Health Before Hustle

What's the point of success if you're not healthy enough to enjoy it? This question frames our urgent conversation about the dangerous trade-off many high achievers make without even realizing it.

Today I share the shocking story of entrepreneur Chris Harder, who suffered a stroke despite outward success, highlighting the physical price we pay when pushing ourselves to extremes. Like many driven individuals, Chris had fallen into the trap of excessive caffeine, chronic stress, and neglecting health warnings in pursuit of achievement. His wake-up call mirrors what I've witnessed countless times as a health coach - successful people secretly destroying their bodies while building their empires.

Whether you're a business professional or a dedicated stay-at-home parent, the pattern is disturbingly similar: caffeine to power through the day, alcohol to wind down at night, processed convenience foods, and exercise that never quite makes it onto the schedule. We're so focused on doing and achieving that we forget the foundation all success must be built upon - our health.

As we enter our 40s and beyond, this neglect becomes even more dangerous. Hormones shift, metabolism changes, and the strategies that worked in our younger years no longer serve us. We need different nutrition, different movement patterns, and different recovery practices to thrive in this season of life.

I offer practical, biblical wisdom for reclaiming your health without sacrificing your ambitions: 10-minute walks after meals, morning sunlight exposure, whole foods over processed options, and movement that brings joy rather than punishment. These small, consistent actions create the foundation for sustainable success.

Remember, you were divinely created for a purpose, but you can't fulfill that purpose if you're exhausted, sick, or burned out. Reach out to me for personalized training support, and let's ensure your health keeps pace with your ambitions. Your body is a temple - it's time to treat it that way.

Where you can find me:
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Email Me: LorayneMichaels22@gmail.com

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome and Health Reminder
• 0:46 Chris Harder's Eye-Opening Story
• 2:12 High Achievers Neglecting Health
• 5:07 Practical Health Tips
• 7:16 Changing Health Needs and Closing

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Hey girl, hey Well, you might not be a girl if you're listening to this, or it might not be only women listening to this. I should say Welcome back to the Bite Size Podcast. I'm your host, lorraine Michaels, and I want to talk to you today about your health and how your success doesn't matter if you don't have your health, and I just want to remind you how important you are, how important you are what you do in the world, your legacy, your existence, and if you are not healthy, then you cannot be around to do what you were called to do. Earlier today I was scrolling on social media and I came across someone who is very, very successful. His name is Chris Harder. He's married to Lori Harder. They, or she, is the founder of Glossy, which is a fantastic probiotic skincare health drink. It's kind of like an all-encompassing drink. It's for gut, skin, hair, all the things. It tastes fantastic. It helps with bloating. I am not getting paid to say this, but anyways, they are a super successful power couple. They have multiple businesses. She didn't even graduate high school. She's from the Midwest Um just a really successful, driven couple.

Speaker 1: 1:36

And his post today was talking about a year ago he had a stroke and the importance of health and how he was neglecting his health, and I just found the post to be so eye-opening. I have been talking about this forever. I'm a health and wellness coach. I'm a personal trainer. I help women stop neglecting themselves and get their health right. I help women get back their health, get back their vitality, I help them with their mindset all the things.

Speaker 1: 2:23

But the focus of this and why I wanted to jump on and make a quick podcast, was because he touched on exactly what I talk about. It's these high achieving people. Whether you're a man or a woman, you are focusing so much on your career, on your business, on doing, doing, doing, and you have a high level of stress. Even if you are a stay-at-home mom, you are so focused on raising these little humans, having a clean home, cooking, cleaning laundry or we can go down the business all these things. You are so stressed out, living off of caffeine energy drinks. You're so exhausted so you drink to wind down and you're putting your body and your health through hell, and so I just wanted to shine a little light on this.

Speaker 1: 3:24

He talks about exactly what I just said the combination of too much stress and resentment um leading to extreme caffeine use and testosterone. So he's using stimulants, you know, and just wrecking his body, just wrecking his body, and a lot of times we, as high achieving women, do that. We're so focused on doing, being and achieving that we're neglecting our health, and you're neglecting your mental health as well as your physical health. And so I really just want to encourage you, but also let you know that, one, you're not alone, you're not the only one doing this. Um, there's many of us out there who are pushing through the pain, but secretly, you're killing yourself inside. And two, I am here to help you. I can help you get on track, I can help you with your goals, I can help you with your mental health, with your faith, with your fitness, and I just want to remind you how much you matter and how much your health matters. You know, biblically speaking, it says in first Corinthians that our body is a temple and God gave us this gift, and to steward it well, and in order to do that, you need to eat right and you need to move your body and exercise, and you might not be as crunchy as me, um, you know, I love doing all the things, but it works, or I should say, and it works.

Speaker 1: 5:07

So I want to encourage you today to put aside the stresses of the day, of the week, of the month of the summer and I want you to do something today for you, for your mental health and for your physical health. If you can take a walk, it's so great to move your body after you eat. So five to 10 minutes after you have eaten a meal, go for a 10 minute walk. If you can get first light, so when the sun comes up, if you're able to get outside. If you can't walk, that's okay. But if you're able to get outside and get that morning light, that first light, if you're able to walk in the morning or during your lunch break, in the afternoon or in the evenings, now is the perfect time. It's fall, it's beautiful, it's cooling, and to focus on your health and what you're eating and getting those whole nutritious foods. No more the super processed foods or packaged foods. Get the whole foods. Focus on your health and if you're needing help in the physical aspect of you know I don't know where to go at the gym, I don't know how to work out.

Speaker 1: 6:23

I have stuff at home but I have no idea what to do, message me, email me. It's Lorraine Michaels at Lorraine Michaels, 22 at gmailcom. I'll put it in the show notes. Um, it is September 1st right now as I'm recording this, but I am running a special right now for my personal training clients, new clients. Um, if you message me and let me know that you heard this on um the release of this, so it's going to be Wednesday, but message me, I would love to help you achieve these fitness goals. I do online and in-person personal training. I can help you, point you in the right direction. We can hop on a call and I would love to get you dialed in.

Speaker 1: 7:16

It's biblical and it's for your own good, for your mental health, for your physical health. Stop neglecting yourself and this is a form of personal care, of self-care, and in order for you to be the best version of yourself, you need this. You need to feel good. You know, as we're creeping into our forties and beyond, everything starts changing and shifting. Our hormones start changing. You need to eat different. You might think you're eating healthy, but it's actually not doing you any good because things are changing. So your diet has to change. The way you work out has to change. You might be doing the same old routine and you're like man, I can't drop these last 10 pounds, these last five pounds, because you have to move. Different as the seasons change, so does your health and nutrition. So, again, you matter. Your health matters. Stop pushing the limits and start nourishing your soul. I love you, guys and, as always, remember you were divinely created for a divine purpose.