Author name: Sydney Davis

Creating a support group! Don’t Tackle Your Health & Wellness Goals AloneWhy having a support system is essential We are influenced by the people we spend time with. Our thoughts, behaviors, and attitudes are significantly shaped by the people we surround ourselves with. Think about who you spend the most time with and how they impact your ability to reach your goals, especially when it comes to your health and wellness goals? Adopting new lifestyle changes can be a challenge, which is why it’s important to have a strong and positive support system in your corner, cheering you on. Research shows that having family and friends who are supportive of your healthy eating and exercise goals improves your long-term weight-loss success. It’s easy to get discouraged if your spouse, family, or close friends do not support the positive changes you’re trying to make for reasons that may include them not wanting to make similar changes or feelings of jealousy because you’re losing weight and look great. While this is disappointing, do not let their negativity affect you. Your dedication and progress may eventually influence them to join you on your journey to a healthier lifestyle. Many clients notice that it’s easier to stay on track by spending time with people who are focused on a healthy lifestyle. As you begin new activities, try to connect with new friends. Having someone to talk with and share your feelings of frustration and accomplishments is not only therapeutic but motivating. Don’t tackle your goals alone. Our health coaches are also here to help you on your journey and to provide the support and knowledge you need to achieve your health and wellness goals. Sydney Davis Editor-in-Chief | IIN Certified Health Coach

Overcoming Obstacles With life, comes unpredictability, and with unpredictability, comes barriers. Through our guidance, you’ll learn how to quickly jump these hurdles and move forward, carefree.You’ll notice obstacles arising throughout your journey that can distract and pull you away from your goals. You can expect and anticipate these, and by doing so, you’ll soon shift your perspective so that these barriers are no longer roadblocks that require lengthy and complicated detours. Instead, think of these barriers as hurdles that we can learn to swiftly and skillfully avoid, without obstructing your journey. Maybe you’re a social eater, and you’re headed to a friend’s birthday party. Maybe you have a vacation coming up, and you know the buffet’s temptation will be too great. Or, maybe you eat habitually, and your obstacle is learning to break that habit. Regardless of what your barriers are, learning how to identify them is the first step in navigating around them. These hurdles can be mental blocks, emotional situations, social events, the list goes on. To take the approach in identifying these things, think about situations that you know would bring about stress and would possibly hinder you from sticking to your typical schedule. It’s not unusual to find and experience multiple hurdles within this journey, but they don’t need to prevent your success. Regardless of the specific problem, the tips and suggestions for jumping these hurdles are able to address multiple situations. These are also healthy and helpful lifelong strategies that can benefit you past your Zoe60 journey. Consider giving any, or all of these a try! Feeling Snackish? – physical hunger rooted cravings may be one of the easiest obstacles to help yourself out with. For starters, try (specific amount of) apple cider vinegar. This is a natural appetite suppressant and will help immensely in subsiding your cravings. If you find that worked at first but are still hungry, allow yourself a shake! This is our craving crusher, and you don’t need to worry about one shake stalling your weight loss. Social events – try planning meals around it, eating beforehand, and setting boundaries for yourself. Acknowledge your cravings, and try to understand them before you ignore and push them off. Trying to completely ignore your cravings leaves them looming over you and can lead to them seeming much more powerful and overwhelming than they need to be. Vacations – speak with your coach, and your support system. Having an accountability partner to support you during your vacation might help you to stick to your routine. Eating emotionally – assess where your hunger is coming from. Is it coming from stress, sadness, boredom, or any other emotion? Take 20 minutes and wait to see if your craving will pass, perhaps confide in your coach or accountability partner, or try distracting yourself with something new or entertaining! Going to the buffet – head to the fruits and vegetables first and fill the plate mainly there! Next, move to your proteins, followed by seasonings, and leaving any additional sides to come last. This allows less room for these on your plate, and your stomach! pay attention to when your body is satisfied and full, not stuffed. We are eager to let you know that your wellness coach along your journey is prepared and ready to help you through every step of your transformation. Your 15, 30, and 45 day follow ups with your coach are great opportunities for us to ask questions, and for you to bring up any concerns you have. However, your success is our happiness. By contacting your coach along your journey aside from the follow ups, we will be able to get ahead of any potential barrier and work with you through it! Sydney Davis Editor-in-Chief | IIN Certified Health Coach

