Hi everyone! A note for this episode- due to some technical difficulties this episode ends rather abruptly.Introduction to EpisodeJeff Hahler & Bev Martin explain their reasons for being vegans as well as living a healthy life doing so.Podcast Episode SummaryJeff Hahler & Bev Martin both live their lives as vegans eschewing any products made from animals. They break down their path to veganism and reasoning both for personal and moral reasons ranging from the health benefits of focusing on a plant based diet as well as the ethical treatment of animals. Making sure they keep their values well in line with what they deem most important.They also take the time to explain how they are best able to navigate a meat-centric world with their diet choices, socializing with friends, and how best to make the most informed decisions. They lay out their well reasoned and practical approach with suggestions, methodologies, and humorous personal anecdotes.Quotables"I always believed that all people are equal... why are animals any different?""The way that you want to eat is fine but the most important thing is to do research on what you are eating."Recommended ResourcesFor more information about Michelle, Balance Shared, events, and projects, please visit www.michellelasley.com. Our producer is Matthew Hunter.

Introduction to EpisodeSudeshna Sen discusses what to focus on to both grow your career while also connecting with what is important in your life. We dive into common pitfalls in moving forward in your profession, ways of thinking of women in (or not in) the workforce, and how to forge your own path.Podcast Episode SummarySudeshna Sen is a a career strategist and productivity geek who talks about careers, business, and everything in between. She runs a website and blog called The Abundance Psyche where she hopes to help people move forward in their high end careers.She talks about it from the spiritual angle but also thinks about it from the practical side. How to show up as leaders in our world, find our own truths, and find where our alignment is at it's best.She also organizes the Rise Up Cohort who works to help promote women in financial services and give them a stage during their shows.Quotables"[People with high power jobs] always care about being judged by other people who are scared of being judged.""When you feel like you're in alignment, that shows. It has so much positive energy around it. It's infectious. Just like negative energy is infectious. "Recommended ResourcesFor more information about Sudeshna Sen go to The Abundance Psyche.For more information about Michelle, Balance Shared, events, and projects, please visit www.michellelasley.com. Our producer is Matthew Hunter.As mentioned in the episode: Episode with Tiffany Chapman

Introduction to EpisodeMarina "The Trader Chick" Villatoro talks about how she built confidence and how she wants to share that confidence in day trading for anyone interested.Podcast Episode SummaryMarina "The Trader Chick" Villatoro is an entrepreneur, Ted X organizer, travel writer, professional day trader, and mother. She teaches beginners how to day trade and build their confidence in this complicated environment. She does this with courses on how to understand the ins and outs, what to trade, and why a strategy is important.She also discusses her move from the USSR to the United States and how that shaped her role as a mother and provider. How that helped her realize the importance of inclusivity, education, and providing a better life for her kids.Quotables"Would you ever, one day, decide you are going to be a pilot, watch a couple of videos on YT, and [...] tell your family 'let's hop into the plane'. [...] That's suicide [...] That's what you're doing when you go into the live market with your money.""If we don't fail how will we ever, ever learn?"Recommended ResourcesFor more information about Marina Villatoro go to her site at The Trader Chick.The TedX Antigua Green School Event. More about the event.Facebook Live with Michelle Lasley and Marina Villatoro.For more information about Michelle, Balance Shared, events, and projects, please visit www.michellelasley.com. Our producer is Matthew Hunter.

Introduction to EpisodeCece Heart talk about building community and sharing hope in safeguarding our planet and becoming empowered, healthy, and happy denizens of our Earth.Podcast Episode SummaryCece Heart is an inspiration activator and health, wellness enthusiast, writer, and community catalyzer for a dynamic eco-tech company. She works to help others participate in safeguarding the planet with drinkable water, organic natural food, chemical-free breathable air, and empowered, happy, healthy people.The more she got involved in research and climate summits, the more she wanted to leave the planet better than she found it. She wants to help people down a healthy path in taking control of their surroundings with clarity and connection with getting in touch with nature.As a Community Catalyzer, she works with her company, SEEDS, to build community and change the old way of thinking about ecology and sustainability as it relates to the world of finance and business.Recommended ResourcesFor more information about Cece Heart and her work go to her website and blog.For more information about Michelle, Balance Shared, events, and projects, please visit www.michellelasley.com. Our producer is Matthew Hunter.

