Ep.62/ Pregnancy & Birth Tips from Doula Elizabeth Presta
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Are you expecting a baby or planning to conceive soon? Elizabeth Joy Presta is a doula and host of the podcast Morning Chava. She shares her passion for empowering women to feel seen and heard in birth and to know they have options. You'll learn about sperm health, cervix ripening, and more. Words I didn’t think I’d ever write! Plus, we have some great health and wellness tips from Lauren Kramer and a little nugget of career coaching from Ashley Alvillar.
Thanks to our sponsor UPPAbaby! I’ve been a loyal user for years - the Vista, the bassinet, the PiggyBack RideAlong Board and more! We loved them all! Now UPPAbaby has an exciting new product in the works called the Mira 2-in-1 Bouncer and Seat. Check out the Mira and UPPAbaby’s other upcoming products here.
They have a thematic campaign of ‘My Hope’ about the hopes and dreams we have for our kids. Soccer star, entrepreneur and mom of 3 Leslie Osborne and UPPAbaby ambassador is featured in UPPAbaby’s ‘My Hope’ video, encapsulating the true meaning behind UPPAbaby’s “Parenthood, Understood” and all of the incredible things it can bring. Check out the video with Leslie here
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Are you expecting a baby or planning to conceive soon?
Elizabeth Joy Presta is a doula and host of the podcast Morning Chava. She shares her passion for empowering women to feel seen and heard in birth and to know they have options. She explains what a doula does, how she got into the profession, and how her job and career as a doula has changed since becoming a mother. You'll also learn about sperm health, cervix ripening, and more. She also offers things to keep in mind when you're trying to get pregnant and a funny story about her daughter's first curse word.
Plus, we have some great health and wellness tips from Lauren Kramer of Well Plus With Lauren and a little nugget of career coaching from Ashley Alvillar.
In this episode you will learn:
Balancing motherhood and a demanding career.
Imposter syndrome and finding your unique value proposition.
Preparing for pregnancy: nutrient gaps, sperm health, and stress intake.
Quotes from our guest:
“Everyone I know who's pregnant, I always encourage them to take a birthing course or to hire a doula or to do some form of education. We plan for so many different things in our life, and then when it comes to having kids, it's like, oh, I'm just going to go pop out some kids and trust whatever they tell me.”
“I'll get an idea, and you get that energy and you start doing it, and then it fizzles really quickly. And it's not that I don't want to do that idea, it's like this stuckness and this fear and excuses of I don't have the time, I don't have the resources, I don't have whatever. And it's like, okay, but you know that if you really, really, really wanted to make this work, you could.”
“Prepare your body and treat it like it’s pregnant before you try to conceive.”
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EPISODE LINKS:
Morning Chava Podcast with Elizabeth Joy
Follow Elizabeth Presta on Instagram
FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:
Kim (00:00):
This episode is sponsored by Up Baby. You're listening to an Up Baby alumni right here. I use the Up Baby Vista and seriously loved it. It grew with our family. We used the bassinet and then the toddler seat, and when my daughter became a big kid, she loved the piggyback ride along. Board Up baby is grounded on being experts in parenting solutions and pushing the limits on innovation. In fact, they're unveiling the Mira two in one bouncer in seat later this year. So exciting up baby develops products that parents have come to know and trust and focus on implementing their core pillars of understanding Parenthood, child development and family wellness in the workplace community and beyond. They have a brand thematic campaign of my hope about the hopes and dreams we have for our kids. So touching and they partner with Leslie Osborne, retired professional soccer player, business owner and mom of three. You can check out their products and their sweet video@upbaby.com, up a baby parenthood. Understood. Are you expecting a baby or planning to conceive soon? Elizabeth Joy Presta is a doula and host of the podcast Morning Chava. She shares her passion for empowering women to feel seen and heard in birth and to know they have options. Plus, you'll learn about sperm health, cervix ripening and more. And we have some great health and wellness tips from Lauren Kramer and a little nugget of career coaching from Ashley Alvillar. So we have a great show. Have a listen.