Transform Your Mindset Health Consultant Ben Tule on Navigating Personal Growth Embarking on a journey of self-improvement is more than just reaching a destination—it’s about having a strategy, adopting the right mindset, and having a support system. Join Sydney as she sits down with Ben, one of the leading consultants at the Zoe Wellness Center Headquarters, to ask about Ben’s secrets to staying inspired, overcoming challenges, and nurturing a growth mindset. Together, they dive into decluttering life, setting priorities, and embracing compassion. Let’s see how Ben turns aspirations into reality. Interview Transcript: Let’s dive in! I’d like to kick it off with how you maintain motivation while making positive changes. How do you personally keep yourself inspired? Ben:To stay motivated, I need to surround myself with people who have the same goals as me. I intentionally surround myself with success-oriented friends. The company you keep is crucial; as the Bible says, “bad company corrupts good character.” So, aligning myself with those who share a similar definition of success is key. Now, a second thing I do to stay motivated involves social media. I often come across things that are encouraging, inspiring, and motivating. I save them, but the crucial part is revisiting them. I let each impactful message sink in and then apply it. Given my busy weekdays, I commit to this process on weekends, particularly on Saturday or Sunday mornings. It’s about blocking out that time intentionally. Exploring deeper into times of significant change, what goes on in your head during challenges, and how you overcome resistance? Ben:Whether the change is positive or not, it’s about recognizing what I can control and what I can’t. For things within my control, I focus on managing them, especially with what I can do short-term. However, there are some things, maybe long-term, that need to be put on the shelf for now. It’s a matter of not worrying about those far off stressors right at this moment. I think you can apply that towards anything negative or positive, where there’s lots of changes coming up. Look and see what is in your power to be able to control. It’s a delicate balance of addressing what is actionable now and acknowledging what can wait. For someone like me, who tends to be rigid, it’s vital to also embrace flexibility. Being flexible is key. You mentioned “putting it on the shelf,”  as if the different factors create life clutter. How do you “declutter” your life? Ben:When you have life changes going on, sometimes there are just so many moving parts. There are certain things that have to be done now. In such cases, I prioritize the immediate tasks, those that need attention in the short term. On the other hand, there are certain things, more long-term in nature, that need to be put on that mental shelf. It’s like focusing on one goal at a time. This is vital for avoiding anxiety or feeling overwhelmed. Recognize what needs attention now and what can wait. It’s about putting things on the shelf that can wait – not just postponing and pushing things off, but pausing to intentionally set aside stressors that don’t require immediate attention. This allows me to focus on what truly matters. How does your growth mindset contribute to this approach? Ben:Personal growth requires being open to change. I think it’s important to look at people that you admire and their characteristics you want to emulate. It’s a process, you say, “ that’s the style that I like, that’s what I want to be able to do.” and then see if you can follow that. It’s about evolving and embracing challenges. It involves recognizing the need to adapt. Not to mimic them entirely but to adapt strategies that match those goals. To be able to incorporate that in your style, according to how you achieve things. What common challenges do you see people facing when making significant life changes? Ben:I think that a lot of it is going to be fear. Especially fear of failure or the unknown. Identifying and understanding these fears is crucial. So I think you got to understand where people are coming from. Each individual brings unique concerns- health, relationships, finances. Tailoring the approach to address their unique fears and challenges enhances the support I try to give to people that come in. For those feeling overwhelmed, what practical tips do you offer to regain balance? Ben:The key is to slow down. I think we can go back to what I said before about recognizing if it is absolutely necessary right now. Evaluate and prioritize tasks based on urgency. Recognize the need to handle one thing at a time rather than attempting to manage everything simultaneously. Scheduling tasks, setting deadlines, and approaching them with a system that works for you. Thank you for that. Finally, what have you learned through helping others? Ben:So what I’ve learned from helping other people is that you just have to really look at each person as the individual they are, and be compassionate. Think about where they’re coming from. A lot of times, I think it’s about just listening to what’s happening in that person’s life. To help someone you have to genuinely understand the need and how are you going to do that unless you listen. Right? Because you only have your own perspectives to weigh in. Yeah, we’ve really got to learn to just slow down, stop talking and start listening. Because we are programmed to want to fix stuff and check off a list, because that’s how we feel like we’ve contributed. But sometimes it’s not a matter of just checking off the list, it’s a matter of getting in there and just listening. You could talk to your significant other, and she doesn’t want you to fix it. She just wants to know somebody’s gonna listen. Overview: In this enlightening conversation, Ben shares his insights on maintaining motivation when life throws you curveballs. From creating a success-driven environment

