Our habits are not our own. Our habits are cultural or micro-cultural. And our habits may or may not be the habits of Body Thrive. When we start to recognize that, we realize we have opportunities to practice communicating with care and candor in our micro-cultures. Words carry vibration and energy. When we communicate with care and candor, it carries far beyond ourselves. We evolve culture.

What you’ll get out of tuning in:

• What is the criteria of a good ground rule.
• Why communicating with care and candor is a key ground rule for dynamic groups.
• How communicating with care and candor can help us evolve culture.

Links Mentioned in Episode:

• Discover more about Body Thrive 
• Body Thrive Book

Show Highlights:

• 0:00 – Communicate with Care + Candor is one of the “Ground Rules for Dynamic Groups” that we use in the Yogahealer courses. Care creates a feeling of trust and support in a group. By contrast, candor can feel very edgy, but it’s necessary for growth.
• 3:40 – Our habits are not our own. Our habits are cultural or micro-cultural. And our habits may or may not be the habits of Body Thrive. When we start to recognize that, we realize we have opportunities to practice communicating with care and candor in our micro-cultures. The holidays are a prime opportunity to do that.
• 9:50 – The ground rules don’t have to be perfect, but they have to be good enough to help you start to change your behaviors. With regard to communicating with care and candor, we can change our behavior from complaining to others about a problem over which they have no control to directly communicating a problem, with care and candor, to the person or persons who CAN address the problem.
• 11:10 – Words carry vibration and energy. When we communicate with care and candor, it carries far beyond ourselves. We evolve culture.
• 13:38 – One way we can communicate with care and candor is to ask for what we need with specificity.

Favorite Quotes:

• “When we talk about evolutionary groups and we talk about dynamic groups and we talk about these guidelines, they’re not just words at all. They’re simply words that are pointing toward very strong potential truths. And it’s really next-level living. It’s like the rulebook of higher level living.” — Cate Stillman
• “These ground rules don’t have to be perfect. They have to be good enough to help you change your behaviors.” — Cate Stillman
• “If we go back back to the ground rule that there’s an edge to candor and there’s an edge to care . . . something shifts. And that shift is not for our benefit only. . . . It’s so much beyond us. . . . We’re actually evolving culture.” — Cate Stillman

I teach my coaching clients how to listen to their own wisdom, life experience, and knowledge. We put knowledge into practice with small, incremental lifestyle changes that give them more energy, better sleep, stronger digestion, and mental clarity. The habits are simple, but not always easy. Making habits stick takes effort!

Will Power is not The Answer

I used to think that willpower was the answer to making changes in my life. I’ve tried many times to restrict my behavior using sheer willpower. I can control and restrain for a while, but eventually my willpower runs out, and I rebel. Often the rebellion ends in a setback, leaving me with even more work to do.

As I learned the concept of habit evolution, I learned the secrets to making habits stick. One of the secrets to lasting change is found in the power of our dynamic groups who hold us accountable to the changes we commit to making.

Accountability, and Why it Works

Psychologists, researchers, and thought leaders offer science-backed techniques and insights that allow us to make habits stick. One of these techniques is accountability.

To be accountable essentially means to comply with an expectation. When you or someone else is expecting you to do something, you are accountable to do that thing. Dr. Robert Cialdini, author of the book Influence: Science & Practice is an expert on why people comply with expectations. Dr. Cialdini’s work has shown that peer influence is a powerful motivator, especially when it comes from a person or group we feel personally close to.

This is peer-power – the influence of an expectation from outside yourself that motivates you to comply with the goals you’ve set. A study done at Dominican University found that accountability among friends is effective in helping people achieve goals. More than 70% of study participants who sent a weekly progress report to a friend achieved their goals (completely achieved or nearly achieved).

Make Peer-Power Work For You

Not everyone responds the same way to expectations. Your unique nature influences how you comply or don’t comply with internal and external expectations. Author Gretchen Rubin offers a framework for understanding how we respond to expectations in her book, “The Four Tendencies.” Rubin organized the patterns into four types, or Tendencies:

• Obliger: Meets external, resists internal expectations
• Questioner: Meets internal, resists external expectations
• Upholder: Meets internal and external expectations
• Rebel: Resists internal and external expectations

Understanding your tendency is the key to using peer-powered accountability effectively.

Classic Accountability: Peer-Powered Partnerships

Accountability can take a number of forms. Many people find that working with an Accountability Partner helps them stay on track with their goals because it is easier to work with others than go it alone. However, accountability partnerships rely heavily on external expectations, and not everyone responds to external expectations naturally or easily (i.e. Questioners and Rebels). The key lesson from The Four Tendencies is that each type has a different way of dealing with expectations from internal and external sources. Understanding your tendency (and your partner’s) will help you successfully support each your action partner.

I have seen the power of accountability partnerships in my own life and in the lives of my course members. Knowledge of your natural Tendency, can help you take advantage of an accountability partner and avoid potential pitfalls.

