15 | How Prioritizing Your Health Unlocks Career Success featuring Esther Avant

Is Your Health Holding Back Your Career?

👉 Do you feel like you're always putting your health last?

👉 Are you juggling work, kids, and everything else—without a second to breathe?

👉 Wondering if your energy, focus, or leadership could improve if YOU felt better?

If you're a working mom climbing the corporate ladder (or running your own business), this episode is your permission slip to prioritize yourself.

I’m joined by Esther Avant, a seasoned health and personal development coach, who shares why your health isn’t just about looking good—it’s the foundation of productivity, confidence, and career success.

🔥 In This Episode, We Cover:

✔️ Why health is your leadership secret weapon

✔️ How small, strategic habits can radically shift your energy and focus

✔️ 3 mindset blocks holding career moms back from consistent self-care

✔️ Why guilt will always be there—and how to “dance with it”

✔️ Why working out less (yes, LESS) might actually get you further

🎯 Esther’s insights will empower you to shift from burnout to balance—without needing to overhaul your entire life.

Kat and Tanner by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Artist: http://www.twinmusicom.org/

Transcript

Intro:

Feeling drained and stretched thin? Your health might be the key to unlocking your next promotion or burst of confidence.

In today’s episode, I sit down with Esther Avant, a health and personal development coach, who shares why small habits can lead to big results in your career. If you’re ready to ditch the guilt and prioritize you so you can lead, grow, and thrive—stick around.

Welcome to the Shannon Fox Show, the podcast where we empower career moms to thrive.

I'm your host, Shannon Fox, a career advancement coach dedicated to helping moms like you leverage your strengths to land your dream job, secure that well-deserved raise, or finally get that promotion—all without sacrificing time with your family.

Each week I’ll bring you actionable strategies, inspiring stories, and strength-based tools to help you align your career with your natural gifts and step into your full potential.

So, if you’re ready to stop feeling stuck and start building the career and life you deserve—you’re in the right place. Let’s get started.

Shannon Fox:

Hello and welcome! I am joined today with Esther Avant. Esther is a health and personal development coach who helps women apply simple, strategic habits to improve both their well-being and career success.

She’s the co-owner of Made by Me Coaching, the host of the Live Diet Free podcast, and the author of To Your Health: A Lifestyle of Health, Happiness, and Confidence.

With 20 years in fitness, nutrition, and wellness, she now teaches women how prioritizing their health can unlock greater energy, focus, and leadership in their careers.

Esther is also a boy mom and Navy wife who has lived and traveled all over the world while writing, speaking, and coaching.

Esther, could I just start by saying thank you to you and your family for your service to our country—and thank you for joining us today.

Esther Avant:

Oh, well, thank you. It’s a pleasure to be here. And it’s so interesting hearing people read your own bio. I’m like—did you write that? Did I write that? Did AI write that? That sounds good.

Shannon Fox:

I love it.

So, as a career mom yourself, what are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned about balancing health, career, and family?

Esther Avant:

Such a good question. I think the first—and I know I won’t be the first person to say this—is that the idea of balance is kind of a misnomer. It’s never going to be about giving equal time and energy to every part of our lives on any given day.

The way I think about it is: we all have a few major buckets in our lives that are constantly vying for our attention—usually family life and work take the top two spots. Everything else, like our personal goals or health, tends to come in a distant third.

What I ask is: how do we get health into the mix? You don’t need to quit your job or give away your kids to be healthy—but how can we stop health from being the thing that always lands on the back burner?

There will always be seasons when your family needs more of you—like when you’ve got a newborn. Or your job demands more—like during a big deadline. That’s okay. The key is recalibrating often enough that nothing gets left on the back burner so long that it hurts us.

What I often see with health is, it becomes an afterthought. We want to feel better, be more active, eat well—but it just feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day.

So we have to solve for that: what are the actual obstacles? How can I address them so I can make my health more of a priority?

And most importantly, realize this: when you do prioritize your health, your family benefits, your work benefits. It’s not selfish. It’s not taking away from anyone—it actually gives more to everyone. That’s a mindset shift we all need.

Shannon Fox:

I know a lot of moms feel guilty about prioritizing their health when they have other things to do. But you’re saying—and I agree with you—that it actually isn’t selfish. We need to drop that guilt, right?

Esther Avant:

Absolutely. I actually interviewed a guest on my podcast yesterday who talked about caregiving in the sandwich generation—taking care of both your kids and your parents. And she said something that stuck with me: “Learn to dance with the guilt.”

I thought that was so powerful. Not trying to eliminate it completely—because that’s unrealistic—but acknowledging that it’s there, and doing what you need to do despite it.

Shannon Fox:

Yes. I love that—“dance with it.” Because it’s not just going to go away, right?

Esther Avant:

Exactly. It doesn’t vanish—but you learn to move alongside it.

Shannon Fox:

So how do our health habits actually impact our productivity, energy, and leadership—especially at work?

Esther Avant:

There’s so much fascinating research around this. People who live a generally healthy lifestyle—eating well, moving regularly, not smoking or drinking excessively—tend to be more productive, get promoted faster, earn more income, and are better at handling stress without burning out. They're also more creative.