Introduction to EpisodeMotherhood, Differently with Irene McKenna. In this episode, we sit down with Irene McKenna who is a parenting coach and founder of Irene McKenna Coaching. She aims her message towards moms ready to experience empowered motherhood.Podcast Episode SummaryIrene McKenna is an empowerment coach for moms, founder Irene McKenna LLC, the Empowered Mom Project, and organizes the Facebook community Thrive Motherhood all while being a mom herself.She uses her experience to help mothers not lose themselves in their roles of "mom". Helping mothers learn how to use their unique experiences to be the best mom they can be. Pulling from personal experience as well as the wealth of information available and being forgiving to yourself when it doesn't turn out how those books promised it would.She stresses the importance of moms showing up for themselves to be present for their family the way they are needed. Establishing a belief that moms deserve to be supported and the importance of self-care as a path to building a different kind of motherhood than the one we've been taught.Quotables"The way we get to something different [in motherhood], competently, is a long drawn-out process of implementation [of gathered knowledge]""Stop focusing on the problems of what we don't have. We need to shift our mindset and outlook to what we desire in a way that we expect that it's inevitable if we do the work versus continuing to stand in the 'want want want' but seeing all the problems of why we don't get to have them.""When we believe and trust in ourselves we find the best way to get there for us."Recommended ResourcesFor more information about Irene McKenna go to Irene Mckenna Coaching, Thrive Motherhood Facebook community and her Thrive In Motherhood Podcast.For musings on motherhood, here are some writings from over the years.The Complicated Lives of Mothers and ChildrenSAHM to PSAHM to Not a SAHMThe Price of MotherhoodWrapping up the Price of MotherhoodFor more information about Michelle, Balance Shared, events, and projects, please visit www.michellelasley.com. Our producer is Matthew Hunter.

Introduction to EpisodeKaren Schopoff shows us how finding balance in all things is about creating boundaries, managing expectations, and recognizing and addressing stress.Podcast Episode SummaryKaren Schopoff Rooff is a health and fitness coach and nationally recognized public speaker, entrepreneur, wife, and mom of 3 kids. She is considered a Women's Wellness Warrior, founded Balance Personal Fitness, and runs the blog Well Balanced Women.We talk about creating balance between the most important aspects of our lives- from fitness to family to personal time. Using balance to even the load of our responsibility and level off the peaks and valleys. As well as setting boundaries and letting go of expectations to make sure we can free time for ourselves. We also touch on how modern life forces us out of sync with our physiology. How society's demands of delayed child rearing misaligns with hormonal changes in the body and how we can use those boundaries and managing expectations to address the "Life Laundry".Quotables"...if we don't have boundaries we are spending our lives... we're spending our energy, our vitality on what other people want.""One of the beautiful things of being human is we are all different. So, what I hate to do, someone else loves to do. If you can find that match, everybody wins."Recommended ResourcesFor more information about Karen Schopoff Rooff go to Well Balanced Women and Balance Physical Fitness Training.For more information about Michelle, Balance Shared, events, and projects, please visit www.michellelasley.com. Our producer is Matthew Hunter.

Introduction to EpisodeMisha Bartlett dives into strategies and outlooks to build success as a female business leader or sales professional.Podcast Episode SummaryMisha Bartlett is an entrepreneur, certified coach, and founder of Misha Tamiko. She's spent 12 years in B2B tech and working with startups. Her focus is working with female-founded startup businesses and female sales professionals. Specifically, breaking down blockers and reaching sales goals.We discuss a range of struggles in the world of business and sales including what success should look like, managing trigger points, perceiving value, harnessing your energy for positive outcomes, and keeping a sense of humanity in your outlook. We also touch on strategies for building a mindset for success in the face of uncertainty.Recommended ResourcesFor more information about Misha Bartlett and her sales coaching go to mishatamiko.com.For more information about Michelle, Balance Shared, events, and projects, please visit www.michellelasley.com. Our producer is Matthew Hunter.

