About Progress

“Some of the most challenging, heart-wrenching times of my life have in some ways become the greatest blessings . . . They were the pathways to learning.”   The list of "life lessons" (aka: trials, obstacles, traumas, etc.) that Ganel-Lyn Condie has been through is astounding. And yet this woman walks with a bounce and speaks with a light that is absolutely contagious.   Ganel-Lyn shares deeply about how surrendering to these lessons, giving up on perfection, and turning to a higher power have in turn strengthened her to better deal with what life has put in front of her. As an author and speaker, Ganel-Lyn doesn't shy away from hard topics as she's faced it all: parents divorcing, chronic illness, infertility, job loss, perfectionism, and the tragic passing of her sister, Meggan, through suicide.   It's not that Ganel-Lyn doesn't have her hard days; it's not that she's eager to face another big trial; and it's definitely not that she knows the answers while in the middle of the darkness. But it IS a choice t

We've made it to 50 podcast episodes. Woohoo!! I am so thrilled about this, and grateful for those of you who have been with me from the beginning and just as grateful for the rest of you are are new to my podcast.   You were kind enough to send in questions for this particular episode: things that you wanted to know about me, the podcast, my parenting, eating, children, where I live (and why), and more.   This episode was super fun to record because I did it with my sister-in-law, Emily. But it's painful for me to listen to because it's seriously a huge exercise in obsessing over myself. Also, it went much longer than I had anticipated.   If this is just as painful for you, I get it! We'll be back to our regular programming next Wednesday. Otherwise, I'd love to hear about some of YOUR answers to these same questions. Let's connect more! You can comment here or on my Instagram and Facebook, @aboutprogress.   Thanks so much for your support! Show Notes: People I recommended you follow: The Listening Ear Proje

"Fear is not a good reason to not do something. What is the worst that could happen? . . . If I can live with that worst case scenario, then I’m going to do it and stop worrying about failure."   Janssen Bradshaw of Everyday Reading didn't think she was "creative" or "entrepreneurial." And yet, those two words completely encapsulate who she is now as the producer of a successful blog and a co-creator (alongside her husband) of a brand new business--children's rain boots!   Janssen shares how starting one thing propelled her into another, and how even the failures she faced led to more opportunities anyway. Refusing to live based off of "what ifs" and fears has led to a series of Janssen trying new things bit by bit, and doing so has trickled down into all areas of her life. Janssen has learned that you can't just let life pass you by and not try things out of fear of failure or how hard it might be; because time passes anyway, and you'll only be left with regret and "what ifs."   Janssen talks about what it i

Surprise! I have a bonus episode for you this week, and it's Part Two of my series on Food: How to Use it, Not Abuse it. Cultivating a healthy relationship with food has been a huge part of the work I've done for myself the past 11 years. I'm still focusing on it every day, but I see the improvements I have made that have made it all well worth it. I hope to inspire that in others, too!   Part One is here, and there we spent a lot of time talking about what it LOOKS like to have a poor relationship with food and what you can begin to do about it. This episode--Part Two--involves more discussion on specific methods, both of which incorporate embracing a the "grey," ridding ourselves of black-and-white thinking, and moving towards natural moderation with how we view and eat food.   The primary focus overall is Intuitive Eating, which is my very favorite eating philosophy. You can find the book here, and I'd definitely start with that; but I do recommend a coach if you are in the throes of trying to figure this

"What it means “to grow” is to practice something—one thing really deliberately—and do it over and over again. And then when you make a mistake, you look back and you close that loop really quickly by recognizing what went well and what didn’t go well, and then you practice it again."   Ralphie Jacobs admits that she was born with an innate love for children and a natural gift of caring for them. But even she was surprised as a young mom by how her well-informed, highly educated patience could "vanish."    Recognizing this capacity in herself, Ralphie decided to deliberately change how she was parenting, to grow her skill set as a mother just as she would with any other talent, skill, or expertise that requires growth and practice. Now, Ralphie is a parenting expert who passes on the incredible (and I'd say LIFE-CHANGING) things she has learned over the years about how to grow purposefully within your job as a parent. And she makes it clear: the answers are actually quite simple.   Ralphie shares how she beca

“Bravery is being scared, it’s being afraid; but doing it anyway . . . It’s OK to be afraid of something, but own those feelings and rise above.”    You think if you were the masterminds behind a magazine with "Bravery" in the title, that you would be a very courageous person.   Not so for these ladies.   Elyse Beard and Ashley Aikele both profess that they have let fear hold them back for far too long. But when they had the idea to create a publication that inspires courage in children by sharing stories of brave women, they knew they had to be their own kind of brave.    To build something so monumental from nothing entailed a lot of letting go alongside a whole lot of work. Elyse and Ashley talk about how they practiced "fake it 'til you make it," used their different talents, and in the end created something from nothing. Their dream is that ultimately this publication is far more than a magazine; it's a movement.   Elyse and Ashley share how a huge part of being your own kind of brave is figuring out wha

“You have unique experiences with each one of your children. I think that working to cultivate happiness in your home, even though you could be going through hard things . . . really pays off. What you think about transcends, and it impacts your everyday life.”   Nicole Kalkowski has had to fight for her son throughout his entire life. From a toddler diagnosed with regressive autism then immediately after with a myriad of diseases, including mitochondria and epilepsy, Nicole has relied on her intuition and resilience to get doctors to hear her and to help her son. She has literally kept him alive.   Redbook Magazine covered the Kalkowski family for an entire year, documenting what it was like to have a then-three-year old son with autism. (A beautiful picture from the feature is below, with article links in the show notes.) Nicole later became an advocate and got amazing legislation passed that will ensure other parents don't have to face the darkness helplessly, as her family had.    Ryan (now almost a teen!

“It’s so easy to let the fear take over and have your vision crumble, because you want it to work so much and you need it to work so much . . . [But] you need to stay connected to yourself, you need to stay connected to your vision, you need to stay connected to your higher power.”   Briana Johnson is the genius behind the powerful podcast The LifeBeats Project. Her path to creating this successful community has been full of mountains of stress, self-doubt, and fear. Such is the way of going after dreams! But Briana assures us that is is alllll worth it because of who we become in the process.   In this interview, Briana shares how creativity has been such a huge part of her life and how podcasting has become an important part of who she is and where she sees herself heading. In facing incredible trials with her husband's debilitating battle with aggressive M.S., Briana has been through a difficult transformation of her own. She shares how owning her story--while she fought it for some time--has enabled her t

“The way that we relate to food is a manifestation of the way we are showing up or engaging in our life.”   Ain’t that the truth, friends? This bit of wisdom came from one of the experts featured on today’s podcast—Stephanie Webb. Alongside Elizabeth Dall, we talk about the COMPLICATED relationship all of us often experience with food and what can be done about it.    You might call it “emotional eating,” it could be “mindless eating,” under- or over-eating, numbing through food, eating disorders, or just plain obsession over what you will eat and when. No matter how you crack it, these are some of the various ways we can abuse food and it abuse us right back.   If you want to know what this looks like, how you can begin fixing it, and why it’s worth doing so, check out today’s episode.  If you like the show, please subscribe!! Show Notes: Stephanie's website and Instagram Elizabeth's website and Instagram Last week's episode with Lizzy Jensen Referenced Podcasts with more on Monica's battle with eating disor

“I think if you continue to ask and seek . . . and then act on those things you’re feeling, life gets better and better. I think that’s how it’s supposed to be if you keep living outside of your comfort zone and pursuing those ideas, and thoughts, and feelings.” We all know that life takes us on many twists and turns. Lizzy Jensen's life is no different as her own has led her so many different directions than she had envisioned. So often, she thought she was supposed to pursue something for a certain "why," only to have the end-product of her work not match what she had first thought or even wanted. But for Lizzy, she now has the perspective that those twists and turns were each undeniably the "why" behind the beauty and purpose that has come of her own life's mission.    Lizzy is passionate about helping others recognize what their own unexpected life paths have to offer them. Her latest purpose is to help people--women, especially--learn what gifts they have to offer the world and how they can then accompli

