Fuel For Thought
Join hosts Tracy Elizabeth and Nicole Heller on Fuel For Thought, the empowering podcast designed to help women unleash a healthier lifestyle. With their expert insights and unwavering dedication, Tracy and Nicole delve into the challenges faced by women in achieving optimal health and provide actionable strategies to overcome them. From debunking myths about nutrition to exploring the latest fitness trends, they leave no stone unturned in their quest to fuel your body, mind, and soul.
Each episode of Fuel For Thought offers a wealth of practical advice, inspiring stories, and interviews with leading experts in the health and wellness field. Tracy and Nicole bring their unique perspectives and personal journeys, making every discussion relatable and authentic. Whether you're struggling with emotional eating, searching for sustainable weight loss techniques, or seeking to boost your overall well-being, this podcast serves as your go-to resource for transformation.
Through lively conversations, evidence-based research, and practical tips, Fuel For Thought will equip you with the knowledge and tools needed to make informed decisions about your health. Uncover the secrets to maintaining a balanced diet, discover effective workout routines, and learn how to build a positive relationship with food. Fuel For Thought embraces the mantra of relentlessly overcoming obstacles to achieve your desired results.
Tune in to Fuel For Thought and join Tracy Elizabeth and Nicole Heller as they inspire, motivate, and empower women to take charge of their health, harness their inner strength, and unlock their true potential. Subscribe now to embark on a journey towards a healthier, happier you!
Fuel For Thought
Embracing Self-Worth: Daily Affirmations, Personal Growth, and the Power of Community
Imagine waking up every morning and affirming to yourself, "I am worthy." This episode is all about exploring the transformative power of self-worth and how it impacts our daily lives and community interactions. We've packed this conversation with rich discussions on the importance of nurturing environments, both for ourselves and our children, and how small, consistent actions can lead to monumental personal growth. Our favorite flavors from Two Rivers Coffee add a cozy touch to our book chats, particularly as we dive into Jamie Kern Lima's "Worthy," a book that's been a game-changer for us.
Have you ever felt like you're just pretending to be happy and confident? We discuss the transition from faking it to genuinely feeling fulfilled and strong in your own skin. Sharing our personal stories, we highlight how setting boundaries and recognizing perceived weaknesses as superpowers can lead to true empowerment. We also talk about the importance of surrounding ourselves with a supportive community and the powerful role of daily affirmations in combating self-doubt. This episode is both a heartwarming and practical guide to enhancing your sense of self-worth.
Finally, we wrap up with actionable tips on how to end each day with a sense of accomplishment. By reflecting on personal achievements and using simple strategies, like jotting down daily goals and accomplishments, you can ensure your needs are met and feel more balanced. We believe in the power of strong female communities and the ripple effect of empowerment they create. Tune in for an inspiring conversation that will encourage you to embrace your unique voice and purpose, and start each day with the affirmation, "I am worthy.
Follow our journey on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/fuel_for_thought_podcast/
Welcome to View for Thought empowering women to live healthier lifestyles. I'm Tracy Elizabeth, I'm Nicole Heller and we are back with coffee and conversation.
Speaker 2:Because you know I'm a book dork.
Speaker 1:And I love coffee. So today I am actually enjoying from Two Rivers Coffee donut shop and mine is strawberry sprinkle.
Speaker 2:That one is actually amazing, and mine is. That I have in mind today is jelly donut, which is also amazing, but I actually really do love the one you have also.
Speaker 1:Well, so I really love a donut with the frosting the strawberry frosting and the sprinkles is actually has always been one of my favorites. So since I don't eat that because of the sugar content in it, this actually tastes so good and it smells like a donut.
Speaker 2:You know. What's really interesting is, though I do love this jelly donut coffee. I never was a jelly donut fan.
Speaker 1:Not a fan, all that powder on your face.
Speaker 2:It's not a thing for me.
Speaker 1:This coffee I had the other day just black, and the smell of it was amazing.
Speaker 2:I agree, it's really good. So Two Rivers coffee has so many amazing flavors that are just and actually, you know, what I forgot to tell you is that this whole variety pack also comes in decaf. Oh, I ordered the whole variety pack in decaf. I don't do decaf, but that's amazing. I know, I'm for my belly, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, she has a belly.
Speaker 2:So that's amazing.
Speaker 1:So check out Two Rivers Coffee and the discount code for 20% off on that variety pack, or really anything that you want from Two Rivers Coffee is FFT20, so that's capital letters, fft20 and get yours today. Just google Two Rivers Coffee.
