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The Catholic Sobriety Podcast
Welcome to The Catholic Sobriety Podcast with your host Christie Walker!
This podcast is dedicated to empowering Catholics to live lives of freedom by providing tips and tools to help them be successful as they reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption. Christie Walker, a compassionate Catholic life and sobriety coach, is here to support you on your journey toward a healthier, more fulfilling life.
Are you questioning whether alcohol has taken control of your life? Do you worry about the impact it may have on your well-being? Many people find themselves in this situation, fearing the loss of pleasure and stress relief associated with alcohol. They assume that giving it up will only bring deprivation and misery. But Christie offers a different and much more positive perspective.
With Christie's expertise, you'll discover the joy and peace that come from embracing a healthier lifestyle rooted in the Catholic faith and tradition.
Ready to get curious? Start listening!
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The Catholic Sobriety Podcast
Ep 106: Self-Care as a Holy Work with Guest Janna Kerr
Ever wondered how faith can transform your journey to better health? Join us on the Catholic Sobriety Podcast as we sit with Janna Kerr, a certified integrative nutrition health coach, who reveals her inspiring path that began with a quest for family wellness.
Through her unique approach that intertwines biblical faith with health coaching, Janna shares how she helps women make sense of the often contradictory advice in the world of nutrition. Learn about the origins of her business, At the Well Coaching, which draws inspiration from the biblical encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman, emphasizing the importance of meeting people where they are on their wellness journey.
Explore the profound challenges women face when they turn to alcohol or food as a form of self-care, especially after a taxing day. We introduce Janna's "setting the table" model, a transformative approach that encourages women to view their lives as a beautifully set wedding table, with prayer at its core. This episode delves into how examining key life areas—such as spirituality, creativity, and physical activity—can lead to healthier habits, replacing detrimental routines with nurturing practices that resonate with one's values and spiritual journey.
We underscore the importance of self-awareness, strategic planning, and establishing boundaries—all crucial steps towards empowering women to masterfully navigate life's unpredictability.
Find out more about Janna and her Healthy Habits Reset on her website:
https://www.atthewellcoaching.com/
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This is your chance to awaken new possibilities, and experience the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
I'm here for you. I'm praying for you. You are NOT alone!
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Welcome to the Catholic Sobriety Podcast, the go-to resource for women seeking to have a deeper understanding of the role alcohol plays in their lives, women who are looking to drink less or not at all for any reason. I am your host, christi Walker. I'm a wife, mom and a joy-filled Catholic, and I am the Catholic Sobriety Coach, and I am so glad you're here. My guest today is Jana Kerr. She is a wife, a mom of three, a lover of books and a certified integrative nutrition health coach. She has a really great method to help women make small, sustainable changes to their health and she's here to share all about that today. Thank you so much for joining me today, jana Well thanks so much for having me.
Speaker 2:Christy Thrilled to be here.
Speaker 1:Why don't you go ahead and share a little bit about your story and then incorporate into that what is an integrative nutrition health coach?
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I'll start there because it's quite a mouthful. People often kind of look at me like well, what does that mean? So, to clarify right off the bat, I'm not a dietitian or nutritionist, even though nutrition is in my title. I am a health coach that looks at all aspects of our lives. So that's what that integrative piece means, and I kind of stumbled into the health coaching world.
Speaker 2:I've always been very curious about my health, aware of it, but it wasn't until our oldest was about one that I was like gosh I'm feeding her all this like organic baby food and so concerned about what she's eating. Maybe I was like gosh I'm feeding her all this like organic baby food and so concerned about what she's eating. Maybe I should be more concerned, you know, with what my husband and I are eating, and that just really started me down this whole incredible journey. Looking back, it is so beautiful to see how God put the exact people and opportunities in my path that eventually led me to discover health coaching. I did not even know it was a thing until 2016. And when I learned about it, I was like this, is it Like? This is what I'm supposed to do. Sign me up, go back to school. How do I get started? But then we got pregnant with our youngest, so you know, god's timing is perfect. So I became a health coach a couple of years ago and I absolutely love it.
Speaker 2:It's that communicating one-on-one or in groups or talks I give and just getting to walk alongside women in their journey. So I am not the expert or the medical professional. I am your accountability buddy and your cheerleader and your tough love giver and I help my clients navigate the often extremely confusing world of health and nutrition in particular. We get so many mixed messages and aren't quite you know which Google site is the best one to look at and what's real and what's not. I help them figure out what is best for them at this particular point in their lives, because that's also going to change. You know, whether you've young kids or you're an empty nester, your health and what you need to focus on are going to be different.
