The Chasing Joy Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 47 - Balancing Functional Nutrition With Western Medicine, Katie’s Empowering View on Body Image and Finding Sanity and Self-care in Busy Seasons with Katie Lemons Jan 02, 2018

Show notes

Balancing functional nutrition with western medicine, Katie’s empowering view on body image and finding sanity and self-care in busy seasons with Katie Lemons

Katie has her masters in functional medicine nutrition and is currently in PA school. She’s got a super popular instagram page @twist_of_lemons where she shares creative recipes, valuable knowledge about functional nutrition all with her puntastic sense of humor.

We talk about:

Katie’s education and career path
Why she chose to go to PA school and master in nutrition
How to keep going when life (ie school) gets really tough
How to find inspiration and motivation
How to go through hard things with grit
Why it’s so important to take care of yourself even when you’re busy
Redefining balance and self-care in really busy seasons of life
How Katie’s views of nutrition have evolved
How Katie makes food choices balancing her intuition and knowledge of nutrition
Katie’s thoughts on wellness trends
Why self-care is not one size fits all
We talk body image and how to shift focus away from your body

Join the Joy Squad on Facebook

Connect with Katie

On instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/twist_of_lemons/

On her blog:

http://twistoflemons.com/

Her FAQs (more information on her education and career path)

http://twistoflemons.com/frequently-asked-questions/

For Full Show Notes Visit:

http://init4thelongrun.com

Ep. 46 - Reflections and Lessons Learned in 2017 and Intentions for the New Year [Solo Episode] Dec 19, 2017

Show notes

On today’s episode I’m reflecting on the biggest lessons I learned in 2017, this year’s struggles and wins and my intentions for 2018.

Part 1:

My yearly angel card ritual & thoughts on my cards for 2017

Learn about angel cards and make your own here

Buy my favorite cards: Affirmators

Part: 2

My biggest Struggles & Wins for 2017

Struggles

Feeling Lost in London
Not feeling enough in my business
Not being present or setting up boundaries

Wins

Getting Engaged
Working for myself
Rediscovering Nantucket

Part 3:

Lessons Learned in 2017

Alignment before action

Listen: the Lively Show

Honesty & People Pleasing
Eating Intuitively
You are not your thoughts - but you can choose the thoughts that create your reality
You can’t grow in a vacuum

Part 4:

My intentions for 2018

1.) Attract abundance into my business and my life

2.) Grow and attract people to this community who I can help serve and celebrate this amazing life together

3.) Continue to show up fully in my relationships

4.) Surround myself with amazing women who support my growth and make me laugh - and do the same for them in return

5.) Listen to my body’s innate wisdom and continue to practice wellness intuitively

6.) Practice and harness creativity outside of work and do more things just for fun

Join the Joy Squad on Facebook

Connect on Instagram

Email me: georgie@init4thelongrun.com

For full show notes: ini4thelongrun.com

Ep. 45 - The Power of Being Present, Showing Up in Relationships & Why Self-Love Can Be Tough Love with Marian Mellen Dec 12, 2017

Show notes

This episode is like that deep soul filled conversation you have with a close friend, except Marian and I had never met. We dive right into so many amazing rich topics about personal growth and relationships. I will warn you there is some deep stuff in here. I really loved this episode because I actually only asked 2 of my prepared questions and the rest of the time we just riffed and dove deeper.

I loved where this conversation went and for anyone who is passionate about showing up as the full version of themselves, I know you’ll love it too! This is a good one to listen to after you’ve done some yoga or are on a long walk or chillin’ sipping a glass of wine (or coffee, or kombucha or tea). In fact, after we got off of the call I thought to myself that Marian is like a warm herbal tea for your soul. I don’t even really know what that means but it definitely felt real!

On this Episode We Talk About:

How Marian starts her morning
What do you do when you’re under a deadline but want to honor your body when it’s stressed
How Marian got started with meditation and how she reframed it to just “breathing”
Being still and what meditation is and isn’t
What it means to surrender in this moment without the preference on the moment - allowing versus struggling
Can I surrender to a moment without labeling the pain as something good or bad?
How we can’t really be happy until we embrace pain without judgment of it
How our culture has put happiness on a pedestal (and it makes us miserable)
Appreciating what each kind of emotion provides in our life
Control - why it’s an illusion
How we can treat ourselves and others to the best of our ability, without overcompensating and trying to control an outcome
Expectations - how they create a false reality in the future and block us from accepting and embracing what is
Why sometimes self-love has to be tough love
How relationships can be mirrors for our own “stuff”
Ask “why am I trying to resist this?”
Why self-love can be compassionate and disciplined at the same time
Necessary discomfort and why it can be a good thing - there’s magic on the other side of most discomfort
Small talk versus deep talk - how to make small talk meaningful
Navigating how to handle what other people think of you
Sharing your story versus the stories you’re a part of - how do we share our relationships online
We discuss how we’re working on people pleasing

Connect with Marian

On instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marian.mellen/

On her website: https://www.marian-mellen.com/

Resources:

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck

For Full Show Notes Visit: http://init4thelongrun.com

Ep. 44 - Tackling Winter Wellness, Navigating the Holidays & What it Means to Be Real Online with Dana Harrison Dec 05, 2017

Show notes

Dana is someone I’ve always really admired online. In a saturated health and nutrition space, she’s a breath of fresh air. She combines practical nutrition knowledge with a dose of YOU DO YOU attitude. I wanted to dive into the topics of being well in the winter and Dana totally delivered. I especially loved our conversation around creating a positive mindset in this season versus just trying to get through it. (aka my strategy in the past.) Dana is kind, honest and practical with her tools and knowledge.

We Talk About:

How Dana got to the work she’s doing now - designing education plans for fire departments
How Dana connected with the firefighting community
How Dana feels about the latest wellness trends
Why Dana loves working with people one on one versus blanket plans for everyone
Thinking about exercise from a community and mental health perspective
How to tap into your own version of health
Paying attention to your body when you’re learning what works for you - using journaling as a tool for that
How to enjoy the holidays without major food anxiety
Being mindful around the holidays with food, stress and actually just enjoying yourself
Starting small then listening to your hunger and go back for seconds if you want more at big meals
Why it takes a while to learn to listen to your internal cues and that’s ok
Remember what you’re celebrating - think about things outside of the food to shift your focus
How to recover the next day from overeating
Focus on adding more nutrient dense foods versus removing foods
How to navigate the stressful parts of the holidays
Appreciating small wins and picking your battles
How to stay active and positive in the cold dark winter months
Get outside and associate joy with the winter weather versus mentally block
Changing your mindset about winter
Winter wellness - how to build up immunity and fight colds
-essential oils, bone broth, rest, botanical steam
Online realness - how Dana defines being real
“I always want to be the same person outside of my phone as I am on my phone”
Food comparison on instagram
When it’s time to take breaks

Connect with Dana

On instagram
On her website

For full show notes visit: inti4thelongrun.com

Ep. 43 - Rejecting Extremes, Finding Magic in the Grey Area of Health and Practicing Patience on the Healing Journey with Meg Dixon Nov 28, 2017

Show notes

Rejecting Extremes, Finding Magic in the Grey Area of Health and Practicing Patience on the Healing Journey with Meg Dixon

Meg is a registered dietitian who works with women healing their gut, balancing hormones and recovering from disordered eating. She believes in the magic of living and eating intuitively. On this episode we dive into so many topics including why health doesn’t have to be your full time job, how to practice wellness without obsession, why there’s so much more to food than calories and labels and why patience and grace is key to healing.

We Talk About:

How Meg became a registered dietitian & how she started her private practice with her friend and business partner Victoria
How they found their niche based on their experience and serendipity
How hormone health, eating disorder recovery and gut health are so intertwined
How to develop your own wellness with living life in mind
Why wellness is so much more than food
How do we pursue wellness with out obsessive behaviors or extremes
How do you start with wellness without that obsessive mindset
Why she wishes she could tell herself that “Being skinny does not equal healthy”
Meg encourages us to challenge expectations of yourself
Why so much of wellness is about being yourself
The value of living in the grey area
Why calories aren’t evil and they aren’t just a math equation
How do we promote a balanced approach to wellness without extremes
How do we get people in the happy grey area of wellness
Food should not be an extension of your morality
Eat based on how it makes your body feel not whether it’s a good or bad food
How binging or restricting is a maladaptive form of coping and how we can handle those emotions without abusing food
Why intuitive eating isn’t accessible right away to everyone and how to get there
Patience is an ultimate healing
Grace and patience is the foundation for healing
You don’t have to have it all together every day
Why you can enjoy your life WHILE you improve your health - it’s not one or the other

Resources

Nourishing Women Podcast https://www.nourishingmindsnutrition.com/podcast/

Intuitive Living Ebook https://www.nourishingmindsnutrition.com/ebook/

Nourishing Minds Nutrition Practice https://www.nourishingmindsnutrition.com/

Connect with Meg

On instagram https://www.instagram.com/meg.c.dixon/

On her blog https://www.rootforfood.net/

For full show notes visit: init4thelongrun.com

Ep. 42 - Finding Positivity in Grief, Keeping it Real Online & the Power of Music with Addie Martanovic Nov 21, 2017

Show notes

Addie (aka @chickpeainthecity) is a health and wellness blogger who’s known for her epic spotify playlists, drinking oat milk cappuccinos and finding great joy in small things. We talked about what’s over hyped and whats worth the hype in the wellness world, how she’s navigating the loss of her mother and aunt and how music and group fitness has helped shift Addie’s perspective on health.

We Talk About:

Learning in school versus the real world when it comes to business
Addies thoughts on food and wellness trends
Keeping it real in the wellness world - which products you don’t need to buy
Keeping it real on IG and in real life
Worth the hype: for food - collagen // for wellness - music
Addies experience with grief and loss of her mom
Why Addie took time to share her difficult news
The perspective change she made after her mom and aunt’s death
Addies tips for how to talk to someone who is grieving
The power of appreciating small things
“if there are people in your life who couldn’t continue to live, you have to live for them”
How Addie’s approach to fitness and movement have changed over the years
How group fitness has helped given Addie more positive relationship with working out
Why Addie focuses on having fun while working out
Why Addie’s ok talking about not feeling 100% about her body all the time
Addie’s favorite part of living in Chicago
Addie’s tips for dealing with dark winter weather
Adjusting to a 9-5 after having a flexible college schedule

Connect with Addie

On instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chickpeainthecity/
On her blog: http://chickpeainthecity.org/
On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/125085830/playlist/7rIxr1ButaxpEgKvLykWyH?si=0KM4IsfzR92mQQjbaqZIIA

For Full Show Notes Visit: http://init4thelongrun.com

Ep. 41 - How to Feel Good In a World of Bad News, Self Awareness & Fostering Conscious Optimism with Branden Harvey Nov 14, 2017

Show notes

How to Feel Good In a World of Bad News, Self Awareness & Fostering Conscious Optimism

If you've felt overwhelmed, frustrated, scared or depressed because of all the seemly endless bad news, this episode is for you. I'm talking with Branden Harvey humanitarian photographer and founder of Good Good Good about how to counteract cynicism. Branden was always a positive kid, but the more he traveled the more tragedy and injustice he was witness to. This led him to feel cynical, hopeless and powerless. Since then he's reclaimed his positivity and optimism with a twist of consciousness and reality. We talk about how it all starts with self-awareness and as we grow as people we can also grow as world citizens. This conversation touches on so many important, powerful and fascinating topics. It's a must listen and maybe one of my favorite episodes to date!

We Talk About:

Good Good Good - Branden’s company - how he got started

Celebrating good and then acting on it

Why Branden believes in “looking for the helpers”

Why they wanted to start a newspaper in 2017 - to inspire action in a less crowded space

How do you become a helper in a way that’s meaningful in your own life

Start to help where you have skill and passion

How Branden uses storytelling and photography for good

Why it’s ok to start without knowing all the steps along the way

The “how” of your goals and dreams isn’t always obvious

Why most things are not actually about you (and that’s a good thing)

The power and importance of self-awareness

Curiosity versus judgment… “isn’t that interesting”

Optimism - the difference between blind optimism and choosing optimism while accepting negativity