Litha, Summer's Celebration. We have come off of May Day for those who ceremonially celebrate. Our school years have ended. We are now basking in the warmth of the sun, at least in the Northern Hemisphere. The grass is green. The promise of a harvest is on its way. It's summer! Celebrate the solstice by wearing pale yellow, blue, green, and/or white. Invite essentials such as Roman Chamomile, Lemon, Lavender, and Thyme into your diffuser. Consider rituals and prayers of gratitude and abundance.

Introduction to EpisodeKyira Wackett walks us through recognizing and naming trauma Informed Narrativesby referencing her own experiences and techniques.Podcast Episode SummaryKyira Wackett is a therapist and new (mother/parent). We talk about recognizing and naming trauma narratives and the shame-based thinking that comes with it. She frames this in her own experiences that include being a new mother in the middle of a pandemic.She discusses the effects of trauma on the body, the difference between big T and little t trauma, and techniques on being able to talk about, externalize, and make space for these traumas to begin the process of acceptance.Recommended ResourcesFor more information about Kyria Wackett and Adversity Rising go to adversityrising.com.For more information about Michelle, Balance Shared, events, and projects, please visit www.michellelasley.com. Our producer is Matthew Hunter.

Introduction to Episode Michelle Balge is helping people to help people. In this episode, we dig into 8 steps to great web design. Podcast Episode Summary Michelle Balge, of Worth It Designs, a purpose driven entrepreneur joins us to talk about her web design, and her love for animals. As a purpose driven entrepreneur, she loves working with other purpose driven entrepreneurs - helping people help people.  One part of her work has been getting out of her comfort zone and seeking outside help to continue to support her as she gets out of her comfort zone. She has an invitation to all of us to get out of our comfort zone so we can do our work.  At the time of this recording, she was going to do one Facebook Live, to get out of her comfort zone, and since, she’s completed just under a dozen! Quotables 8 Steps to Great Web Design Make sure your site loads in under 3 seconds.Design a clean experience.No clutter! Be intentional and keep it simple.Have enough white space. Avoid neon colors. Have your ideal client in mind. Use calls to action.Get a paid security plugin! Recommended Resources Visit Michelle Balge at her website: https://www.worthitdesigns.com Check out her Facebook Videos: https://www.facebook.com/worthitwebdesigns/videos/?ref=page_internal  Sessions Design College Color Wheel: https://www.sessions.edu/color-calculator/  For more information about Michelle, Balance Shared, events, and projects, please visit www.michellelasley.com.

Introduction to EpisodeMom of five, Kamini Wood, interrupted her perfectionism to live her authentic self. As a high achiever, she is called to help others live in their authenticity.Podcast Episode SummaryKaimini Wood, a coach and mom, residing in North Carolina, talked about all the way ways we can move towards living in our authentic self. Quotables“… [A\s we get older, we end up being very reactive, right? We're not coming from a generative place. And so I have said routinely, that awareness is the doorway to change. So when you finally become aware, I'm being reactive and not generative. That means that you're ready to step through that doorway of change.”“…I anchor myself in is that life is a journey that is happening for us, and not to us.”Recommended ResourcesFor more information about Michelle, Balance Shared, events, and projects, please visit www.michellelasley.com. SEO KeywordsKamini Wood, interrupted her perfectionism to live her authentic selfSEO DescriptionMom of five, Kamini Wood, interrupted her perfectionism to live her authentic self. As a high achiever, she is called to help others live in their authenticity.

Introduction to EpisodeDr. Alice Kerby teaches us that somatic simply means of the body, and she shares with us her journey to using the somatic experience to heal trauma.Podcast Episode SummarySo many aspects of our lives bring us out of the body and we can turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms. Dr. Alice Kerby works with sober and sober curious women to help them be in their body. Dr. Alice started as a massage therapist, then she became a doctor of physical therapy. Now, she is working on earning her Somatic Experiencing certification through SETI. In this episode, we discuss using the somatic experience to heal trauma. We discuss Bg T and little t trauma and how the body responds to it. We discuss a little about new brain research and how that has affected our knowing about how trauma lives in the body. And, later, Dr. Alice walks us through a guided technique to get back in the body.Quotables“I want to be moving.” [reflecting why the somatic path]“Looking through external things to make us feel better.” [on one way somatic experiences can support us in our journey]“I can walk around present in my body.” [a result of living the somatic experience]Trauma Tips - first have a practitioner to work with! Build your awarenessRecognize it’s hard to be the observer Learn to know when you do feel good in your body Recommended ResourcesSee Dr. Alice’s work at kerbymethodconsulting.com. Here’s the Facebook live we did last year https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1596804017144650. Here’s a link to Janine Wirth’s episode on Trauma: https://michellelasley.com/captivate-podcast/the-trauma-whisperer-janine-wirth-talks-about-trauma Find out more about Dr. Peter Levine here.Rick Hanson, Being Well (podcast) https://www.rickhanson.net/being-well-podcast/SEI Somatic Experiencing International: https://traumahealing.org Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, author of The Body Keeps Score, https://www.besselvanderkolk.com. For more information about Michelle, Balance Shared, events, and projects, please visit www.michellelasley.com.

Introduction to EpisodeThis is your sign to do your calling, invites Katie Thompson of Modern Darling Media. Do the thing you love, but do it in a smart way.Podcast Episode SummaryKatie Thompson is your marketing expert. She is also the one to look to when you want to start your next new thing. Katie believes that we can work towards harmony in life, rather than balance. She wants to take back the word hustle to mean flow in doing the things we love.Katie wants all of us to know that we have something on our hearts this is your sign to do your calling. And, she invites us to start now. QuotablesKatie’s tips on being your own boss and disturbing myths.Transition to being a boss takes a mindset shift.Set your boundaries so you serve yourself first then your clients.Bust the myth of the 8-hour workday, there are other ways to be productive.You are in charge of how you think, how you act.Go follow your dreams, but do it in a smart way. If it’s on your heart, just do it. Recommended ResourcesSee Katie on the web. Be sure to check out all the resources in her education tab, and don’t forget to visit her podcast, Hustlenomics.For more information about Michelle, Balance Shared, events, and projects, please visit www.michellelasley.com.

Introduction to EpisodeLiz Renee (Carlin) continuously works on debunking the stigma of CBD. In this podcast, we discuss many facets of CBD and why you’d want to use it.Podcast Episode SummaryLiz and I discuss our mutual desire to live a whole life - meaning, we turn to natural solutions first to solve any of the issues that come our way. Liz reminded me that there have been no home health laws since 1938. She shared that there are more than 12,000 chemicals that can be considered “fragrant”. She also reminded me that the European Union has banned over 1,300 of those chemicals, whereas the U.S. has only banned 30. QuotablesTips for moving to a wellness lifestyle: Be patient with the processStart with what you knowStart slowYour body needs to adjust Two main points for moving to CBDGet quality products Have patience and take the time to figure out the right doseRecommended ResourcesTed Talk https://youtu.be/nQzOHAwCfXsLizzy’s Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thrivingbynaturenow Lizzy’s Website: https://lizzyrenee.com Get Lizzie’s Book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/52-Tips-Using-Health-Wellness/dp/0997601876 For more information about Michelle, Balance Shared, events, and projects, please visit www.michellelasley.com.

Introduction to EpisodeLaura Rowe comes back to discuss ancestral medicine and systemic racism. We believe we have a responsibility to change the system and we discuss pieces of this change.Podcast Episode SummaryLaura and I discuss systemic racism as two white-presenting cis-gendered women. We see a space where we can be quiet, where we can learn, and we pick apart different places where we can elevate and change our society. Quotables“What hurts one of us hurts all of us.”What’s the ‘right’ question? “How can we help you?”Five steps to healing ancestral wounds:Older generations let go. Younger generations tell us what they see.Stop talking and listen. Investigate your bias. Heal.Speak out and use your power.Recommended ResourcesSee Laura on the web: http://thevitalspirit.net/. Laura’s piece on ancestral healing: https://thevitalspirit.net/2014/09/22/ancestral-healing-emotional-inheritance/. Laura’s grounding and clearing meditation tools: https://thevitalspirit.net/the-tools/. Laura’s first episode where we discuss what an empath is, season 1Laura’s second episode where we discuss the shadow side of the law of attraction, season 2 Caliban and the Witch Your Grandmother’s HandsGeorge Floyd Blog Post Vanessa Couto’s website and podcast episodes in season one and season two. For more information about Michelle, Balance Shared, events, and projects, please visit www.michellelasley.com.

Introduction to EpisodeBeltaine, the third fertility festival, and the Sabbat that ends the Time of Dawning and welcomes the Time of Light. Let's make an intentional change this Beltaine.Podcast Episode SummaryLet’s make an intentional change this Beltaine. In this episode, I reflect on what Beltaine has meant and then I invite us to consider what it can mean for us as we move towards a future with changing climates.I did not review the story of the God and the Goddess, but for you, dear reader/listener, this is the time where the Maiden becomes Mother, and the god grows. You can see these changes in our seasons as well, where we are in spring fever, planting our gardens or watching nature bloom and grow up around us. Blossoms are shedding and becoming leaves, summer is rapidly approaching. We are aging in our year.A note on climate change. In this episode, I reflect on how fire season has started earlier than before. Our fire seasons have extended beyond just California and now last nearly the entire summer. Communities are in danger. Our ecosystems are in danger. It is up to us to co-create a future that works for all of us. So, this Beltaine, in this last fertility festival, let us work towards bringing seeds and new ideas of how we can co-create a future that will work for all of us.Recommended ResourcesLearish, Jessica. “What Is A Maypole? A History Of The Fertility Rite.” Bustle, May 1, 2016. https://www.bustle.com/articles/157383-what-is-a-maypole-and-how-is-it-used-a-brief-history-of-this-pagan-fertility.Starhawk, Diane Baker, and Anne Hill. Circle Round: Raising Children in Goddess Traditions. New York, NY: Bantam Books, 1998.Wigington, Patti. “A Brief History of the Maypole Dance.” Learn Religions, June 25, 2019. https://www.learnreligions.com/history-of-the-maypole-2561629.For more information about Michelle, Balance Shared, events, and projects, please visit www.michellelasley.com.

Introduction to EpisodeSuzanne Carpenter shares her story of overcoming the shame monster of emotional eating, and now she teaches you to do the same thing.Podcast Episode SummaryMichigan State University graduate, Suzanne Carpenter, joined me so we could discuss food. Suzanne shares her story of emotional eating and with an eating disorder, through her moment of change, and now on the other side where she teaches people how to have a healthy relationship with the food on their plate.Suzanne shares snippets of how “outrunning the fork” doesn’t usually work, and it’s not a sustainable strategy. She breaks down that exercise is not weight loss, rather a key to health living. But, what we really need? We need to eat in the proportions that work for us.TipsYou have to want to changeUnderstand protein, fat, and fiberUnderstand your pattern of eatingUnderstand the difference between physical hunger and emotional hungerDrink 3L of water per dayToday is a great day to startRecommended ResourcesVisit Sur at her website or her Facebook Group. On her website, you’ll find access to her SOS text messages, her fiber list, and so much more.For more information about Michelle, Balance Shared, events, and projects, please visit www.michellelasley.com.