The Tendencies At Work

Obliger: Easily meets external expectations, but struggles to meet self-imposed expectations

This most common tendency probably explains why the Dominican University study found that 70% of participants significantly or completely met their goals with the support of a friend who they reported to weekly. Obligers are naturally well-suited to accountability partnerships because they naturally meet external expectations. They thrive with a partner who check-ins consistently and encourages their progress. Obligers notoriously give more to others than to themselves. Using an accountability partnership can be an excellent technique for consistent inner work that Obligers may otherwise easily let slide.

Questioner: Meets expectations when there is a clear and meaningful reason to do so.

Questioners must satisfy their need for information and understanding before committing to expectations. Once committed, they naturally follow through on expectations. Questioners can benefit from an accountability partnership, but will need to be clear on what, why, and how the partnership will take shape. Making clear agreements about what the partnership will look like, how partner will support each other, how long the partnership will persist, and how partners will address resistance, conflict, and noncompliance will help a Questioner be an effective accountability partner.

Upholder: Naturally meets internal and external expectations without difficulty

Those who are Upholders don’t necessarily need to have an accountability partner to meet their own goals because they naturally meet their own internal expectations. However, Upholders make great accountability partners when they understand that their natural tendency can be a great support to others. It’s important for Upholders to remember that most people do not easily meet their inner expectations, so they will likely need to offer lots of patience and compassion to their partners. Deepening the qualities of patience and compassion could be a fantastic fringe benefit from an Upholders accountability partnership.

Rebel: Resists all expectations in favor of flexibility, creativity, and freedom

For those who resist internal and external expectations, accountability partnerships may seem an odd strategy, but Rebels can be similar to Questioners. Clarity about how a partnership will work sets Rebels and their partners up for success. Rebels will want to be creative and define flexible parameters that don’t feel confining. Rebels need the partnership to be convenient. The best accountability partners for Rebels are Obligers and Upholders, who use external expectations to meet their goals. A Rebel who embraces that her role is not only about meeting her own goals, but also to support her partner may be more likely to show up.

Make the Most of An Accountability Partnership

The busy, working moms in my coaching group use The Four Tendencies to help them navigate their accountability partnerships with ease. If you haven’t figured out your “Tendency” yet, take the Four Tendencies Quiz. (Bonus: You can also learn how to match your self-care to your Tendency in this blog by Yoga Health Coach, Kristen Polzien.).

Ready to  supercharge your growth with peer-power? Make a clear commitment to yourself and your partner. Hold each other accountable, and behold the power of your loving support and encouragement as you become the next amazing version of you.

Body Thrive is the prerequisite to Yoga Health Coaching, and it is the model we learn to coach. Prior to Body Thrive, Colleen was overwhelmed – teaching a lot of yoga and bartending at night into the early morning hours and sleeping til noon. Dinner was often between 9 and 10 pm and getting out of bed in the morning was really difficult.

The first habit of Body Thrive (Earlier, Lighter Dinner or “ELD”) was the hardest habit for Colleen. ELD often involves a whole recalibration of family values and long-held habits and beliefs. To get it to work, she had to change her schedule, which is the case for a lot of us. There were also some emotional and compulsive eating factors that she needed to address. Her conclusion is that there is always a workaround for any of the habits that challenge us.

Each habit is very simple, but emotional issues and self-sabotage  issues often get in our was, which is why we need the support of group. If you suspect you might need the support of a group.

Have you experienced the ten habits? Check out the details here https://bodythrive.com/

Ready to dive in? Time to talk to the team.

What you’ll get out of tuning in:

• Why we need to be in a group in order to successfully evolve our habits.
• Why and how yoga teachers are often living out of alignment with what they teach.
• Why the Body Thrive annual pass is so valuable.

Links Mentioned in the Episode:

• Colleen’s website
• YHC Have a conversation
• YogiDetox Fall

Show Highlights:

0:00 – Body Thrive is the prerequisite to Yoga Health Coaching, and it is the model we learn to coach. Prior to Body Thrive, Colleen was overwhelmed – teaching a lot of yoga and bartending at night into the early morning hours and sleeping til noon. Dinner was often between 9 and 10 pm and getting out of bed in the morning was really difficult.

6:48 – The first habit of Body Thrive (Earlier, Lighter Dinner) was the hardest habit for Colleen. To get it to work, she had to change her schedule, which is the case for a lot of us. There were also some emotional and compulsive eating factors that she needed to address. Her conclusion is that there is always a workaround for any of the habits that challenge us.

9:00 – Each habit is very simple, but emotional issues and self-sabotage  issues often get in our was, which is why we need the support of group.

11:15 – Because Body Thrive offers a year long pass, we repeat the course 4 times, giving us an opportunity to learn, rebel, return, and recommit.

12:40 – Because Earlier, Lighter Dinner (ELD) is such a keystone habit, Cate offers a free ELD Challenge.

14:10 – ELD often involves a whole recalibration of family values and long-held habits and beliefs.

