Grace & Grit Podcast

I have been talking about inflammation with clients for more than a decade: what causes it, how to reduce it and how to prevent being in a chronic state of it. Many women I work with tend not to believe in the power of inflammation until they clean up their diet enough and reduce other stressors in their life enough, that when they do something that insults the inside of their body, they feel the effects of inflammation in a very powerful way. The reality is a healthy body will be loud and clear about what is working for it and what isn’t. Unfortunately, most people are walking around in a chronic state of inflammation, so they have practically become de-sensitized to the messages that their body is trying to send them. There is no arguing that the body is an incredible vessel that does some pretty remarkable things to keep you alive and healthy. Cut your finger…your immune system rushes to the site to heal the wound and prevent infection Get food poisoning? Your digestive track will do everything it can to heal you. Overheat at the gym? Sweat comes to the rescue to cool you off! These are all examples of healthy inflammatory responses. While all of this is awesome and helpful, research is starting to show us that our body’s healthy responses can actually backfire on us especially when we repeatedly injure the inside of our body. To help us better understand the power of inflammation and how we can control it, I have invited a remarkable guest to the show, her name is Shelly Malone. Shelly holds a B.S. degree in Nutritional Science and a Masters degree in Public Health (MPH), with a concentration in Public Health Nutrition. She is a board certified registered dietitian nutritionist (RD/RDN) and a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She has practiced in critical, acute and outpatient care settings in various specialties, including cardiac, digestive and endocrine conditions. Shelly is a featured health contributor for the breast cancer prevention site breasthealth.org and regularly consult for the media as a health and nutrition expert, being featured in Forbes, SELF, Women’s Health, People, Mind Body Green, New Beauty and more. My first book, Inflamed: Discover the root cause of inflammation and personalize a step-by-step plan to create a healthy, vibrant life, was released in June of 2016 and was selected by SELF Magazine as one of “7 Fascinating and Illuminating Health Books That Will Totally Open Your Eyes About Your Health.” To find out more about Shelly visit: shellymalone.com inflamedbook.com Click here to purchase the book on Amazon.   Loving this podcast? Head over to iTunes and leave a review so the Grace and Grit message can spread to more women who need to hear it. Looking for more Grace & Grit? Visit GraceandGrit.com

Let’s face it ladies, there are an awful lot of things that can go wrong with our lady parts. Nearly every single woman I have worked with over the course of the past 20 years has experienced some kind of challenge with pelvic health: be it pelvic pain, incontinence, prolapse, or a host of other “not so fun” conditions. If we are interested in expanding the conversation of what it really takes to be a health/fit woman, we cannot ignore the very important topic of pelvic health. Health will not be found by avoiding the things that make us healthy. We need to find solutions to the problems including an open and honest conversation around pelvic health. And who better to include in this conversation, than someone who has been studying the issue for well over a decade? Alison Gray is a registered physiotherapist with over 17 years experience, residing in Stratford, Ontario. Although she treats all musculoskeletal problems, she has focused on pelvic pain and dysfunction over the last 12 years. If you are a woman, this episode is a must if you want to preserve and protect the health of your pelvis. Alison Gray is a registered physiotherapist with over 17 years of experience, residing in Stratford, Ontario. Although she treats all musculoskeletal problems, she has focused on pelvic pain and dysfunction over the last 12 years. Alison believes that problems such as pelvic floor pain, dysfunction, prolapse, and incontinence are never normal there are a wide range of techniques and resources which can be used to help guide your treatment and rehabilitation. If you have pain or incontinence, it is common, but not normal. There are many techniques, which can reduce prolapse and pain and prevent long-term problems. To find out more about Alison visit: Facebook Website Loving this podcast? Head over to iTunes and leave a review so the Grace and Grit message can spread to more women who need to hear it. Looking for more Grace & Grit? Visit GraceandGrit.com

Most women will postpone taking action with improving their health, not because they are lazy or lack drive, but because they feel they need to be perfect in their efforts and they are OVERWHELMED by the amount of information coming at them from the diet and fitness industry. Hear this, sweet sister… Improving your health isn’t about perfection or the latest “quick fix” strategy, it is about having awareness about the choices you are making in regards to your health, and making some different choices more consistently to create a better outcome. What if I told you that there are a few things simple strategies you could start practicing today, to get started down the path to better health, that were simple to implement, sensible and sustainable? Would you want to know what they were? Today’s podcast is all about why I created the FREE 7-day reboot program and why it is different from most challenges you will find when it comes to improving women’s health. Have a listen OR if you know you are ready to register for this FREE challenge, click here.   Loving this podcast? Head over to iTunes and leave a review so the Grace and Grit message can spread to more women who need to hear it. Looking for more Grace & Grit? Visit GraceandGrit.com