Introduction to EpisodeLa-Dana Manhertz will make stress work for you. In this episode we dial into how stress affects the body AND how to get your control back.Podcast Episode SummaryLa-Dana and I talked for quite awhile about how stress looks, what you get when you work with La-Dana, and how stress really affects the body. La-Dana shares her steady wealth of knowledge of how the body works, how the stress hormones affect our bodies and decision making, and she shares tangible steps on how we can take back control of these situations, so we can make stress work for us. Two important tips La-Dana brought to our conversation are: See and affirm your work Focus on on why you are doing something, not the howShe brings all her wisdom, especially as she walks with and through her own motherhood journey as she found her passion in helping other women get control of their stressful days. Take a listen and truly learn to Let It Go (like Elsa says). Quotables“Stress builds up one activity at a time.” “If you make decision in survival mode, you will make rash decisions.”Recommended ResourcesFor more information about Michelle, Balance Shared, events, and projects, please visit www.michellelasley.com.

Introduction to EpisodeYael Rosenstock Gonzalez teaches about sex, reproductive rights, and sexual pleasure. She wants a world full of sex positive relationships. Living her polyamorous, queer life, and also holding many other identities, she is uniquely poised to hold a safe space for these stories. Here is a little bit of hers. Podcast Episode SummaryYael wants a world where we don’t have sexual violence. The under-reported number is that one in four or one in five women have experienced sexual assault. After finding a drive to teach on reproductive rights, after having experienced sexual trauma, Yael moved to wanting to help heal people through the trauma and eventually to sexual pleasure.In this episode, she shares her story about living life as a polyamorous queer cis-gendered woman. Ultimately, she shares a story of how love is the one thing that can tie us all together and help us to break down these barriers we have created. In one vein, her travels to find her polyamorous identity that broke open another vein of holding a safe and accepting space for everyone. She has a vision of a world where there is no sexual violence and no shaming, where we all experience a full body-positive experience. Though, we have a lot of work to do. So, sharing and hearing stories different from our own is one way that we get there.Quotables[From Yael’s website under Sex Coaching] “Communication, boundary setting, sex education, and pleasure are rarely talked about in a useful way in schools and parents often don't have the resources they need to have these conversations. As we get older, it feels harder and harder to figure out skills and values that we missed out on as kids.”[On one thing that can get us to open up about other people’s stories] “Tell me more…”Recommended ResourcesSee Yael’s work online, https://www.yaelrosenstock.com.Check out her book, An Intro-Guide to a Sex Positive You: Lessons, Tales, and Tips, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43607130-an-intro-guide-to-a-sex-positive-you.Visit Yael on Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/yaelthesexgeek/.For publishing and the Diverse Bodies Project visit https://www.instagram.com/yaelthesexgeek/. OPB Think Out Loud, February 2, 2015, “At Home with Two Polyamorous Couples,” https://youtu.be/F9SkZ1TBJNE For more information about Michelle, Balance Shared, events, and projects, please visit www.michellelasley.com.

Introduction to EpisodeMichelle Valenzuela learned how manifesting magic worked at a very young age. Learn how she integrates simple magic with every day.Podcast Episode SummaryMichelle Valenzuela developed her people managing philosophies while working in retail for nearly twenty years. Michelle developed her love of magic from her family. In both, she inherently sees the overlap of showing up with compassion, vulnerability, hard work, and trusting your intuition. She believes that when you focus on what you want, when you bring positive intention, and when you commit to action, you can manifest whatever you want. Michelle shares whimsical and serious stories of how she got to where she is. Her wisdom of how to be in touch with yourself and use the tools around you, is just magic. She shares her love of astrology, crystals, and moon energy in this episode. Recommended ResourcesVisit Michelle on Instagram, Facebook, Snap Chat, and Pinterest. Join Michelle and Michelle at our full and new moon circles. Visit us each, every Monday, on both Instagram and Facebook (at our respective pages) to get our weekly guides for Moon Magick.For more information about Michelle, Balance Shared, events, and projects, please visit www.michellelasley.com.