It Has to Be Me

Just Show Up

Ashley Koff RD - renowned dietitian and founder of The Better Nutrition Program - reveals how childhood struggles with weight, anxiety, and bullying led to a cycle of extreme dieting in a quest to be skinny and perfect. She gets candid about hiding in other people’s stories to avoid being seen. When she let go of chasing perfection and allowed herself to be vulnerable she was able to celebrate her own story. Ashley explains how ditching diet dogma and healing her digestive system impacted her career. She charts the evolution of her “Better, Not Perfect” approach, and shares how freeing yourself to focus on the next better choice is the key to sustainable change. Ashley and Tess discuss the value of personalized nutrition, and the importance of partnering with a practitioner to find solutions that fit your specific situation. Ashley recommends using a mixture of anecdotal and clinical data to inform appropriate diet and lifestyle changes. She also stresses the value of defining success in your terms in order to set markers and track progress. Ashley closes with the power of having a diversity of friends who can advise you in different ways. KEY THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE: Value your story: When Ashley embraced her uniqueness and vulnerability she allowed others to “see” her to create more meaningful relationships. Define success your way: By letting go of the need to compare herself to others, Ashley started defining success her way - which made her a happier person and a better practitioner. Better Not Perfect choices: Ashley stresses the futility of chasing perfection, and how meaningful change and impact occurs as a result of focusing on the next better choice. Find a curious practitioner: Truly personalized nutrition empowers you to make informed and appropriate changes for better health. Find a practitioner who wants to understand your whole story. Assemble your cabinet: Ashley tells how she learned from Steph Carter the importance of having people in your friendship circle who can counsel you in different ways. KEY MOMENTS IN THE PODCAST “The issue with ‘perfect’ is that it’s done. It can only be perfect for a moment, then what? Part of letting go of perfect was feeling better and being empowered to know what was better for me. I realized that ‘better, not perfect’ choices and balance were going to make me happy. We're learning and growing and wanting to be better all the time. We're never done.” “Injustice drives me. Nutrition is a form of justice. I'm correcting an injustice by saying that this is something that we should all know how to do. When I figured out that nutrition could fix things, I realized I could help lots of people fix themselves.” “People come in and tell me all the things that they do wrong. I challenge people to tell me something that they're successful with, something that is good. Successful people see themselves as successful. Start as a success because if you see yourself as a hot mess or a failure it is much harder to actually do something.” “Instead of setting goals, I invite you to ‘experiment’ with something to see how your body responds. Let's see what your body is telling us and make decisions from there. We decide together - What are the markers of success? Instead of thinking that you're a failure if something doesn’t work, we've actually just learned that you are not going to respond to that thing.” CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Website Get 10% OFF all programs with code: bg10 Free Sweet Taste Bud Reset GLP-1 Optimizer Program Blood Sugar Optimizer Program Mom Energy Recipes For IBS Facebook Instagram X/Twitter LinkedIn CONNECT WITH TESS Website Podcast Website Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube LinkedIn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is your Metabolic Type?

In this episode, Tess interviews Dr. Michelle Robin, founder of Your Wellness Connection® and Small Changes Big Shifts®. Michelle tells how she redefined success, gained clarity about her purpose, learned to practice self love, and achieved fulfillment. Keys for her were letting go of the expectations of others, and building more truthful connections with herself and in her relationships. Michelle emphasizes the power of listening to your inner voice, getting clear about your “why,” and practicing kindness to feed joy within yourself and people you serve. Dr. Robin shares her Quadrants of Well-Being, tips for healthy living, and how to simplify your approach with basic steps that are sustainable. She also talks about the importance of owning your unique medicine to nurture meaningful connections and contribute to your community. Knowing what’s yours to hold and what isn’t is a core part of Michelle’s decision-making process. To help you get what you want, Dr. Robin shares strategies for how to close the gap between where you are and where you want to be. KEY THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE: The Importance of a Wellness Plan: Dr. Robin shares her practices for maintaining healthy boundaries, being present in each moment, and finding a balance between self care and care for others. The Four Quadrants Of Well-Being: Michelle explains how to embrace the Mechanical, Chemical, Energetic, and Psycho-Spiritual approach to holistic healing. Small Changes Big Shifts: Simplify your approach to healthy living to make it doable and sustainable. Dr. Robin gives you the basic things to do today that add up to positive change. KEY MOMENTS IN THE PODCAST “For me, church is not Sunday to Sunday. It's not Sunday, Wednesday, Sunday. It's not day to day, it's moment by moment.” - Michelle “I want to own 100% of my 50% in the relationship. It’s not all mine.” - Michelle “Know your medicine. We are implanted with medicine that only we can uniquely