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.

Ep. 5: [The Nook] Living an Authentic + Aligned Life with Courtney Townley, Founder of Grace + Grit

DESCRIPTION

The goal of health and wellness coaches often falls short by only focusing on diet and exercise, but there are so many more layers to it. That is why you are going to love my guest today, Courtney Townley. 

Courtney is the host of the Grace + Grit Podcast and the creator Rumble + Rise. She deems herself a mover, a shaker and a healthy people maker and once you hear this episode you will understand why.

She has worked in the health and wellness sphere for over 20 years now, and today she joins me inside The Nook to give you her insight on how to connect to your truest most authentic self which is the real foundation for optimal health and wellness.

She shares her experiences around finding the balance between Grace and Grit, the detriment of people pleasing and the thing that we won't admit to ourselves that keeps us stuck in a stress cycle.

Courtney also gets a little vulnerable and tells us about how she leaned on her own coaching advice to navigate the HUGE challenges she experienced during this time of COVID, and how one little phrase woke her up to actually make some change. 

She also breaks down her 4-step Consistency Code from her online course, which is a practical tool to help you realign yourself when you feel something in your life is out of balance, or if you are consistently sabotaging yourself and hitting up against the same negative patterns. These four steps help you get unstuck and move forward with both Grace + Grit.

So if harmony of body, mind, and spirit is something you seek, today’s episode will be a game-changer for you. You will walk away with a better understanding of what alignment means and what it looks like for you, as well as several solid strategies on how to create a life that is in tune with your desires and values.

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.

If you are suffering from burnout and Human Giver Syndrome, check out this book by Dr. Emily Nagoski: https://amzn.to/3rAZtX5

Learn to feel all of your emotions and promote emotional healing with this book by Susan David: https://amzn.to/3t9a7o4

Join Courtney in her Rumble + Rise membership program here: https://graceandgrit.com/readytorumble

Find Courtney at her own Podcast, Grace + Grit, here: https://graceandgrit.com/podcast-2/

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. 4: Navigating Blended Family Dynamics with Brooke

DESCRIPTION

Family dynamics can be difficult to navigate on their own, but when your family is blended, it can cause even more tension and conflict in the relationship you have with your partner or spouse

Today’s caller, Brooke, has been experiencing this exact struggle with her husband firsthand. She has been married for 20 years, and her husband lost contact with his children many years ago, which catapulted him into a depression.  This depression has done damage to their long-standing marriage.

Brooke’s husband has recently started repairing his strained relationship with his daughter which is causing a lot of stress and jealous feelings for Brooke. She fears that her relationship with her husband will move backwards just when they’ve begun to make progress in reconnecting. 

She is unsure what to do with her feelings around the situation, not wanting to burden or affect others by expressing them. She meditates and writes, but it’s not enough. She even takes over-responsibility for other people’s feelings while ignoring her own.

Suppressing her feelings is a behavior that was modeled to Brooke when she was young and now, in this tense time in her relationship, she wants to be seen and acknowledged for how she feels.

In the episode, we look deep at how important it is to have a safe container for your feelings, and that all feelings are valid, and deserve to be heard—even the so-called negative ones! 

If you’ve had a difficult time expressing or sharing your feelings and all you want is to be seen and heard, then this episode will be a game-changer for you!  

Need some coaching?  If you have an issue or challenge you need support with, click here to set up a time to be a guest on my podcast. 

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

Find me on Instagram: @melcostellocoachWebsite: https://karmachow.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2004687/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/karmachow

Ep. 3: Overcoming Over-Giver Syndrome with Lisa

DESCRIPTION

If you’re a woman who has spent her life doing for others, and feels guilty putting yourself first then today’s episode will strike a chord. 

Also, if you’re at a crossroads and you feel ready to move into the next phase of your life, but you don’t know how because you’re so used to doing everything for everyone else then I KNOW you will get a lot of golden nuggets from my coaching session with Lisa.

Lisa has recently decided to retire from her long career in healthcare and wants to begin a journey to find deeper connection with her body, mind, and soul. She has been dedicated to her career for most of her life, and as a result has never focused on herself or her health. 

Now that she is soon to be retired, she wants to begin a journey of self-care and self-discovery, where she finally puts herself first and decides what she wants out of life.

The problem is, Lisa fears that putting herself first and taking care of herself will be perceived as selfish. She also worries that she will lose her friendships. This either/or mindset keeps her stuck in a vicious cycle of putting everyone else first. 

During the episode we uncover why Lisa has been living her life this way, and how she can navigate her fears around other people judging her including her own self-care so that she can really THRIVE in this next phase of her life.

I think you will be surprised at what we uncover that is behind Lisa’s real reasons for NOT taking care of her own well-being.

Need some coaching?  If you have an issue or challenge you need support with, click here to set up a time to be a guest on my podcast. 

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

To read more about healing inner child work, check out Heal the Child Within by Charles Whitfield

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

Find me on Instagram: @melcostellocoachWebsite: https://karmachow.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2004687/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/karmachow