Speaker 2:So I really love getting to look at all those areas of my clients' lives and we invite the Lord into that. So that's a really important piece of how I coach and I started out thinking I could keep that separate and God pretty quickly showed me that that was not what he wanted me to be doing and he wanted me to be very much incorporating my faith into my coaching. So most of my clients are Catholic, but not all. So I do say that I'm a health coach for Christian women. I've had some non-Christian clients as well. So it's really about if we chive and what sort of help people are looking for. So glad God put me here.
Speaker 1:I know he works in such beautiful ways and takes us to so many unexpected twists and turns and leaves those holy breadcrumbs, like you were saying, to just kind of like guide us to where he wants us to go and meet who we need to meet and have the information we need to have, always perfect, and helps us to, you know, be where we need to be, exactly when he wants us to be there, even if we might be thinking, oh, I should have been there sooner. We can always kind of beat ourselves up on that. But I love the work that you do and you are so right. I mean, there are so many mixed messages and if you Google something you might be dying, so don't Google, right. Google something you might be dying, so don't Google, right. Don't Google MD. Yeah, like, be very careful where you're getting your information and have the whole picture.
Speaker 1:But I think it's so good to have somebody to guide, to guide you on that journey, because I know I did the same thing with my kids. Like I made all their baby food. I had this book Super Baby Food. My husband and I were really eating hamburger health, yeah, and pretty soon I'm like, hey, we should probably not be eating like this, but it's so confusing. There are so many things like don't eat eggs, do eat eggs, and then you get into perimenopause and like all the things that you used to do just aren't working anymore and it's just a mess. So to have someone to just kind of guide you through that process is so, so, very helpful. And I love the name of your coaching At the Well Coaching. Can you tell me, like, how that came about and what that really means to you and the coaching you provide?
Speaker 2:Oh sure, definitely Holy Spirit inspired. I was really struggling with what to name my business. It comes from John 4 and Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well. I've always loved that passage and so in my business I look at it a couple ways where I'm trying to emulate Jesus and meet my clients, meet these women who are just going about their day-to-day life. This woman is just doing the drudgery of coming to get water and so I just try to be there and to meet them where they are and also speak truth to them. You know, in whatever way that God needs me to, I'm very much trying to just be Jesus to them and encourage them.
Speaker 2:And so, you know, the Samaritan woman leaves the well changed and inspired and an evangelist, and so my hope is that, you know, through me, jesus is able of course he can work, but that I am kind of that conduit for the Lord to change my clients' lives and to love them like he loves them and help them love themselves the way he loves them, and so that they leave me changed and, you know, better able to bring God glory. You know he has a mission here for all us and that's really part of my mission with At the Well Coaching is to help women have the health and vitality and the energy they need to do the work that God has put them specifically here to do. And we can't do that if we're burnt out and overwhelmed and not at our best. And he needs us to be his hands and feet, so bring him to the world.
Speaker 1:Yeah, through your coaching and through being at the well, you're helping your clients encounter Jesus and bring him into what their troubles are. Because sometimes I know with my clients it's like does God really care how much I drink? Does God really care what I'm putting in my mouth? Does it really matter that much? It's not really hurting anyone and it's not necessarily especially we don't realize it at first it's not necessarily taking me away from God. You know, I do. I say all my prayers, I go to mass, I, you know, teach my children the faith and all of these things. But you and I both know that it can get to a point where it is inhibiting their spiritual growth and keeping them from the Lord. So can you talk a little bit about that and what you see with your clients?
Speaker 2:Sure, absolutely With a lot of my clients. They haven't ever not that they are unfaithful, they're usually very faithful women but it just hasn't crossed their mind to look at their health and their faith at the exact same time their faith and their health. And again, getting back to that idea of you know we have work to do here and God needs us to be at our best. That's where that all comes from. So I like to encourage my clients to have this concept of a sacred self-image. And so you know, we know we're made in the image and likeness of God, that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 2:And that's where I do think the question of well, does God really care what I drink? Or does God really care what I eat? Or does he care if I exercise? He does a little bit. He's not gonna say, no, you had too many calories today, you should have eaten this, not that, but he cares about it in the sense that it is our responsibility to care for our bodies because they are a gift from him and we have to take care of them.
