ashley has a lot of good foundational pieces in place for her self-care routine, her lack of emotional and mental support is a big contributor to her stress eating and weight gain. In order to relieve herself of stress and panic attacks, Melissa  helps Ashley come up with solution oriented actions she can take to support herself and her mental well-being.

Busy scenarios and hectic schedules in today’s world often lead us away from our goals and perspectives due to lack of focus, energy and mental-health support. As human beings, it is our prime responsibility to identify the root cause of every situation and take solution-oriented action to  lead a healthier and less stressful life. Self-esteem walks hand in hand with self-belief and  the only way to strengthen self-esteem is to identify and address the underlying beliefs, and build practices to support the cultivation of it.  

Tune in to the podcast now to understand the key factors that lead to a stressful life and effective ways to rebuild self-esteem, nurture your mental health and your shattered life.

RESOURCES:

If you feel lost, stuck and unsure about where your life is headed, set up a time to chat with me for free and learn more about my one-on-one coaching. Together we will come up with a solid action plan to help you move forward right now. Click here to  book a session now

If you struggle with emotional eating, stress eating or yo-yo dieting, download my Food Freedom Guide HERE and take your power back from food today! 

Come join my FREE Facebook Group, Reclaim Your Wild: A Radical Self-Care + Self-Discovery Group for Women

Find me on Instagram: @melcostellocoach

Website: https://karmachow.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2004687/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/karmachow

Ep. 14: Speak Up and Let Your Voice Be Heard with Malika Amandi

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In today's male-dominated industries, women often go unnoticed primarily due to their ability to express themselves and communicate effectively without apologizing.

In today's episode, we have with us Malika, the founder of The Center for Women's Voice. Malika coaches professional women, helping them through their communication barriers and transforming prime areas of their life.

According to Malika, repeated apologizing from women turns into a habit over prolonged exposure and that itself suppresses their inner self and their abilities. In order to gain control of a situation and make yourself heard, it is imminent to refrain from apologizing unnecessarily.

Women have to take their stand and go against the long followed culture of our society and set examples for themselves in order to get noticed. Things simply don’t fall into line unless someone decides to speak for themselves and challenge the cultural programming.

Effective communication is a key survival skill provided we make sure to clearly state our priorities and values and confront situations instead of remaining silent

Tune in to the podcast and discover the secrets to make yourself heard.

Get your free copy of Malika's BREATHE method here:  https://mailchi.mp/949616c4466f/the-center-for-womens-voice
Follow Malika on Instagram: @centerforwomensvoice
If you are a woman who is constantly giving, people-pleasing and over doing it, click here to check out the book Burnout; The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by sisters, Emily and Amelia Nagoski.
If you want to get some free coaching around a specific issue or challenge you are facing, be a guest on my show and let’s work it out together and help you Come Home to what truly matters; book a session here.

Website: https://karmachow.com/Reclaim Your Wild Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/634365606716567Instagram: @melcostellocoachLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2004687/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/karmachow

Ep. 13: Believing + Owning Your Worth with Kimberly

DESCRIPTION

What does it feel like when you receive a compliment? Do you deflect by complimenting back immediately or feel undeserving of the praise?

My caller today Kim has struggled with her self worth and accepting compliments and feedback from others. She turns the feedback or compliment into something negative about herself, because she doesn’t believe herself to be worthy of the compliment.

During the episode we untangle her limiting beliefs around WHY she can’t accept compliments and how they trigger her lack of self-worth. 

Kim believes that if she is truly worthy of a compliment, she will no longer be motivated to improve, despite not knowing when she WILL actually FEEL worthy. We trace this belief of never being good enough to its source, and it is a wound that has been present for years without her even recognizing it

Kim and I break down why she has such a difficult relationship with compliments and I help her re-frame receiving compliments in a way that she can more easily approach. I also give her several strategies to begin to heal the core wound that has led to her feelings of low self-worth (we all have one)

If you struggle with your self worth, feeling like you are good enough, or receiving compliments from others because you don’t feel you deserve them, then I believe Kim’s session today will be a great listen to find some insight on how to re-frame compliments, accept them with grace and heal any core wounding you have that keeps you from seeing your own worth and value. 