(01:25):
This is Mom's exit interview, the show for moms who want to craft the career and life they want. Each episode, you'll meet inspirational bombs across various industries and levels who are working and living life on their own terms, and they'll bring you actionable tips from finance to business development to happiness, to crushing that imposter syndrome. I'm Kim Rittberg. I was a burnt out media executive at Netflix, US Weekly and in TV news. I wanted a career where I was fulfilled at work but present at home with my kids. So I started working for myself and I love it, but not every day was easy or is easy. I wanted to explore with all of you how other moms were creating careers on their own terms. They're carving out flex jobs, starting their own businesses. They're taking back control. Join me and make work work for you instead of the other way around.
(02:28):
If you like the show, well, you're listening, right? I would be so appreciative if you would leave a rating and review and text this link right now to a buddy or screenshot it and share it to Instagram Stories and tag me at Kim rittberg, R I T T B E R G. And if you're interested in becoming the go-to person in your field, meaning making clients die to work with you, you want to be the number one coach, the number one real estate agent, whatever it is, I'm your person. I help you craft your brand, your message, and your content to do just that, to make you more money. I apply my 20 years in media and I'm an award-winning video producer, plus I love people. So connect with me through the link in the show notes and you can grab my free download there. And because today we're talking about childbirth, I'm going to share a funny story. I had my second child and often your second child comes faster. That's just anecdotal. I don't actually know if it's scientific, but anyway, I was induced and all of a sudden the baby's ready to come. I just knew it. I felt it. I look around and no one is there. It was my nurse's lunch break. So all of a sudden I scream put down the sandwich, the baby's coming.
Kim (03:36):
She comes in, she says, are you sure? I was like, it's my second. I'm positive. She throws down her Turkey sandwich and 20 minutes later, baby Nate was born. So today we're talking to Liz Presta on the podcast. She is originally from Nebraska and now lives in Chicago. She has a two and a half and a one year old, and she hosts Morning Chava podcast. She explains what a doula does, how she got into the profession, and how her job and career as a doula has changed since becoming a mother. She also shares valuable insights surrounding pregnancy and labor. We hear so many things. She also offers things to keep in mind when you're trying to get pregnant. And a funny story about her daughter's first curse word. Talk to me about what you do because I have not interviewed a doula so far. Yeah. So this is very exciting. So talk to me about what you do and how you got into it.
Elizabeth (04:26):
Doulas provide continuous, physical, emotional, and informational support during labor and delivery. So a misconception is that they're like, oh, well, so you're like a midwife. I'm like, not at all. I have no medical training. I don't deliver babies, but I am a birthing expert. I I've studied labor, I know the stages of labor. I know different signs to look for. I know what's normal, what's not different, laboring and pushing techniques and things like that. So I'm a birthing expert, but I do not do anything medically. How I got into it was I was living in Vegas at the time and my sister ended up having a home birth, and that was my first experience seeing birth. And it wasn't originally planned to be a home home birth. It was honestly this huge crazy thing that her insurance messed up her medical records and wouldn't cover her, and it took her a while to get it cleared up.
(05:19):
So they had no insurance to birth their child, and so they found a home birth midwife and went down that route. And so my first experience watching a birth was wild. Normally, first time labor is a little bit longer, a little bit harder. There are always exceptions to the rule, but it's not easy. So she was in labor for quite a while and I watched it happen. I'm like, wow, this is crazy. Then she ended up having her other three kids at home as well. And in my twenties I had some friends starting to give birth, and all of them were telling me how the things that their doctors were saying to them, and it just didn't sound right to me. And a lot of 'em were ending up in cesareans. And at the time, Vegas was one of the highest C-section rates in the country.
(06:01):
It was 40%. I know cesarean are amazing. They save lives. They're there for a reason, but they're also used unnecessarily. So I was having friends tell me like, oh yeah, my doctor said that my pelvis is too small and the baby's too big, so I have to have a C-section. And then they'd have birth their seven pound baby through a C-section, and they're like, oh, I guess it wasn't that big. And I'm like, what is happening here? So I decided to look into ways that I could support people through this and help them feel empowered in their births, help them fight for their rights to choose providers who are going to support them and have the birth experiences that they want. And so I discovered what doulas did, and so that was 2012. I started going down that route and I just haven't looked back. I started the podcast wanting to spread more of that information and really just get options out to women and let them know that they have choices, they have options, and that they can feel supported in it.