16:40 – If you’re interested in learning the habits of Body Thrive or in Yoga Health Coaching, go to https://yogahealer.com/conversation/

Favorite Quotes:

“There’s always a workaround [for Earlier, Lighter Dinner], but the workaround was like a “come-to-Jesus” moment: That schedule does not work. I think that’s the hard truth. You hear people talk about what their schedule is and how they can eat dinner and you’re just like, ‘Well there’s a part of that that’s going to have to change.’ And we dance around it a little bit, but that’s what ends up happening.” — Colleen Hieber

“Every single one of the habits is so simple. . . . The reason we why we have to go through these programs in a group and have all this accountability is because of that emotional bit and that self sabotage bit and that discounting bit and our crazy amounts of justifications we come up with for why we CAN’T do the thing. When at the end of the day, something has to change.” — Carly Banks

Guest BIO

Colleen Hieber. As a professional dancer, I was first drawn to Yoga as a reliable method for physical therapy that I could practice on my own. Eventually, Yoga became so much more – I was hooked to its alignment principles, philosophy, mindfulness, and meditation. I also found a community of people on a similar path to personal growth. I made teaching Yoga my path in life, after experiencing the healing power of this practice, during a particularly traumatic event. I have never looked back. It is the greatest gift to share this practice with students and new teachers.

Currently, I am leading Yoga Alliance approved 200-Hour Yoga teacher trainings at Spectra Yoga in Costa Mesa, CA and 85-Hour Ma Yoga® Prenatal Teacher Trainings internationally throughout the year.

I have a deep and abiding call to bring the teachings of yoga to all different types of people. The lessons of yoga are universal. There is an innate intelligence and inherent power in the human body that is both accessible and transformational. I can give you the tools to dig deep and realize the power of grace. Connect with Colleen on her website.

My training in the conversation of health began when I started practicing as an occupational therapist in the traditional medical system. Over time, my work with clients with chronic disease and my own health challenges shifted my perspective- I began to look at health management and disease prevention through a broader lens.  

But it was my most recent studies in Yoga Health Coaching where my ideas on health care took an even bigger turn as I started to learn and experience the massive benefits of implementing a daily routine that is repeatable and simple. Now, as I teach my clients the benefits of eating an earlier dinner, going to bed earlier, and waking earlier to meditate and move, the significant change I am seeing in their physical and mental well being is telling me that there is an untold story of health that needs to be shared.

A Simple Lesson in Prioritizing

So let’s backtrack.

One of the things I’ve always admired about my friend is that she has a strong capacity to handle a large amount of challenge with grace and ease. This is something I have struggled with- for much of my adult life I have slept too little and worked too much. When I don’t get enough sleep or the right type of sleep I’m not able to show up effectively in my relationships, my work is sub par, and everything suffers.

Studying dinacharya- the Ayurvedic recommendations for daily habits and routines- I learned that my ideas of “self care” were heavily informed by the media and traditional models of medical care .

But recently I remembered that one of the greatest teachings I received about self-care was from this friend. And it dovetails beautifully with the Yoga Health Coaching approach that I now use. This is what she told me:

Sleep first – it is the most important priority.  If you have slept enough you can make better decisions. THEN focus on food choices and eating in a way that is nourishing. From this solid base of rest and nutrition you are set- exercise becomes more accessible and you can start to build a healthier body.

What my friend offered me was a clear hierarchy of how to care for myself.  I remember that it made sense- and that I unsuccessfully tried to make some changes in my routine. I realize now that this was my first experience of experimenting with creating self care habits for myself.

So here’s the thing – if family physicians knows that sleep and eating and movement are critical for health, we can then ask how  health professionals effectively help their clients start to make these critical shifts? How can we help people pro-actively choose to go to bed earlier when work, laundry, relationships, and even down time are all calling us to stay up to midnight?

Introducing Three Key Habits and the World of Habit Change Science

We know that there is significant research that shows us self-care is critical for managing chronic illness like diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

We also know that most of us don’t know how to get started or how to create these new self care habits.  That’s why my friend’s “Sleep First” advice – as much as it resonated with my view of self care- was not accessible for me.  I didn’t know how to create a routine from an idea.

In his book “Getting Things Done” David Allen tells us when are goals are too big-  when we have not identified a small enough “next action” to get started- we can become paralyzed. For me buying new tires for my car is like this:  if my to-do list says “buy new summer tires” I can’t get started. What next action will mobilize me? If I take this to-do and make it into the tiniest action what I write down instead is “ask my brother what tires he recommends.”  

A similar approach can work for our clients.  Start with the most critical habits. Start with one at a time. And most importantly use of the concept of kaizen to help them get started.

Kaizen- Good Change

Kaizen means “good change.” A concept that evolved from wartime, it’s about small continuous change- small improvements that add up to bigger change over time. Everytime we look to create new habits in self care, a kaizen approach can help us to create the kind of small next actions that will give us success and prevent paralysis.

So what does this look like when we are talking about self care habits and the world of Ayurveda?  When we look at the Ayurvedic daily routine we can see that three key habits form the basis for good health- Earlier Lighter Dinner, Early to Bed, and Start the Day Right.  These habits follow the natural rhythm of the Ayurvedic clock and the corresponding circadian rhythm. And each one of them can be approached using kaizen as a tool.