RESOURCES

If you want some free coaching around a struggle or challenge you are facing, be a guest on my show and let’s work it out together and help you Come Home to what truly matters; book a session here.

If you have been stuck in the vicious yo-yo diet cycle and want to break out of food prison and end emotional eating, then check out my 7 Step Food Freedom Guide: https://karmachow.com/food-freedom-guide/

Find the book Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Dr. Emily Nagoski herehttps://amzn.to/2ST4nT0

Come join my FREE Facebook Group, Reclaim Your Wild: A Radical Self-Care + Self-Discovery Group for Women

Find me on Instagram: @melcostellocoach

Website: https://karmachow.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2004687/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/karmachow

Ep. 12: Grief + Emotional Eating with Sunny

DESCRIPTION

When we have loss in our lives, whether it's a death, break up or other type of loss, it’s common to override the natural grieving process that is necessary for deeper healing. 

It often feels easier to distract ourselves from the pain, like turning toward food, drinking alcohol, over-working, having sex or whatever other avenue helps us to numb out. Yet, avoiding the myriad of emotions that come with grief tends to only prolong the pain. 

My caller today, Sunny is struggling with a huge loss of her own. Her mother recently passed away, and even though she knows she needs to grieve, she has been avoiding it. 

Her mother was also her best friend, so her loss feels even bigger and she has a lot of anger. She has been using food to suppress her emotions, and calls in wanting to learn how to separate food from emotions. She’s gotten to the point where she is so disgusted in herself, that she believes she HATES food.

As we talk, she becomes more aware of how she is using food as a distraction and a source of comfort, but is still not sure how to separate the two. She knows that she needs to grieve, but resists it and wants to skip over the process and see it as something to check off her to-do list, like she does everything else. 

Sunny needs to find closure, peace, and healing both from the loss she is feeling and the way she uses food. As we dive a bit deeper, we uncover the source of her pain, and outline some powerful avenues for her to express her pain so she can begin the healing process and stop using food to numb out.

If you are experiencing loss or grief, or haven’t allowed yourself to process your more painful emotions, this episode will provide a lot of insight on how to find healing. I am sure you will find Sunny’s vulnerability and courage to take these first steps inspiring, and that this episode will enable you to begin to find peace with your emotions

RESOURCES

If you want some free coaching, be a guest on my show and let’s work it out together and help you Come Home to what truly matters; book a session here.

If you have been stuck in the vicious yo-yo diet cycle and want to break out of food prison and end emotional eating, then check out my 7 Step Food Freedom Guide: https://karmachow.com/food-freedom-guide/

Find the book Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Dr. Emily Nagoski here:https://amzn.to/2ST4nT0

To learn more about how people grieve and the stages of grief, find On Grief and Grieving by Elizabeth Kubler Ross here.https://amzn.to/3ADrvGk

For grief support and daily healing prompts, download the Grief Refuge App https://griefrefuge.com/

Come join my FREE Facebook Group, Reclaim Your Wild: A Radical Self-Care + Self-Discovery Group for Women

Find me on Instagram: @melcostellocoach

Website: https://karmachow.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2004687/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/karmachow

RESOURCES:

Get my Food Freedom Guide by clicking here: https://karmachow.com/food-freedom-guide/

If you want some free coaching, be a guest on my show and let’s work it out together and help you Come Home to what truly matters book a session here.

Website: https://karmachow.com/Reclaim Your Wild Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/634365606716567Instagram: @melcostellocoachLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2004687/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/karmachow

Ep. 11: [The Nook] Life is More Than "Just OK" with Strength Specialist, Holly Perkins

DESCRIPTION

As women it can be easy to get caught up in the pressures of life and what we “should” be doing based on what society models to us. 

We “should” be married and have kids by a certain age. We “should” look a certain way. We “should” be able to do it all and still look good while doing it. We “should” be a good mom, good wife, good friend and good daughter. We “should’ be OK with how things are….

Today’s guest is Strength and Conditioning Specialist Holly Perkins and in our conversation we push the edge on what it means to be a woman, and that life is more than what most consider to be “just OK.”   Life is about celebration no matter where we are.