How to be happy when there’s tragedy in the world

Holding space for other people’s experience without feeling that pain ourselves

Balancing empathy with self-care

Why it’s important to allow people to be upset and not try to fix things right away

Why most news fosters cynicism

Humans have an internal negativity bias

How to consume news more mindfully - “if news is news it will still be relevant in a week”

How to have constructive conversations with people you don’t agree with

How to have hard conversations with your family and peers

It’s not the oppressor's job to educate people of privilege about how they’re being oppressed

The “me too” conversation

Join the Private Facebook Group

The Joy Squad: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thejoysquad/

Connect with Branden:

website: http://www.brandenharvey.com/

instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandenharvey/

podcast: https://www.goodgoodgood.co/soundsgood

good newspaper: https://www.goodgoodgood.co/goodnewspaper

For Full Show Notes Visit:

http://init4thelongrun.com

Connect with Me (Georgie)

on Instagram: http://instagram.com/init4thelongrunblog

Ep. 40 - Tuning Out Diet Culture, Intuitive Eating During the Holidays & Adjusting to Big Life Transitions - Q&A Episode Nov 07, 2017

Show notes

Today marks 40 episodes of the Chasing Joy Podcast. Every 10th episode is a Q&A. Thank you to everyone who asked amazing deep, thoughtful questions.

This is a very special episode for me because I had my fiancé Chris ask the questions. He also shares his thoughts on many of the questions too. Selfishly I loved it because I love Chris and it was a blast to do this together. I also think he brings a really unique perspective. Chris is incredibly thoughtful and wise. He’s a little older than me and definitely doesn’t have attachment to social media like I do. He’s an intuitive eater without even having to try while also having tons of really healthy habits. We answer questions about adulating, mindset, relationships, body image, work and photography.

A note about the answers - these are all answers from my perspective and without full context on your life. When it comes to advice I always tell folks you have to listen to your gut first and foremost. I hope this will give you food for thought or things that you might want to try. If the advice and thoughts I share do not resonate with you, and they just don’t jive, that’s totally ok.

Questions Asked:

Girl how did you get your hair like that! Is it washing out?
What kind of music do (and Chris) you listen to?
How do you like living in on Nantucket? Do you ever miss the city?
How much coffee is too much coffee? But seriously.
Also any thoughts or experienced on "high fat" coffee or collagen in coffee?
I recently graduated from college and I’m living at home right now. Obviously I can’t live at home forever but I get so anxious when I think about moving to a new city. Not only adjusting to a new city, but also adjusting my first full time job. How can I possibly handle all of that at once?
How do you deal with the loneliness that comes in the seasons of life when there are less people in your circle?
How did you choose your first job after graduation? I'm a senior with a couple job options, but don't know what would make me happiest.
I’m curious to know what it was like transitioning from your 9-5 , so called “perfect” job to your coffee shop life? How did you manage the pay cut and the outside judging and the fear of the unknown?
How to you get one thought out of your head? I’ve tried so much advice but can never seem to stop obsessing over x one day or y the next.
I wonder sometimes if I’m just being lazy for wanting to take it easy when I’m feeling stressed/depressed/anxious. Should I push through it and make myself do what is uncomfortable?
How do you organize your time when you work from home and/or work for yourself?
What camera/editing do you use?
How do you get started on a side photography business with the hopes of turning it into a full time job?
I always struggle with taking photos in public, I feel like I will be judged if I take a picture of my food or a selfie in gym. How would you go around that? Does anyone else feel like that?
Quick things to do when you don't have a ton of time or start/finish a task, but want to do something somewhat productive. For example I have 15 minutes at home before I need to leave for an appointment - what can I do instead of scrolling through my phone?
Do you have any recommendations for practical daily tips for recovery for someone who is struggling with the restrictive eating/binge eating cycle who is already in therapy?
Tips about being in a relationship with a gym junkie, diet focused person when you are trying to recover from an eating disorder?
I'm in the middle of getting over an eating disorder/restrictive eating. I am working on being comfortable around all foods, but I feel like diet culture/"clean eating" talk is all around me. Do you have any advice for how to deal with hearing people talk about their weight, their food, etc.?
How do I get away from what all the health bloggers say and instead be in tune with myself and give into what my body wants/craves versus what I “should eat”
Do you have any tips or experience connecting the information we’ve learned from the wellness community to actionable steps?
Vegetarian/pescatarian dinner ideas that you and your fiancé make together!! I'm always looking for veg/pesce friendly recipes that are good for cooking with my boyfriend!
I would love to know how you approach holidays and parties. I always find myself saying “whatever it’s vacation” but then feeling pretty gross after from all the unhealthy choices I made. How do you navigate those situations in an “intuitive” way without ending up feeling like you overdid it?
Do you have any advice about coping with dating and body image issues/residual food shame and disordered eating thoughts?
Also for both you and Chris - what ways do you help foster each other’s wellness? (Without being naggy)
I live with my boyfriend (also his name is Chris!) and we’ve really been aware recently when we aren’t on the same energy or joy level. How do you and your Chris acknowledge and adjust when one has more energy when the other is feeling like sitting on the couch? And also when one is feeling more joyful or happy than the other when living so close together in the same space?

Resources Mentioned

Canon 5D Mark iii Camera

Get started with meditation

For Full Show Notes Visit:

http://init4thelongrun.com

Ep. 39 - Why True Wellness Is Really a Choose Your Own Adventure with Kate Van Horn Oct 31, 2017

Show notes

Kate was my first podcast guest back in February and I brought her back today to talk about community in the wellness world (and so much more.) I love this conversation because Kate shares so many well articulated insights. We talk about the wellness trends we’re just not that into and why that’s totally fine. The overall theme was definitely that wellness practices are meant to be a tool, not a strict regime. The GOODfest will be in LA this coming February and I’m so excited to attend. You can get $10 off your ticket price using the code “CHASINGJOY10”

On this Episode We Talk About:

Story/Goodfest
How to make the most out of your schedule - tapping into your different energy throughout the day
How slowing down helps you make better more clear decisions
What it was like to see the GOODfest come to life
Why the speakers helped cultivate a uniquely body positive event
Ups and down from planning a large day long event
GOODfest LA - why the GOOD fest believes in accessibility
Why wellness is “choose your own adventure” not following every Guru’s life plan
Why it’s ok to not love a trend
Why it’s important to be honest about why you’re following certain practices and trends
The wellness ritual Kate is practicing and why it’s working for her now
Why exercise breaks can help you love and appreciate moving your body even more
Why it’s a-ok to take breaks from wellness habits that don’t serve you
How to be social and enjoy it as an introvert - balancing fostering community out and taking care of yourself
Being honest with new friends about how you communicate starting out
Realness on Instagram
How to consume social media more mindfully
How to post and share more mindfully
Why you don’t need to be an expert to help and serve
Why social media serves best when it’s about creating community versus a source for detailed expertise

The GOODfest

Info about the GOODfest

Buy tickets here

Use code CHASINGJOY10 for $10 off your ticket

Connect with Kate

on Instagram

on her blog

For Full Show Notes Visit: http://init4thelongrun.com

Ep. 38 - Clean Beauty 101 with the Founder of Follain Tara Foley Oct 24, 2017

Show notes

This week I’m talking with Follain’s founder and CEO, Tara Foley. I had the pleasure of meeting Tara this past summer at Follain and she is so kind, smart, humble and easy to talk to. I was so thrilled when she agreed to be on the show. Follain is a leader in the clean beauty movement creating a curated store of clean beauty products that really work. Not only that but the staff are welcoming, and so so knowledgable.

On this Episode We Talk About:

x Tara’s background and how she got started with Follain

x Why Follain curates brands versus producing their own products

x There was a whole in the market for a curated clean beauty brand

x Why the natural skincare and beauty business is building momentum as result of the healthy food movement

x What green washing in the beauty industry means

x Building trust with brands is important - talk with owners, employees

x Why we should be suspicious about mainstream brands promoting being sulfate free (because they sometimes replace them with worse chemicals

x It’s best to support brands who build clean products from the ground up

x We discuss the regulations that exist is the US right now (last change was in 1938)

x Why it’s important to vote with your dollar and your ballot

x Follain’s process for choosing new products to sell