Kim (07:00):
So you were a doula for a long time before having your own children, obviously.
Elizabeth (07:04):
Yes. Yes, I was. And it was super interesting. Some people would be like, well, do you have kids? I'm like, no. I'm like, has your OB birthed a baby? No. Most people have male obs. I'm like, has he pushed out a baby either? No, but he's studied and he knows how to help you. And I've done the same,
Kim (07:22):
What lights you up when someone's like, why are you a doula? What lights you up so much about what you do?
Elizabeth (07:29):
For me, it is empowering women to feel seen and heard in birth, and again, just know that they have options. What lights me up is hearing the redemptive stories of I ended up choosing providers who were going to support me. And even if my birth didn't go how I envisioned, I felt heard. I felt supportive. I felt a part of it. I felt in control. I felt educated. Everyone I know who's pregnant, I always encourage them to take a birthing course or to hire a doula or to do some form of education. We plan for so many different things in our life, and then when it comes to having kids, it's like, oh, I'm just going to go pop out some kids and trust whatever they tell me. But when you look at our birthing statistics in our country, they aren't great compared to other high income, high income nations. They're actually not great at all. And so I'm like, this message has to get out there that you have rights. Even if somebody tells you, Hey, you can't do this in labor, you can be like, it's okay. Thank you, and you can do it. So I'm so passionate about those types of things because it really gets me going. I could go off on so many tangents right now when it comes to your options and birth.
Kim (08:35):
And by the way, I agree with you about education. I did a little birthing class, but I definitely realized, first of all, I had the baby. I just thought I had to go to the bathroom, and they were like, that means the baby's there. I'm like, yeah, but it feels like I have to go to the bathroom in number two. And they were like, the baby's there. I'm like, no one told me that. That's what it feels like. Yeah. Why did no one tell me that? And I definitely feel like there were things that I wish I knew and I took a little course, but giving birth didn't scare me as much as being a parent did. Totally. Whereas my sister-in law is having a doula. She is really, the birth is a thought that she's revisiting and thinking about a lot. For me, it was like, what about the rest of the baby's life? That's more what I'm worried about. Talk to me about how your job and your career has changed since being a mom. So I feel like births are so unpredictable and then you have two kids, and so what's your childcare situation? How do you balance the on-call ness of a doula? How has your career shifted since becoming a mom?
Elizabeth (09:30):
When I had my first daughter, I was actually employed at a hospital here. There's this program here that employs some doulas to make 'em more affordable for people who are giving birth there. And I absolutely love that job because it allowed me to have a schedule. I was only on call certain days. However, it was still unpredictable because I'd be on call 7:00 AM to 7:00 AM so 24 hours, but if I got called in at 5:00 AM right before my shift is over, I'd still stay with that birth until it was done so I could be gone for the whole next day, even though I was only on call for that one day. And usually my mother-in-law was on call for me when I was on call at the hospital. We did have a awesome nanny who helped us out one day a week for a while, but then she finished nursing school and left us. So didn't follow her career. And then, yeah, I think also with Covid, so many things were changing in the hospital and I decided that I was just going to work from home for a while. So after I had my second, I decided that I would take on two to three births a year as a birth doula, but then focus on virtual consulting and things like that so that I could be at home more with my kids.
Kim (10:40):
So you basically do virtual doula consulting, pre-birth advising.
Elizabeth (10:44):
Yeah, that's like my main focus right now and then the podcast.
Kim (10:48):
Great. And then tell us about the podcast by the way.
Elizabeth (10:50):
So it's called Morning Chava, and it is all about preconception birth parenting, just kind of that whole season of motherhood life. So yeah, I've been doing it for five years now.