“I do think you have to choose happiness, because it’s YOUR life.  You are in control of your own personal happiness.  I could lay in bed sick and angry, or I could choose to laugh . . . and make a happy life.  I don’t find that it is any more difficult than it was before. My problems have just changed.”   Christopher Clark told me a story about another friend of his that was also diagnosed with ALS, aka Lou Gehrig's disease. When this friend's doctor told him of his diagnosis, in almost the same breath the doctor made a plea that he would not take his own life.   For many, receiving word that they have this untreatable, incurable, gradually debilitating disease is a death-sentence. For Clark, there was grieving to be sure; but there was also a determination to rise above the temptation to languish in his pain and despair, and instead to live the rest of his now-shortened life with a good amount of grace, and even more of humor.   Chris's choice to find happiness in spite it all is evident throughout this int

“Come and give your all.  Don’t say, ‘I want to look this way or I want to be this way,’ but, ‘I want to become the best version of myself.’”   Emily Nelson is one of the most high-energy women I've ever "met." And she puts that energy to good use as the co-creator and co-founder of HIGH Fitness, a workout that is taking North America by storm only 2 1/2 years from its conception.   In today's interview, Emily talks about how her growing up years inspired her to have a strong work ethic, what she did to get past her initial shyness, and the path she took after college that eventually led to creating a new fitness brand with her friend and business partner, Amber Zenith.    Emily is passionate about their vision: to not just create a class, but a fitness community that inspires men and women to move past focusing on the exterior, and instead on becoming the best versions of themselves. There is a reason why participants tell Emily every single day that her classes are changing their lives.   You'll also love h

"Many of us resist developing ourselves into our own unique expressions of Godliness, of humanity, because we fear the exposure, and the risk, and the potential invalidation that comes through doing that . . . If that is the only paradigm we operate in, we limit our ability to really develop into beings capable of offering goodness in the world, and creating a better world through our own capacity."   What is "goodness?" How do we develop it when faced with real and imagined pressures?    Today, Dr. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife answers these questions by fleshing out the term "goodness" that often comes up in her teachings. Jennifer teaches us how to discover what it is we truly want and feel we "should" do with our lives and then how to better own our choices, especially when we are often only faced with difficult ones.    Jennifer also offers how to live up to the core desires we have, more fully cultivate our gifts, and how to in turn better tolerate the internal and external push-back we might experience as we

We all know the amazing benefits of exercise: mental acuity, emotional release, increased strength, more consistent metabolism, confidence, and on and on.   But we don't often talk about the effects of abusing exercise, a trap we can all so subtly fall into. This can happen through both over- and under-use, although much of this episode it devoted to abuse through too much (or too intense, too often) exercising.   Alongside my two expert guests--Meg Miles and Rachel Gainer--we discuss it all. How fitness is a powerful tool for good and so essential to our well-being; but also how abusing it can negatively alter our lives and become all-consuming. Learn through our discussion how to properly make exercise an important part of your life without letting it control you.    In this episode, there is a wealth of science, personal stories, and loads of take-aways. Our goal? To empower the listeners to view their bodies--and fitness--with love and "healthy enthusiasm." Show Notes: Meg Miles's website, blog, and Insta

"The preparation will meet your opportunity, and that is when you can have success. So, you need to work really hard and be ready for when you get that chance, because you never know when it’s going to come."   Camille Andros is a woman of many interests including science, writing, and children (she has 6 of her own). For many years, she found herself focusing on one thing and then the other, all of which she loved and found fulfilling. But eventually, she found herself combining her passions into writing children's literature. She wants children to believe that they are smart and they can love science too, and her stories inspire just that and then some!   Camille talks about her path towards getting published, how she believes in "a time and a season," the great importance for everyone to have hobbies and dreams, and the remarkable path her life has taken, one small step at a time! Oh, and you'll love Camille's view of how rejection can be a good sign that you're on the right path and how she has learned th