Coach Dan’s Tips to Overcoming Clutter Navigating twists and turns in life often come with a mix of unexpected challenges. Today, we’re diving into the nuance of change, overcoming resistance, and using a clutter-free mindset to navigate the unexpected. Meet Dan Faley, a wellness coach in our Chicago center with a rich background in psychology, sports, and various health positions. He draws from unique experiences to find a blend between instinctual and science backed approaches to help members achieve a wellness path that’s right for them. From playing college baseball to working in mental health and neurophysiology, we see how his journey and experiences have shaped his perspectives.  In our chat with Coach Dan, we’re reminded of the power of our uniqueness, and how trusting our instincts can guide us on what matters most. This approach leads to the most powerful aligned actions on our journey. With a more humble approach, Coach Dan also gives us that much needed reminder that despite our differences, we all share common ground. Looking at the world through a lens of compassion is how we can start to truly connect, and let go of a need to please! As we dive into his perspectives on change, resilience, and clutter-free living, we’re given his personal guide to navigating life’s twists.   Dan’s Guide to Decluttering: 1. Embrace Your Uniqueness:   Embrace what makes you… you! Embracing what makes you tick uniquely is the key to personalizing your journey with distinct elements that make your wellness journey uniquely yours. 2. Decluttering Clears Your Path: Once you can focus on what matters, learn to let go. Tidying up your space will work wonders for your mind. Both mentally and physically, Dan suggests using a Mari Kondo approach as one of the most powerful tools to combat stress, regain focus, and leave the monkey mind behind. 3. When You Take on Too Much, Check if You Feel Like Enough:  No matter who you are, where you come from, what your life experiences, what your situation is, you deserve happiness. Understand your limits, don’t bite off more than you can chew. To prioritize your well being, first embrace your self worth independent of what you provide for others. 4. Trust Your Instincts:  Your instincts are pretty sharp, so listen to them! Validate and trust your instincts for refined decision-making and heightened self-awareness. Otherwise, dismissing your gut feelings may lead to disconnection to yourself and regret in the future. 5. Be Humble, We’re More Alike Than We are Different:  Take your business seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously! Leave room for error, play, and a curiosity of other approaches. Remember that we’re all in this together; Recognize shared humanity, focusing on common ground, and maintaining humility in life’s challenges. Wellness journeys are very personal adventures, so every step taken with self-trust is a victory in itself! Whether it’s learning to let go of made-up obligations, navigating life changes, or simply tuning into your instincts, you have the strength to make shifts and create the change you need. So, begin letting go and tuning in. Embrace your uniqueness and with a little self-trust, and rest assured that not only are you capable of achieving the wellness you deserve- you’re already on the right track.   Interview Transcript Sydney: Dan, thank you so much for being here with me today. Could you please introduce yourself and what you do here in the world of ZOE Wellness?  Dan: Okay, great! Yeah, I’m Dan, Daniel Faley. and I’m a wellness coach here at Zoe wellness, also the service director for the Chicago market. I have a degree in psychology from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. I also played college baseball. So I have a sports background and grew up playing sports. You know, I became interested in the marriage of sports and psychology, working with sports psychologists and doing a lot of operations for games for goal setting, but I always had a passion for health and fitness. After graduation, I worked as a mental health counselor with all sorts of populations. I’ve worked in other mental health spaces with more high risk people, I worked in community health, I worked in care management, in weight loss, I also worked in the operating rooms as a neurophysiology technologist monitoring brain and spine surgery. So I have a pretty well rounded background in various health positions. And I like to bring knowledge from all areas of study in my background to help Zoe members achieve optimal wellness. it’s different for everybody, you know, some people may require information. Some people may require motivation or the development of a belief in themselves. It’s different for everyone, so I draw from my various backgrounds and apply that so they can gain optimal wellness. Sydney: Right! everyone’s unique, there’s no one size fits all diet, plan, lifestyle, mental framing-As someone deeply invested in motivation and mindset and helping others. How do you personally stay motivated to continue making positive changes in your life? Dan: Well, one thing I do is have an exercise routine I do every day. I have mindfulness practice, I focus on deep breathing. I read a lot and listen to a lot of podcasts. I try to stay up to date on neuroscience, habits, and wellness, everything from nutrition to, you know, daily practices. I’ve cultivated some incredible resources I follow daily and it’s something I really enjoy. So if I’m washing dishes or working out, I listen to podcasts that help keep me motivated, and it’s just part of my daily routine. It’s part of my lifestyle. I don’t even have to think about it anymore. You know, it’s so deeply ingrained in me and who I am that it just comes naturally and then if there’s something relevant that I can pick up from a podcast or an article, then I try to incorporate . Especially if I can better assist somebody with some more recent knowledge. Sydney: Amazing, you really do a lot. Do you ever