Speaker 2:I love it. I know me too. It's so good. And, honestly, the decaf you wouldn't even know it's decaf, it's so good and we need coffee to talk about what we're talking about today.
Speaker 1:Yes, we got shirts on.
Speaker 2:Yes, mine says stand tall mine says find your voice amazing. I love these, I love these sweatshirts. All right, so we're talking about a book today. Um, I mean, you guys know that I'm a crazy book. Dork and tracy and I are actually in a book challenge together, so we've been doing like book club ish things. This is not the book we're currently reading together. We're reading a different book together which we actually have to talk about because it's a heavy book we're reading together it is a heavy book.
Speaker 2:Um, but we actually are do a conversation of that, but this is a book I'm actually reading on my own and I have actually fallen in love with it. Um, I'm actually going to get ready to put a book club together. So drop us a dm if you want to be part of our book club, because I'm going to drag tr Tracy into that book club.
Speaker 1:Anyway, you're not dragging me anymore, I'm open to learning.
Speaker 2:I'm excited. So that means I'm going to put her in two book clubs.
Speaker 1:I do need this thing, though, that she has oh yeah, you guys want to see it.
Speaker 2:It's very cool. Okay, so this is actually a. It was a gift. Somebody gave it to me. Actually, kathy gave it to me. It holds two pens and on the inside it holds it like a magnet, isn't?
Speaker 1:so cool, see, that gets me excited. That's why I want to read.
Speaker 2:I need to read it really makes me such a book dork, but I really I have started this book and I absolutely love it. It is called Worthy. It is by Jamie Kern Lima. It is an absolute amazing book. So I am putting a book together, a book club together, literally like when I get home today and I actually have some women, strong women, in mind that I want to walk this with, that I am just, I'm really excited to just have come together and like for the first time and I'm going to be transparent a lot a big part of me is that when I read something like this, I automatically want to think about the women that I want to hand this to, to kind of like lift. You know, I want to, which which I think is beautiful, like we all rise together. But this book for me, I want to cultivate strong women that want to come together and then go out and ripple and lift does that make sense?
Speaker 1:absolutely, and like.
Speaker 2:That's what I have on my heart and purpose as I'm reading this, and I'll find a voice.
Speaker 1:Yes, I love that, so like that's what I have on my heart and purposed as I'm reading this.
Speaker 2:Yes, I love that. So, like that's, as I was reading this and I was reading it late last night my husband was actually away last night and when my husband is not home, I I literally do not sleep ever. So I was in my, in my bed reading this last night and I'm like that's what was on my heart, like I just kept thinking to myself, like I just want to surround myself with strong women reading this and, like you know people in my in my mind that I wanted. So I wanted to read this first part and I wanted to talk about this and I wanted to get your take on it, like when we think about the concept of being worthy or not being worthy, when we feel like that shifted for us. You know, let's talk about that. So let me, let me read this part.
Speaker 1:You're tearing up saying all of that. I a lot.
Speaker 2:I mean partly because I'm exhausted, because I was reading really really late last night and I have not.
Speaker 2:I've only been drinking decaf coffee thank you for my um decaf jelly donut that I have at home, but I've only been drinking decaf because of some belly things.
Speaker 2:But, um, I am a little sleepy but I was emotional last night reading it because I was thinking about the women in my life that right now that are like really very strong and contending for themselves, not just in their health but like in emotion and strength, and and that are walking in this, into this world, really creating that ripple effect and kind of like. You know, I think about it, um, as like I know this sounds even crazier as almost like um kind of like wings, that kind of open and like envelop some someone you know what I mean like makes me a little emotional. And my husband actually just got a tattoo of like these doves, of like kind of embracing, and we agreed we were going to get the same tattoo of like just that embrace, of like people that gather and like take, take under, take under your wing, and like that's what this book was bringing that emotion to me.
Speaker 2:So OK, so I'm going to read this first part to you, right? So it says do you remember the first time, perhaps as a little kid sitting in the classroom, that you knew the answer but decided not to raise your hand? That slight pit in your stomach caused by the new and daunting awareness of other people's opinions? You slight pit in your stomach caused by the new and daunting awareness of other people's opinions. You debated, raising your hand and going for it until you decided not to. And just like that, in a single moment, you began to live in a way that was incongruent with your soul's fullest expression. You doubted, you held back, you hid, you played it safe, you questioned whether you were wrong, even though you knew you were right. You questioned if you were smart enough, you questioned if you were enough. And now fast forward to today. Are you still the person who's not raising your hand when you know the answer? Are you still hiding Just in case you're wrong, just in case you fail, or because you want to stay in your comfort zone of certainty? Oh, my goodness. Okay, so let's just talk about that for a second.
