It Has to Be Me

Are you sitting on a story you have to tell? Jess Taylor, editor and former literary agent, spills the tea about what makes compelling writing, and why people will be drawn to your unique voice.  Starting with Jess’s early love of stories, he recalls how at age 6 he broke his leg, and books became an escape and imagination a survival tool. Reading with his mother and watching classic movies at the revival house where he worked fueled a passion for analyzing how stories come together.  But, the academic approach to literature he found at Harvard and Columbia wasn’t as much fun as reading manuscripts for studios and agencies. Working with writers was even more rewarding, so Jess became an agent. Developing and selling material over ten years at Curtis Brown in New York and Endeavor in LA, he found his calling as an editor.  Together, we explore crafting narrative, developing plot and character, relishing language, and leveraging our curiosity. Jess brings in “incidentation”—a concept he learned from a great TV writer—and why sometimes “telling” over “showing” is the way to go. Then walks us through how to live in a story so it's real to you, to get to the place where your characters make choices before you do. That's how your story takes on its own internal drive.   You’ll hear about the power of the zero draft (just talk it out!), the best way to test-drive your ideas, when it’s time to work with an editor and how to find the right one, and the evolving role of AI in the writing process. The key takeaway: Have fun realizing your story. What's not fun to write isn't fun to read.    TESS’S TAKEAWAYS: Begin by beginning. You can only understand your story fully by writing it.   The art of storytelling is deciding what to include and what to omit. Great stories are not about words and themes, they’re about experiences.  Writing is a process of successive approximations. Trust your instincts, but verify. The match between story and storyteller is essential. That's how you test your story.  Character and plot develop together when people act and reveal who they are. Cast your characters and imagine the dialogue performed to construct your world.  Finding your voice is an experimental process. Writing can be learned, but not taught.   ABOUT JESS TAYLOR Jess Taylor is an editor collaborating with novelists, biographers, memoirists, screenwriters, and journalists.  After graduating from Harvard, Jess got a masters in English and Comparative Lit at Columbia, then launched into a PhD. Academia and narrative studies wasn’t about the nuts and bolts of storytelling, so he shifted to a career as a literary agent, at Curtis Brown, Ltd. in New York, and then at Endeavor in Los Angeles.    Representing writers for publishing, film and TV, he focused on working with clients in the development of their projects. Bookending his ten-year run were Peter Hedges’s What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and Rex Pickett’s Sideways, and the movie adaptations of those first novels.   Since making the move to independent editing, he’s worked closely with fiction and non-fiction writers from Gregg Hurwitz and Nicole Galland to Nancy Stout, Cyrus Copeland, and Tess Masters.  CONNECT WITH JESS Website: https://www.revizion.net/ LinkedIn:

This year, avoid the holiday bloat, food coma, and weight gain—without depriving yourself. Enjoy your favorite festive foods and stay on track with your health goals using some basic strategies.  I’ll walk you through how to prepare for the holiday season, planning ahead for catered events, what to do at parties, how to order at restaurants, best practices for travel, and tricks for entertaining with the healthy recipes that are always a hit.  We’ll also cover the 80/20 approach—the best way to eat during the holidays. Then, the number-one way to prevent blood sugar spikes and crashes, foods and supplements to keep on hand, what to do after meals. and the fastest way to recover when you’ve overdone it. The key takeaways: Stop stressing about what’s on your plate, go with your gut, and find a balance of self-care and fun.   TESS’S TAKEAWAYS: Your secret weapon for avoiding the holiday food hangover: Better gut health.  Offset holiday treats with vegetables, fermented foods, and lots of water.  Show up to holiday parties with a flexible mindset having eaten something. To minimize gas, bloating, and feeling stuffed: Eat until you’re satisfied, not full.  Take in healthy fats and protein with carbs to avoid blood sugar spikes and crashes.  Support better body balance with probiotics, enzymes, glutamine, and magnesium.  After a meal, go for a walk to aid digestion and burn off some calories. Celebrate the holidays as a data-gathering mission, not a pass/fail test.  MEET TESS MASTERS:   Tess Masters is an actor, presenter, health coach, cook, and author of The Blender Girl, The Blender Girl Smoothies, and The Perfect Blend, published by Penguin Random House. She is also the creator of the Skinny60® health programs.       Health tips and recipes by Tess have been featured in the LA Times, Washington Post, InStyle, Prevention, Shape, Glamour, Real Simple, Yoga Journal, Yahoo Health, Hallmark Channel, The Today Show, and many others.    Tess’s magnetic personality, infectious enthusiasm, and down-to-earth approach have made her a go-to personality for people of all dietary stripes who share her conviction that healthy living can be easy and fun. Get delicious recipes at TheBlenderGirl.com.     CONNECT WITH TESS:  Website:  https://tessmasters.com/     Podcast:  https://ithastobeme.com/      Health Programs: https://www.skinny60.com/  Delicious Recipes: https://www.theblendergirl.com/  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/theblendergirl/     Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/theblendergirl/     YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/user/theblendergirl    LinkedIn: ...

Life coach and business mentor Amanda Leigh Walker gives us the lowdown on  Human Design. We then get into how this self-awareness tool can help us celebrate our natural energy and desires, and stop fighting who we are and what we want simply to please others.  We track Amanda’s journey from studying filmmaking in Canada, to teaching English in Taiwan, to meeting her Aussie husband and moving to Australia. Committed and creative vegetarians, they founded Lord Of The Fries. Their humble plant-based food truck grew into a national restaurant franchise.  On that wave of success, Amanda began strategizing for other female entrepreneurs. When covid hit, putting the restaurant business in turmoil, she left the food business. At the same time, her marriage ended. Leaning into self-care and spiritual practices to navigate these changes, she made coaching her vocation. Human Design helped Amanda lead from alignment instead of conditioning, and she began using the system with her clients.   She unpacks what Human Design is, and how we can leverage our strengths, use our energy more efficiently, make clearer decisions, and attract people and opportunities that are the right fit. Amanda gives experience-based examples of how Human Design supports more ease and flow in our relationships, and better parenting.   To wrap up, Amanda does a basic reading of my Human Design. Her insights were bang on, and raised questions that will be provocative for you.  TESS’S TAKEAWAYS Human Design reveals your energetic blueprint and how you make decisions. Human Design combines astrology, the I Ching, Kabbalah, and Chakras.  Like fingerprints, no two Human Design charts are the same. Human Design can help us stop fighting our nature and work with it.   Burnout happens when we say yes to what’s not aligned.  Intuition is a muscle, and Human Design is a map that helps strengthen it.  Celebrating your nature helps you see blocks and make clearer choices. Understanding our design and that of others creates more ease in relationships.  MEET AMANDA Amanda Leigh Walker uses Human Design in her work as a life coach and business mentor. She has developed signature frameworks—Decode & Design™, The Success Map, and The Heart Sanctuary to guide women and entrepreneurs.  Co-founder of the plant-based Australian restaurant chain Lord Of The Fries, Amanda spent two decades building an iconic fast-food franchise.   Combining practical strategies with intuitive energy work, Amanda mentors others to create conscious lives and businesses, for growth and purpose, in alignment with who they are. CONNECT WITH AMANDA Website: https://www.amandaleighwalker.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanda.leigh.walker/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-leigh-walker-73305613/ MEET TESS MASTERS:   Tess Masters is an actor, presenter, health coach, cook, and author of The Blender Girl, The Blender Girl Smoothies, and The Perfect Blend, published by Penguin Random House. She is also the creator of the Skinny60® health programs.       Health tips and recipes by Tess have been featured in the LA Times, Washington Post, InStyle, Prevention, Shape,...

Are you sharing your superpowers? Or exiling huge parts of yourself to please others? Amy Stanton, PR trailblazer and author of The Feminine Revolution, insists that our greatest assets are the qualities we’ve been told to hide.  Growing up as the responsible first child in a values-driven family, Amy felt she had to be “the good girl,” and spent her childhood perpetually stressed. Destined to follow in the footsteps of her entrepreneurial grandfather, she was making and selling hair barrettes before she was 10, dreaming of building companies, and chalking up the next achievement.   We track Amy’s career trajectory, from working in advertising, to running communications for New York City’s Olympic bid, and serving as Chief Marketing Officer for Martha Stewart. Then, changing the game for women’s sports agents, and on to launching her company to promote positive female role models and change makers.  Through it all, she struggled to balance the badass boss persona with the sensitivity, vulnerability, and other “soft traits” she prized in her personal life. Figuring out how to make these qualities strengths, not liabilities, Amy incorporated them into her leadership style, approach to business, and core company values. Walking us through how to leverage other feminine qualities that are conventionally dismissed as weaknesses, she shares her check-in questions and secret weapon for decision making, the mistake that makes everything harder, and the best way to reshape our perspective on success and failure.   Amy says: You don’t need to prove your worth, it’s already there. Unleash your full power. Run with your wolf. Show up as your full, feeling, and sometimes-messy self.  TESS’S TAKEAWAYS Use challenging moments as training opportunities to learn and build resilience.  Emotional awareness and sensitivity allows you to read people and feel before you speak. Trusting your gut is a practice. Start with the little things, then level up to the big ones. Againstness—kneejerk opposition—gets in the way of productivity and team building.  Agreeability—the antidote to againstness—isn’t playing small. It’s choosing collaboration. Surrender isn’t giving up. It’s letting go of the need to put yourself at the center.   Vulnerability is a superpower—the bridge between being seen and known.  It will all work out in the end, and if it hasn't worked out, it's not the end. ABOUT AMY STANTON Amy Stanton has built a leading boutique PR and marketing agency by championing impact-oriented people and brands.  She founded Stanton & Company in 2006 exclusively to promote positive female role models. S&Co has grown to represent men and companies as well. Clients include top medical practitioners and authors, elite athletes, and philosophy-driven businesses. Recognized as an industry leader in health and wellness, women’s sports, and female entrepreneurship and empowerment, S&Co has been on the Inc. 5000 list of Fastest Growing Companies in America for the past three years.  Beginning her career with global advertising agencies including BBDO and JWT, Amy also served as the head of marketing and communications for NYC2012 (New York City's Olympic bid), and as Chief Marketing Officer for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.  Drawing on her personal and professional experience, she co-authored The Feminine Revolution with Catherine Connors, and speaks regularly about female leadership and entrepreneurship, business and marketing, and women in sports.  CONNECT WITH AMY Website: a...

Does feeling not ready block you from going after what you want? Let’s shift what “ready” feels like to stop waiting for the “right time” and seize the day.    The “I’m not enough” and “I’m too much” narratives are not opposites, but stories echoing from the same voice of self-doubt. We feel like we have to be different to meet the moment. Rather than buying into the myths, create a different relationship with the story, and use it as a springboard for action.  Exploring the impact of family dynamics, we look at how to disrupt old thought patterns, identify energetic currencies, and use our strengths to build confidence and resilience.  Next up: Self-talk strategies. The high-low and “water not cement” exercises, the “I get to” shift, the “3 vs 11” barometer, and the “well, that happened” conversation.   I close with the words I remove from my vocabulary when making decisions, and the mantra that helps exile the bully perfectionist. Then share the random interaction with a stranger that changed my life. There’s one that can change yours.  The key takeaway: Share. Sometimes the best teacher for a 3rd grader is a 4th grader.  TESS’S TAKEAWAYS: The energetic currencies we value and exchange most drive our choices.   Anchor yourself to the things you do well and hold the fear of change in balance. When not held in balance, your superpower is your Achilles' Heel.  To stop being a hostage to others’ expectations, claim your yes’s and no’s.  You're never enough for the wrong people. You’re always enough for the right ones.   Showing your vulnerability gives others permission to show you theirs.  Go with your gut and give your imperfect offering.  Practice doesn’t make perfect, it makes possible.  MEET TESS MASTERS:   Tess Masters is an actor, presenter, health coach, cook, and author of The Blender Girl, The Blender Girl Smoothies, and The Perfect Blend, published by Penguin Random House. She is also the creator of the Skinny60® health programs.       Health tips and recipes by Tess have been featured in the LA Times, Washington Post, InStyle, Prevention, Shape, Glamour, Real Simple, Yoga Journal, Yahoo Health, Hallmark Channel, The Today Show, and many others.    Tess’s magnetic personality, infectious enthusiasm, and down-to-earth approach have made her a go-to personality for people of all dietary stripes who share her conviction that healthy living can be easy and fun. Get delicious recipes at TheBlenderGirl.com.     CONNECT WITH TESS:  Website:  https://tessmasters.com/     Podcast:  https://ithastobeme.com/      Health Programs: https://www.skinny60.com/  Delicious Recipes: https://www.theblendergirl.com/  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/theblendergirl/     Instagram: 

Struggling with gas, bloating, stomach cramps, IBS, IBD, or SIBO? Meghan Donnelly—dietitian and certified FODMAP practitioner—lays out in detail how the Low FODMAP Diet can help manage symptoms.  We start with the basics: what FODMAPs are, why these carbohydrates are difficult to digest, and the common foods that can aggravate digestive distress.  From there, Meghan outlines how Monash University developed the FODMAP protocol and the go-to app. Then walks us through the protocol’s three phases, and the importance of consulting with a qualified dietitian who can help determine trigger foods to rethink your diet in the least restrictive way.  She covers who can benefit from a low-FODMAP approach, who should not be limiting their diets in this way, and how the key to success is personalization. Meghan stresses that the protocol is not treatment for digestive conditions, but a dietary intervention to reduce the discomfort and suffering from them.  Debunking popular misconceptions, Meghan addresses why the diet is a short-term strategy, and how most people go at it wrong. She stresses the dangers of being on the protocol long-term.  This conversation goes way beyond “eat this, avoid that.” We discuss how stress, sleep, and exercise impact gut health. And wrap up with lifestyle strategies, natural therapies, mental health practices, and supplements that can improve our digestion. The key takeaway: Embrace a holistic approach to a FODMAP diet and personalize with support from qualified practitioners.   TESS’S TAKEAWAYS: FODMAPs are short-chain carbohydrates that can cause digestive problems. The Low FODMAP Diet is a temporary therapeutic protocol, not a long-term plan. The protocol is a three-step process—elimination, reintroduction, and personalization.  The protocol is the most evidence-based dietary strategy for managing IBS. It can also support people with IBD, SIBO, and ongoing bloating or endometriosis.  FODMAP sensitivities may shift with foodborne illnesses, stress, or hormone changes.  Once you determine food triggers, liberalize your diet to avoid nutrient deficiencies.  Without the guidance of a practitioner, the FODMAP Diet can do more harm than good.  ABOUT MEGHAN DONNELLY, MS, RDN, CDN Meghan is a registered dietitian specializing in gastrointestinal nutrition, and is Director Of Health Communications at the Celiac Disease Foundation.  Her experience spans clinical practice, nutrition counseling, medical nonprofits, and the food industry. In her private practice at Nutmeg Nutrition, Meghan helps her clients establish a balanced and joyful relationship with food, particularly when managing digestive disorders (IBS and SIBO), food intolerances, gluten-related conditions (celiac disease), and disordered eating.   She also provides nutrition counseling for heart health, kidney disease, weight management, and food intolerances. Monash University certified, she guides clients on Low-FODMAP diets.   As lead dietitian for Skinny60®, Meghan provides nutrition education and support for participants in the 60-Day Reset.   CONNECT WITH MEGHAN Consult with Meghan: https://www.nutmegnutrition.org/ Join the 60-Day Reset: https://www.skinny60.com/60-day-reset/ MEET TESS MASTERS:   Tess Masters is an...

Lee Veal gives us the scoop on craniosacral therapy and how it leverages our innate healing power by working with the body’s connective tissue and communication network—the fascia.   In Lee's youth, two life-threatening accidents left him in debilitating pain. Rolphing, craniosacral work, and other healing modalities were instrumental in his recovery, prompting Lee to go to chiropractic school. Assisting a cranial osteopath and seeing and experiencing the life-changing effects of treatments inspired a passion for craniosacral therapy and a now four-decade career as practitioner and educator. Lee walks us through the significance of the original wounding we all experience in being born. Then lays out why connecting in adulthood with the body’s’ fascial language is the key to recovering from deep-seated ailments and moving with ease as we age.  We go over the importance of keeping our fascia healthy, and why tapping into our brain pulses is so effective in releasing physical and emotional trauma. Lee covers the physical practices to do every day, shares what the behavior of babies teaches us, and challenges us to rethink the furniture we’re sitting on!  In a surprising perspective, Lee sees pain as something that reveals, not just as something that needs to be healed.  He says: Lie down, trust your body, and listen to the story it’s sharing with you.  TESS’S TAKEAWAYS Craniosacral therapy unlocks the innate healing power of the body to rebalance.  The heart, not the mind, is the biggest electromagnetic generator of the body. Fascia is the way of the heart. Its intelligence is not of the mind, it's about intuition.  Fascia records and responds to every experience, intention, emotion, injury, and story.   Listen to your physical pain as a way to access what is going on in your inner world.  Conventional furniture restricts the body’s flow. Get on the floor, squat, and sit on a ball.  Train the body to move in its original state to unwind trauma with Tai Chi and Qigong.  “Doing nothing” is not passive—it’s a sacred discipline.   ABOUT LEE VEAL With over 40 years’ experience in the healing arts, Lee Veal draws from a variety of movement vocabularies to support recovery in adults, children, and babies.  Having an undergraduate degree in biochemistry, Lee attended the Cleveland Chiropractic College in Kansas City, and graduated with a focus on cranial sacral, working alongside a cranial osteopath. He also studied Sanskrit, yoga, meditation, Tai Chi, Thai Massage, and Qigong with three masters from China.   In 1988 he established his practice, working entirely from a cranial perspective, and joined the first integrated healing center in Kansas City, in association with an MD, an acupuncturist, a Feldenkreis therapist, and a Rolfer.  Lee’s unique approach draws from Qigong, and integrates cranial sacral with therapeutic Pilates, contact improvisation, sound healing, and diverse internal arts. To help people of all ages recover from trauma, he developed the Advanced Cranial™ system of Myo-fascial release and gentle resisted movements. As an educator, Lee devised a curriculum for training instructors. Since 2006 he has devoted more time to research and development, and to teaching cranial work to babies and their parents. CONNECT WITH LEE Website: https://leevealdc.com/ MEET TESS MASTERS:   Tess Masters is an actor, presenter, health coach, cook,

Get the truth about colon hydrotherapy from Cathy Basse so you can use colonics safely and effectively for better health.  We track Cathy’s journey to becoming a healer. Her mother’s premature death, when she was 12, and her father’s insistence on healthy food prompted Cathy’s keen interest in medicine and natural healing modalities. Working in a hospital as a nurse, she witnessed the chronic effects of poor food and lifestyle choices. She became passionate about preventing disease rather than treating it, and moved into colon hydrotherapy. Cathy gives us the lowdown on the benefits of colonics, what compromises our gut microbiome, and how our colon, liver, kidneys, lymph, sexual health, and nervous system are connected. And why regular bowel elimination is the key to achieving our health goals.  Unpacking the history and science of colonics, and debunking common misconceptions, Cathy lays out why the closed system is preferable to the open. Then, walks us through how to find a skilled practitioner, what questions to ask, the best way to prepare, the logistics of a session, and how to optimize our results.   Beyond the physical benefits, we explore the mental, emotional, and spiritual elements of the practice. Helping us understand why it’s called “therapy,” Cathy emphasizes the importance of working with an intuitive practitioner who treats with care and sensitivity.  The big takeaway: Healing isn’t just what we eat or the actions we take, it’s about what we release.   TESS’S TAKEAWAYS: If your colon is congested, toxins get reabsorbed, putting a strain on vital organs.  Colon hydrotherapy helps the body keep up with the constant barrage of toxins.  Colonics help digestion, circulation, immunity, energy, mental clarity, and weight loss.  The practice supports pelvic and sexual health, to avoid UTIs and prostate issues.  Go for medical-grade treatments with a qualified practitioner rather than a spa session.  Choose the closed system to allow the practitioner to do bodywork during the treatment. Work with a skilled therapist who remains in the room the whole time. How many sessions you need depends on your physical and emotional needs and preferences. ABOUT CATHY: Cathy Basse is a licensed colon hydrotherapist certified in integrative bodywork and massage with a practice in Kansas City.  Drawing on her career as a nurse and decades of experience in the healing arts, Cathy combines colonics with energy therapies, Bach Flower Remedies, Reiki, massage, and other therapeutic and intuitive strategies. She helps clients release physically and emotionally to manage stress, reduce pain, improve digestion and elimination, and enhance overall well-being.  Cathy worked with Dr. Andrew Weil in the production of the PBS specials: Spontaneous Healing and 8 Weeks to Optimum Health, and has designed programs for other renowned experts in the wellness space.  CONNECT WITH CATHY: Website: https://ahealthtrust.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ihealwell/ MEET TESS MASTERS:   Tess Masters is an actor, presenter, health coach, cook, and author of The Blender Girl, The Blender Girl Smoothies, and The Perfect Blend, published by Penguin Random House. She is also the creator of the Skinny60® health programs.       Health tips and recipes by Tess have been featured in the LA Times, Washington Post, InStyle, Prevention, Shape, Glamour, Real Simple, Yoga Journal, Yahoo Health, Hallmark Channel, The Today Show, and many...

