Vibrant Happy Women

As we celebrate Thanksgiving in the U.S. today, we think about gratitude. But have you ever listed all the things you're grateful for about yourself? Today is your chance to celebrate YOU! When you can be grateful for yourself, you'll be able to love from a much more deeply authentic place. 

Callie Blount grew up in a Southern home and was taught that hospitality is a fantastic way to show love. Carrying those traditions forward, Callie talks in this interview about how to be hospitable while still maintaining time for self care, yet not being afraid to be vulnerable and allow people into her home. Callie teaches, "People aren't going to remember what your house looked like. They're going to remember how you made them feel." Callie loves beauty, people and creating, which she uses in her career as a food stylist. She blogs at Luv-Cooks.com. She lives in Nashville with her husband Jake and their cute dog Bigsby.  Nuggets of Wisdom from Callie: "Life is either a grand adventure or nothing else." ~Helen Keller "I was raised in a very southern household with a very southern mama who I absolutely adore. I grew up in this culture of - whether it was a wedding or a funeral or a baby shower - her motto was 'Well, ya gotta eat!' so you might as well be eating at her house. This culture of beautiful tables and beautiful spreads and this enjoyment of food and of people.... There's something about this love of food, love of people, and love of beauty that resonates in my spirit and brings me such fulfillment." "My mom modeled for me this culture of hospitality. For her it was her way to love us well." "The best way to love somebody is to cook for them." "Hospitality is more about the people who are sitting in your living room than it is about you looking fancy or like the coolest hostess in the world. It's about loving them well and making them feel special." "It's about having a good time and celebrating life with the people around you. It's really more important the way people FEEL when they're in your home than the way your home appears to them." "Today is the day that I have. Today is my grand adventure. I'm not promised tomorrow. Today is my chance to love people, to be kind to them, to have a good time with whatever situation I'm in and to let my intention be TODAY." "At the end of the day, land on the side of relationship." "People who can celebrate food are the best people!" Some of Callie's Favorite Things: Personal habit: "I pray all the time. I try to still myself and maintain a place of peace in my spirit." Easy meal: Roasted Veggie and Quinoa Bowl with Creamy Asian Dressing (See below in the Resources for the recipe) Favorite Kitchen Gadget: "Buying a Vitamix Blender has changed our world!" (See below in the Resources for Callie's Chocoholic Smoothie recipe) Callie's Favorite Book: Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist Best advice received: "The enemy of good is perfect." Callie's Happiness Formula: "Encourage, Feed, and Inspire People." A Challenge from Callie: "Go out there and practice hospitality. Choose to land on the side of community!" Resources Luv-Cooks.com Turkey Pumpkin Chili Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist Callie's Pump-Me-Up Chocoholic Smoothie   1 cup (8 ounces) chocolate coconut water 1 scoop chocolate protein powder 1 tablespoon cocoa powder (if you want it SUPER chocolatey) 1-2 tablespoons powdered peanut butter (I like PB2) 1/2 banana 5 ice cubes   Pour all ingredients into a Vitamix (or other blender of choice). Blend on low, slowly increasing speed to high to thoroughly mix ingredients and create a foamy texture. Enjoy!! Roasted Veggie and Quinoa Bowl with Creamy Asian Dressing Serves 2 for a meal or 4 for a hearty side For the vegetables: 1 sweet potato, diced 1/2 pound okra, sliced into thin circles OR 3 carrots, sliced on the diagonal 1/2 head broccoli, sliced into florets 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste) 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper For the quinoa: 1 cup quinoa 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth For the Asian dressing sauce: 3 tablespoons Sun Butter (or peanut or almond butter) 2 teaspoons soy sauce (or more to taste) 1 teaspoon honey 1/2 teaspoon lime juice 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes Green onions, sliced (for topping) Toasted sesame seeds (for topping) What You Will Do: 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, and line two large baking pans with aluminum foil sprayed lightly with cooking spray. 2. In a large bowl, toss together vegetables, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper until all the vegetables are coated with oil and spices. 3. Place vegetables on cooking sheets, spreading evenly. 4. Bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring vegetables halfway through cooking, until yummy and a bit crispy on the edges. 5. While the vegetables are cooking, bring broth and quinoa to a boil. Cover; let simmer for 15 minutes, or until all water is absorbed and the whites of the quinoa are showing through. 6. Stir together Sun Butter (or nut butter of choice), soy sauce, honey, lime juice and red pepper flakes. 7. To assemble; layer quinoa and vegetables in bowls. Top with Asian dressing, green onions, and sesame seeds. Subscribe to Vibrant Happy Women:  