Speaker 2:That immediately brought me back to seventh grade, so shout out to anybody listening Miss Connelly's class. You know what I'm talking about social studies. I remember she would call on you when you were not ready, like. I remember that feeling of like you want to raise your hand but you don't, and like that self doubt. Is there the opinions of other people? Like that feeling and like? Do you believe that those moments were defining in our life as women or men, and for now, as the future, or do you believe that our worth, do you believe our worthiness, was diminished through the years, from, though, from that time, from like childhood, or do you believe, like, as a, we could, we could have grown up, you know, feeling worthy and there was like something as an adult that, just like, shot us out at the knees no, yeah, I think those, those experience actually no-transcript.
Speaker 2:What do you think? That there were two people in that seventh grade classroom that. What do you think the difference was between me feeling that in seventh grade and, like the person sitting next to me, not feeling that?
Speaker 1:so I think when I you're coming up looking at it as an education you know stands too, and knowing different children and working with different children I do think that there's some innate ability in some kids to just have that confidence, have that outgoing personality. And then I do think, from my personal experience having a child like AJ, that I have to cultivate that for him. He doesn't have that innate confidence really in anything and I was that child too. I didn't have that innate confidence in anything in my life until I walked into teaching. Like it's just something that I felt so passionate about that you couldn't tell me anything. I would just be that person standing strong and talking and showing and doing.
Speaker 1:But everything else in my life I felt was a walk through those experiences in my life younger, that I shied away. I didn't feel strong enough. I didn't feel strong enough. I didn't feel confident enough. I was worried about what other people would say. I was worrying if they were gonna laugh at me, and I see that in my own child now. So I have to Cultivate that. I have to give him those experiences and encourage him, give him those you know those words. So I think that if you're not in a surrounding environment of life with family. That can give that to you. You probably have more experiences sitting back.
Speaker 2:Right. So then that brings me to this next quote here. It says the moment you learn to believe you are worthy, your entire life, the past and the future generations of your family and our entire world change for the better. And that happened when I turned 41. Right, like, it took me so long. It took me so long, oh my gosh. And I think about, like, if that girl in seventh grade just stayed that girl in seventh grade, what would my two daughters in seventh grade have, one in seventh grade now, if that girl in seventh grade didn't change?
Speaker 2:yeah, like, I almost feel like the heaviness and the burden of that is is scary, um, and I almost feel now for myself an obligation to stand tall and find that voice you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:I almost feel like I need my daughters to you know. They may have that feeling when they raise their hand and not raise their hand, and that's normal, but when they walk in the house, at the end of the day, that they're walking into an environment where they can heal that, yeah, and they can build upon it and have the foundation, talk about it, talk about it and have that foundation of love and empathy and strength to rise above it at a younger age and not have to wait till they're in their 40s to shift.
Speaker 1:Sure, I think one of the beautiful things that we love is having fuel for thought, to be able to have this platform to show the importance of having these conversations right, because I never went home and told my mother like I got called on five times but I was too scared or I'm worried about what other people are going to think if I do X, y and Z. And I remember even in fifth grade wanting to try out like audition for a play and I got nervous and I ended up not doing it. So I got like just casted whatever role and I remember at that age that young age, being envious of the person that actually auditioned, got the part and she was amazing. We actually did. There was a play on the King of I and ironically I was the interpreter.
Speaker 2:I mean, that really is ironic.
Speaker 1:But even as an adult, when I watched that movie and I still watch it it's a great movie.
Speaker 1:But when I watched that movie and I still watch it it's a great movie.
Speaker 1:But when I watched that movie, I go back to that fifth grade moment, remembering that feeling of that young girl I was overweight, I didn't have the confidence to audition. Because if you watch that movie and and it's like beautiful, like in the dress and dancing like I didn't have that confidence, one because of my weight, and I just felt like I didn't fit in at that time and I don't want that for anybody. Like, especially looking at your daughters, like I love the fact that they know they can come into that door after school and have this open conversation because they're aware of how important it is to advocate for themselves, to feel like they can stand a little taller the next day because they have a mom that is bringing that to the table so what do you think for the women that want to develop that sense of worthiness later on, because obviously it wasn't happening for me, my seventh grade self and my 20s self, and my 30s self and my you know, my late 30s is when it was really starting in my early 40s.
Speaker 2:Like what do you think? You know? I don't want to sit here and tell you like, oh, I lost weight, that's why I got worthy. No, it wasn't even about that. Like what? What do you think was, if you were to say this was the one reason why I started to develop my self worth, what do you think it would be?
Speaker 1:I think a moment of just sitting in quiet and crying and being so upset when we talk about like transparency and vulnerability and reflection, like truly doing that, because when you see everywhere on social media about self-worth and just random women talking about you're worthy, I don't think it's ever really layered and processed in a way of what does that actually really mean to you and what are you doing every single day to actually feel you're worthy? And I remember thinking about that and just started to cry and said why did I accept these things in my life or why did I allow these opportunities to pass me by? And then take into consideration the things that I started to do differently in my life and capitalizing on those little tiny things I was doing to make myself feel better, and those small moments that I did stand a little taller or moments that I didn't know how to. But I called you and I said how do I do this or how do I say this? How do I process it? Where?
Speaker 1:That was a huge piece for me too, because I always felt like I never wanted to ask for the help and I would kind of just like you wore that backpack and I just masked it. I walked around pretending I was happy or pretending that I was confident when I knew deep down inside I wasn't. So it was a moment of reality for me that I wanted to stop pretending and I wanted to stop feeling the burden, stop feeling the hurt, and I wanted to start being an example for my son, but also be an example for people in my life that I knew were also struggling in different areas, not just weight loss, but in their marriage or in their friendships, and they felt like they didn't have outlets. And I wanted to be that person the first time in my life as a grown woman, to be that person for somebody else and not be that person all those years ago watching everybody else do things.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think for me, like building my self-worth in my late 30s. I feel like it was like 39, 39 to 40. Turning 40 was a big like self-worth year for me. For me it was about finally checking the boxes. For me, Like, I think that showed me my self-worth, Like I feel like my whole life was about checking the boxes for everyone else. Like I checked the marriage box and I have a beautiful marriage. I checked the kid box. I checked, you know, the boxes of taking care of everyone else I checked.
Speaker 2:I had the house, I had this, I had that like I, I checked all these boxes in life of taking care of all these things. But I finally started checking the boxes for myself. I finally started and not just about, like, taking care of my physical self, but taking care of my mental self, taking care of my, um, my circle, prioritizing my circle, um using my voice to speak for myself and um say no to things, um using my people, pleasing problems for good. Superpower as a superpower. You know, finding those weaknesses, what I thought were weaknesses in my life, as a superpower. I think, as I was doing all those things between 39 and 40, I started really recognizing, wow, these weaknesses are superpowers and these boxes that I'm checking are actually filling this internal like confidence that I have and this is actually my self-worth, like it was almost like a concrete feeling for me. Like you know, I envision you're very analytical very, that makes perfect sense.
Speaker 2:I'm more emotional on that end and you're very analytical yeah, you know what I'm picturing. You know, like that, that thing at the bank, that like sucks the thing in oh yeah, you know the the money sucker thing, yeah, whatever that's called. So like I'm picturing that like being a money traveler yeah, that's like inside your body, like, like, like here and like every time I was checking the box like it was filling up more and more and like when it was completely full, I was like, wow, I'm worthy.
Speaker 2:Like like, what are you doing every single day to fill up that little like money sucker upper thing? What is it called like? What do you think that thing's called money traveler like where's? It traveling into the bank, like I don't know, it's a money sucker upper thingy but like, like, as it was filling up, like I feel like once it was full I was full and like now I was worthy because I filled it with things and I wasn't waiting for people to fill my cup.
Speaker 2:I did it, you know, and that's what created it. And now I was able to, I feel like just in the nick of time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, give it to my kids well, I think too, when you think about when you said I wasn't waiting for that and and we talked about that before, and in my own personal journey I talked about that Like we wait for other people to do things to make us happy or to make us feel worthy, and I feel like going back to your question as well when that moment of finally realizing that there's nobody in this world that's going to fill that piece for me, that you're travel or whatever you want to call it, Money sucker upper thing.
Speaker 1:It's called self-worth for a reason, and knowing that I am worthy because of the things that I am doing and the things that I can be capable of and hold myself accountable to, and achieving those things, builds that level of trust within yourself, to know that you are actually worthy. There's a big difference between saying you're worthy than saying it with action, 100%. I do truly think that that's a piece that many of us miss, and I remember I feel like I can walk around as a high school or young adult and feel like I was confident and say I'm worthy. No, I wasn't. Because when I go back and look at those missed opportunities or how people treated me or the moments I shied away and didn't feel like I could advocate for myself or comment something back to somebody, where was my self-worth then? I didn't really have it, yeah.
Speaker 1:But now the things, the action steps I take every single day allow me to really stand here and say I know I'm worthy. Do I still make some mistakes and do I still second guess myself? Absolutely, I'm human, are they? Do I still make some mistakes and do I still second guess myself? Absolutely, I'm human, but that's part of the learning process. At least now I can stop and say wait a second, this doesn't feel right, and then learn how to question it better, and then also learn to give myself grace or give myself a time period of how to maneuver and navigate it in a different way, so that I can get back to this little traveler thing that you got going on.
Speaker 2:The money sucker-upper, sucker-upper. You're little traveler thing thing that you got going on the money sucker upper, sucker up, but you're worthy, sucker up. Let's read this part. Maybe you really despise that other pta mom that you betray your, that you betray yourself and spend your precious free time hanging out with her. Maybe you're hustling and burned out while hiding that what you really need is rest.
Speaker 2:Maybe you're struggling with a health issue and are losing faith in your body, your worth and your creator. Do you feel unseen to your core and tell yourself a lie that life is better that way? Maybe you're working in a business but know that you were born to run one. Maybe you're in an intimate partnership where your worthiness goes unrecognized but you're afraid to be alone, so you're dimming your light and hiding your truth. Maybe you're calling busyness as a badge of honor, when you're really using it to numb your feelings. Maybe you're being you've been living by someone else someone else's story of success for you, because you're confusing approval with love. Maybe you've decided that other people have already done what you. You can do better than you can do it, so you've been canceling yourself out of your own calling.
Speaker 1:Oh my goodness, yeah, that's good.
Speaker 2:Oh my goodness, Like feeling that I want to do something but somebody has already done it better so I've canceled myself out. Like that is a powerful statement. And how many women are feeling that right now, when, if you can just close your eyes and know that you were already purposed for it and that your voice is just as strong and different? Like if you just can believe that you're purposed for that, your little money sucker upper thing is is full like.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean? You can put that on your shirt. Yeah, yeah, money sucker upper. So let's end with this. And then what we are excited about?
Speaker 1:I think because nicole really loves this book and I'm really excited to join the book club, but I think when we decide to do the coffee and conversation, maybe we can keep going with this book and we would love to hear from you. Yeah, we are thoughts on this book and if you would like to hear more about this book as well, if you don't join the coast book club, but please join it.
Speaker 2:You would. I think we would really have a lot of fun. But I would love to like surround or surround yourself, like, think about who you want in your boat with you. Sure yourself, like think about who you want in your boat with you. Sure, and you know, really, do you want to surround yourself with strong women who are going to lift you and push you, tell you the things you don't want to hear? You know, to drive you forward and build your money? Sucker upper thing.
Speaker 2:But to close it out, it says, um, if any of these ring true to you, if you know the deepest part of your being and you're only living as part of who you are, but holding back and doubting or hiding all of who you are, then you're probably feeling inexplicable void in your life, an aching longing for something that's missing, an emptiness created by others or even you. You yourself don't know and therefore can't embrace the full, authentic you. A disconnection from joy when, no matter what you achieve, it doesn't bring the feeling of fulfillment you'd hoped it would. An unremitting feeling that you're not quite enough. The lack of feeling truly alive that you can disguise from the world with ease of a smile. You're living your life hiding in plain sight. That's our few for thought right there.
Speaker 1:Read that again.
Speaker 2:You're living your life hiding in plain sight. I did that for so many years. Done, let's be done. And what are your top? Let's give top three ways on how to be done with that.
Speaker 1:I'm going to do that right now. I'm ready. Are we going to do that right now? Yeah, let's go. You want my top one? Yeah, so my first one would definitely be look at yourself in the mirror and give yourself one statement to say Every single morning. Wake up in the morning with one powerful statement and I love this one, like if this one is really appropriate to you, but even as simple as if you don't know what to say, look at yourself in the mirror and say I am worthy.
Speaker 2:I love that. Mine would definitely be. We'll give our top one. Mine would definitely be that at the end of the night, I want you to think about what boxes you checked for yourself. What did you complete for you? You may have completed 500 other things for 500 other people, but what are the things that you check the boxes for yourself? Because the more we accomplish for ourself and you lay your head on the pillow, you know you filled up your little so.
Speaker 1:Nicole likes little visuals, so for a strategy for that would be just put a post-it up somewhere.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the post-it with the little squares One, two, three.
Speaker 1:And like literally check off right out what it is that you did that day. I love that.