Is the voice in your head on your side? Take back control and drive the conversation to open possibilities and go after what you want.   Is the dominant narrative yours or has it been installed by your family and other influences? I’ll share insights and strategies that my clients find most effective for engaging differently with the inner critic and instigating positive change.  We'll cover sitting in the inquiry, the journey of why, listening to the white space, the golden rule of improvisation, and the power of the pause. Then, we explore how shifting from short-hand to long-hand communication helps manage the conflict and resentment we feel when others fall short or don’t meet our needs.   The words we choose matter. They’re either building a bridge toward our desires or tearing them down. By playing in the promise, changing our state when we feel stuck, owning our superpowers, and leveraging our lessons, we find the balance of what we want and what others want for us.  Upgrade how you speak to yourself, get out of your own way, and own your “It has to be me.”  TESS’S TAKEAWAYS: Every choice starts with permission and a conversation with yourself.  Awareness of your inner dialogue is the first step.  Is the dominant narrative yours or somebody else? Your family knows how to press your buttons because they installed them.  Listen and pay attention to the white space—what’s not being said.  Choose to be in your experience, as opposed to on it.  Feeling stuck? Change your physical state to access yourself differently.   Making better choices is a process of deciding and re-deciding. MEET TESS MASTERS:   Tess Masters is an actor, presenter, health coach, cook, and author of The Blender Girl, The Blender Girl Smoothies, and The Perfect Blend, published by Penguin Random House. She is also the creator of the Skinny60® health programs.       Health tips and recipes by Tess have been featured in the LA Times, Washington Post, InStyle, Prevention, Shape, Glamour, Real Simple, Yoga Journal, Yahoo Health, Hallmark Channel, The Today Show, and many others.    Tess’s magnetic personality, infectious enthusiasm, and down-to-earth approach have made her a go-to personality for people of all dietary stripes who share her conviction that healthy living can be easy and fun. Get delicious recipes at TheBlenderGirl.com.     CONNECT WITH TESS:  Website:  https://tessmasters.com/     Podcast:  https://ithastobeme.com/      Health Programs: https://www.skinny60.com/  Delicious Recipes: https://www.theblendergirl.com/  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/theblendergirl/     Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/theblendergirl/     YouTube:  a...

Want to feel more connected in your relationship and have mind-blowing sex that keeps getting better? Justin Patrick Pierce and Londin Angel Winters—life partners, authors, and intimacy teachers—give us a masterclass.  After enduring the usual relationship disappointments in her 20’s and 30’s, Londin wasn’t settling, and got into sacred sexuality. At 24, Justin was on a very different path, albeit a spiritual one. In becoming a couple, they embraced the study and practice together. Then, over a decade, developed their signature system—Yoga Of Intimacy—which they share through private consultations and workshops.  In our conversation, we hear male and female perspectives on what gets in the way of experiencing the love and sex we want. Starting with the traits of an unconscious lover—unaware, reactive, distracted, selfish—we learn how to be more conscious lovers, and seek partners who want to cultivate similar values. Building a relationship this way, you keep attraction and passion alive and growing.  Londin and Justin demonstrate some of the foundational practices they use with their clients to balance expectations, and soften fear and resentment. Then share how to open more trust and intimacy, reignite the fire when the spark dies out, and create the hottest moments of ecstasy.  We get practical tools for communicating what we want without shutting our partner down, celebrating desires that are different, and finding the bridge to meet with excitement.  This episode is about surrendering and showing up fully, moment by moment, and listening to our hearts in the interactions that most of us find the hardest.  Justin and Londin invite us to love like we’re never been hurt, and see how we deny others the things we don’t know how to give ourselves. TESS’S TAKEAWAYS: We attract partners who deny us love as much as we deny them. Surrendering enables deeper love that’s free from attachment to external outcomes. Avoid expectation and resentment. Meet your lover each time as if for the first time. The “I See / I Feel” practice helps partners share and grow without reactivity.  Consciously cultivate polarity to enhance attraction, desire, and passion.  Balancing desire and equanimity helps us want and allow at the same time.  The Yoga Of Intimacy provides a blueprint to be a masterful lover.   Mastery is not a destination, but a commitment to a path that has no end.  ABOUT JUSTIN AND LONDIN Co-authors of Playing With Fire and The Awakened Woman's Guide to Everlasting Love, Justin Patrick Pierce and Londin Angel Winters are business and life partners, and relationship coaches who teach sacred sexuality with their signature training, Yoga Of Intimacy.  Having studied and practiced sacred intimacy for more than a decade under the tutelage of renowned teachers, Justin and Londin’s system prioritizes practicality over theory. Using a hands-on approach, and incorporating their personal stories, Justin and Londin educate men and women on spiritual and intimate development.  Their students learn to create tangible change in their lives from a couple dedicated to understanding the complex dynamics of modern relationships.  CONNECT WITH JUSTIN AND LONDIN Playing With Fire: https://www.amazon.com/Playing-Fire-Spiritual-Intimate-Relationship/dp/0986394254/ a...