“It starts with who you are.  Then what you do comes so naturally, and so beautifully, that that is respected because you were who you are first.”   There is a reason Jeni Awerkamp's mom called her "Jeni Joy" growing up. This woman radiates light and positivity! Jeni makes this choice every day, and the biggest key to her finding that joy is to focus on who she IS first, not her "successes."   This is a lesson Jeni learned after selling her interest in her rising business and instead focusing on motherhood. She has a strong entrepreneurial spirit whose mind is always thinking about the next thing and a big thirst for creating; but she discovered that for her, she needed to invest her self-worth in who she was at the core and to not place her esteem on things, people, or achievements.   Jeni also shares the importance of filling our buckets, how she creates and pursues goals, and how much happier she has been once she's chosen to let her hair down and embrace the "yellow" side of her personality.     If you li

“It’s too easy to give in to the thought that ‘Well, this terrible thing happened to me . . .’ But at the end of the day, you write your own story . . . Your life is what YOU create.  And I wanted to create something awesome.”     Cara Baldwin had been a lifelong "overachiever." But at 30 years old, she found herself moving back in with her parents, filing for divorce with four very young children (the youngest being 6 weeks old), and wondering how she could face the humiliation of being this version of herself she never wanted to be.   Beginning with a solo two-and-a-half week camping adventure with all four kids (aka "The Magic Five"), Cara picked up the pieces of her family, plucked up her courage, asked for help, and attended law school so she could support her children.   Cara credits her kids, her family, her friends, her community, her faith, and her grit in rebuilding her life and rediscovering the woman she once was: one who believed in herself. Show Notes: Monica's INTERVIEW with Briana from The Lif

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts." ~Winston Churchill   We have all been there: you bust your behind trying to reach a goal, you have high hopes, but then you get dismal-at-best results.    It's hard to not take it personally.     I've been there recently and I found myself really questioning why I've been spending all this time doing something that is meeting seemingly lackluster fruit. But then I reminded myself, "Sometimes you don't make the cut." That's life.      Every person who has ever amounted to anything, whether it's in the walls of their own homes or in grand corporations, have faced failures big and small. They have faced those moments where they wonder why the heck they're doing what they're doing and evaluate if it's worth the time, sweat, and tears.   For me, I've decided to tailor back in some areas (the limited writing on my blog will now be non-existent for a time) and to redefine what "success" looks like for me.    In today's podcast,

“We didn’t recognize each other, or ourselves. How do you reconcile this? How do you go and redefine how we work together if who we are has taken some pretty fundamental changes?”   Mark and Giulia fell in love at 18 years old and launched into what looked like would be a lifetime of happiness. Unexpectedly, three years into their marriage, their fairy tale fell apart as Giulia encountered struggles with her mental health that neither of them fully understood or knew how to deal with.    But this isn't just a story about mental illness; it's a story about how a family chose to navigate a crisis and rebuild their lives based on love, not tragedy.   Mark talks about what led to Giulia's first bout with psychosis and her eventual diagnosis with bipolar disorder. He shares how as a result they switched roles within their relationship, what it was like for Mark to battle his own depression just as Giulia started to get better, and how they learned to anchor into their new lives both together and individually.    B

“Depression loves darkness . . . the only way to fight depression is to bring it into the light.”   I'm sure you read that article "Marriage Isn't For You" that circulated the internet a few years ago. How am I so sure? Because everyone read it, as in 100 million strong all over the world.    Seth Adam Smith is the author of that article, as well as four popular books (including his latest work of fiction!). Seth talks about what it was like to have a VIRAL article and the three years-long mind trip it sent him on as he tried to live up to the internal and external pressure to keep writing pieces to resonate with millions.   Seth is much more than "the marriage guy" his article pegged him to be. He's been writing for as long as he can remember. One of the common themes he writes about is depression, and he's been doing that long before it was the cool thing to do.    Seth has struggled with chronic depression since he was in third grade, and at his lowest low as a 20 year old, he attempted to commit suicide.