Kim (11:04):
I do feel like selfishly, people ask me about podcasts. I'm like, podcasts are great, they can grow your business, but selfishly, you can learn a lot from the podcast to apply to your own life. I think about all of the people who've been on our show. I hear their tips in my ear. And by the way, listeners, you can get the newsletter has the tips. I updated with the top 10 tips from the show, but I hear the people I've had on the show, I hear them sometimes in my head when I'm trying to think about something. Totally. I'm like, Ooh, I love that tip. For you, where do you see your paid work life, like the doula? How do you see it evolving and in two years or five years, where do you want it to go?
Elizabeth (11:38):
I'm working on a birth plan course and eventually I'd kind of disliked my course and online business and the virtual content and consulting to fund the podcast.
Kim (11:52):
You had mentioned to me off air about feeling like you start things but you don't finish them or talk to me about that feeling of not completion and where it puts you at,
Elizabeth (12:04):
I feel like I'll get an idea, and you get that energy and you start doing it, and then it fizzles really quickly. And it's not that I don't want to do that idea, it's like this stuckness and this fear and excuses of I don't have the time, I don't have the resources, I don't have whatever. And it's like, okay, but you know that if you really, really, really wanted to make this work, you could. And I get stuck in that place. I've wanted to launch a couple of different courses before and I just end up making these excuses for myself. And I really feel like it is that imposter syndrome. It is that fear. It is that there are these other birthing courses out there. There are these other accounts that share that same information, and it's like, okay. But one thing that I tell even my doula clients is to interview different doulas and see who you vibe with, see who you click with, see who you think would be a good fit. And I think that that's the same for all of this. My message that I'm getting out, somebody else might receive it differently and those are the things you tell other people, but how do I convince myself of that? Right.
Kim (13:09):
Totally. Totally. I think it's really funny. I always feel like when I take on clients, I ask them, what makes you unique? Because it helps me as I help them with video and podcasts for me to know what do you feel makes you unique? And then we can create content around that. We can create a marketing plan around that. But I do think there's also that element of there's all the no and trust. So even if your space is crowded, it's like the people who know you and you, they're going to hire you. Yeah. Even if there are a lot of other options, they might not even look for those options because they'll take the one that's easiest that they already like. So I think often we overthink why someone buys something. I don't know. There are stores in your local neighborhood that you're just like, yeah, I frequent this person once a week.
(13:52):
I just like them. You know what I mean? I think that we forget that there is that element of, I believe this person knows what they're talking about. I enjoy dealing with them. I feel like they're honest. I feel like they'll protect me. And I know that can seem like, oh, you have to have some insane unique value proposition. No, you could just be a person that they like and they trust and they feel could be on their side. So anyway, that's me saying don't have that imposter syndrome here. Hope hopefully that will pop a hole into your impostor syndrome balloon. Okay. I want to talk about pregnancy because you have so much interesting information on your social, so I'm like, I want to jump in. I want to talk about myths and truths and relationships between labor and food and things like that. Talk to me about are there certain foods that start labor going? Are there certain spicy food, seafood, whatever? Talk to me.
Elizabeth (14:43):
When it comes to getting, putting you into labor, there is some stuff behind maybe spicy food, but one of the biggest benefits of foods that you can do to help ripen your cervix to be prepared for labor is actually eating dates. So starting at 36 weeks, eating five to six dates a day, that can really make a difference. There are studies and research that backs it that can help prepare and ripen your cervix, and it is proven to shorten labors. Another one is red raspberry leaf tea and it helps tone your uterus. So starting in, I start around 20 weeks doing one bag a day, 25 weeks doing two bags a day, and then at 30 weeks doing three bags a day of this tea and letting it brew for 15 hours. So I usually let it brew overnight so that it's full strength and then it helps tone your uterus.
(15:37):
This tea is also really beneficial for that time of the month in your cycle. It can help alleviate p m s symptoms and things like that. It can even help with the postpartum recovery. So those would be the only two that maybe help you when it comes to food wise and induction of labor. I mean, you have the nuanced stories of I ate the spicy food and then I went into labor. So I mean, those are more just kind of old wives tell. There's not necessarily research to back it, but it's always, it's not going to hurt you to try.
Kim (16:07):
Yeah, I was just like, I want to know more. What are some other things people should keep in mind if they're trying to get pregnant? Things to keep in mind as that's on their mind?