Over 40 and want more juice and joy in your life? OBGYN and hormone expert Anna Cabeca—The Girlfriend Doctor—gives us the scoop on reclaiming our health, vitality, and sexual fire during menopause and beyond.  Anna’s struggle with infertility, and early-onset menopause, at 39, prompted a global pilgrimage to study alternative healing practices. Combining Western and Eastern medicine optimized her hormones and she conceived naturally at 41. The experience fueled her mission to help other women take control of their bodies.  Anna’s approach is holistic and human—a far cry from the typical “pop a pill or slap on a patch and hope for the best.” It’s about building a vibrant life from the inside out, with nutrition, movement, connection, community, pleasure, and purpose. And, hormone therapy is the icing on the cake!  We go over all the critical things every woman needs to know. How to harness the power of the hormone hierarchy, which adaptogens and supplements actually reduce symptoms, and the importance of gut health, alkalinity, and detox. Anna also spills the secret to getting rid of belly fat, and why bioidentical hormones are the way to go.  The two biggest secrets? Oxytocin… queen of all hormones, and getting serious about your sexual health. Anna lays out the science behind how love, connection, and intimacy are the keys to hormone balance and longevity. We celebrate self-pleasuring, and the best way to alleviate pain during intercourse and eradicate urinary infections and incontinence.  This is a must-listen if you want to age like a goddess and suck the marrow out of life.   TESS’S TAKEAWAYS: Fixing your hormones takes more than hormones. Nutrition and lifestyle are foundational.  Bioidentical hormones are superior to synthetic products on offer.  Reversing early menopause is possible with strategic nutrition and lifestyle changes.  Cortisol (stress hormone) is the enemy of health and happiness. Regulating it is essential.  Microdose oxytocin daily by cultivating pleasure and joy to change your physiology.  Sexual health is critical. Our health span should equal our lifespan and our sex span.  There’s no age limit on sexual pleasure. Cultivate the sex life you want.  Self-pleasure is a powerful form of self-care that boosts longevity.   ABOUT DR. ANNA Anna Cabeca, DO, OBGYN, FACOG is the author of The Hormone Fix, Keto-Green 16, and MenuPause.  Multi board certified, Dr. Anna is a fellow of gynecology and obstetrics, integrative medicine, and anti-aging and regenerative medicine. She also holds certifications in functional medicine, sexual health, and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.  Anna lectures frequently demystifying the complexities of women’s health. A cornerstone of her work is helping women manage stress and cortisol, and leverage oxytocin—the “love hormone” to restore connection, desire, libido, joy, vitality, and sexual pleasure.  Through her practice and research, she developed a line of natural products, including Julva® vulva cream and MightyMaca® Plus, that help women thrive through menopause.    Known as “The Girlfriend Doctor,” Ann is blunt and speaks from the heart, using sassy humor to make health and science relatable and fun.  She lives in Dallas with her daughters, and their extended family of horses and dogs.  CONNECT WITH DR. ANNA Website:

Make sensational vegetarian meals without a lot of fuss with Amy Chaplin—chef and James Beard-award-winning cookbook author.   Amy and I track her food journey, from a childhood in rural Australia raised in a homesteader family that lived off the land and made everything from scratch, to Sydney's food scene and getting into macrobiotics, pastry chef in Amsterdam, caterer in London, and executive chef at New York’s Angelica Kitchen.  Every phase of her evolution, her philosophy has stayed the same: start with quality ingredients, cook with the seasons, keep things simple, and have fun with food. She takes us through her basics: stock the pantry with staples, grow food for ourselves (even if it’s just a pot of herbs), activate ingredients, combine them for better textures and flavors, elevate quick bowls and salads with a touch of magic, and get creative with your leftovers.  From there, Amy gives us her tips for intuitive cooking—draw inspiration from sources around you, and tap into your environments and moods. She goes on to share how being a mom and cooking for kids has taught her to be even more simple and flexible.  Her approach: Experiment with the ingredients that are speaking to you, listen to what your body and family want, and enjoy the discoveries!  TESS’S TAKEAWAYS The pantry is your playground—stock it well. Forage your fridge and pantry, and incorporate staples and leftovers for simple meals.  Eating well doesn’t require fancy tools. Start with a grain, a pot, and an intention.  Seasonal ingredients deliver economy, simplicity, and fabulous flavor. Activate foods for health benefits and slow-prep for better textures and flavors. Teas add fabulous flavors, not just in drinks, but to desserts, batters, and baked goods.  Elevate basic bowls and salads—add a splash of good oil, tamari, toasted seeds, or avocado. Leverage clever combinations of nuts and seeds, of whole grains, and complementary flours.  ABOUT AMY Amy Chaplin is a two-time winner of the James Beard Award, for At Home In The Whole Food Kitchen and Whole Food Cooking Every Day.   As a vegetarian chef and teacher, Amy anchors her approach in inspiration from nature, the benefits of fresh ingredients, and decades of experience working with food around the world.   Her recipes have been featured in Vogue, the Washington Post, T Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal, among other publications. Having worked as executive chef at Angelica Kitchen, New York City, and as private chef for individuals, she now cooks with a group of colleagues and dedicated subscribers who join her monthly classes on Substack.   Originally from Australia, she lives with her wife and two sons in a small town in Upstate New York. CONNECT WITH AMY Website: https://amychaplin.com/ Substack: https://amychaplin.substack.com/ At Home In The Whole Food Kitchen: https://www.amazon.com/Home-Whole-Food-Kitchen-Celebrating/dp/1645471454/ Whole Food Cooking Every Day: https://www.amazon.com/Whole-Food-Cooking-Every-Day/dp/1579658024/ Instagram: a...