Speaker 2:That idea of self-care being holy work, being your most important responsibility, is a big mindset shift for a lot of us and it's something I'm still working on this whole idea of the sacred self-image. It's something that God is always kind of showing me new insights about and it really has changed for me and I watch it with my clients change how we act when we treat ourselves with the same love and respect that God has for us. It really does change the decisions we make, big and small. So, yeah, god may not care exactly that we have the glass of wine instead of the glass of water, but it's that realization of how does Jesus want me to be taking care of my body, what is he asking me or inviting me to do, and what is he inviting me to not do, and how can I be closer to him?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think that that's a really good point. It's like just ask him. I was talking to somebody the other day and they were like, well, where do you start with helping a woman bring God into that part of their life? Because we think about God in lots of other places of our lives, but we don't necessarily think about inviting him into our business, inviting him into what we're eating and drinking, inviting him into, you know, like certain things, but God needs to be everywhere, and so the best place to start is to ask him what do you think about it? What do you think about the way that I'm eating? You know, I feel this like attachment, or maybe I'm not feeling quite free to choose whether I have that alcohol or whether I have that cupcake, or you know, I feel almost compelled instead of choosing. And what does that mean to you, lord, and is that taking away from our relationship? So I think, really having those conversations with God and listening, and then knowing, knowing that anything you get back, that is shaming, that is judgmental, that is criticizing, that is mean, that is not from God, that's going to be from the enemy, that's going to be from your own, like the stories that you've told yourself over the years, that is not going to be from God. It's going to be from God if it's kind, if it's compassionate, it's convicting, loving, merciful, you know. So that's kind of how you can separate that too, because that can be very confusing, like I asked God and he said well, you should blah, blah, blah, you know, right, I love the concept of self-care as a holy work, because so many women that I work with and I know you work with too, because for some reason it's what we put in our mouth, right, that seems to cause a lot of chaos.
Speaker 1:It happened with Eve, right? So I think that's kind of interesting. But a lot of women that I work with, when they are having trouble detaching from alcohol, reducing it or eliminating it completely, they start to worry, like how am I going to care for myself? This is my self-care. I put the kids to bed, I go into the kitchen, I grab a glass of wine, I sit on the couch, watch whatever show and drink my wine.
Speaker 1:It helps me shut my brain off, you know, and I know that the same can be true for food as well. It can. Maybe it doesn't give you the same buzz, but it does like do things within our brain that keep us coming back to it. Do things within our brain that keep us coming back to it. So what would you tell a woman who is realizing yes, I'm using this as self-care. I recognize it's causing a lot of chaos and it's probably not the best decision, but I don't know how to make that a fully work. Do I need to do like a hundred novenas all the time? Or like what does that look like?
Speaker 2:Oh, such a good question so I'll share kind of how I coach my clients through it. So I call it the setting, the table model. So I invite you to picture a gorgeous wedding place setting, you know, gorgeous tablecloth, centerpieces, all the flatware. So the foundation is the tablecloth. That is our prayer. So our relationship with the Lord always has to come first. But to your point, chrissy, it's not about saying a hundred novenas, there's more to it. So we have to have that relationship with Jesus and we're always working on it and a lot of it is inviting him into that struggle and asking him those questions. Help me to see what you would want me to be doing. Help me to see some other options.
Speaker 2:In my opinion, everything we do has to be grounded in our faith. So next is that charger plate. If you're thinking about that table setting, that's like the big fancy plate that you don't actually eat off of. And then the dinner plate is where your food is. So in my coaching I'm trained to coach in these areas that are called primary food, so they are not actually food. It's the different areas of our health that impact what ends up in our mouth, and so this is a huge area where so many light bulbs go off for people. Because normally when we are lacking in one of these areas of primary food, we reach for the secondary food. We reach for the glass of wine or the cookies or the Cheez-Its, and so to really like in that example, you know I'd ask, you know well how let's look at these areas and where might you need some more care.
Speaker 2:So there are 12 different areas that I'm trained to coach in. So you picture a circle again, like the charger plate, all the different pieces of the pie. So there's spirituality, creativity, finances, career, education, health, education, health, physical activity, home cooking, home environment, relationships, social life and joy. Those 12 areas that's our life. Right there, all of those different pieces come together and we're doing well in some and not great in others, and it's always kind of changing.