And the cool thing is, these results aren’t coming from doing all the things. They’re coming from doing a few things consistently. Like working out three times a week. The bar is lower than we often assume.

But I think the most overlooked benefit is the confidence you build.

When you set a personal goal—and follow through, even when it’s hard—you build trust with yourself. Whether it’s pushing through a tough workout or prepping meals when you’d rather chill, those micro-moments of discipline compound. And the skills you practice show up at work.

You start seeing yourself as someone who gets things done. So when you walk into a big meeting or ask for a promotion, you carry yourself with that confidence. You know you’re reliable, consistent, and capable—and others start to see that, too.

Shannon Fox:

What are some of the common mindset blocks you think hold women back from taking care of themselves and putting their health first?

Esther Avant:

Yes, great question—and I see three major ones.

First, we try to do way too much at once. We have this extreme version in our heads of what a “healthy” woman looks like—celery juice, 5 AM workouts, no sugar, no fun. It’s overwhelming and completely unsustainable.

So mindset shift number one is: you don’t need to do everything. You need to find the few things that’ll give you the biggest bang for your buck—and then make those feel easy and consistent. Once they’re just “what you do,” it’s no longer a struggle.

Second, we carry this belief that we should be able to do it all alone. And especially for working moms—we’re so used to shouldering everything that asking for help feels unfamiliar or even weak. But actually, it’s a strength to recognize that getting support will make it faster, easier, and more enjoyable.

So whether it’s hiring a coach, joining a community, or asking for more help at home—it’s not a failure. It’s smart.

Third, we’re often our own worst critics. We beat ourselves up for not being perfect and hold ourselves to impossible standards. So a huge mindset shift is learning to lead with self-compassion.

Yes, be kind to yourself when you mess up or skip a workout. But also—take responsibility for your goals. It’s about finding that balance between giving yourself grace and being honest about what needs to change if you want a different result.

That’s how you break out of all-or-nothing thinking and start building lasting progress.

Shannon Fox:

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this: when people hear “health,” they often jump straight to workouts. But health is so much more—like sleep, nutrition, and mental wellness. What are some small, real-life actions women can start doing today?

Esther Avant:

Yes! I love that you asked this. We do tend to narrow “health” down to gym time, but it’s so much more than that. There’s your physical health, your mental health, emotional health, and even social health—and they all matter.

This is why I coach using what I call “big rock habits”—the core foundational behaviors that move the needle the most.

For most women, a few key areas are:

• Daily movement — It doesn’t have to be a gym session. A walk, stretching, just getting steps in counts.
• Protein + Fiber — Prioritizing these helps with energy, satiety, and focus.
• Sleep — Probably the most underrated one. Most of us know it’s important but aren’t actually doing it.

Sleep in particular is huge. Improving your sleep helps everything else fall into place: better mood, fewer cravings, more energy for workouts, clearer thinking at work—it’s a cascade effect.

Shannon Fox:

YES. I was literally talking to my chiropractor about this—he told me getting more sleep before midnight is better than after. And I’m so guilty of staying up late. I notice the weeks I do that, I’m sluggish in every part of my life.

Esther Avant:

Exactly. And we often stay up just because it’s our only “me time.” But that time isn't always restorative or productive—it’s just… awake. So even experimenting with going to bed earlier can be life-changing.

Also, know that you’re probably doing something well already. Maybe you're walking your kids to the park or drinking water consistently. Acknowledge those wins. Then pick just one area to improve next—something small and doable. That’s how real progress happens.

Shannon Fox:

This has been such a valuable conversation. Where’s the best place for our listeners to connect with you?

Esther Avant:

The easiest place is my website: estheravant.com. You’ll find links to everything—my book, podcast, and coaching programs. And I’m also active on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Shannon Fox:

Amazing! And you’ve got a free resource for our listeners too, right?

Esther Avant:

Yes! It’s brand new: 21 Time-Saving Hacks for Busy Professionals. It’s packed with simple, actionable ideas you can implement right away, with breakdowns of how much time and even money it can save you. Whether you use one or all of them, you’ll walk away with more space in your day.

Shannon Fox:

So good. And as always, I love to leave my listeners with an action step. What’s one final piece of advice you’d give to the working moms out there who feel stuck in their job and their health?

Esther Avant:

Set one tiny goal for today or tomorrow—something that takes less than five minutes and feels too small to fail.

Maybe it’s:

• Setting a bedtime reminder
• Drinking a glass of water
• Writing a grocery list
• Doing a five-minute stretch

Just move—because when you’re stuck, momentum is everything. Small actions create confidence, and confidence creates progress.

Shannon Fox:

Yes! Small wins lead to big change. Thank you so much for joining me today, Esther.

Esther Avant:

Thanks so much for having me!

Outro:

Thank you for tuning into the Shannon Fox Show. If you found value in today’s episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another career mom who’s ready to thrive. Don’t forget to grab your free Mastery Zone Discovery Quiz to uncover your strengths and align your career with your superpowers. Connect with me on Instagram @the.shannon.fox for more inspiration.

Until next time, remember—you’re not just building a career, you’re creating a life you love. Let’s make this happen.