Elizabeth (16:17):
Yeah. Well, there's always things out of our control. So unplanned pregnancies happen all the time. So if you had an unplanned pregnancy or you're listening to this and you're like, man, I didn't do this before I got pregnant. Okay, not everybody has, Hey, I'm going to start preparing my body and planning beforehand, but filling in nutrient gaps. So getting on a prenatal like three months before you want to start trying. Our diets aren't perfect. We're not getting everything that we need from food. So finding a good prenatal to get on, and especially if you've been on birth control coming off three to six months before because it does deplete you in certain vitamins that are needed for pregnancy, I think it's a really good idea for you and your partner. Sperm health is really important. So there's like crazy studies on sperm health health right now and how much it's decreased.
(17:03):
The sperm nut counts are decreasing crazy, and sperm health is really, really important. And there's tons of research that backs that. If the male partner is drinking a lot, you're more likely to have a genital heart defect. If he's smoking a lot of weeded, you're more likely to have miscarriages, different things like that. So it's not only you preparing your body, it's your partner as well, and I don't think it's too much to ask them to give up something for a few months while you're trying to conceive because then you're giving it up your whole pregnancy. So start preparing your body and treating it it's pregnant before you try to conceive. So limiting alcohol, obviously drugs, things like that, but it's important to start looking also at your stress intake. There's obviously that are out of our control, but the things that are really important is good quality sleep, shutting off screens at a certain time, getting good quality sleep, and then in the morning trying to get in good protein within the first hour or two of morning 30 grams is normally what I recommend because in pregnancy, you want to shoot for 80 to a hundred grams of protein a day, which can be really hard to do.
(18:14):
But if you're already in the habit of I'm putting collagen in my coffee, I'm eating two eggs and I am having a side of yogurt or whatever it is, then okay, at least I'm setting myself up with some good protein right away in the morning, which also helps balance your blood sugar and helps you fight some morning sickness as well.
Kim (18:33):
Why is protein important if you're trying to conceive?
Elizabeth (18:36):
Well, it's important for a lot of the nutrients that it brings to baby's development as well. You can find ways to do it without animal sources. I know there's people that are vegetarians. I was just using those foods as examples, but even in pregnancy, it's shown to help reduce preeclampsia, to help reduce morning sickness, to just have tons of benefits for fetal development and hitting, trying to hit that. Some people say 60 grams of protein a day, but there's been a lot of studies that have shown 80 to a hundred really help even with your level of energy and some of that stuff that we're passing on to the baby.
Kim (19:15):
Do you have any crazy birthing stories? Well, first of all, I want to hear about your own birth right? Tell me your own birth.
Elizabeth (19:22):
Well, my first one did not go as planned. Like I said earlier, I felt really confident going into it. This is what I've studied. I was really, really excited to give birth. I planned an unmedicated hospital birth with the midwife group that I worked with, and my baby was not in a great position, and it caused for a very, very hard long labor. So I got to the hospital, my water had broke at home, got to the hospital. I was two centimeters dilated, which was my fear, and it came to reality. So I labored at the hospital and I was just dilating so slow and baby was just not in a great position. I was projectile vomiting so much. Throwing up is a normal thing in pregnancy or in labor, and it usually happens around transition time, which is going to be when you're like seven, eight centimeters.
(20:12):
I was like three centimeters throwing up, throwing up, throwing up. I got checked I think at noon, and I was five centimeters. I got to the hospital at 2:00 AM I'm two centimeters noon, I'm five centimeters, and I'm like, okay, I think I want an epidural. I felt like my legs were being sought off of my body, and I'm like, you know what? I'm going to keep going. I'm going to keep going. So I went another seven hours and got checked again, and she's like, you're a seven. And I'm like, okay, I'm done. And so I decided to get an epidural and the anesthesiologist was busy, so you have to get a bag of fluids before you get an epidural. So I'm like watching the bag go down and looking in between every contraction and then waiting on the anesthesiologist. And I started getting kind of pushy with some of my contractions, but the anesthesiologist made it in time.
