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...

This week’s episode is with Heather Hirsch, a menopause doctor based in Boston who helps women who are experiencing symptoms of menopause and peri-menopause go from feeling confused, symptomatic and stuck with their doctors to becoming symptom-free, educated and empowered so they can thrive again in mid-life.

Dr. Hirsch is board certified in internal medicine, finished her fellowship training at Cleveland Clinic in 2016, and practiced in one of the largest Academic hospitals in Boston. Her area of excellence is Clinical Expertise and Innovation. She focuses on the field of women’s health, particularly midlife and menopause, and its intersection with chronic diseases.

In this episode, Dr. Hirsch and I talked about:

• How she got interested in this specific area of medicine. 
• How to distinguish between systemic hormone therapy and local estrogen therapy.
•  The common myths about menopause.
•  What the term “medical gaslighting” means and how to...

This week’s interview is with Theresa Lease who is a Life Coach and Breathwork specialist. Theresa specializes in helping women find their way after life has fallen apart from divorce, illness, career changes, or other life shifting events. 

Theresa began life on a farm in Nebraska. After college, she started working for BNSF Railroad. Her job took her to Chicago, Illinois, where she met her husband. After having two children and moving all over the Midwest, her marriage came to an end, and Theresa's life began again as a single mom in Minnesota. Although she worked many jobs, she finally found her passion later in life with life coaching and breathwork.

In this episode, Theresa and I talked about:

• Her personal story and how she came to her life pivot in her late 40s.
• How she learned about life coaching and made the decision to dive into it.
• How she discovered breathwork, why she believes it’s such a great tool, and the science behind it.

Theresa’s...

This week’s guest is Sandie Roberts, a Disability Advocate and model. After becoming suddenly disabled in 2019 and struggling to come to terms as her life was turned upside down, Sandie found joy through acceptance and recognizing that disability is not a bad word..

Sandy has spoken on television and radio, as a body confidence advocate and expert, a number of times. She has modeled for multiple household names on social media, television and in London Fashion Week.

In this episode, Sandy and I talked about:

• The health challenges she experienced starting at a young age.
• How she dealt with the news that she will be paralyzed for the rest of her life.
• How her perception of what it means to live in a wheelchair has evolved. 
• How she’s shifting perspectives about the kind of transformation a disability can bring to one’s life.

When Sandy became a full time wheelchair user at the age of 48, it was obviously a major turning point in her life, but as she says, it...

This week’s guest is Rachel Lankester, the founder of Magnificent Midlife, an online hub celebrating and empowering women 40+. Rachel is also the author of Magnificent Midlife: Transform Your Middle Years, Menopause and Beyond and host of the Magnificent Midlife podcast.

After a shocking early menopause diagnosis at 41, she scratched her own itch and created what she wasn't able to find to help herself: educational resources and an online membership to help women vibrantly transition through the sometimes messy middle of life.

In this episode, Rachel and I talked about:

• Hormone test results that led to several different confusing and contradictory menopause diagnoses
• The magnificent message of her book and why it’s divided into three different phases
• Ageism and how older women are treated in different cultures
• Menopause symptoms and her best tips on how to navigate that stage of life

Having extensively researched menopause and ageism, Rachel offers a...

This week’s guest is Jenny Waters, a certified nutrition and habit coach for women in midlife. Jenny is an empty nest mom to 3 daughters and married to her college sweetheart. She’s known by most of her clients as the Queen of Follow Through because she’s all about creating small sustainable habits that make you feel good and create momentum.

Based on a couple of life-altering experiences Jenny witnessed with loved ones, she came to realize the key to having an adventurous midlife is being healthy enough to enjoy it. After lots of research and a desire to help others with the knowledge she gained, she got certified as a Transformational Nutrition Coach from ITN. 

Her passion has become helping empty nesters nourish their bodies with a combination of anti-inflammatory foods, restorative sleep, energizing exercise, and routine self-care. Now, she’s helping women in this stage of life put themselves first again and improve their health without...