Three Key Habits

Habit one is all about eating an Earlier Lighter Dinner. When we eat earlier- ideally by 6pm- we are able to digest our food more effectively before we go to sleep, and the physiological processes of recovery and growth that happen on a biochemical level are more effective and more available to us. Through the lens of kaizen and earlier later dinner could look like eating off a smaller plate so less food is consumed, replacing beef with tofu in a stir fry, or dialling dinner back from 7pm to 6:30pm. Encouraging our clients to eat their largest meal in the middle of the day gives them a greater chance of letting go of the “big dinner” mentality that often comes with a busy lifestyle.

Habit two is Early to Bed. Going to bed before 10 PM is critical as it helps us avoid the second wind that many people experience with a rise of energy that naturally occurs after 10 PM. How do we change our bed time?  The kaizen is approach here could include rolling bedtime back by 15 minutes at a time, adding in a habit like a sleep inducing foot massage before bed, or moving your daily shower to bed time instead of the morning so that work and other alerting activities are less accessible and less desirable.

Habit three is called Start to the Day Right. This habit teaches us that getting up before six, drinking warm water to encourage a bowel movement, and doing some type of movement, are critical to ensure we wake up feeling light and alert rather than heavy and groggy. People who wake up later often struggle with getting out of bed.  Although a cold turkey approach to getting up earlier can be effective with some people, changing the alarm by just 15 minutes a week can be an effective way to become a morning person. Movement can be as simple as doing 15 jumping jacks or dancing to a song. Drinking warm water? A sip or two can be a start and over time shift into a full intake of a liter.

It’s At Our Fingertips

I think back with gratitude to the framework that my friend introduced me to. She encouraged me to give my need for sleep more attention and introduced me to the idea that I have the ability to make change by taking responsibility for my own routine and habits.

But looking back on my lack of success with changing my own sleep habits makes me realize that creating new health habits is a science- and most of us haven’t learned the basics of how to successfully make this kind of change.

So how can we best help our patients? By educating them about these simple habits of health care, and linking them to a coaching program where they can get help with making the habits real.  Truth is, to make new habits stick we need to learn habit change science AND we need to learn why the habits have value.  Both are needed to make the habits stick.

Wondering who you can refer to? See if there is someone in your community who specializes in habit change and health. Or consider taking the plunge and adding Yoga Health Coaching to your repertoire of skills or as a primary care program offered within your health clinic. Bridging the gap between the idea of self-care and making a change on a personal level is where we can really start to make a difference.

Writing a book is about more than just getting your thoughts down on paper. It is a transformational journey about finding yourself and your voice, learning to speak your truth, and tapping into your natural talents and confidence. The more you tap into that which is deep within you, the more you tap into your message that you desire to share with the world.

What you’ll get out of tuning in:

• How do you know if your ready to write a book?
• How do you find your own voice?
• How does writer’s block show up and what to do with it?

Links Mentioned in Episode:

• Pitch-O-Rama for writers- Pitch your book in San Francisco!
• Brooke Warner- She Writes Press
• Carolyn’s website
• Elise’s website
• Monetize your wellness business with Free 4-video series

Show Highlights:

• 1:45- Carolyn tells us about her background living in an Ashram and studying the Indian culture and then continuing on to become a book editor.
• 4:00- How will a writer know if they are ready to write a book? How does the writer gain the confidence to do so? And when a writer is ready, how do they develop a book concept?
• 16:00- Caroline shares some of her editing stories from her work.
• 26:40- We hear the answers to more important questions about book writing. How does writing a book help you to develop your own platform in order to market it to the right audience? We all have hesitance or resistance to doing something we truly want to do- where does resistance come from within you? Where are you stuck and how can you work through that in your writing?
• 37:30- Elise and Carolyn answer the creative chat window questions asked by live listeners.
• 42:00- Batool, from YHC, joins the call to share how she feels about book writing. She says it’s important to be disciplined, stay committed, and give yourself deadlines.
• 47:00- Writing Blocks! How they show up and what to do with them.
• 1:00:00- Carolyn mentions her interest in taking a small group of people in September through a course based on the 5 step process of book writing. She would love to coach you through the book outline and book concept process in order to help people develop these skills themselves. If you are interested please contact Carolyn Bond at carolyn@carolyn-bond.com!

Favorite Quotes:

• “We tap into our prakriti and our unique blueprint….the more we do this, the more we naturally find that confidence and find that urge to express our true voice.” – Elise Collins
• “If you want to convey what you know to someone else, it takes a lot more effort and you need to articulate it and step outside of it a little bit to articulate it. But there are huge gifts in doing so.” – Carolyn Bond
• “I love the writing process because I think it is transformational.” – Elise Collins
• “When the timing is right, the book just shows up. Don’t start with a title, the title gets born within.”  – Batool
• It’s important to set that time for yourself to write, to create.” – Carolyn Bond
• “Writing helps me to become a more clear speaker and speaking helps me to flesh out my ideas. They kind of go hand in hand.” – Elise Collins

Guest BIO:

Carolyn Bond, after obtaining a BA in anthropology from Stanford and later an MA in Indian philosophy and Sanskrit from University of Pennsylvania, developed her nascent love of exploring worldviews and thought systems. Her love of books and fascination with exploring worlds converged in the late 1990s as she took up the art of editing. (Each book, after all, is its own world of thought.) She did not seek out editing; it claimed her when the executive editor of a small publishing house offered her a project; she of course said yes. In 1998, she moved to southern Oregon and started out as an editor. Since then, she has been privileged to bring her systems-thinking and word-crafting skills to every book project, collaborating with the author to produce the book he or she truly wants to write. Check out Carolyn’s website.