give. Use your own medicine to help others, and figure out how you can give back to the world.” - Michelle “The gap between where you are and self-love is self-care. When people are struggling to get to self-love, just take the next step in the gap. Being well is so simple…It's shocking how hard we make it.” - Michelle CONNECT WITH MICHELLE Wellness Programs: https://onlineprograms.smallchangesbigshifts.com/course/ Small Changes Big Shifts Podcast: https://smallchangesbigshifts.com/podcast/ 31 Days Of Kindness: https://smallchangesbigshifts.com/kindness/ Wellness Deck: https://smallchangesbigshifts.com/product/snackables-deck/ Wellness On A Shoestring Book: https://smallchangesbigshifts.com/product/wellness-on-a-shoestring/ The E Factor Book https://smallchangesbigshifts.com/product/the-e-factor/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drmichellerobin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmichellerobin/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmichellerobin/ CONNECT WITH TESS Website: https://tessmasters.com/ Podcast Website: https://ithastobeme.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theblendergirl/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theblendergirl/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/theblendergirl YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/theblendergirl LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessmasters/ Product Sites: https://www.skinny60.com/ https://www.thedecadentdetox.com/ https://www.theblendergirl.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Tess interviews Melissa Lanz - award-winning entrepreneur and business coach helping other solo-preneurs achieve financial freedom. Melissa shares the wake-up call that got her to give up the security of a high-paying corporate job for a kitchen-table start-up that she grew into a multi-million dollar company. By making value-guided choices, and focusing on the feelings she wants to have rather than the things she wants to have, Melissa achieved financial success and fulfillment. She insists that “It must be your ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ that frame your story.” Melissa gives practical strategies for blocking out the noise, listening to your intuition, and trusting yourself to overcome doubts, fears, and negative input. She emphasizes the value of strategic planning, personal audits, and investing in the little tasks to build momentum and confidence to stay on track. Then highlights rest, reflection, and leveraging your existing resources as fundamental elements that contribute to productivity. In this conversation, Melissa takes listeners inside the methodical way she guides clients to leverage the resources they already have and take the next three steps toward their goals. KEY THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE: Stay Close to Your Mission and Values: Melissa explains why making choices that align with your “WHY” lead to success and fulfillment. The Fresh 20: Leveraging her internet knowledge, business acumen, and skills as a chef, Melissa built an online meal planning service to fulfill her mission of helping families eat healthy and reduce food waste. Plan With What You Have: A firm believer in being scrappy, Melissa helps clients recognize what they already have, and gives them the next three small steps so they can take immediate action. Relish the Grunt Work: Melissa shares the value of patience and confidence, and being invested in the process. Making mistakes and learning are a vital part of bringing your vision to life. The Power Of Personal Responsibility: Give yourself permission to believe you can do it. Have the courage to trust your intuition, and own the consequences of your actions. MELISSA LANZ BIO Melissa Lanz is an award-winning entrepreneur and business coach. She launched The Fresh 20 with an investment of $2500, and grew it into an 8-figure business and a leader in the meal-planning space. Through The Subscription Lab, Melissa is on a mission to help others achieve financial independence and flexibility. With almost two decades’ experience in e-commerce ventures, Melissa is one of the go-to digital resources for individuals and companies looking to build membership sites and leverage their portfolios. A seasoned chef, Melissa is also the author of The Fresh 20 cookbook. CONNECT WITH MELISSA Meal Planning: https://www.thefresh20.com/ Business Mentoring: https://melissalanz.com/ How To Build A Membership Program: https://thesubscriptionlab.com/ Cookbook: https://www.thefresh20.com/resources/cookbook/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissalanz/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MelissaBakerLanz CONNECT WITH TESS Website: https://tessmasters.com/ Podcast Website: https://ithastobeme.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theblendergirl/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theblendergirl/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/theblendergirl YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/theblendergirl LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessmasters/ Product Sites: https://www.skinny60.com/ https://www.thedecadentdetox.com/ https://www.theblendergirl.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Mia Moran shares her journey from graphic design firm owner to wellness advocate, author, and productivity coach. Mia takes us inside her FLOW planning system, and how slowing down, being present, and listening to your intuition help you make decisions from a place of calm, and prioritize your time. Mia shares strategies for connecting with yourself in order to gain clarity about what you want, and making a plan to take action on it! She emphasizes the value of listening to your body’s signals, and how self care expands your capacity to give to others. Mia and Tess discuss the trade-offs of saying “yes” and “no,” and the importance of letting go of what doesn’t serve you in order to lean into growth. She gives a personal example of why changing her diet improved her quality of life; and how her personal transformation led to writing a book, teaching others, and developing her FLOW 365 program. KEY THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE: Listen To Yourself: Mia shares the importance of getting slow and quiet, and listening to signals from yourself to make decisions from the inside out, instead of the outside in. Find Out What The Need Is: Doing her book tour, Mia asked lots of questions to get clear about how she could use her skills, knowledge, and experience to provide planning solutions for busy women. Connect with Your Future Self: Mia devotes time every week to getting to know her future self, by writing as her and meeting her in meditation to get clear about what she wants to make happen now. “What do I really want?”: Mia shares her practice of giving yourself permission to dream big without any limits. The FLOW Planning System: Mia talks us through her four steps to making decisions that align with your dreams, and strategies for putting those choices into action. MIA MORAN BIO Mia Moran is a mom of three, productivity coach, and planning expert. She is the host of the Plan Simple podcast, bestselling author of Plan Simple Meals, and creator of the FLOW Planning Method, and FLOW365 program. Mia has struck her perfect balance between wellness, work, and family; and she helps busy women and female entrepreneurs reduce overwhelm, find balance, and make a strategic plan that enables them to achieve their goals. CONNECT WITH MIA Website: https://plansimple.com Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/plan-simple-with-mia-moran/id1089766926 Book: https://plansimple.com/plan-simple-meals-book/ Instagram: instagram.com/plansimple.co/ Facebook: facebook.com/plansimple.co/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mia-moran/ CONNECT WITH TESS Website: https://tessmasters.com/ Podcast Website: https://ithastobeme.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theblendergirl/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theblendergirl/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/theblendergirl YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/theblendergirl LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessmasters/ Product Sites: https://www.skinny60.com/ https://www.thedecadentdetox.com/ https://www.theblendergirl.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first episode of It Has To Be Me, Tess Masters interviews Amber Stott, the founder and CEO of Food Literacy Center about the importance of being the change you want to see in your community. They discuss Amber's journey of starting a nonprofit and her passion for food advocacy, and explore the challenges she faced and the opportunities she seized to make a difference in her school district. Amber shares her philosophy of embracing “failure,” and the importance of letting go of tasks that are not hers to hold. She also discusses the value of storytelling, taking risks, asking questions, and working as a team to create a culture of ownership within her organization. KEY THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE: Be The Change You Want To See: Amber saw a gap in the food system so she created Food Literacy Center to address childhood obesity, and empower kids with healthy food choices. What is Food Literacy? Amber defines Food Literacy as: Understanding the impact of your food choices on health, environment, and economy, and knowing that those impacts are not equitably experienced. “Don’t Ask, Don’t Get.” Amber shares how she leveraged cooking for Jamie Oliver and Alice Waters to inspire local leaders to get involved with her mission. The Lesson about “No” From Alice Waters: Amber shares the importance of waiting for the “Yes” that fits with your vision, and the value of adaptability and seizing the right opportunities for growth and success. KEY MOMENTS IN THE PODCAST “We see the change every single day with our kids in terms of what they’re eating. 50% of Americans are sick because of what they are eating. We can prevent this if we can get to our kids.” - Amber "It's not just about the success of me and just about the success of Food Literacy Center, but how we are building systems so that other people can replicate this work." - Amber “You’ll never know unless you try it. And, the best time to start is today!” - Amber “Ignore the No’s and focus on the next Yes. I never, ever hear the no. I'm simply hearing I didn't present it to you in the way that you'll say yes to right now." - Amber CONNECT WITH AMBER Food Literacy Center: https://www.foodliteracycenter.org/ Raising Kale Podcast: https://www.foodliteracycenter.org/podcast TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcJPCxpU3fY Food Anatomy For Kids: https://www.amazon.com/Food-Anatomy-Activities-Kids-Hands/dp/1648760244/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberstott/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmberStottChiefFoodGenius Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ChiefFoodGenius CONNECT WITH TESS Website: https://tessmasters.com/ Podcast Website: https://ithastobeme.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theblendergirl/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theblendergirl/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/theblendergirl YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/theblendergirl LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessmasters/ Product Sites: https://www.skinny60.com/ https://www.thedecadentdetox.com/ https://www.theblendergirl.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices