In today’s episode, I’ve invited a past guest, Rita Black, who is a clinical hypnotherapist and leading expert in the fields of smoking cessation and weight loss, to join me again because our last conversation was so powerful, and it’s worth hearing again. Plus she has something special coming up that, if you’re curious about trying hypnosis for weight loss, I want you to know about.

Not only is Rita the author of the best-selling book "From Fat to Thin Thinking: Unlock Your Mind for Permanent Weight Loss," she also hosts her own podcast called "Thin Thinking."

I’ve split this episode into two parts with the first part the highlights of our last conversation in June of 2023 and the second part being an new conversation where we delve deeper into Rita's methodologies for facilitating lasting change through hypnosis, emphasizing the significance of shifting subconscious beliefs and identities that can shift seemyly unbreadkable habits in just one...

Today’s guest is Jackie Parsons, co-owner of Hedonistic Hiking. With an extensive background as a tour guide since 1992, Jackie and her husband Mick founded Hedonistic Hiking in 2007. Their passion for combining gastronomic delights with invigorating hikes has resulted in unforgettable, all-inclusive tours in Italy and beyond.

Jackie's journey from studying languages and leading tours in Europe to specializing in walking tours in Italy since 2000 is truly inspiring. Her involvement in a Raleigh International expedition to Chile fueled her enthusiasm for exploration and understanding diverse cultures.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How she started her business Hedonistic Hiking that was rooted in her passion and extensive experience as a tour guide.
• The challenges she faced while establishing and running her business with her husband
• Incorporating her values and philosophy to their tours
• The importance of cultural immersion in the overall experience that traveling on your own...

Today's episode is a personal dive into my journey of transformation towards a healthier and more vibrant life. I’m sharing this valuable information because, as I approach my 65th birthday, I feel better than I have in a loooong time. From nutritional shifts to detoxification strategies and lifestyle adjustments, I'll be sharing the impactful changes that I’ve adopted over the past year.

In this episode I talk about:

• Embarking on a health journey that started with a significant nutritional change that I learned from a cancer survivor.
• The recommended supplements that have influenced my improved health and how they contribute to cellular health, inflammation reduction, and immune support.
• The invisible toxins that invade every part of our lives and the ones I’ve chosen to eliminate from mine. 
• A simple detoxification strategy that improves lymphatic drainage and balance, while also increasing bone density in as little as 10 minutes a day.

As I enter my...

Today’s guest is Laura Alden Kamm, a beacon of resilience and a testament to the power of intuition in navigating life's challenges. You’ll hear Laura’s journey, which is nothing short of extraordinary, as she shares how she died and watched the scene unfold outside of her body,  then was sent back to the world of the living. Yep! And she shares how she woke up partially blind, but as she explains, she sees so much more than she had previously!!!

At 26, Laura's life took an unexpected turn with a sudden illness that almost took her life and left her, a mom of three young children, partially blind. After her near-death experience, she awoke to undergo a grueling 10-hour brain surgery, from which she emerged with a renewed sense of being here for a purpose and an unwavering commitment to life's miracles.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Laura's near-death encounter and subsequent brain surgery, how that transformed her perspective on life, and ultimately led to...

At age 72, Berniece Hunt, a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, is just getting started on her new purpose which came about as a result of her husband developing sepsis. His illness got very scary when the infection traveled to his brain. temporarily creating "dementia-like" symptoms. 

This experience, and having to act as his caregiver and advocate, caused her to go down the research rabbit hole. As she gained a deeper understanding of the brain, she became more passionate about the topic and helping others, so she became a certified brain health specialist.

Since this all happened during the pandemic which limited her options of helping people in person, she plunged into the world of the internet and launched her online business, Keep Your Brain Sharp. 

Now in her 2nd year, she is fully lit up on her purpose saying: “I'm loving it - challenges and all - and learning to feel the fear and do it anyway!” Here are Berniece’s top tips for...

In this week’s episode of the “Living Your Sparked Second Half” podcast, Laurie interviews Kira Sutherland, an Australian Naturopath, Nutritionist and Sports Nutritionist who has more than 28 years in clinical practice. 

Her focus on performance nutrition led her to be the first Naturopath in Australia to undertake the International Olympic Committees diploma in sports nutrition. She was also the 2019 winner of the BioCeuticals Integrative Medicine Award for Excellence in practice (Nutrition/Dietetics).

In this episode, Kira talks about:

• How she became a Naturopath, ultimately venturing into sports nutrition and combining the practices
• The difference between mind and spirit and how they intertwine with our overall health
• Rcommended supplements for women who are experiencing perimenopause and menopause symptoms
•  Her views about Intermittent fasting and other types of food-limiting strategies.

Kira divides her time between clinical practice, lecturing at...

In this week’s episode of Living Your Sparked Second Half, Christie Miller comes back on the show to talk about her cancer diagnosis which has given her even more clarity about her purpose path.

Christie is a fun-loving, action-oriented, business mentor. She first shared her story in Episode 39 about the obstacles she faced with her family, her career transitions, and overcoming all of them to become the successful business owner she is today. But today, she shares the shocking news she received last June and the health journey she’s walked since we last talked - something she describes as her biggest gift in life.

In this episode, Christie talks about:

• How following her intuition, which came through a dream, led to her decision about her cancer treatment   
• The stories of her visualizations coming true
• What she’s learned about herself during the healing process and a new hobby she’s begun.
• Her advice for workaholics

Her winning...

In this week’s episode of Living Your Sparked Second Half, Dr. Lotte Valentin comes back on the show to talk about Ancestral Healing. 

Dr. Lotte, who is an N.M.D., author, evidential psychic medium, medical medium, ancestral healer and international keynote speaker, first shared her story, in Episode 262, about her 2 near death experiences that helped her realize her psychic abilities and led her to go to law school at the age of 52. And now she’s back to dive deep into a topic she’s an expert in. 

In this episode, Dr. Lotte talks about:

• How she started her Ancestral healing practice
• The differences in healing physical, emotional and spiritual body
• Scientific studies on how traumas and positive experiences are inherited by generation

Dr. Lotte shares how the actions, reactions and interactions of our ancestors are passed down and repeated in the generations that follow until it is healed. It’s fascinating stuff!

She is also the creator of Healing...

For this week’s episode, I brought back Nick Demos, who I first interviewed back in May of 2020, to share a new documentary he produced and directed called, “Invisible: The Film”. This documentary is the first comprehensive feature documentary that tells the often ignored stories of people living with the devastating syndrome Fibromyalgia that many still don’t believe exists.

In this episode, Nick and I talked about:

• How the documentary came about and what the film’s name has to do with the topic of Fibromyalgia.
• The many things both he and I learned about the disease - me from watching it and he from making it.
• The unexpected news he got during the filming.
• Various lifestyle changes that are believed to help minimize the symptoms of Fibromyalgia.

One of the patients highlighted in the film is Nick’s mom who has suffered from Fibromyalgia for 10+ years. While making the film he was able to better understand her struggle with the...

This week’s episode is with Amy Lang, the CEO of Moxie Club and host of the “Happy & Healthy with Amy” podcast. She specializes in working with your brain and body to create joyful eating and deep health. Amy is also known as the Habit Whisperer, with a passion to help people stay motivated and build self-care habits so they can show up as their most empowered, authentic self.

In 2019, before the pandemic hit, Amy decided to close her successful health club business she’d been operating for over 15 years and pivot to her newfound passion: health coaching.. She launched her first online group coaching program in April 2020, right at the time when brick and mortar health clubs were shutting down due to Covid.

In this episode, Amy and I talked about:

• How she pivoted from a career in the corporate world, working at companies like Arthur Andersen, Oracle, Netscape and Yahoo, into the world of fitness as a health club owner, and finally moving to her latest...