In Yoga Health Coaching (YHC), we learn how to teach our own versions of Cate Stillman’s Body Thrive course. But some yoga health coaches, like Heather Stoken, take it one step further and create their own unique courses using the basic business structure of YHC.

Heather had studied some healing modalities and knew she wanted to make an impact on other people’s health, so after completing the Living Ayurveda course, she enrolled in Yoga Health Coaching. After completing YHC and becoming a certified yoga health coach, Heather took some time to reflect on where she wanted to take her work.

While she continues to teach the 10 habits of Body Thrive, Heather’s program caters to people working in the airline industry: pilots, flight attendants, and even frequent travelers. Catering to that niche meant changing some of the structure and languaging from a yoga or ayurveda perspective to something more mainstream that her course members could easily understand and relate to.

The business skills Heather learned in YHC set her up for success. The YHC community gave Heather the support and inspiration she needed to create a business that aligned with her values.

What you’ll get out of tuning in:

• How Yoga Health Coaching teaches us a totally customizable business model.
• How the YHC community provides support and inspiration.
• How you can create a business that aligns with your unique knowledge and values.

Links Mentioned in Episode:

• Body Thrive Book
• YHC Have a conversation
• Heather website
• Watch the Masterclass NOW

Show Highlights:

• 0:55 – In Yoga Health Coaching (YHC), we learn how to teach our own versions of Cate Stillman’s Body Thrive course. But some yoga health coaches, like Heather Stoken, take it one step further and create their own unique courses using the basic business structure of YHC.
• 2:10 – Prior to the birth of her son two years ago, Heather taught reading and yoga. After her son was born, she was a stay at home mom. She had studied some healing modalities and knew she wanted to make an impact on people’s health, so after completing the Living Ayurveda course, she enrolled in Yoga Health Coaching. After completing YHC and becoming a certified yoga health coach, Heather took some time to reflect on where she wanted to take her work.
• 4:40 – While she continues to teach the 10 habits of Body Thrive, Heather’s program caters to people working in the airline industry: pilots, flight attendants, and even frequent travelers. Catering to that niche meant changing some of the structure and languaging from a yoga or ayurveda perspective to something more mainstream that her course members could easily understand and relate to.
• 7:04 – The business skills Heather learned in YHC set her up for success. The YHC community gave Heather the support and inspiration she needed to create a business that aligned with her values.

Favorite Quotes:

• “It’s an empowering thing in itself to be able to offer this 10 habit program because Cate Stillman just makes it so available in terms of putting your own personal spin on things. We have the basis of these ten habits, but the way that we offer it . . . we can take it any direction that we want.” — Carly Banks
• “One of my struggles before YHC, being a stay at home mom, was that I felt super isolated. And when I did connect with people, I didn’t necessarily feel like it was my tribe, my people. So it’s super exciting to be in a community with like-minded people that are all working towards making an impact. . . . It feel great.” — Heather Stoken

Guest BIO:

Heather Stoken is a Yoga and Yoga Tune Up® teacher that has been practicing and teaching  for the last 10 years in beautiful Portland, Oregon and on retreats and workshops throughout the Country.

Heather is passionate about her yoga both on and off the mat, and integrates fun as well as anatomical understanding into her teaching. Off the mat, Heather is a mother,  a novice artist and chef, as well as a lover of travel and the great outdoors. Connect with Heather on her Website and Facebook page.

A lot of us wellness pros are great at what we do, but that’s not enough to grow a business. Often we’re reluctant to even think of the services we provide as a “business,”  so we have slacker habits when it comes to our careers. We’re in reactive mode and do little to no long term business planning. If we want make a bigger impact by helping more people, we need to develop professional career habits that systematically grow our business so that it’s easier for people to find us.

To start, we need to develop a larger perspective by identifying and quantifying 3 aspects of our career growth: impact, revenue, and lifestyle. A wellness pro with pro career habits is doing annual and quarterly planning that includes actionable steps that will help her hit her targets in all three areas. Using a project management tool streamlines the process and provides a structure for automating pro career habits.

Getting into integrity with being a wellness pro involves creating habits that increase our levels of skill and challenge so that we remain in flow throughout our careers and avoid hitting a plateau.

What you’ll get out of tuning in:

• How to determine whether you have slacker career habits or pro career habits.
• How you can start to develop pro career habits.
• How you can stay in flow throughout the length of your wellness career.