Speaker 2:So even just looking at that circle can be so eye-opening. To be like gosh, yeah, like I need my like quiet TV wine time, you know, to wind down at the end of the day. But maybe I'm just really needing a chance to be creative. You know what's that hobby that I used to do but haven't done since I've had kids? Or maybe I really just need physical activity. It's going to be different for everyone, but having those options in front of you and seeing, normally when people look at the circle the first time, there's one that automatically jumps out no-transcript. That's where I would have the conversation, because those areas are really so powerful in what our cravings are, in the choices, the decisions that we make, but, again, keeping it all in prayer. So when I walk my clients through the exercise, it starts in prayer and inviting Jesus into this whole process. Lord, show me this the area that I need to focus on now. What do you want me to know? You know, what do you need me to see? And he'll tell you hi, he always does.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yes, yeah, it's just about asking and sometimes we just don't think about it. It's like the simplest thing that we don't think about ask, seek and knock. He tells us and if we just give him the chance, instead of like I'll figure it out, because this is how I am, I'll figure it out, I'll google, I'll do whatever I'll like, take all the courses and read all the books and do all the things and then I'm like okay, now I probably should. I'm not figuring it out. I need to ask Jesus what he thinks about it.
Speaker 1:And he'll tell you and he's like why did it take you so long? You could have saved yourself some time.
Speaker 2:I imagine a lot of times he's like, oh sweetheart. I imagine a lot of times he's like, oh sweetheart, I know he's like I got you. Would you just?
Speaker 1:have asked me sooner. Yeah, lord, thank you. I know, but we're like kids, we just need to figure it out on our own, because we see the grand picture and God sees so much more than we see and tries to nudge us and direct us. For some of us we get it right away and for others of us it takes us a little bit of time, but I think that's so beautiful. I love the visual of I mean, who doesn't love the visual of like a beautiful wedding table spread out, the luxury and just the meaning behind such an event and then bringing Jesus in and just having you help them walk through that with Jesus, walk through those 12 primary areas? Yeah, and I mean really that just kind of sums everything up.
Speaker 1:But overeating, overdrinking, is really just a symptom of a greater need. Like you were saying, there's something else that's lacking and we reach for what's easy, because so many times my clients are like but it's just easy, it's just fast, but in retrospect, as they look back, it's not really easy, because then they have shame and guilt and regret. Maybe they said something to their husband that they didn't want to, maybe they sent a drunk text, maybe they felt hungover in the morning and had to volunteer at the school library. You know, you choose your heart, as they say. But just having that awareness and recognition of like, why am I choosing to do this habitually? Why does it feel like chaos to me? Why do I feel bad about it? Because that's our body saying something. Shame isn't always bad, because shame alerts us like hey, there's something here that is not settling within your soul. Well, there's something here that is not right and you need to address it. And so I think that this tool, your tool, is wonderful, because then they can get to the root of it. And the world just offers us all these comforts, throws all this stuff at us, like there's a better kind of wine, there's this new food, there's this new restaurant down the street.
Speaker 1:One of my things is I don't know why, but I love games like on my phone, and I have to be like very mindful. I'll like play them and delete them, because as soon as I realize it's causing me chaos and that's all I can think about or want to do, I have to delete it off my phone. So I have to be really careful with those types of things. But it's a way of me buffering and checking out. And so I have to be like why am I doing this? What am I avoiding? What do I know I need to do? That I am not doing because I am deciding this is easier and I'm getting those little wins.
Speaker 1:What are some ways that a woman I loved what you said about, like, if it's creativity, like think about things, like other hobbies that you used to do Some of my clients will say I discovered sourdough, or they'll like discover all these like little fun things that they either used to do or had never done before or would never do if they had been drinking habitually, like they were. So what are some suggestions that you can provide on how a woman could kind of move away from seeing like food or alcohol substance, scrolling whatever as self-care into what is really going to feed her and root that?
Speaker 2:out? Oh, such a good question. I would. So I help my clients with this concept called crowding out. So you know, whenever we're trying to avoid something or give something up, our brain is automatically like I want more. It's all we can think about, right? So the whole idea behind crowding out is, instead of focusing on the things you can't have or you are choosing to not have, or cut back on, you, think about all the other things that you can do, and I know you have a great list of the 50 things you can do that don't involve alcohol.
Speaker 2:It's things like that, and looking at these areas of primary food, really help spur some ideas.