Living life in line with our values (the things we SAY are important to us) is going to first require subtracting things in our life that are underserving us, so we actually have the mental capacity & clarity to focus and give our best to the things we deem MOST important. And that is precisely why I have invited, Evan Zislis, to be a guest on the show today. Evan is doing remarkable work in the world through his organization, Intentional Solutions, helping households, businesses, teachers and people in life transition to simplify and organize their life so they can focus on the things that matter most. He is way more than a professional organizer, Evan helps people connect the dots between their stuff and the impact those things have on not just a personal but on a global scale. Evan believes we have a responsibility to one another and the sustainability of life on this planet, by becoming more mindful of how we behave as consumers. That starts with needing less, buying quality, becoming innovative in how we re-use readily available materials. Evan holds a master’s degree focused in experiential education and curriculum development, which has played a big role in helping him to develop easy to follow programs that create effective, long-lasting results. He is also a regular contributor to several major publications both on and off-line. As if all that wasn’t awesome enough, the man has written a bestselling book titled, Clutter Free Revolution, which is actually how I found out about his work. To find out more about Evan visit:ClutterFreeRevolution.com MyIntentionalSolutions.com Loving this podcast? Head over to iTunes and leave a review so the Grace and Grit message can spread to more women who need to hear it. Looking for more Grace & Grit? Visit GraceandGrit.com  

Eve Bernfeld and I have been dear friends since we were 10 years old. We have celebrated the highs and rumbled with the lows of life together. We have had the privilege of watching each other develop personally and professionally. As a certified Alexander Technique teacher, Eve dishes out some incredible sight in this episode of the Grace & Grit Podcast about how to start changing your reactive mindset and physical habits that are causing you to waste precious time, money and energy. (I’ll give you a hint…she recommends we start by first stopping.) If you have been struggling with trying to improve your health story but feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of all the things you could be doing along your journey, STOP and then start listening to this episode. P.S. If Eve, the mother of 2.5-year-old TRIPLETS, can implement the simple strategies she suggests in this episode for making lasting change…anyone can! To find out more about Eve, visit her at In Balance. To find an Alexander Teacher near you, visit the American Society for the Alexander Technique.   Loving this podcast? Head over to iTunes and leave a review so the Grace and Grit message can spread to more women who need to hear it. Looking for more Grace & Grit? Visit GraceandGrit.com

I am a firm believer that how you start your day is a pretty good indicator of how your day will roll. A day that begins with intention, clarity, direction, and self-discipline will turn out much differently than a day that ignites with stress, fatigue, and frustration. Look I get it…you are busy, and getting up 30 minutes to an hour earlier to set yourself straight feels like the hardest thing in the world. But… What if a powerful morning routine was the gateway for creating the life and level of success you really crave? Check out episode 39 for more insight on the getting the day started in a way that promotes productivity, creativity and drive. To read Hal Elrod’s, The Morning Miracle, click here. Loving this podcast? Head over to iTunes and leave a review so the Grace and Grit message can spread to more women who need to hear it. Looking for more Grace & Grit? Visit GraceandGrit.com

Every single day I encounter women who are trying to take a giant leap towards a healthier life, rather than simply focusing on the small, seemingly insignificant choices they are making day in and day out. Big change starts most often starts with very small steps which, taken consistently accumulate over time, create radical transformation. The Slight Edge, by Jeff Olson speaks directly to this point. And in this episode of the Grace & Grit podcast, I summarize some of the most powerful lessons presented in this book. If you are looking for insight on how to improve your habits without the agony of having to completely renovating your life overnight, you don’t want to miss this episode. Loving this podcast? Head over to iTunes and leave a review so the Grace and Grit message can spread to more women who need to hear it. To buy the book: Click Here  Looking for more Grace & Grit? Visit GraceandGrit.com  

I have long believed that successful people tend to ask for help often and much. I meet a lot of women who think hiring a health coach is a sign of weakness (like they should be able to figure it out themselves). Personally, I think asking for help in the areas we are struggling with is courageous and smart...if what you are doing hasn’t been working...asking for help makes a tremendous amount of sense! I have had coaches and mentors for as long as I can remember…I have hired personal trainers, life coaches, business coaches, movement teachers and health coaches. In fact, that is how I came to cross paths with my guest today, Sheri Lynn. I have known Sheri for well over a decade. Not only was she my own health coach, but she became a professional mentor to me as well. I learned so much from this woman! We have a long history, and I have deep respect for her. It may sound harsh but I have had a bit of a love/hate relationship with her specifically because she is such a remarkable teacher…meaning she holds your hand when you’re having a hard time getting up, and she has no problem holding your feet to the fire when you need a kick in the ass. Loving this podcast? Head over to iTunes and leave a review so the Grace and Grit message can spread to more women who need to hear it. About Sheri: Sheri Lynn is a self-professed citizen scientist and health hacker who has spent much of her adult life relentlessly applying her curiosity about the nature of human change and transformation to both herself and others. She is an independent educator, a preacher of self-responsibility, and the founder of the Genesis Transformation system, which includes a remarkable pathway for human change, a physical training model based on structural biomechanics as well as Genesis - an international award-winning online food journaling tool. Sheri's varied background includes credentialed experience in addictions counseling, public speaking, personal training, civil engineering and mining engineering. To find out more about Sheri, please visit: www.genesistransformation.com www.genesis-kitchen.com Looking for more Grace & Grit? Visit GraceandGrit.com

As a chiropractor, Doctor Margaret Durnan works hard to provide high-quality evidence-based management of musculoskeletal problems as well as advice for healthy living. She approaches rehabilitation through a holistic approach involving nutrition and lifestyle changes. Margaret is a devoted student of the Ido Portal method and has found her training with the method to be game changing in her Chiropractic approach…as well as life changing on a physical and personal level. In addition to her Chiropractic qualification she holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Sports Chiropractic and is currently studying her Masters in International Public Health through the University of Sydney. To say I have a lot of love and respect for this woman, is an understatement. She is absolutely a woman who exemplifies grace & grit and I invited her to the show so she could her unique perspective as a chiropractor and generally as someone who goes to great lengths to take great care of herself so she can give her best to the things she cares about. Loving this podcast? Head over to iTunes and leave a review so the Grace and Grit message can spread to more women who need to hear it. Notes: 3:00: Why Margaret chose Chiropractic medicine. 7:00: Margaret’s first experience with a chiropractor and how it led her into more evolved musculoskeletal care. 13:40: What is chiropractic medicine? 16:30: How Margaret’s work as a chiropractor teaches a client to assume responsibility for their own health. “To be a doctor is to be a teacher.” 20:00: How Margaret’s movement journey with Ido Portal, has helped to shape her as a motion-based chiropractor. 27:45: Making time for motivation. 32:00: Using movement to prime the nervous system and help kids be more successful in school. 34:50: Margarets 3 top tips to improve musculoskeletal health. Ido Portal website Movement Culture Facebook Page Learn more and contact Doctor Margaret Durnan Looking for more Grace & Grit? Visit GraceandGrit.com

It’s very common for a new client ask (if not beg) at some point along their journey with me, “Courtney! Just tell me what to eat and I will eat it.” To which I always say, “No, because I would be doing you a massive disservice.” My job as a health coach is not to dictate which specific foods you can and cannot eat, my job is to educate you about the nutritional value of the foods you are choosing (and other lifestyle choices you are making) and help you become acutely aware of the physiological response your body is having to those choices. When you pay attention to what your choices are and the consequences of those choices, you can connect the dots to what ails you more easily and, hopefully…after a face plant or 10…you will start making better choices, more consistently; and THAT is how a transformation is hatched! Loving this podcast? Head over to iTunes and leave a review so the Grace and Grit message can spread to more women who need to hear it. Notes: 4:00: How I define my work as a health coach. 6:30: Why I don’t believe in food plans. 9:00: Why it is so important to me that my clients learn how to fish. 11:00: How I failed as a personal trainer. 15:00: How the diet and fitness industries are crushing critical thinking abilities and independence. 18:00: What it really requires to take radical responsibility for your health and happiness. Looking for more Grace & Grit? Visit GraceandGrit.com