Links Mentioned in Episode:

• Body Thrive Course
• Body Thrive Book
• YHC Have a conversation
• Stay Hydrated with Copper H20
• Flow

Show Highlights:

• 0:30 – A lot of wellness pros are great at what they do, but it’s not enough. They still have slacker habits when it comes to their careers. They’re in reactive mode and haven’t automated the daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual habits they need to turn pro. To start, they need to develop a larger perspective.
• 5:13 – We can start by identifying and quantifying 3 aspects of our career growth: impact, revenue, and lifestyle. A wellness pro who has pro career habits is going to be doing annual and quarterly planning that includes actionable steps that will grow her career.
• 8:50 – With slacker habits, the impact extends beyond ourselves and our businesses to those people we weren’t able to serve because we were slacking.
• 9:30 – For many, careers plateau at a certain point when skill exceeds challenge, but we can only remain in flow if our skill and challenge are both high. Using a project management tool is a pro career habit that helps us streamline the process of upleveling our skill and our challenge to grow our business by creating actionable steps and identifying lead and lag indicators.
• 25:20 – Getting into integrity with being a pro involves creating habits that increase your skill and your challenge in order to grow your business.

Favorite Quotes:

• “The truth for people who have pro career skills is they know that every challenge is an opportunity to grow their skill.” — Cate Stillman
• “This isn’t about adding more to-dos. This is about getting in integrity with being a pro in our career habits.” — Cate Stillman
• “I need wellness people to act like wellness pros. We need to have pro career habits or we can’t have the kind of impact [we want to have] because at the end of the day, it’s all about impact.” — Cate Stillman

Guest BIO:

Grace Edison lives in British Columbia, Canada. She’s a mom of twin 8 year olds, a Yoga teacher, studio owner, and Yoga Health Coach — and she also works for Cate Stillman in Admissions at Yogahealer! More than anything, she loves to make people laugh and has a not-so-secret dream of doing stand-up comedy. Grace has a strong passion for empowering others to take their health and wellness into their own hands. She loves building authentic relationships, making people laugh, and creating supportive communities. After a long-standing relationship with severe depression, Grace has found deep relief through the habits of Ayurveda — and much credit is due to Cate and her Body Thrive program. After taking Body Thrive several times and jumping into Yoga Health Coaching, Grace came aboard the Yogahealer team.

Gin has been a successful massage therapist for 16 years. For the last 12 years, she has also been providing Ayurvedic consulting on a one-on-one basis. What she’s found is that the one-on-one model is exhausting and not very successful in terms of long-term impact.

As a certified Yoga Health Coach, Gin is serving parents with the Body Thrive model and children with her own unique program called “My Body is Science,” which combines anatomy, yoga, and the habits of ayurveda.  The intergenerational aspect of her work emphasizes that vibrant health is both your birthright and your legacy.

The flexible structure of Yoga Health Coaching provides us with the opportunity to create custom programs like Gin’s. As the YHC community grows, we see more and more coaches becoming empowered, recognizing their strengths, and utilizing their unique interests to offer a habits-based program to their niche populations.

What you’ll get out of tuning in:

• How the one-on-one coaching model is limited in its ability to effect long-term change.
• How the flexibility of the Yoga Health Coaching model allows us to deliver programs customized to our own unique strengths and interests.
• How the Yoga Health Coaching community supports our endeavors regardless of our niche markets.

Links Mentioned in Episode:

• Body Thrive Course
• Body Thrive Book
• YHC Have a conversation
• Stay Hydrated with Copper H20
• Gin’s website
• Gin’s facebook page
• My Body Is Science

Show Highlights:

• 0:00 – Carly and Gin met in person at the Yogahealer retreat in Mexico in March, and they are both still riding the high from that.
• 3:25 – Both Carly and Gin are serving families in their versions of the 10 habit program. Both are transitioning out of the jobs they’ve been in for years. Gin has been a successful massage therapist for 16 years. For the last 12 years, she has also been providing Ayurvedic consulting on a one-on-one basis. What she’s found is that the one-on-one model is exhausting and not very successful in terms of long-term impact.
• 6:00 – Gin is a certified Yoga Health Coach who is serving parents with the Body Thrive model and children with her own unique program called “My Body is Science” that combines anatomy, yoga, and the habits of ayurveda.  The intergenerational aspect of her work emphasizes that vibrant health is both your birthright and your legacy.
• 7:50 – The structure of Yoga Health Coaching provides us with the opportunity to create custom programs. As the YHC community grows, we see more and more coaches becoming empowered, recognizing their strengths, and utilizing their unique interests to offer a habits-based program to niche populations.