Holly has spent years discovering ways to make fitness more accessible and enjoyable for women, as she seeks to dismantle the perception that life is over when you turn 40, especially if you’re not married with children.

We also dive into ways of eating to support your system including the “evil” potato, and how she has helped many of her clients heal eating disorders through proper nutrition. Holly shares how physical strength will  positively influence your spiritual health, and puts you more in tune with yourself.

It gets seriously juicy when we talk about the issue of burnout and the belief that we need to push through and what that means for women in their day to day life. I know you will love her reframe on this concept for a more accessible perspective on wellness.

We get into some powerful and doable strategies on how you can build healthy habits into your daily routine so health and fitness feel easy again.

ABOUT HOLLY

Holly Perkins is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with 25 years of experience in health, fitness and nutrition coaching. She was named one of the “Top Trainers to Follow” by Shape magazine.

Holly is the expert source on women’s strength for numerous national publications and websites including Women’s Health, SELF, Shape, Prevention, Redbook, Men’s Fitness, LIVESTRONG, Buzzfeed, Oxygen, Fitness and The Wall Street Journal.

In 2015 Women’s Health tapped Holly to author Lift To Get Lean, a modern strength training bible for women. Holly’s proven methods help women develop physical strength that translates into enhanced personal and spiritual strength.

In order to age gracefully and avoid the health challenges and diseases that are so common, it’s imperative to engage in a consistent and comprehensive fitness and wellness program. Holly calls it a Trifecta of Body Transformation. 

She also incorporates principles of mindset and psychology in her work to ensure holistic transformation.

You can learn more about Holly at her website
Download her free 6 Week Strength and Cardio Program here.

Follow Holly on Instagram: @hollyperkins

RESOURCES:

Get my Food Freedom Guide by clicking here: https://karmachow.com/food-freedom-guide/

If you want some free coaching, be a guest on my show and let’s work it out together and help you Come Home to what truly matters book a session here.

Website: https://karmachow.com/Reclaim Your Wild Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/634365606716567Instagram: @melcostellocoachLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2004687/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/karmachow

Ep. 10: Reclaiming Your Dreams + The Lost Parts of Yourself with Aftan

DESCRIPTION

If you’re a woman, then my guess is you know a little something about taking care of others and putting everything and everyone else first. And, you may even feel a sense of guilt when it comes to taking care of yourself. Or taking time to do things you love. If so, you are going to love this episode.

Aftan called in today because she has been neglecting a very big part of who she is for many years to raise her two daughters. Slowly over time she let go of pieces of herself and her dreams, and has gotten caught up in always giving to others without giving herself the same attention.

Now that her daughters are grown and out of the house, she wants to reconnect with her artistic spirit and the dreams that she had left behind; one of them being to FINALLY write a screenplay that she has been thinking about for years.

Aftan’s obstacle to this goal is that she has pushed herself to the point of burnout by taking care of everyone else in her life, and she needs to relearn how to take care of her own needs and get reconnected to her passions; in essence to reclaim the lost parts of herself.

During the episode we  uncover the fact that she feels unsupported by her peers in her small Idaho town. We dive deeper into this lack of support, and learn that it actually stems back much further than she realized…and that she took on the role of caregiver out of lack of feeling worthy in the world. 

This led to being in many different relationships with people who had what she deems, “broken wings.” It’s an a-ha moment for her when we discover how her over-giving is just a way she avoids herself and her own desires. Her taking care of others is her compensatory strategy to feel loved and get attention, but it has left her feeling empty and alone.

If you have let a large part of who you are fall by the wayside, and have let some of your dreams go because you feel guilty indulging in your own passions or self interest, today’s conversation will be extremely insightful and inspirational.

This episode offers powerful strategies and tools to create the support you need so you can take care of yourself and COME HOME to what really matters to you without guilt, or fear of being selfish.

Whether you are a people pleaser, over-giver, you lack setting boundaries or fear the judgement of others, I know this episode will help you see life, and yourself through a different perspective. In essence it will help you to reclaim the power, and your dreams that you let go of a long time ago.