Do sugar cravings and food addictions rule your life? Liz, Susan, and Kim share how the 60-Day Reset was the key to breaking cycles of emotional eating and achieving their greatest health. Susan’s sweet tooth caught up with her and, after “a swift kick” from her doctor, she leaned into her love of cooking, and started eating food that tasted so delicious, the hankering for cookies and ice cream disappeared. The immediate positive changes she saw in her body made staying on the path easy.  Unlike Susan, Liz wasn’t much of a cook. Years of binging on processed foods to cope with her daughter’s murder left Liz obese and unable to participate in family events the way she wanted. Learning to prepare healthy meals gave Liz a sense of pride—she could finally enjoy good food that was also good for her! In her 70s, she feels better than ever.   For Kim, food was the enemy, and with crippling addiction, she couldn’t gain control. At 200 pounds and with serious medical issues, she was living like a hermit, and hadn’t dated in 20 years. She leveraged the nutrition coaching and peer support to lose 65 pounds, and claim the quality of life she wanted.  These ladies lay it all out there: the guilt of eating in secret, the shame spiral of failed diets, the loneliness and limitations of hiding—and the freedom and empowerment they achieved when they chose change and made it happen. Community support, and the candor and sensitivity of people sharing similar struggles, helped Liz, Susan, and Kim stay on track with better choices. The draw of the vitality they felt was stronger than their previous addictions to food. This seismic shift launched a tsunami of positive changes in their lives. The extraordinary things that happened when these ladies decided “It has to be me” will blow your mind.  TESS’S TAKEAWAYS: Being vulnerable and having honest conversations is the path to finding solutions. Feeling healthy and vibrant has a ripple effect, opening more opportunities and choices. The food and health stories of family members do not have to be yours.  The key to overcoming food addictions is delicious healthy recipes and community support. Food isn’t the enemy. It’s a gateway to awareness, empowerment, joy, vitality. Empowerment with food comes in knowing what to eat, enjoying it, and feeling good about it. Restriction and deprivation are not sustainable. Self-care and fun in balance yield results.  Strategic eating enables you to lose weight eating more food, not less.  MEET OUR MEMBERS Kim Brantley After working as a court reporter for three decades, Kim became a life coach, and is enjoying her new career as a screenwriter thanks to restoring her health with the 60-Day Reset. Tipping the scales at 200 pounds on a 5' 3" frame, Kim lost 65 pounds, reversed her pre-diabetes diagnosis, and cleared the chronic bronchitis, acid reflux, inflammation, and carpal tunnel syndrome that had plagued her for years. She is thrilled to be feeling healthy and vibrant, and living an active joyful life as she turns 60.  Susan Ryan After a career in healthcare administration, Susan is enjoying an active retirement visiting local museums, celebrating the performing arts, traveling, and exploring boutique wineries. Following a remodel of her house, she is reincarnating her edible landscape to manageable container gardening. A food enthusiast, she enjoys sharing healthy meals with family and friends. After completing the 60-Day Reset five years ago, Susan aims to emulate the longevity of her mother, who won $10 at bingo the week she passed at 101. Liz...

Does food empower you or hold you back? I’m diving into how our relationships with food reveal what drives us in achieving our health goals and what gets in our way. Coaching hundreds of women, I see the same patterns. The beliefs and habits modeled by our parents set up the stories we play out around self-care. Family scripts keep us stuck in the same scenes, which often leads to guilt, shame, and abuse.   Examining our relationships with food opens a portal to understanding choices we make in other parts of our lives. This awareness helps us flip the script and change the dialogue to one that feeds possibilities rather than throws up limitations.  Starting with this conversation helps my clients find the motivation to embrace change and make their health a priority. From there, the secret sauce is community. Women achieve their health goals faster, and with more ease and joy, when they explore their food stories with other women wanting to get healthy, too.   When you add guidance from dietitians who help you craft personalized nutrition solutions, you’re on a sustainable path. That said, it’s delicious food, connection, support, accountability, and community that really make the difference.  We don't get these vital things from solitary interactions with Chat GPT. Interacting with real people who listen to your whole story helps you drop the one that’s been handed to you, and claim your next “It Has To Be Me.”   TESS’S TAKEAWAYS: Many of us have diet culture modeled from a young age, by our parents.  Getting healthy is more what you add than what you take away. Food choices that meet your bio-individual needs take healthy eating to the next level.  Listen to what your body needs rather than what you mind wants. Feed your vitality instead of settling for functionality.  Look for practitioners who consider your whole story, not just your lab results. Invest money in feeling good rather than spending it to cover up that you don’t.  Don’t let your physical health be the reason you say no.   MEET TESS MASTERS:   Tess Masters is an actor, presenter, health coach, cook, and author of The Blender Girl, The Blender Girl Smoothies, and The Perfect Blend, published by Penguin Random House. She is also the creator of the Skinny60® health programs.       Health tips and recipes by Tess have been featured in the LA Times, Washington Post, InStyle, Prevention, Shape, Glamour, Real Simple, Yoga Journal, Yahoo Health, Hallmark Channel, The Today Show, and many others.    Tess’s magnetic personality, infectious enthusiasm, and down-to-earth approach have made her a go-to personality for people of all dietary stripes who share her conviction that healthy living can be easy and fun. Get delicious recipes at TheBlenderGirl.com.     CONNECT WITH TESS:  Website:  https://tessmasters.com/     Podcast:  https://ithastobeme.com/      Health Programs: https://www.skinny60.com/  Delicious Recipes: https://www.theblendergirl.com/  Facebook:  a...

How has food shaped your life? Wendy Hargreaves, journalist and filmmaker, recounts how family dynamics, childhood memories, and work as a restaurant critic led her to comfort eating and yoyo dieting, and shares how she changed her relationship with food and achieved better health.   Growing up on a farm, Wendy learned to cook, to live off the land—and to see food as a reward. Her mother and grandmother baked treats, literally every day. Her dad came home with a chocolate bar tucked inside his evening paper. Becoming a food writer, she made performative eating an art, dining in glamorous places even if she wasn’t hungry or enthusiastic. Food provided comfort and conflict, but rarely joy.  In her fifties she “flipped the switch,” changing her food story, not through shame or restriction, but with honesty and care. She began nourishing her body consciously, making connections between food and other choices.  Chasing the next hot story didn’t interest her anymore. Remembering that she “spoke country,” Wendy started a media company and radio show to spotlight the stories of everyday people at the sources of food in Australia.  We discuss the importance of owning who you are, and using your unique voice to tell the stories that matter to you. For Wendy, it’s in staying curious, asking questions, being present in relationships, and participating in community that we’ll find the answers and the opportunities.  She says: Get over having to be new. Acknowledge who you’ve learnt from and throw your hat in the ring.  TESS’S TAKEAWAYS: Childhood and family dynamics shape eating habits that are hard to break.  A conscious relationship with food leads to better choices overall and more joy. Resist the cult of busy-ness, and take time to be present in your relationships.  Embrace stillness to take stock of your priorities.  Take an active part in nourishing, shaping, and celebrating community. Lean into curiosity. Keep asking questions to see new possibilities.  Use your agency, authority, and superpowers to claim what you want. For energetic hygiene, choose people who elevate and celebrate you.    ABOUT WENDY Seasoned food writer, journalist, radio presenter, and filmmaker, Wendy Hargreaves heads up Bread & Butter Media. She and her team at the agency celebrate makers and growers in regional Australia, and their stories, through radio shows, podcasts, print media, and documentaries.  In a career spanning four decades, Wendy has reported on people, places and events in Australia and abroad for some of the nation's biggest media companies. Co-hosting “On The Road Again” on 3AW radio, she showcases rural towns through the lens of roadtrip experiences.  Her work in journalism and media has won multiple awards, including three in the United States for her short films about extraordinary women in hospitality, such as Kate Reid, founder of Lune Croissanterie.   When she’s not in front of a camera or behind the mic, you’ll find Wendy at a pottery wheel making functional pieces for chefs and restaurateurs.  CONNECT WITH WENDY  Website: https://www.breadandbuttermedia.com.au/ Your Neck Of The Woods: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbB5HBAPdg0 Instagram:

Liam Le Kelle shares the power of sound healing to help us quieten our minds, and process our emotions and experiences without words.  Raised in the Australian bush by a strict father, and struggling with depression, Liam found freedom and joy in making music with everything in nature. Indigenous mentors nurtured his love for the songs of the land, prompting a lifelong practice and mastery with ancient and modern instruments.  Experiencing the profound impact of sound on his own emotional growth, Liam then studied healing modalities with spiritual teachers around the world.  His work has been shaped by listening—to the earth, to energy, to people—and noticing and feeling what’s drowning beneath the noise.  We discuss how changing our vibration and frequency releases stagnant energy, breaks thought patterns and behavioural cycles, and gives us greater clarity. Liam takes us through how sound and breath can help us meet discomfort and integrate trauma, not as wounds to reopen, but as wisdom that guides us to something new.  “Let sound, and what you can’t see, take you inward,” Liam says, to connect with self, and effect change outward.    TESS’S TAKEAWAYS: Sound helps us come into the wisdom of our stories without the words. Our relationship with sound and music is shaped in childhood experiences. Staying in the same vibrational frequency perpetuates the same stories.  We often confuse comfort with safety, and dissociate from what we need to feel.  Sound healing can help release trauma, shed old beliefs, and welcome new energy.  Sound baths help us connect: cognitively, spiritually, and emotionally.  Indigenous cultures teach us to respect the vibrations and songs of nature.  A skilled sound practitioner improvises to serve the healing that is needed.  ABOUT LIAM LE KELLE Multi-instrumentalist, singer, and master of sound, Liam Le Kelle has decades of experience facilitating transformative healing journeys.  Trained in Tibetan sound therapy, traditional didgeridoo healing, tantric practices, vocal and breathwork techniques, Reiki, and other healing modalities, Liam integrates ancient wisdom with contemporary energy practices. Developed in study with indigenous elders, spiritual teachers, and musicians around the globe, Liam’s approach blends sound, music, breath, and energy work to guide people toward inner harmony, connection, and resilience. A close relationship with nature and sound helped Liam navigate inner turmoil, identity struggles, and depression. Through sound and energy sessions, he supports others in discovering joy and presence.  Using humor as a vital tool for healing, even in challenging moments, Liam helps people open their hearts with grace and authenticity. CONNECT WITH LIAM Website: https://www.sacredsound.global/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SacredSoundGlobal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sacredsound.global/ MEET TESS MASTERS:   Tess Masters is an actor, presenter, health coach, cook, and author of The Blender Girl, The Blender Girl Smoothies, and The Perfect Blend, published by Penguin Random House. She is also the creator of the Skinny60® health programs.    ...

Struggling with the chaos of the world? Sound therapist and Reiki master Kelly Sullivan shares the power of Tibetan singing bowls to combat stress, promote relaxation, and support better physical and emotional health.  Kelly’s journey as a wellness practitioner began not out of clarity, but in anxiety. Studying graphic design, she felt unfulfilled and burnt out, craving a deeper connection and purpose.  Escaping the uncertainty, she spent a summer volunteering in Nepal, fell in love with the culture, and brought home a Tibetan bowl. The souvenir collected dust on her shelf. Then a Reiki practitioner introduced her to traditions of ancient sound healing. The ornamental became instrumental, and Kelly was hooked. She returned to Nepal to study, and became a Tibetan singing bowl therapist.  Kelly explains how Tibetan bowls differ from crystal bowls, and how she uses the bowls as diagnostic tools to determine which chakras in the body need to be aligned and balanced. She walks us through how listening to the bowls’ sounds and vibrations trains our brain waves to slow down. This gentle meditation opens creativity and intuition.  We discuss the differences between sound and music, and how our unique relationships with the bowls help us find our individual flow and tap into the rhythm of relaxation.  Slow down, Kelly says, create your own stillness, and listen. Allow sound to lead, so your energy can speak.   TESS’S TAKEAWAYS: Sound therapy with Tibetan bowls can restore energy balance.  The Tibetan bowls work with seven notes that correspond to the seven chakras.   Each singing bowl makes a unique sound, resonating differently with each person.   The bowls’ harmonies promote relaxation and rejuvenation.  The vibrations of the bowls train our brain waves to slow down. Creating stillness through sound is a powerful form of meditation to access creativity.  In the slumber state, intuition and clarity of intention can rise to the surface.  Understanding your vibration and energy enables you to tune into the needs of others.  ABOUT KELLY SULLIVAN Kelly Sullivan is the director of Soli Wellness, a boutique studio dedicated to sound therapy, Reiki energy healing, meditation, and holistic wellbeing.  A Tibetan singing bowl therapist, sound healing practitioner, Reiki Master, and Yoga Nidra meditation teacher, Kelly harnesses the power of sound and energy to combat stress, calm the mind, regulate the nervous system, and restore inner harmony.  Kelly’s journey with holistic wellness began in 2010 on a trip to Nepal, where she experienced the healing power of Tibetan singing bowls. She returned to Kathmandu to study this ancient healing modality, and incorporated it into her Reiki sessions when she went back to Australia.  A member of the International Sound Therapy Association, Kelly enjoys expanding her knowledge and sharing the transformative benefits of sound. CONNECT WITH KELLY Website: soliwellness.com.au Instagram: instagram.com/soliwellness.studio Facebook: facebook.com/SoliWellnessStudio MEET TESS MASTERS:   Tess Masters is an actor, presenter, health coach, cook, and author of The Blender Girl, The Blender Girl Smoothies, and The Perfect Blend, published by Penguin Random House. She is also the creator of the Skinny60® health programs.       Health tips and recipes by Tess have been featured in the LA Times, Washington Post, InStyle, Prevention, Shape, Glamour, Real Simple, Yoga Journal, Yahoo...