Favorite Quotes:

• “It [the retreat experience] takes you to the next level of what you think is even possible . . . and then exponentially further.” — Gin Burchfield
• “Vibrant health is your birthright and your legacy.” — Gin Burchfield

Guest BIO:

Gin began her career in massage, Ayurveda, yoga, and wellness in 2001, and has been in private practice in Raleigh and Cary, NC since 2008. She now specializes in Medical Massage Therapy and Ayurveda. Gin has also served as faculty in the Therapeutic Massage program at Wake Technical Community College since 2009 and enjoys her work as a Montessori Yoga and Anatomy Instructor through her self-developed “My Body is Science” program. She is currently studying to become a Certified Yoga Health Coach and is offering her new group-coaching formatted, 10-week program PURE HEALTH four times per year. Prior to this, she had the distinction of working at the Chopra Center for Wellbeing, founded by renowned physician and author Deepak Chopra. Here she learned Ayurvedic Massage Therapy and Panchakarma (detoxification) administration. She served as Assistant Supervisor in the Chopra Center Spa before being recruited to work as Therapeutic Bodywork Team Lead at Wellspace, a large integrative healthcare center formerly located in Boston, MA. Check her website and facebook page.

Suzanne began studying Iyengar yoga in her 20s, but found herself struggling mentally and emotionally. She began meditating and describes the experience as going from seeing her life in black and white to seeing it in color. Meditation improved her family life, and she eventually found her way back to yoga.

She studied Anusara yoga and opened a yoga studio after working as a Catholic chaplain after the World Trade Center bombings. She ran the studio for 11 years and closed the studio right before starting Yoga Health Coaching.

Cate recalls talking to Suzanne about the community building she had done at her studio, her love for the deeper student, and the frustrations that went with studio ownership. She encouraged Suzanne to start the business course so that she could utilize a different business model that included more depth and less frustration. Suzanne had already been teaching some shorter online courses, but she needed a better model. There’s a different set of skills that goes with teaching online, and Suzanne had to learn and grow into those. She now enjoys connecting with people in this way, and the payoff has been a creative, life-enhancing schedule.

What you’ll get out of tuning in:

• Why you don’t have to be a tech genius to take your business online.
• Why taking your business online doesn’t mean sacrificing the human connection.
• How the habits of Body Thrive obliterate overwhelm for both coaches and clients.

Links Mentioned in Episode:

• Body Thrive Book
• YHC Have a conversation
• Living in Alignment: Identity Evolution and the Art of Connection
• Do you have a fixed mindset about your career growth?
• Suzanne’s FB
• Suzanne’s website

Show Highlights:

• 1:00 – Suzanne began studying Iyengar yoga in her 20s, but found herself struggling mentally and emotionally. She began meditating and describes the experience as going from seeing her life in black and white to seeing it in color. Meditation improved her family life, and she eventually found her way back to yoga.
• 5:05 – Suzanne met Cate in 2005 at an Ayurveda workshop Cate was teaching. That was her first introduction to Ayurveda. She studied Anusara yoga and opened a yoga studio after working as a Catholic chaplain after the World Trade Center bombings. She ran the studio for 11 years and closed the studio right before starting Yoga Health Coaching.
• 9:30 – Cate recalls talking to Suzanne about the community building she had done at her studio, her love for the deeper student, and the frustrations that went with studio ownership. She encouraged Suzanne to start the business course so that she could utilize a different business model that included more depth and less frustration. Suzanne had already been teaching some shorter online courses, but she needed a better model. There’s a different set of skills that goes with teaching online, and Suzanne had to learn and grow into those. She now enjoys connecting with people in this way, and the payoff has been a creative, life-enhancing schedule.
• 13:00 – The habits of Body Thrive create more harmony throughout one’s life. Even though Suzanne’s husband’s work is extremely stressful, their practice of the habits has enhanced their relationship created a sense of ease in their lives.
• 17:30 – Initially, learning the technology necessary for taking her business online created a sense of overwhelm for Suzanne. She now knows that overwhelm is a choice. Despite a series of family illnesses, she felt she was able to surrender and calmly be available to the crisis at hand. Consequently, she felt she was able to be of better service.
• 24:00 – Suzanne’s clients have seen similar shifts towards ease as opposed to overwhelm.
• 25:45 – It takes about a year to automate the habits. Changing from a 10 week program to an annual ticket takes the pressure off course members and gives them time to work through personal resistance as well as issues in relationships.
• 31:20 – The integrity of thrive is stronger than apathy. If one person in a family is practicing the habits, the rest of the family will likely follow suit eventually.
• 33:45 – Suzanne is currently excited about transitioning her business model to the annual ticket. She is working on building her online presence so that it will be easier for her future clients to find her.

Favorite Quotes:

• “Yoga has this detoxification process. And it loosens energy in many ways, and it loosens karma to process. It loosens stuck patterns.” — Cate Stillman
• “I love that I work from home. I make my schedule. I can create a very supportive, life-enhancing schedule. . . . And then I can connect with people. . . . I’m so much happier!” — Suzanne Lynch
• “We start to realize that our habits are not our own. Our habits are communal.” — Cate Stillman
• “I’m in the time of life when I’m actually a valuable teacher.” — Suzanne Lynch

Guest BIO:

Suzanne has been helping people get out of pain, and live happier, healthier lives for over 25 years. She has a special talent and affinity for habit evolution and deep listening. Suzanne loves helping clients feel better than they have in years.