RESOURCES

If you are suffering from burnout and Human Giver Syndrome, check out this book by Dr. Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski

Find the book Expectation Hangover by Christine Hassler here.
Check out Christine's incredible podcast, Over It & On With It at her website

If you want some free coaching, be a guest on my show and let’s work it out together and help you Come Home to what truly matters; book a session here.

Come join my FREE Facebook Group, Reclaim Your Wild: A Radical Self-Care + Self-Discovery Group for WomenFind me on Instagram: @melcostellocoachWebsite: https://karmachow.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2004687/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/karmachow

Ep. 9: [TN] Building Resilience + Joy through Life's Challenges with Karey Spransy

DESCRIPTION

Life tends to throw us a lot of curveballs, and sometimes it can be challenging to navigate them without suffering from depression, negativity and defeatism. 

Today’s guest expert inside The Nook is Resilience Coach, Karey Spransey. Karey joins me to share how she built resilience in spite of the MANY challenges she has faced in her life, including a teenage pregnancy at age 17 and the battle with Stage-4 Colon Cancer.

Karey’s long-time struggle with FOMO led her to a huge realization that she was trying to prove herself by saying yes all the time; the hustle was her way of feeling valuable in the world until her body told her otherwise.

When she was diagnosed with colon cancer and didn’t have the energy to participate and show up to events her FOMO worsened. With the help of a close friend, she was able to  recognize that she needed to set some pretty serious boundaries with herself if she wanted to survive. 

Karey’s signature approach to building resilience through life challenges, and learning how to find joy in moving on from those challenges is refreshing.

If you’ve ever experienced FOMO or you find that you have a hard time setting boundaries and saying no, I know you will find value from what Karey shares today and how she navigated the tricky terrain of FOMO while overcoming huge life challenges.

ABOUT KAREY:

Karey Spransy is a resilience coach who knows what it’s like to feel overwhelmed and pushed down by life. Her experiences as a single teen mother, losing two loved ones to suicide, going through two divorces, and battling stage IV-4 colon cancer taught her how to use setbacks as springboards and failures as fuel. 

For a self-professed extrovert and FOMO junkie, the joy of missing out felt like giving up, so she changed JOMO to the Joy Of Moving On. Through her one-on-one coaching and group programs, she teaches others how to find their JOMO and just do the damn thing.  

She is unapologetically real and holds nothing back in her storytelling. She uses grace and humor to make you laugh, cry, and cry-laugh about the absurdities of life and feel inspired to find your JOMO.

Karey's Website: https://www.kareyoncoaching.com/
Karey's IG: @karey_on_coaching
RESOURCES:For support and to connect with other like-minded women, join my FREE Facebook Group, Reclaim Your Wild: A Radical Self-Care + Self-Discovery Group for WomenFind me on Instagram: @melcostellocoachWebsite: https://karmachow.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2004687/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/karmachow
If you want some free coaching, be a guest on my show and let’s work it out together and help you Come Home to what truly matters, book a session here.

Ep. 8: How to Accept Differences + Set Boundaries with Julie

DESCRIPTION

If you’ve ever struggled with feeling unsupported by friends and family or you feel like an outsider because of a certain belief system, then this episode is a must listen. 

Today’s caller Julie is a vegan. She’s been feeling a lack of support from her family around her choice to be vegan, and even though she wants to raise her children the same way, she is constantly being judged and getting push back from those around her.

Julie feels confused about how to navigate this tricky terrain with her family especially when it comes to her children and it’s been causing her a lot of stress. She craves acceptance and support, and has been trying to “educate” them, but this only causes more conflict.

Julie’s attempts to pray and meditate to get relief around these issues has not been helping and she feels at a loss about how to move forward.

Today we discover  the truth behind how this tension is created around food, what part of it is Julie’s responsibility without her even knowing it, and what she needs to let go of to keep the peace in her family. There is a definitive moment where Julie COMES HOME to the truth of what is really keeping her in a place of suffering. 

If you struggle to let go of other’s opinions of you, or you constantly come up against the same struggles in family dynamics, while wanting people to see your side, then this episode will be a game -changer for you. Because sometimes it’s as simple as letting go of an idea. 

RESOURCES

If you want to learn more about vegan nutrition and get some fun, delicious recipes then download my Plant-Based Nutrition Guide today!

If you have been struggling with your eating and your weight, and feel stuck check out my 7 Step Food Freedom Guide: https://karmachow.com/food-freedom-guide/
For support and to connect with other like-minded women, join my FREE Facebook Group, Reclaim Your Wild: A Radical Self-Care + Self-Discovery Group for WomenFind me on Instagram: @melcostellocoachWebsite: https://karmachow.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2004687/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/karmachow
If you want some free coaching, be a guest on my show and let’s work it out together and help you Come Home to what truly matters, book a session here.

Ep. 7: Take Your Power Back from Food with Alli

DESCRIPTION

Today’s episode shines more light on the detriment of diet culture and how it creates a common thread of dysfunction in the way many people relate to food in their lives. The amount of shame and confusion that it causes can be a heavy burden to carry.

My caller today, Alli feels that burden. She has been struggling with snacking all throughout the day and she’s been feeling out of control. It’s definitely gotten worse during this last year with COVID. She wants to experience hunger again and feel normal around food, instead of obsessing about it 24/7.

Alli has developed a fear around being overweight because of what she witnessed when she was young. Her mother was diabetic and constantly eating junk food and she is doing everything in her power to not go down the same path. As a result, she has been living her life in total restriction. She constantly tracks her food and feels bad about what she eats.

All the conflicting information out there just confuses her more and she feels imprisoned by it all. Alli has a deep desire to have a normal and peaceful relationship with food and to eat regular meals, but has no idea where to start.

This episode opens the door to the detriment of diet culture mindset, and how it can take over a person’s life leaving them feeling imprisoned by food. Listen in for practical steps you can take if you are someone who struggles with food, and your relationship to it, or you’ve felt uncomfortable about your body and fear future health issues.

RESOURCES:

If you have been struggling with your eating and your weight, and feel stuck check out my 7 Step Food Freedom Guide: https://karmachow.com/food-freedom-guide/
For support and to connect with other like-minded women, join my FREE Facebook Group, Reclaim Your Wild: A Radical Self-Care + Self-Discovery Group for WomenFind me on Instagram: @melcostellocoachWebsite: https://karmachow.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2004687/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/karmachow
If you want some free coaching, be a guest on my show and let’s work it out together and help you Come Home to what truly matters, book a session here.

Ep. 6: End the Vicious Diet Cycle + Trust Yourself with Pam

DESCRIPTION

Feelings of failure, shame, and guilt are the biggest products that the diet industry sells us. This 70 billion dollar industry negatively impacts the mental and emotional health of millions of men and women, promising quick fixes, but ultimately always ending in failure.

My caller today, Pam, knows this struggle firsthand as she has been dieting in an attempt to lose the same 30 pounds for years. She has been stuck in the diet cycle for a long time, but has been unable to lose weight in a sustainable way.

As a result, she has put herself under immense pressure to finally lose weight, which only leads to feelings of failure or shame anytime she doesn’t live up to the high expectations she’s set.

Pam also finds herself overwhelmed and confused by the huge amount of often conflicting information about food, exercise, and health on the internet. But today, she is ready to break out of the yo-yo cycle and make real change. We dive deep into her beliefs around herself and food, and identify the root of her disordered mindset. We also lay out several immediate action steps to help her on her journey to healing.

If you struggle with diet mindset, or just experience negative behavior patterns with food and your weight because of what was modeled to you as a child, you will find a lot of value in this episode as we take the first steps towards healing together.

RESOURCES:

The Body is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor: https://amzn.to/2QzrOPV

If you have been struggling with your eating and your weight, and feel stuck check out my 7 Step Food Freedom Guide: https://karmachow.com/food-freedom-guide/

To join me for my FREE Food Freedom Challenge starting on April 26, 2021 click here

For support and to connect with other like-minded women, join my FREE Facebook Group, Reclaim Your Wild: A Radical Self-Care + Self-Discovery Group for WomenFind me on Instagram: @melcostellocoachWebsite: https://karmachow.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2004687/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/karmachow
If you want some free coaching, be a guest on my show and let’s work it out together and help you Come Home to what truly matters, book a session here.