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Andrea Joy Wenburg spent many years early in her marriage believing her worth was a direct reflection of how much her husband respected or admired her. After the difficult birth of her second child, Andrea hit a deep low point in her life and struggled for months believing her husband didn’t respect her anymore. Listen as Andrea shares her story of coming to the realization that she was already loved by God and that she no longer had to be a victim of what other people thought of her. This story of empowerment and marital healing will help you develop greater self love, and learn how to love others way more than you fear them. Andrea is an author, speaker and personal brand strategist who shares a message encouraging others toward a love-filled, authentic self expression in relationships and thought leadership. Her book UNFROZEN: Stop Holding Back and Release the Real You tells the story of her struggle to find effective expression of her own deep thoughts and intense feelings. Making their home in Nebraska, Andrea is totally in love with her husband and two creative kids. Nuggets of Wisdom from Andrea: "Healing is not the absence of pain. It is when you choose to love despite the pain. - Dr. Larry Crabb" "Even my own self-love seems to go up and down. For me that fixed point is God's love. So that is how I thought and that is how I have been able to rest in that ever since then - so my self esteem is not going up and down and up and down based on how other people perceive me, and I am not chasing after their respect. I am not chasing after those two things that I wanted: that seat at the table. I am not chasing after acceptance, and I am not chasing after that chance to have an impact because I know I have them both."   "Taking risks is like loving other people." "I believe that every single person has a reputation of some kind, and we can be intentional with how we go about our lives. And if we are intentional and we have a purpose, we feel like we have a purpose, then we are going to move with more power as we move through and make decisions about what we are going to do with our lives and that we each have a message that might be born out of struggle. And when we get really in touch with where we we have been, how far we have come, and where we are moving then we can take that and turn it into a really powerful force." "You do not have to worry about what this other person's thinking about you." “I’m not a victim of what other people think of me.” I can love them even if they hurt me.” “I decided I was going to love them more than I fear them.” Some of Andrea's Favorite Things: Personal habit: "I'm not good at habits." Easy meal: "My favorite easy meal is the one that I pull right out of the freezer and throw in the oven and that is chicken strips and sweet potato fries. We bake them, we do not fry them." Possession: "Wooden cutting board from my  father-in-law." Andrea's Favorite Book: Connecting: Healing Ourselves and Our Relationships by Larry Crabb Best advice received: "To offer what I am good at." Andrea's Happiness Formula: "I am happiest when I am at rest in God's love internally. So that I can work externally towards that loving self-expression. " A Challenge from Andrea: "Name your fears. [I take a good look at my fears and ask, 'What is threatened in me? What’s more true than this fear?'] Then remember God loves you. You can be free." Resources AndreaJoyWenburg.com UNFROZEN: Stop Holding Back and Release the Real You Connecting: Healing Ourselves and Our Relationships by Larry Crabb Frozen (2013 Movie) Subscribe to Vibrant Happy Women:  

Ever feel disappointed because your spouse or kids aren't doing what you wanted? Or because your house doesn't look the way it "should"? Learn how getting go of expectations and perhaps even yelling "Plot Twist!" can make all the difference in your happiness. www.jenriday.com

Early in life Judy Tsuei tried hard to control everything, a form of self protection, but after developing a severe eating disorder Judy knew she needed to change or die. After letting go of her emotional pain using the “Feel it To Heal It” method, Judy embarked on a journey to discover her own path - the things that bring her genuine happiness. Judy shares her story of growth and also adapting her identity a bit after she became a mama 2 years ago. Listen and learn how Judy is living a vibrant and happy life today largely because she has let go of that control and all the “shoulds” that plagued her for years and is finding her own path of happiness.

Do you sometimes believe you're less than some other women you know? Perhaps you believe you're genetically flawed or that you were raised poorly, leaving you no chance to be "as good as" others? Learn how to change your negative self talk so you can open yourself up for greater opportunities and fulfillment. Oh, and YOU ROCK!   www.jenriday.com

One evening Lauren spent $600 on clothes. When she got home, she left the purchases in the car so her husband wouldn’t find out. The next day she decided she had to tell him what she had done, and how it was only the tip of the iceberg of the $40,000 of debt she had racked up. “When I told him, he just stood there staring at me for a while, then he said, ‘I forgive you. Let’s get through this together.’” Fast forward to today: Lauren and her husband are not only out of debt, but Lauren is teaching others how to do it, too. Lauren is the author of ‘The Recovering Spender’ and blogs at LaurenGreutman.com. Listen to find out the 3 rules that help her stay out of debt today. Nuggets of Wisdom from Lauren: "When the pain of staying broke becomes greater than the pain of changing your spending habits, that is when you will make a change. " "A lot of the debt was because I got us into the debt and never told him about it because I did not want to burden him. It was not that I was like trying to be sneaky. I just did not want to burden him. I would just say, 'Okay, it's what everybody does. I am just having a terrible time dealing with it so it is my fault, so I just need to handle it and get us out of it....'" "I started feeling really guilty about it. I started thinking like, 'Okay, I hid this from him because I didn't want to fight with him... He knew we were in debt, but he did not know how much. But he knew we were in debt and here I am, going and spending $600 on clothing and now I am hiding it from him. This is not just good for our marriage and our future. The next day I decided to come clean to him and tell him all the debt that we had. And make a real difference. I felt like for the first time I realized that I could not do it myself, like I needed his help to handle this and to have somebody to talk to about it. It is really like - not only it is lonely and stressful but it is just damaging to your marriage if you have this big elephant in the room that you can never talk about it." "He said, 'I forgive you, let us get through this together.' And so those are the words that changed everything. That was 9 years ago and from then on we got out of debt in 2 years. We just had a passion for teaching other people all the mistakes that we went through." "I have a spending problem. I think I always have the personality to be addicted to spending. And because of that I have to know what boundaries I have to set up around myself, so I do not spend money. Like 3 rules that I have. #1.) Do not go to Target alone. My second one, if I do any online shopping, I use a prepaid debit card, so I have to fund it beforehand. And #3, I do not use credit cards. So, those are my three big boundaries I had to put around myself, to keep myself safe. So, yes, I would definitely say, it is an addiction of some sort." "The biggest thing that they need to learn is how to set a realistic budget. For years, I was so terrified of the B word. I cringed on the inside. But once I saw that a budget can actually bring freedom to me, it really kind of opened up my eyes to all that's possible. For so many years, I spent money without knowing what was going on and, yes, that was fun and great, but then, you sit down at the end of the day, and you are like, 'Oh my gosh, I spent this much money. I did not know that I spent this much money! I don't know where it went. And now, you don't have money for your bills.' So, I found out that budgeting actually gives me freedom to spend what I want to without giving me that guilt and feeling of depletion at the end of the day. I think people need to set that realistic budget, and it can really really help them." Some of Lauren's Favorite Things: Personal habit: "That I can turn work off.  I think that is a big thing. As an entrepreneur who works online, the temptation to work all day and all night and every weekend is there, you know, in your face all the time. We finally got an office outside of our house and that has been really imperative to my success with everything that I do online. I got so sick of being half on, half off all day long, that setting it up this way has really kept us very productive during our work hours and also being able to be a husband and wife at night and hang out with the kids, go out to dinner, and do fun stuff together without feeling guilty that I have so much work to do." Easy meal: Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Possession: Blendtec Lauren's Favorite Book: For the Love by Jen Hatmaker Best advice received: "Be kind to others because they will be kind to you." Lauren's Happiness Formula: "I am happiest when I stick to my budget, I spend time with family, and I sleep." A Challenge from Lauren: "I want everybody to think about their values and if their spending is a reflection of that value system. Because whether you are in debt or not, you can always do something better with your finances. It always comes down to your value system." Resources Morning Meditation Guide (free) LaurenGreutman.com Financial Renovation The Recovering Spender (Lauren's book) You Need a Budget: YNAB.com Tiller.com Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Blendtec For the Love by Jen Hatmaker   Subscribe to Vibrant Happy Women:  

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Angela Roberts had a dream to become a food blogger, so one day she jumped in and simply did it and has been more energetic, happy and thrilled with life than ever, mainly because she believes she's living her true purpose. In this episode Angela describes how we can know what our life's purpose is because once we've found it, we become a person who is thrilled to get out of bed in the morning to work more towards fulfilling that purpose. Angela Roberts, is publisher, founder of SpinachTiger.com, a food, blog with over 900 recipes, and beautiful food photography. Angela has moved from the corporate world to decorative painting to food blogging, where she feels she has found her true creative zone. Angela has an M.A. in clinical psychology and has a great interest in family issues, especially the role that food and dining plays in the dynamics of family life. Nuggets of Wisdom from Angela: "Do the right thing because it is the right thing." "Sometimes people do the right thing for the wrong reason. They do the right things to get ahead, kind of maybe the wrong kind of ambition." "I really believe as human beings, God has created us to be on a particular path. "When we are on the path that is the right path for our DNA for who we are, then we are anxious to get up in the morning. And when you do not want to get up in the morning, there is something wrong. And that's where I was. I was really sad. I remember talking to people, not feeling a lot of hope. And that was until I found my next new reinvention of myself."I said to myself, "That is what I am going to do. I am going to be a food blogger," and that was 8 years ago, and I have never lost that buzz. And that is how I know I am doing what I am supposed to do." "There is something that is so you. It is just YOU. Everyone has a dream. If you have some kind of dream. Just do one thing that starts it, and you may fail. Just try something and then let it evolve and be willing to embrace the journey and not the goal." “I have a strong spiritual life that keeps me grounded and keeps defeating thoughts at bay. I have to remember, I could be just one blog post away from a big break. If I am doing what I’m happy doing, and I am excited, that is all I need to do.” “Tomorrow’s always going to be better.” “Even though I am not a Millennial, I do not want people to think I cannot do technology.” Some of Angela's Favorite Things: Personal habit: "For my whole entire life, I have been a person who exercises consistently, and I think that it helps your brain. I just think it helps me feel really good." Easy meal: "A little olive oil in the pan, some chopped onions, some ground beef and some frozen peas. Salt and pepper. And then you can add in what you want, you can put in rice." Recession Delicious – Italian Ground Beef, Peas and Onions Possession: "Silicon spatula from Oxo, for eggs or frittatas. It works for everything. The big one." Angela's Favorite Book: Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength Book by John Tierney and Roy Baumeister Best advice received: "Do not ever put anything in writing you do not want the whole world to see." Angela's Happiness Formula: "I am happiest when I have a purpose and when I act on it, when I work with intention and I live on a schedule." A Challenge from Angela: "I challenge all the listener's today to take one day this week or next week and fail at something. Do something you have always wanted to do." Resources Spinachtiger.com Recession Delicious – Italian Ground Beef, Peas and Onions Fluffy Southern Biscuits Grandmother's Tomato Sauce Red Beet Smoothie