Suzanne has been a meditator for 30 years, and was certified by the NACC as a Catholic Chaplain in 2001. She worked for the Red Cross after The Trade Center bombings, as well as in hospitals, and in Hospice. She’s a long time student of yoga and started back in 1989. Suzanne lives in Saratoga with her husband, Bruce and her dog Argos. She is a mother of two grown children. Connect with Suzanne on her FB page and get more info on Suzanne’s website.

Suzanne began studying Iyengar yoga in her 20s, but found herself struggling mentally and emotionally. She began meditating and describes the experience as going from seeing her life in black and white to seeing it in color. Meditation improved her family life, and she eventually found her way back to yoga.

She studied Anusara yoga and opened a yoga studio after working as a Catholic chaplain after the World Trade Center bombings. She ran the studio for 11 years and closed the studio right before starting Yoga Health Coaching.

Cate recalls talking to Suzanne about the community building she had done at her studio, her love for the deeper student, and the frustrations that went with studio ownership. She encouraged Suzanne to start the business course so that she could utilize a different business model that included more depth and less frustration. Suzanne had already been teaching some shorter online courses, but she needed a better model. There’s a different set of skills that goes with teaching online, and Suzanne had to learn and grow into those. She now enjoys connecting with people in this way, and the payoff has been a creative, life-enhancing schedule.

What you’ll get out of tuning in:

• Why you don’t have to be a tech genius to take your business online.
• Why taking your business online doesn’t mean sacrificing the human connection.
• How the habits of Body Thrive obliterate overwhelm for both coaches and clients.

Links Mentioned in Episode:

• Body Thrive Book
• YHC Have a conversation
• Living in Alignment: Identity Evolution and the Art of Connection
• Do you have a fixed mindset about your career growth?
• Suzanne’s FB
• Suzanne’s website

Show Highlights:

• 1:00 – Suzanne began studying Iyengar yoga in her 20s, but found herself struggling mentally and emotionally. She began meditating and describes the experience as going from seeing her life in black and white to seeing it in color. Meditation improved her family life, and she eventually found her way back to yoga.
• 5:05 – Suzanne met Cate in 2005 at an Ayurveda workshop Cate was teaching. That was her first introduction to Ayurveda. She studied Anusara yoga and opened a yoga studio after working as a Catholic chaplain after the World Trade Center bombings. She ran the studio for 11 years and closed the studio right before starting Yoga Health Coaching.
• 9:30 – Cate recalls talking to Suzanne about the community building she had done at her studio, her love for the deeper student, and the frustrations that went with studio ownership. She encouraged Suzanne to start the business course so that she could utilize a different business model that included more depth and less frustration. Suzanne had already been teaching some shorter online courses, but she needed a better model. There’s a different set of skills that goes with teaching online, and Suzanne had to learn and grow into those. She now enjoys connecting with people in this way, and the payoff has been a creative, life-enhancing schedule.
• 13:00 – The habits of Body Thrive create more harmony throughout one’s life. Even though Suzanne’s husband’s work is extremely stressful, their practice of the habits has enhanced their relationship created a sense of ease in their lives.
• 17:30 – Initially, learning the technology necessary for taking her business online created a sense of overwhelm for Suzanne. She now knows that overwhelm is a choice. Despite a series of family illnesses, she felt she was able to surrender and calmly be available to the crisis at hand. Consequently, she felt she was able to be of better service.
• 24:00 – Suzanne’s clients have seen similar shifts towards ease as opposed to overwhelm.
• 25:45 – It takes about a year to automate the habits. Changing from a 10 week program to an annual ticket takes the pressure off course members and gives them time to work through personal resistance as well as issues in relationships.
• 31:20 – The integrity of thrive is stronger than apathy. If one person in a family is practicing the habits, the rest of the family will likely follow suit eventually.
• 33:45 – Suzanne is currently excited about transitioning her business model to the annual ticket. She is working on building her online presence so that it will be easier for her future clients to find her.

Favorite Quotes:

• “Yoga has this detoxification process. And it loosens energy in many ways, and it loosens karma to process. It loosens stuck patterns.” — Cate Stillman
• “I love that I work from home. I make my schedule. I can create a very supportive, life-enhancing schedule. . . . And then I can connect with people. . . . I’m so much happier!” — Suzanne Lynch
• “We start to realize that our habits are not our own. Our habits are communal.” — Cate Stillman
• “I’m in the time of life when I’m actually a valuable teacher.” — Suzanne Lynch

Guest BIO:

Suzanne has been helping people get out of pain, and live happier, healthier lives for over 25 years. She has a special talent and affinity for habit evolution and deep listening. Suzanne loves helping clients feel better than they have in years.

Suzanne has been a meditator for 30 years, and was certified by the NACC as a Catholic Chaplain in 2001. She worked for the Red Cross after The Trade Center bombings, as well as in hospitals, and in Hospice. She’s a long time student of yoga and started back in 1989. Suzanne lives in Saratoga with her husband, Bruce and her dog Argos. She is a mother of two grown children. Connect with Suzanne on her FB page and get more info on Suzanne’s website.