Pursue Your Spark

If you are like Karen Wright or me, you may have had someone you trust deeply, such as a partner, betray your trust and leave you feeling like you have to take care of everything. She labeled this role as becoming an accidental alpha woman. She never planned on being the sole breadwinner for her family or even a single parent, but unexpected confessions changed her path and threw her into a role she had not planned on. It’s very important as women that we understand finances in our homes and the costs of the lifestyle we are used to.  Karen Wright is a Master Certified Coach, a pioneer in the coaching profession, and a two-time author, including The Accidental Alpha Woman (a guide to thriving when life feels overwhelming). In addition, she is a single mother to two incredible young men and an avid reader and traveler. Karen created a framework to help other women in the same situation she found herself in, and in this episode, she shares the RECEIVE framework and how it can help you thrive when life feels ove

Have you said or heard someone else say: "I want to have a body like Tina Turner!" or "I wonder what she is eating to look so good?" All too often, we compare ourselves to others without even noticing. Diving into why comparing is natural and how it can influence how you feel is essential to taking back control of your thoughts and feelings. Also, finding out about the different ways comparison works and what to do instead is critical to conquering it.  Comparisons are a normal part of human behavior. We observe others and compare ourselves to them. If we are better than they are, then we feel like champions, and if not, we feel depressed or stressed. Starting to notice your thoughts around other people and your actions point you in the right direction. Remember, it's ok to self-assess and self-reflect to reach your goals and find out where you are in the process and what you need to improve on.  In this week's episode, you'll learn how to stop comparing yourself to other women be happier.    Click here to li

There are a lot of stereotypes that go with obesity, and Sue, like many people, did not fit those stereotypes. Our guest today is Sue Reynolds. Sue is the author of “The Athlete Inside: The Transforming Power of Hope, Tenacity, and Faith.” She transformed herself from a 335-lb couch potato into a 135-lb World Championships-qualifying triathlete—all between the ages of 56 and 62!  Sue conquered fear and pride to find that the best version of herself had been there all along. Sue hopes the book and her story will inspire others to begin their transformation journeys - whatever those journeys may be.  Sue is a passionate achiever who throws herself wholeheartedly into everything she does. As a result of her dedication and hard work on her successful nonprofit, she let her health go and used eating to aid her in staying awake and working long hours into the night. She is sharing more about her health and fitness story and fulfilling her secret dream of becoming a triathlete. Sue’s journey from obesity to World-Cl

This year you might be preparing for the holiday in the same way you have many other years. But, if you’re like most people, you might be able to identify with one or all of the following questions: Are you exercising ahead of the holidays because you know that you’ll miss most of your workouts? Are you closing your eyes, ignoring all the healthy eating habits you established, and just not worrying about what happens during the holidays until January? Are you pre-dieting to lose some weight before the holidays? Do you tell yourself that this pattern is just what you do every year?  I can ask you more questions, but you get the idea. The New Year’s Resolution or diet that many of us attempt to take control of our health, again, does not always serve us very well. Realistically this year will be very similar to how you always spend your holidays. The steps you take are the key to your success, and I’m sharing 5 small healthy habits that you CAN stick to in 2022 and beyond. Creating small habits that you can do

Do you struggle with emotional eating? Many people do. Recognizing that emotional eating is deeply ingrained in us through both positive and negative eating patterns is an essential step in the healing process. Whenever something happens emotionally, we eat. For example, we eat and have meals around both weddings and funerals. The connection between emotions and food is always present.  We are taught to push emotions down with something else, and it’s often food and eating. Talking about our feelings is not always comfortable because confronting, feeling, accepting, admitting to our emotions can be uncomfortable, and it is easier for us to eat instead. When we were children, we would often receive a sweetie or candy for an uncomfortable experience like the doctor or dentist or a cry. This reinforced the idea that candy/food will solve the issue.  Andrea Caprio is an expert in emotional eating, a master transformational nutrition coach, and Wellness the founder and CEO of  Wellness Methods. She developed her F

The time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s is the most challenging time of the year to stick to your hard-earned health and wellness goals. We are preparing meals that we don’t make any other time of the year, and you might be looking forward to the special stuffing your daughter-in-law makes or the pie that Aunt Jane will bring.  Are you taking a trip this year and celebrating Thanksgiving or Christmas or the holidays with your grown kids and their families? Or is everyone coming to your house to feast? The trouble is not the actual holidays. It’s the days between where we might think since we didn’t stick to our routine, it’s ok to blow the rest of the year and restart in January. But what about your intermittent fasting strategies during the holidays? Unfortunately, you might end up gaining 5 - 10 lbs during that time without even noticing. This year, don’t let that trip you’re taking be a guilt trip. The holidays are a time to enjoy your family, food, and having fun. Remember that intermittent fasting i

Our guest today is Iffy Ibekwe; she is an estate planning attorney. We are talking about how estate planning is for everyone, no matter your estate's size or age. First, we'll find out How to Leave a Legacy through Estate Planning. Estate planning is not just for the super-rich but for everyone. It's a wonderful gift to your loved ones to not have the stress and headache of having to deal with.  Iffy is an estate planning attorney evangelist for intergenerational wealth transfer and legacy building with effective wills and trusts. She activates intentional women so they can take agency over their lives and build impactful legacies. We cover the best steps to getting started on your estate planning and how, like anything else in life, estate planning is fluid and must be kept up to date with your situation and wishes. Iffy also speaks about how she handles being an entrepreneur and mom.  I used to think that my small townhouse and car did not count as an estate and was too simple to worry about making a plan f

Looking young and staying young is the message we are bombarded with all the time. We are often marketed to by someone or other that we need something to look younger, more toned, more fit, and perhaps like our younger self. A multi-million-dollar anti-aging industry promises to help older adults (like me) to feel young again - implying that there is something wrong with us looking and feeling the way we are. What's wrong with aging and the way we look?  It's time to create a new narrative in the second half of life. Instead of letting yourself believe that, "now I'm old," "I can't do that anymore," "I don't fit in anymore," change the narrative and instead create positivity around aging. In place of "I can't," start saying "yes, I can," even though it takes a little bit of work.  I firmly believe that we have to appreciate ourselves for what we've accomplished in our lives, giving ourselves that pat on the back! Aging is a normal rhythm of life. In today's episode, I share a story that might feel familiar to

Have you ever had a dream so big that people called it a pipe dream? A pipe dream is defined as an unattainable or fanciful hope or plan. Today we will be talking about turning those pipe dreams into reality with Christine Renynebeau, the founder and CEO of Dreambuilt Books, an independent children's book publishing company dedicated to providing books that tackle big topics.  Not only will Christine be sharing with us about her journey of pursuing her pipe dream of becoming an author, but she is also sharing her tips for how you can pursue becoming a published author as well! Her books tackle big topics that are great for kids and help parents start those tough conversations. These are great treasures to share with your kids and your grandkids! I love her books because they are an enjoyable read for all ages, not just the little one!  I believe we can reach for the stars and make our hopes, plans, and dreams a reality. Sometimes not exactly as we envisioned them, but nothing is impossible!   Click here to li

Followed by the episode's summary, the bottom line is that there seems to be a pattern between weight gain and the holidays every year. These include Halloween parties, Thanksgiving, and other holiday feasts. You may plan to invite your family over or to visit them during the holidays. That means you’ll eat more and move less. Why is it important to have strong abs and a strong core? I want you to start this end of the year a bit different than other years by starting to strengthen your abs and core. Not only is it helpful when you schlepp your luggage through the airport, lift a grandkid in the air, and play active games with your grown kids. But strong abs and core have so many health benefits, especially as we are getting older. So I’m also sharing my 5 top core exercises that anyone can do to strengthen their abs and core.  This episode includes 5 tips to get strong and lean core for women over 50s plus a video for you to get started with great exercises. You can have a strong core and great-looking abs a

Can you think of someone who has betrayed you? If you are like me, you have experienced betrayal before. Whether it be from a coworker, a romantic relationship, a good friend, or even family, we have all experienced betrayal by someone you trusted deeply that shook you to the core.    That is why I am talking to guest speaker Dr. Debi Silber on this podcast episode on how to recover and heal from a betrayal. She shares with us how it is not only possible to heal from such a life crisis but to also rebuild better than ever before. Rebuild yourself and your life!    Debi is the founder of the Post Betrayal Transformation Institute and a holistic psychologist, health, mindset, and personal development expert, and author. Debi is dedicated to helping people move past their betrayals in their health, work, and relationships. In addition to Debi’s education and professional experience in the field of betrayal and forgiveness – she has lived it all, multiple times.     We talk about the 5 stages from betrayal to bre

Are you self sabotaging? What are some of the signs and ways you could be doing it? For example, you followed a nutrition or fitness program for the longest time and reached your goals. But then something happened, and during your Netflix binge, the snack gremlins come out, and you couldn’t help but give in. So you’re thinking, why am I doing this to myself??? Why am I sabotaging what I worked so hard for?  Do these sound familiar to you?  Self sabotage is when you undermine your own goals and values. You do things that directly conflict with your goals. There are two forms of self sabotage. Conscious and unconscious, and they may vary how they may be showing up for you. Many of my clients come to me feeling helpless and frustrated with stories of self sabotage. If you want to know how to stop sabotaging yourself for good, the key is to start building your emotional tolerance and understand what needs your self sabotage serves within yourself. I also share the three self sabotaging habits that you need to bre

Today more than ever, women in midlife are letting go of society’s expectations of them and truly stepping into the lives they desire. There long was an “acceptable” way to age, but that’s no longer the case. Instead, women can be as wild and free in their golden years as they were decades before. There’s something about getting older and being more sure of who you are that is so freeing! My guest on today’s podcast, Stephanie Raffelock, is the author of Creatrix Rising: Unlocking the Power of Midlife Women and the award-winning book, A Delightful Little Book on Aging. Stephanie is a fierce advocate for women standing in the light of their truth, unapologetically. In this episode, we talk about how being grateful can impact your life and how making peace with your older age can help you get to know yourself better than you ever have before. Click here to listen! Rating, Review & Follow on Apple Podcasts Heike’s insights are so helpful in creating a well-rounded, healthy lifestyle! Loving every episode of

During quarantine, it became a lot easier to snack more and exercise less. This lead to weight gain for some, what is now dubbed the “Covid-19” (pounds, that is). For others, this time at home was utilized to create better eating and exercise habits. Your own health and what you ate were some of the only things you could control during this time. However, some of my clients are experiencing weight gain now that things are opening up again. They wonder, “Why is this happening NOW and didn’t before?” They want to know how to lose the extra weight and get back to their best habits again. In my podcast this week, I give you my three best tips to manage weight gain after the pandemic, so you can get back to feeling like yourself again in the new world! Click here to listen! Rating, Review & Follow on Apple Podcasts “Heike’s insights are so helpful in creating a well-rounded, healthy lifestyle! Loving every episode of the Pursue Your Spark podcast!” ← if that sounds like you, consider rating and reviewing my

After years of working towards a career, being married, and raising kids, Dr. Sharon Ufberg decided she needed a radical change in her life at 40 years old. So she stepped into the unknown and embarked on a journey that took her to New York City, in a much less comfortable but exciting lifestyle with so many possibilities around her. Sharon knew she only had one life to live and wanted to make the best of it by following her intuition and passions. Sharon knew this was the path she was destined to take because she had complete clarity about it. In addition, she had a consistent practice of tuning into her thoughts daily. Taking the time to listen to her inner desires gave her the courage to change her life for the better dramatically. Sharon says, “Your own inner wisdom can be heard if you just get quiet enough to listen.”  Dr. Sharon Ufberg is also a Radio Host, Writer, Biz Coach, Traveler, Foodie, and co-Founder of Borrowed Wisdom – a personal growth and wellness company. As a woman, and mother Sharon passi