(21:01):
I got an epidural, took an hour nap, woke up and pushed out my baby. It was hard because of the work that I do and that I had had envisioned something else and it didn't go that way, which I know happens. But because of the birth team that I chose, I had my doula, a midwife, and my husband there. I did feel empowered through it. They were just validating me and supporting me so much throughout the whole thing that I'd never felt that something was pushed on me or that decisions were being made for me. Nobody was like, oh, honey, you're in so much pain. You should get the epidural. They trusted me that I would tell them when I was ready, they trusted me to make the decisions for myself. And when I decided to, then there wasn't. It was like, are you sure?
(21:44):
But there was no trying to talk me out of it. It was like, okay, if this is what you want, for sure. My first one was also just kind of a hiccup because she ended up in the nicu. So she was in the NICU for a week and it was C O V I D, so my husband and I weren't allowed in there at the same time. We weren't allowed to stay at the hospital. They weren't allowing families to do so, and it was really, really tough. So with my second one, I did a lot more preparation with a pelvic floor therapist with chiropractic care. You have to get somebody who's Webster certified, so specializes in pregnancy, and this lady is a miracle worker. She would move things in my pelvis and all sorts of stuff, and I did a lot of affirmations and really worked on my mindset for my second birth.
(22:33):
And we decided to go to a birthing center, and we had the same midwife, the same doula, and my husband, and it was amazing. I started laboring at home in the morning. Contractions were not in a particular pattern, but intense. And I remember crawling into bed around noon and my husband's like, we should head in. And I'm like, no, I'm good. I'm good. Because I was nervous the last time I went. I was two centimeters dilated. I'm like, I'm not going to get there and be two centimeters dilated again in labor for another 24 hours. But he called my midwife and she listened to me through a contraction. She's like, Liz, I really think you should have this way. We got there at one 30 and I had an amazing birth. I feel like my body just completely took over. The baby was in the perfect position. I got in a tub, and at three hours later after I got there, I pushed her out and it was great. It was such a beautiful, amazing experience.
Kim (23:27):
And so you went from a hospital epidural delivery to a birthing center water birth?
Elizabeth (23:33):
Yes. Yes, I do.
Kim (23:34):
Wow. Okay. I'm hearing your baby. So I'm going to ask you one last question before we go. Do you have a funny or embarrassing parenting story?
Elizabeth (23:42):
Oh my goodness. I definitely do. I mean, my daughter cursed the other day for the first time when other people were here and she said something that we don't even say in our house, and we just looked at each other and it was plain as day. She picked up my two and a half year old, got chicken on her fork and it dropped off, and she goes, what the? And said the F word. And my husband and I just looked at each other and our guests that were at our house just looked at us and we were like, oh my gosh, what just happened?
Kim (24:13):
They learn it. They learn it.
Elizabeth (24:14):
I mean, my husband did end up taking responsibility. He doesn't say it normally. Yeah, yeah. It's like he works construction and so if he's talking to his brother about a job or something, but it's not normal language in our household, but some of our other families use colorful language around the children, so we're like, and she used to almost in context. So we're like, oh man, we swear we're not just dropping this all over the place.
Kim (24:44):
You're like, I don't know where this baby would've learned that language.
Elizabeth (24:48):
Right, totally.
Kim (24:49):
I love this shot. Liz, tell our listeners where they can find you, learn more about you, listen to your podcast.
Elizabeth (24:55):
Yeah, so my Instagram is e Sandoz. My podcast is Morning Chava, but it's spelled Chava, so C H A V A, and also the website. You can go to morningchava.com and you can find more about me there.
Kim (25:08):
Amazing. Thank you so much. This was so fun.
Elizabeth (25:10):
Yeah, thank you so much for having me.
Kim (25:13):
Thank you, Liz. And you can listen to her podcast Morning Chava and follow her on Instagram e Sandoz, S A N D O Z. And that's all linked out in the show notes. Alright, I'm so excited to be here. So Lauren Kramer, who is an a plus student from my video bootcamp who I've known for many, many, many years through my brother. She has an amazing health and wellness coaching and I'm here right now. Tonight she's hosting an event. So I'm going to let Lauren explain what she does for mom's exit interview.
Lauren (25:40):
Hi, this is Lauren Kramer of Well Plus with Lauren. I'm a nutrition and wellness coach. I help you feel your best and look your best. We don't just look at the food that you're eating, but the whole picture, your stress management, your sleep, your exercise, and just try and get you to a place where you feel your best and also look the best that you want to be.
Kim (25:57):
And what I love is Lauren's super passionate about health and wellness and she transitioned from being in corporate actually at a big investment bank that whose name I'll not say, but she was in corporate for a very long time and transitioned into coaching, which I think is so inspirational. And if you meet her, you will see she's like the walking representation of health and wellness coaching Dewey and living a life that is wonderful and in moderation. She still enjoys life. And she became friends with Ashley, who's also had an amazing transition from the corporate world into career and corporate coaching. So I'm going to have her introduce herself.
Ashley (26:29):
Hi, I'm Ashley Alvillar and I started Monarch Results Coaching seven years ago. I do career and corporate coaching for people that are looking to change careers or start something totally new. I also work with companies right now. I help them with leadership development and training and so forth. And I love, love, love what I do and helping people really grow and become their best self.
Kim (26:54):
I had Ashley give me one tip for someone in transition looking for the next step in their career.
Ashley (26:59):
I feel like a lot of people that are looking to change jobs, networking is huge. So the statistic is that 80% of people actually find a new job from networking. People don't really realize that and a lot of times now with LinkedIn and indeed your network is really big in finding a job. 80% of people do. And a lot of times you can just reach out on LinkedIn and say, do you have 10 minutes of your time? That would be greatly appreciated. And most people do have 10 minutes to talk to you and they want to help you. What do they say? Your network is your net worth. That's right.
Kim (27:29):
I also asked Lauren Kramer to bring you some health and wellness tips and she's showing up strong on social. She was a client of mine and I've known her for years. She went through my video bootcamp. Here they are.
Lauren (27:39):
Hi, it's Lauren of Well Plus with Lauren. Here are three easy tips to help you on your wellness journey. The first, be prepared, have fruit and veggies already cut up in the fridge, have them for easy snacks or easy dinner prep. Just put them on a sheet pan and throw them in the oven. Have snacks at your fingertips, whether that's keeping something at your desk at work or trail mixing your car. Have something healthy that you can easily snack on so you're not going for the junk. Tip number two, have easy additions that you can add to any meal to boost the nutrient density of what you're eating. Things like sprouts, chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds are great little additions that you can add to so many things, whether it be a smoothie on top of a salad, on top of an avocado toast or some other kind of toast.
(28:20):
Great little tiny additions that can add a lot of extra nutrients to what you're eating. Tip number three, be kind to yourself. Just because you ate something that you thought was not so great at your previous meal doesn't mean you have to give up for the rest of the day. Start eating better at your next meal, whether it's lunch, a snack in between or dinner. Choose something better for your next meal and don't say, oh, I already ate the junk food before, so you know what, I'm just going to keep on eating crap for the rest of the day. Be kind to yourself and know you don't have to wait until the next day and don't Monday morning. Quarterback yourself. Keep moving forward and choose those healthier options. And those are three tips from Well plus with Lauren.
Kim (28:55):
Make sure to give Lauren a follow at. Well plus Lauren on Instagram and Ashley's career coaching is@monarchresultscoaching.com. If you want to be featured on the show, fill out the form@momsexitinterview.com.
(29:10):
Thank you so much for listening. Make sure to drop a review and if you want to send in a real mom moment that we'll share on the air, check out moms exit interview.com. And if you're a professional or small business owner looking to grow your brand through amazing content with no silly dances and with no burnout, check out my website kimrittberg.com and you can hit contact to chat with me. And thanks for listening. Like this is the most amazing community you guys send in the best feedback, so share it with your friends. Let anyone know who you think would appreciate it. And this is Mom's Exit interview. I'm your host and executive producer, Kim Rittberg. The show is produced by Henry Street Media. Jillian Grover edited this episode, and Aliza Freelander is our editorial producer and publicist. I'll see you next time.