Speaker 2:So, instead of grabbing the glass of wine, I am going to listen to a podcast about a topic that really interests me, or I'm going to make sure I take the dog for a walk, or I'm going to throw on a YouTube workout any of these things. So it's the instead of, because those things are going to nourish you, not necessarily with calories, but they're going to nourish that area of primary food which, again, just supports your overall wellness. So maybe it is being in the kitchen and making sourdough depends on your relationship with food For a lot of my clients being out of the kitchen is better because there's not that temptation to be around the food or the drinks. So we'll talk about things like reading a book, getting some movement, spending time with a spouse, calling a friend, you know, just sitting in prayer. You know, open up. Open up your Bible, grab a rosary. It might start out as this okay, I'm just trying to distract myself right now, but God will turn it into something so much more powerful.
Speaker 1:So yeah, I always like to tell people we say no to one thing so that we can say yes to something else. So, just because we say no to something, because it's really easy to fixate on, oh, I can't have that. I, you know, like I've done Whole30 and Elimination Diet and I've done them where the entire time I thought about all the things I couldn't have and I told everybody all the things I couldn't have, and I've done it from a place of peace, of like remember how good you felt, Remember what your body is capable of. You know all these things. So I think that crowding out is such a great concept and knowing that this is I probably wouldn't have done this if I had turned to the food, the substance, whatever.
Speaker 1:And now look what I get to do. I'm, I'm walking with my husband. I'm, you know, listening to podcasts, reading a book or you know whatever those things are that just kind of feed your soul. And I have people have a list of like 50 different things. Not to do it all at once. Anybody can do this. Just write down all the things that you love to do. Not to do it all at once. Anybody can do this. Just write down all the things that you love to do.
Speaker 1:Then you have a whole list to look at because if you're not feeling walking the dog that day, or you're not feeling reading a book that day because you're tired, you still have a lot of other things you can have. Maybe you really like to give yourself a facial mask or take a bath or paint your nails. Whatever it is, it doesn't have to be grand. One of my favorite forms of self-care is planning out my week. Some people are going to be like that sounds terrible, but to me I love it because it makes me feel good to have a plan and have a list and I feel very cared for. So sometimes it's things that we don't even expect, we don't think about as self-care or ways that we take care of ourselves. One of my previous guests was saying one of her ways is she just makes sure that she has her coffee all prepped in the morning.
Speaker 1:So that she doesn't have to do it and you know that's such a small but big thing for you. So I think just recognizing all those little things that make your day easier, more pleasurable are things that can be included on that list as well.
Speaker 2:For sure. Yeah, and one of my favorite quotes is do something today that your future self will thank you for. Yes, and I just love that because when I just want to lie on the sofa at night because I am so tired and it's been such a long day, I'll be like no, I'm going to be so happy that I packed the kids' lunches tonight so that I'm not stressing in the morning Like I'll be so happy that I picked out my clothes or checked my calendar. I find it, especially at night, like what are those tiny things you can do at night to set yourself up for the next day? And it might just be like taking the time to put lotion on your face. You know, when I do that at night, I'm like this is my self-care. Right now, I'm taking care of myself.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it feels so good, and then you don't feel like you have to do. You know the other thing, Because I can tell you I have never talked to a person I'm sure you can attest to this I've never talked to anyone who has woken up in the morning and said I really regret not having that glass of wine last night. I really should have done that. Like, not once has anybody said that, and so I think that just remembering that and remembering what your future self will think of Now, we've talked a lot about what people can do, like at home and you know, when they're on their own. But how do you help your clients, using your principles and methods and everything? How do you help them keep their commitments to themselves and care for themselves and set boundaries when they are traveling on vacation? It's you know, family gatherings and those types of things love it.
Speaker 2:So it comes down to really helping them create that awareness. So, as we work together, when we have the awareness of those decisions, yes, it does change the decisions that we make. So, for example, one of my clients we was like about halfway through her program. So I normally work with women for six months because a lot of life happens in six months and so it's very helpful because you're going to have a trip, you're going to have a birthday or a holiday or someone's going to get sick, all these roadblocks that come up.
Speaker 2:She had a plan and I helped her make a plan. She was going away for a weekend with her college girlfriends and normally the whole weekend is centered around food, going out and eating and drinking and just having a wonderful time. She made a plan of like she knows, like they do this every year. So she was like, okay, I know probably the restaurants we'll go to. And she was like I'm going to totally enjoy myself on the Saturday. I'm not going to care what I eat, but Friday when I get there, I'm going to make sure I try to have a salad for dinner. She knew the kinds of foods that helped her feel her best, because we kind of worked through that together and so Friday and Sunday she was going to be very mindful, very aware. And she got back from her trip and she told me she couldn't believe how easy it was because she thought of it in advance and she had the plan. She knew she could reach out to me if she needed some on the spot. I don't know what to do. She didn't need to do that and she said it was really amazing because on the Saturday, when she gave herself the full permission to eat whatever she wanted, she did for like really amazing because on the Saturday, when she gave herself the full permission to eat whatever she wanted, she did for like the first part of the day. And by the time they got to dinner she was like I don't really feel as good as I did before, so I'm going to get a healthier dinner, like I'm not going to get the giant burger I was going to get, and she was just very surprised at how naturally it all kind of came just from having that awareness.
Speaker 2:So that's just such a huge part in planning in advance. You know, sometimes things come up and that's where you just have to give yourself some grace. You know, your kid breaks an arm and you spend the night at urgent care. You know, you just got to be gentle with yourself because everything's hit the fan. But in those times when you can plan in advance, you don't have to write out specific goals, but you can if it helps you. But even just it's that awareness of okay, I'm going to be out and about. I'm going to have one glass of wine instead of two or three. I'm going to be out and about. I'm going to have one glass of wine instead of two or three. I'm going to let myself have the cocktail, but I'm going to make sure I have an appetizer with it, not going to drink on an empty stomach, whatever it could be. Just having that plan in place is so helpful.
Speaker 1:That is definitely a lot of the work that I also do with my clients is planning and preparing for things. And you're right, you can't plan for everything. But they, so many times too, will tell me like I didn't realize it was going to be that easy, like I thought it was going to be a lot harder, and I'm like well, it could be harder next time, but that's why having a plan is so great and that's what helped it feel so simple and moved so smoothly this time. And then there are unexpected things and we coach through that too, just like I'm sure you do, and so it's like well, this came up and I had a little bit more. You know, I had two drinks when I only wanted one drink. And then we talk about how do you feel about that and all of that? What can we plan for next time? What do we need to put in place? Or maybe they go to an event that they didn't expect alcohol to be at and they're like, oh, I didn't expect it, I didn't plan for it. And then we talk about that and how to plan in the future, and I think having just some guidelines, like some basic guidelines for any event, is so helpful and that will at least get you the bones of what you need. And then if you want to plan because it's like a wedding or, like you're saying, like a girl's trip or you know whatever then you can get a lot more specific and dig deeper.
Speaker 1:And, like I always tell my clients, coaching, the object of coaching isn't to be coached forever. It is for you to learn how to coach yourself. So if we are doing our job, if we are being good coaches, then we are taking them through that process, teaching them how to plan, how to prepare. We're going to help them, you know, in the time we have with them, address those unexpected things and then, when they are on their own, they'll be able to figure it out and they'll be able to coach themselves. They'll say what would Jana say? Like, oh yeah, she would say that you know, or go back to resources and tools that you used to work with them on. So I think that that's one of the things I love most about coaching is that we are teaching them, equipping them, empowering them, encouraging them, being their partner and then kind of like saying OK, you're ready, go go, little birdie.
Speaker 2:I know it does it feels like mother bird. Yeah, yeah, I'm like, ok, got your time. Like you, little birdie, I know it does, it feels like mother bird. Yeah yeah, I'm like okay, not your time, like you can do it, I believe in you.
Speaker 1:Like, yeah, we've practiced but definitely, yeah, being that person that's there, you know, so that they can contact you, like at an event. You know, I always am like, okay, if something happens, you can always text me or you know whatever, whatsapp me and we'll talk it through, because that comes up too when it's unexpected. And then the other thing is, you know, we have our spouses who love us so much. They love us so much and they want us to have whatever we want, even though they are probably so supportive in our goals. If we come to our husband and we're like, oh, I just really, really, really want a glass of wine right now, he's probably going to say, okay, let me get you one. You know it's not going to be that that he's not going to want to say no, because he loves you so much and he wants you to be happy.
Speaker 1:And so it's nice to have a coach or other accountability partners. I'm really big on having an accountability person outside. I mean, yes, your husband can be accountability, but I always feel like having that friend who's like that tough love friend, who's that no nonsense, whether that's your mom, your sister or friend is always so, so important. And that's where having a coach at the beginning can be really helpful, because we're not going to say, oh, it's okay, go ahead and have that.
Speaker 2:We're going to ask questions.
Speaker 1:We're not going to tell you not to. We're not going to tell you to, but we'll ask you questions that are going to help you figure out.
Speaker 2:You know, like maybe yeah this really isn't what I want to do. And so many times like we know the answers, we just need to be asked the question. You know a lot of. So much of it is we almost don't want to know the answer you know, even though we do know it. But we need to just talk it out. Sometimes I don't teach my clients a whole lot, they already know a lot. And it's asking those questions to get to the root of okay, well, why do I feel like I need to do this thing? Just verbalize that answer and then all the light bulbs start going off.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because asking those questions helps us think about things that we wouldn't necessarily think about, and you and I could lay out like the perfect plan for a person to follow. But if it doesn't work with their life and if that doesn't work with who they are and what they're going to encounter, it's not going to work. And so that's why asking those questions and allowing them to come up with those action steps, their plan, their protocol, is what's going to make them the most successful. And you're right, they know so much more than they think they do thought about. All of a sudden, we must tap in.
Speaker 1:I'm sure there's some neurological thing that I do not know about that just taps into, like these recesses in our brain and we can just come up with this brilliant thing, and I'm sure I know that it's also Holy Spirit inspired as well. You know our life experiences, our knowledge, and then what God wants us to do, it's just like and then what God wants us to do, it's just like oh, yeah, yeah, that's what I can do. This is going to work.
Speaker 2:I get a lot of like oh, you're, like, yeah, I just said that out loud. Oh, my gosh, like, of course. And they're just. They end up coaching themselves Like, yeah, ok, yeah, I know how to do this, I've done this before. Ok, that seems doable, it's so neat. And then again inviting God into it and then giving him the praise too. There's so much like gratitude and praise for how God is working in our lives and even in the hard stuff, because it is going to be hard. You know it's hard to build new habits, it's hard to break old habits, and so bringing that suffering to Jesus too is so key. You know there is going to be hardship. You know we're told that, but we also know like we're with Jesus and he's with us in all of it.
Speaker 2:So it can be that hope that we have in him.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely. He's always there for us. Sometimes we can just feel like we're so alone, like we can't talk to anybody about it, like they don't understand. But he definitely does. He knows us better than we know ourselves. Just saying like I can't do this, I need your help can be so powerful in just opening ourselves up, because sometimes we're so close up and we think we have it all figured out and all control it and all all figured out jesus. It's good. But when we get to our ends of our ropes and we don't know what to do, we just cry out to him and say, okay, I'm yours. What now? What do I do? Yeah, that's when the real work happens and that's where he can really carry us.
Speaker 2:When we surrender, it's that surrender which is so hard, so, so hard, so hard. I've prayed the surrender novena. A lot of a water bottle sticker of the oh Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything. It's so hard to truly get to that surrender.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's like you do it and then you take it back. Yeah, like here you go, jesus. No, wait, just a second. I surrender that much. Yeah, I am so thankful that you were here with me today. You've provided so much encouragement, hope and inspiration, and I know that women are going to want to know how they can find out more about you and more about your 12 primal foods Did I say that right? Yeah, and all of the work that you're doing. So if you can just let them know about anything you've got going or coming up and where they can find you.
Speaker 2:Sure. So my website is at thewellcoachingcom, and on November 11th actually, I am starting my free 10-day. Not quite a challenge. I call it the Healthy Habit Reset. So it is just a great opportunity to spend 10 days focusing on the specific habits that you want to focus on. So it's very low pressure. I really hesitate to call it a challenge because it's so low pressure and just lots of support, but I love this idea of just resetting, hitting the reset button, starting again. So that will be coming up. I do them once a quarter and all of that information is on my website and on Facebook and Instagram, also at TheWellCoaching.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you so much, Jana, for being here, and I'll look forward to talking to you again soon. Yes, thank you so much.
Speaker 2:Christy, this was wonderful.
Speaker 1:Well, that does it for this episode of the Catholic Sobriety Podcast. I hope you enjoyed this episode and I would invite you to share it with a friend, who might also get value from it as well, and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss a thing. I am the Catholic Sobriety Coach, and if you would like to learn how to work with me or learn more about the coaching that I offer, visit my website, thecatholicsobrietycoachcom. Follow me on Instagram at thecatholicsobrietycoach. I look forward to speaking to you next time, and remember I am here for you, I am praying for you, you are not alone.