When you’re on a health and fitness journey, it is important to surround yourself with people who support you in making healthy decisions. If you have naysayers or people who discourage you from doing what is best for you and your health, having them around you can often hinder your progress and confidence. All you need to do is unlock the confidence inside you and set forth on your mission! No one has the right to tell you what you can and cannot do, so why give them satisfaction by giving up? When people try to spread negativity, please ignore it and hone in on what you truly want for yourself and why.  Your “why” is the reason behind your motivation that sets your heart on fire. For example, you could want to be healthy because you want to go out on active adventures with your family, or you want to live longer to be around for more of your grandchildren’s lives. The confidence inside you will shine through when you feel the power of your “why.” I talked about unlocking your confidence and more in my inter

People say the only consistent thing about life is that it’s always changing! And with all of these new shifts, happiness will come – but so will hardship. As we get older, it can be difficult to navigate massive life changes like retirement or your kids moving away. It’s easy to slip into a negative mindset about your new routine which may feel uncomfortable or foreign. However, in moments like these, what we truly need is to be resilient throughout these changes. It takes work to stay in touch with your resilience. If you don’t maintain your fighting spirit and mindset through difficult situations in life, it can be harder to make decisions, you can become less social and easygoing, managing emotions becomes more difficult, and you find less creative inspiration from life. My guest on this week's episode is Dr. Joseph Casciani, a psychologist who has specialized in senior care for over 30 years. More important than his expertise, he brings a passion to help all of us to make the best of every year of our li

If you have kids, a major shift will happen in your life when they move out for college or move away to experience a different city. It can be a hard adjustment, but you can see this time as a wonderful opportunity for growth and new experiences for you too! Raising our kids to be amazing humans is such a wonderful goal in life, but now it’s your time to take on the second half of life and do all of the things you now have the freedom to do. Putting your needs first is tough when you’ve been taking care of your kids for many years. Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom or a working mom, it doesn’t matter because you’ll divide the time between work, household chores, kids’ activities, your significant other, and social activities. In the end, there is very little time left for what you want in life. In this week’s episode, I decided to compile my 5 best tips to help you plan for an empty nest and thrive when the time comes! Click here to listen! Rating, Review & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts “Heike’s insights a

If you are on a journey to lose weight, it can be stressful to make sudden changes in your eating and exercise habits. All of this new pressure triggers your body to release the hormone cortisol – which is responsible for why you feel stressed. Cortisol causes the body to go into fat storage mode instead of fat-burning mode, which can cause your weight loss to become stagnant or even intensify. It also can cause you to have more cravings making eating healthy that much more difficult. These are a couple of the reasons why we must recognize the triggers for Cortisol and try to minimize them where we can. This week, my guest on the show, Cassie Christopher, is a Registered Dietitian and Mom to a busy toddler. She supports postmenopausal women to get a handle on emotional eating to feel more confident in their bodies without depriving themselves of what makes them happy in life. In this episode, we discuss triggers that can raise your cortisol, how weight loss is affected by cortisol levels when you are going th

After 30, we start to lose and break down more bone in our bodies than we can build back. Eventually, we start to feel the wear and tear that this process has had on us, and we can experience joint pain. This can happen especially when we do activities that include a repetitive motion we may have done for years (ex: golfing, gardening, typing, etc.). We may all feel the effects of this inevitably as we get older, so I always advise taking proactive measures rather than reactive measures. However, sometimes with an active lifestyle, it can be hard to avoid wear and tear in your body over time. I know because I have actually been diagnosed with arthritis myself. I make sure to modify my lifestyle and habits to help me retain my bone strength, which eases my pain and keeps me more active for longer.  Today I'll talk about just why it is so imperative that we take actions to keep our bones healthy and strong, what Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis are, and what specific actions you can take to prevent these conditi