Is time your ally or enemy? I explore our relationship with time, and how our perspective dictates our behavior, ability to embrace change, and will to take action on what we want.  We get into beliefs around time, and how they’re shaped by family systems, internalized capitalism, societal expectations, ageism, fear, desire, and self esteem. We look at ways to cultivate a conscious understanding of time that feeds a better quality of life.  Diving into quality versus quantity, we unpack how obsessing about the “right time” limits our possibilities. A better approach: Slow down your experience of time, tune in, embrace imperfection, seize opportunities to practice and learn, and relish time spent resting, reflecting, integrating, and planning.   Drawing on wisdom from past guests, I reiterate the pitfalls of getting stuck in the past or projecting into the future. And how stories keep us engaged with the present to savor each moment and experience more joy.  It’s always the right time to decide: “It has to be me.”   TESS’S TAKEAWAYS: Our relationship with time is linked to identity and self-worth. The “I’m not enough” story pulls us out of seeing what is available in real time.  Living in the past or projecting into the future robs us of clarity and joy in the present.  Spend time to assess information, investigate the source, and engage critical thinking. Time is a gift we give ourselves and others. Be discerning about how you spend it.  Allow time for self-care to bank more quality time in the future. “It’s not the right time” is a common excuse to indulge fear.  Nothing is a waste of time. There is value in every experience.   MEET TESS MASTERS:   Tess Masters is an actor, presenter, health coach, cook, and author of The Blender Girl, The Blender Girl Smoothies, and The Perfect Blend, published by Penguin Random House. She is also the creator of the Skinny60® health programs.       Health tips and recipes by Tess have been featured in the LA Times, Washington Post, InStyle, Prevention, Shape, Glamour, Real Simple, Yoga Journal, Yahoo Health, Hallmark Channel, The Today Show, and many others.    Tess’s magnetic personality, infectious enthusiasm, and down-to-earth approach have made her a go-to personality for people of all dietary stripes who share her conviction that healthy living can be easy and fun. Get delicious recipes at TheBlenderGirl.com.     CONNECT WITH TESS:  Website:  https://tessmasters.com/     Podcast:  https://ithastobeme.com/      Health Programs: https://www.skinny60.com/  Delicious Recipes: https://www.theblendergirl.com/  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/theblendergirl/     Instagram: 

Somatic educator Elizabeth Jurgensen shares her interpretation of Native American moon teachings about patience and quality of life. Through the lens of her personal story, she walks us through the lessons we can glean from lunar cycles.   In midlife, a car accident left her navigating menopause with serious physical injuries. Confronted by her inability to work and further her career as an educator, she found wisdom in the Grandmother Moon teaching. This tradition prompted a reexamination of Elizabeth’s beliefs about success, productivity, and purpose, and illuminated the traps of internalized capitalism.   In our conversation, we explore the moon as a mirror for feminine growth—the quiet power of the dark phase, the discovery and discernment of waxing energy, the brilliance and weight of fullness, and the necessary softening, reflection, and integration of waning back to the new moon.  Elizabeth invites us to embrace the contentment, trust, and pace of the moon—the slow and steady filling and emptying that allows us to savor every phase of the journey. Follow the moon’s lead, she says. Welcome change, bask in the dark and light of the moment, and celebrate the possibilities that come with each state.  The moon reminds us that we are whole at every phase. We’re only seeing a sliver of the story. There’s more to come.  TESS’S TAKEAWAYS The moon gives us holistic perspectives on time and productivity.  Constantly moving and changing, the moon shows beauty in change.  The dark phase offers time to rest, ground, reflect, and recharge.  Waxing is an opportunity to check in and explore alternate possibilities. The moon moves steadily to full. Embrace the slow and rhythmic reveal.  The temporary intensity of fullness offers growth and then clarity.  Rather than crashing from a high, waning invites us to savor, integrate, and celebrate.  Wanting more is not to be exiled. It’s an energy that carries us. ABOUT ELIZABETH JURGENSEN With a thirst for learning and achieving, Elizabeth has had multiple careers applying herself to education, research, and disciplined practice.   Her post-college years were focused on the performing arts, as an actress and dancer. Moving to the corporate world, she got a business degree and worked in finance. Her next pivot was to work as a fitness instructor and wellness coach.   Discovering her love for academics, she went back to school, getting a Master’s degree in a new field and teaching college students.  Debilitating injuries from a car accident and ten years’ rehabilitation, made her work impossible, and brought Elizabeth to the next major phase of her life. She embraced somatics, exploring trauma healing, relational dynamics, and embodied awareness.  The values of slowing down and turning inward, and the gifts of deep presence and self-care became central to her philosophy. She pursues them as ends in themselves, not toward goal-oriented pursuits, nor in a commercial practice.    A certified somatic educator, Elizabeth integrates insights from ancient archetypes, women’s wisdom traditions, and the interplay of masculine and feminine energies. She shares what she knows in adaptive and informal ways to guide others.  MEET TESS MASTERS:   Tess Masters is an actor, presenter, health coach, cook, and author of The Blender Girl, The Blender Girl Smoothies, and The Perfect Blend, published by Penguin Random House. She is also the creator of the Skinny60® health programs.       Health tips...

Want a deeper emotional connection with your male partner? Embodiment coach Speed Weed shares his struggle with isolation, and how he guides other men to connect with their hearts and their vulnerabilities in more meaningful relationships.   He tracks his unexpected journey from being nicknamed Speed as an infant to aspiring actor to educator, to advance man for the Clintons in their White House years to screenwriter and producer of hit TV shows.  Life in the fast lane thrust him into mid-life lonely, unfulfilled, and looking to be a better man for his family and in his marriage. But without male role models he wanted to emulate, Speed didn’t know where to start.  An embodiment workshop where men modeled open-hearted masculinity and honest communication initiated the deep connection with others (and self) he had been missing. Determined to help other men develop the same intimate knowing that had shifted his perspective so profoundly, Speed embraced his new calling as a practitioner.  We discuss the power of mentorship, men’s circles, and embodiment and polarity practices to teach presence, open listening, and mindful sharing and boundaries. Speed then offers his takes on relationship dynamics, what really holds men back from identifying and expressing their emotions, and the key problem with traditional masculinity. This conversation isn’t about perfection or mastery. It’s about humility, devotion, service, and having the courage to slow down, speak less, and feel more. To be led as much as lead.   TESS’S TAKEAWAYS: Men have to learn embodied masculinity from other men. Open-hearted vulnerability modeled by men offers a way out of emotional isolation.  Embodiment practices cultivate a deep sense of self and support intimate relationships. Polarity exercises lead to greater presence, understanding, and compassion.  Awareness of your nervous system’s capacity helps draw healthy boundaries.  Exploring the wrong road is often how you get on the right road. If you don’t have to explain, justify, or analyze your decision, it’s usually right. We speak and write and live to figure out what we know.   ABOUT SPEED Speed Weed is a leader of embodied polarity work for men who want more depth and connection in their lives.  For over 20 years, he worked as a writer and producer on TV shows like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NCIS: Los Angeles, Arrow, Haven, and The Summer I Turned Pretty.  He found his calling outside entertainment, in coaching other men in embodiment and toward generative, loving masculinity. Speed immersed himself in the healing arts.  Having graduated from teacher training in masculine embodiment with John Wineland and Kendra Cunov, Speed continues his study with other renowned teachers to build his knowledge and strengthen his practice.  Through coaching, men’s circles, and workshops, Speed guides men and women into the deeper wisdom of their hearts and bodies.   The nickname his parents gave him as a baby is misleading. Speed values the slow pace of presence and the deep clarity of sobriety.  CONNECT WITH SPEED Website: https://www.workingdeep.com/it-has-to-be-me Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workingdeep/ LinkedIn: