Your Yes Life Now

"Be Who You Want To Be, Not Who You Think You Should Be" Sara Haley

In this show, Sara pulls back the curtain on motherhood. We talk about how she turned her pregnancy from one of passion and purpose into her business. Sara talks about filling a gap in the market, finding her niche and teaching to those who needed her message and point of view. I love that Sara is so candid and in this show, she openly shares both her hits and her mistakes. She is a truth teller with a heart of gold and discusses the importance of discovering and living from a place of who you are today versus showing up as who you used to be or as you think you should be.

We discuss Sara’s work with Reebok and how challenging it was to leave the company behind as she decided to follow her bliss. Sara talks about the importance of finding our own passion and purpose in addition to, and outside of life as mother, wife, and partner. We dive into the struggle of finding the balance between being selfish and selfless and how challenging it is to arrive somewhere in the middle.

I love Sara’s thoughts on balance and she shared her recent experience shooting 12 workouts while trying to juggle family, friends, and laundry. It really is so refreshing to have Sara reveal her backstory, in addition to her highlight reel. We talk about the importance of staying centered especially in a world with so much social media and Sara talks about the importance of finding other Mom’s who can celebrate you and lift you up when things get tough.

Sara mentions the different seasons of life and how there will be different seasons for different experiences throughout our journey. She reminds us that children do not need us to be perfect but they do need us to present. We discuss Sara’s morning ritual and with two children how she prepares for her day the night before. In this episode, we also chat about the importance of being organized and how to set ourselves up for success by preparation, which in turn, allows us to be ready for the opportunities ahead.

Sara reminds us of the importance of looking back to remember what we did well and celebrate the baby steps as we do the best we can. She reminds us to take it easy, listen to our bodies and to not compare your story to what you see in the media.

Sara shares some fantastic advice and tips on the importance of doing the correct core work during pregnancy – click here for some informative videos.

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More about Sara

Sara Haley is a simple mid-westerner at heart. It was her college sweetheart, Sean (now her husband of eleven years), who really encouraged her to go after her dreams. From dancing for the NBA to performing in commercials and off-Broadway shows, Sara is forever grateful for her ten years in New York City, especially because it eventually led to her fitness career. After teaching classes all over New York City and training celebrities, her big break was being recruited by Reebok, Int. This led to seven years of working as a Reebok Global Master Trainer, which included traveling all over the world to train other fitness trainers and instructors, doing media appearances, and creating and starring in numerous Reebok & Gaiam DVD workout programs.

Along her fitness journey, Sara became a prenatal and postnatal exercise specialist. Little did she know, she had found her niche. When she became pregnant with her oldest son, Landon, Sara saw a lack in challenging and inspiring workout options for pregnant women. After the birth of her first son, Sara went on to create Sweat UNLIMITED, an equipment free workout that includes 5, 15, 30, & 45-minute workouts for the busy parent or professional. Her workout DVD brand is called The Daily Sweat®, as Sara believes that everyone should sweat a little (or a lot) each day to get what they want out of life.

During her postnatal recovery from her second son, Sara created her newest DVD, Expecting More®: The 4th Trimester Workout. Whether you had a baby six weeks, six months, or six years ago, the eight different workouts will help you increase your cardio endurance, tone your b...

"Work Around The No" Tracey Mallett

I had no idea that Tracey's and my backstory, on how we entered the world to fitness were so similar. After years of auditions in London and both of us becoming tired of the day to day grind, although at different times we both decided to audition for a cruise ship and that is how we came to the United States. It was also through working on the cruise ships at sea that led us to the high seas of fitness.

We talk about how we both were enamored with America and in the back of our minds, even though we didn't know how we were going to get there, we both knew that this was the place we needed to be. Tracey and I share our love of England, and we also talk about the difference in mentality between the English where we are warned not to dream too big and get too big for our own good versus the United States where you are encouraged to dream as big as you can.

Tracey shares the 10,000 hours that led to her “over overnight success” and the resilience it took to stay afloat during the long hours and many days of not knowing if her future was certain as she created Booty Barre. It was when her back was up against the wall and money was tight that she decided to step into the next phase of her business and create her own methodology. She shares the hard, hard, work it took to get to where she is today and that it was her work ethic and working around the no's, that brought her to where she is today. Tracey talks about how the barre work is something that she had been studying since she was 16 and at the Italia Conti School and it made complete sense for her to progress into creating her own methodology.

We discuss her relationship with food and exercise and that it took some ups and downs to come to arrive at a place of peace that she has these days in terms of her fitness and body image. We also talk about social media. Tracey finds it a positive influence for her business and also the negative effects that can happen if we don’t keep our expectations real.

We go back to when Tracey's life was put on hold when she found out that she had a brain tumor that was the size of a golf ball. After seven hours of brain surgery, Tracey thrived and rehabbed quickly. However, the lessons she learned through this process have transformed her life today. She has become a warrior for wellness and insists on not always taking the first answer, especially when it comes to your health. Trust your intuition and listen to your body.

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"We Are Often Playing Small To Our Own Potential" Jen Groover

From her earliest memories of being tied to her chair as a young girl by “Sister Elizabeth” for being too curious, Jen Groover she knew she was intrigued by conversation and networking.

In college, Jen studied education and psychology. During that time she expanded and shifted her approach to creativity and begun to apply it to her work. It just so happened that Jen's first business venture was in the world of fitness. Jen had experienced the high that comes from teaching (after facing her fears of no-one showing up for her first class) and realized that she wanted to experience the energy and high of creating something new and partnered with an existing company to open a gym space. But that was just the beginning. During this part of our conversation, we also revisit the hey day of fitness and step aerobics. It so happened Gin Miller and myself were the videos she was using for inspiration. I love that this has now come full circle and Jen is one of my mentors and reminds me how to show up fully in the world every day.

Jen shares marvelous advice on how to get out of your head and into the world. How to face your fears, value your own ideas and take big action steps to put your dreams in motion. We discussed "fear" and how Jen now has more fear of regret, than fear of failure and I too am the same way. We also talk about the glass ceiling often being our own belief system. Jen talks about creativity assets are dropping out of the sky every day, but it is not until we take action that those assets can be turned into as many verticals and companies as you have time for.

I ask Jen about where it is that she finds her inspiration. It was interesting to hear Jen talk about Reebok being one of the companies that she looked at to learn how to create, execute and repeat. It was then at QVC she discovered the importance of telling stories that would sell into people’s desires. It was here that she learnt the art of pitching and positioning for other brands, she then put that education behind her own company. Jen is also an expert at partnering with strong people around her to move great ideas faster and more efficiently.

Take a listen and be inspired. There are so many nuggets of wisdom that can be applied into your life, whatever you are doing and whatever your dreams. If you live in NYC or Philadelphia click here to find out more about the upcoming Jump Start Pop Up events:

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Jen Groover has been tagged by SUCCESS MAGAZINE as a “One-Woman Brand,” a “Creativity and Innovation Guru” and a leading “Serial Entrepreneur” by Entrepreneur Magazine and ranked #8 by SAP in the Top 51 Influencers of Human Potential. Jen Groover’s name has become synonymous with innovation, entrepreneurship and transformation. She was recently nominated as a UN delegate to the first ever Global Accelerator for the Global Entrepreneurs Council.

She also made history at the NYSE, as a member of the first all-female group to ring the opening bell and made Forbes’ list of “50 Founders You Need to Follow on Twitter.” Jen’s energy and multi-faceted, diverse wisdom make her a highly sought after international speaker for Fortune 500 companies to top Universities, Non-Profits, Chamber of Commerces, Business Conferences, and more on topics ranging from business to leadership, empowerment to emotional intelligence to healthy living, and enhancing productivity. Her influence and leadership has aligned her with amazing brands, such as Avon, Independence Blue Cross, Verizon, USANA Health Sciences and SkyMall, for which Jen has had various roles as a spokeswoman and consultant for brand development and leadership training.

Her success skyrocketed with the creation of the Butler Bag, the world’s first compartmentalized handbag, that became a multi-million dollar brand, and has not stopped since. Jen springboarded the Butler Bag’s success into an entire lifestyle brand, found at a variety of price points and well-known retailers, which is led to the creation of subsequent lifestyle brands, Leader Girlz, and Empowered by Jen Groover.

Jen has been a top business and lifestyle contributor and content creator for major television networks such as ABC, CBS, CNBC, NBC, MSNBC, Fox News, Fox Business News, and the The CW. Jen also contributes editorial pieces to several prominent business magazines and online resources including The Huffington Post, Entrepreneur Magazine, Inc Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Positively Positive, The Daily Love, and HealthyStyle NY. Her products, brand, and work have been featured in hundreds of media outlets...

“I approach life as though I don’t know anything, and so let’s start learning something” Melanie Smith

This episode was recorded at Melanie’s NYC apartment. Please enjoy the ambient sound of the Big Apple.

Melanie Smith is one of my dearest friends and this episode begins with us sharing how we remember first meeting. It was at Kripalu during our yearlong studies in Positive Psychology with Tal Ben-Shahar Ph.D. Of course, we both have different memories, and this led perfectly into a conversation around the power of stories.

Melanie has a rich and fantastic past, and we touch on just a few of her careers. From being a Playboy Bunny to playing Jerry’s girlfriend on Seinfeld, to opening her world renowned yoga studio in New Hope, PA – Yogaphoria. Throughout the interview, Melanie shares all the different hats that she tried on before landing the work and career that was the perfect fit.

I find Melanie one of the smartest and soulful people I know. We talk about how our surroundings will influence our trajectory in life and how sometimes when we look back, it seems like just one small choice after another, shifts and shapes our life. We talk about being fearless, having tenacity, and developing courage so that we can create a life that we are proud of.

Melanie shares the crazy and surreal group of strange coincidences that took her from Scranton to Stardom and gives us the backstory of how she landed the role of Emily in As The World Turns. She also shares how she was cast in the role of Jerry’s Girlfriend on Seinfeld, and how this episode helped her opening of her Yoga studio, Yogaphoria.

Melanie believes that everyone is heartbroken and she shares how the loss of her mother to cancer and the sudden death of her sister created the gateway for her transition into a coach who specializes in grief, loss, and recovery.

Towards the end of our conversation, Melanie dives into the power of stories and shares how she decides what is true and what is a story. She encourages us all to change, re-script and re-frame our negative stories to allow the magic that is waiting for all of us to appear.

More About Melanie

Melanie Smith is a nationally renowned teacher and coach, award winning actress and spiritual entrepreneur. She has not only spent many years coaching, speaking and presenting to thousands, but she has also graduated well over 1,000 teachers from her educational programs.

She works with mission driven, inspired people on a daily basis; Helping them to transform their lives and businesses, moving them into the most realized and abundant experience of life.

Melanie is trained in many forms of coaching, entrepreneurship, health and wellness, the Chakra system and Bio-energetics, Archetypes, behavioral finance, grief and loss recovery. She was a founding fellow of Harvard University’s institute of coaching and is an ICF Professional Certified Coach and an ICA Master Coach.

Melanie was the founder and director of one of the countries most respected yoga and wellness centers and has been the face of many international wellness brands. She has written for several national magazines and has been at the center of some of Television’s most memorable and funniest moments.

She is also the proud mom of her greatest acheivement...her son Gideon Moses

"Each One Of Us Has Majesty Within Us" Kathy Smith

Recorded a week before Kathy left for Rio Brazil to cheer and support her daughter Kate Grace in the Olympics, Kathy and I sat down to talk about her past, her present and her magnificent future both inside and out of the fitness industry.

Side note Grace made it to the Olympic finals while also running a personal best.

Kathy shares how that at a very early age she lost both her parents. It was this tragedy that propelled her into running, and she shares how movement also helped her heal through this challenging time.

We go back to where her fitness career began and how she is always learning, evolving and reinventing both her career and life's journey.

As with all my guests, Kathy reveals how important her morning rituals are. She shares how she spends her mornings and reveals her favorite B.LT (no it is not what you are hoping it is - it's better)

Kathy talks about the power of intuition and shares how she stays in the present so that she can hear the whispers from the world and be open and available to the new opportunities all around her. She reminds us of the importance of not taking anything personally and how we can be rejected, but it has nothing to do with us.

I love that at about 30 minutes in Kathy really begins to dive into the good stuff. She talks about learning to make peace with the fact that not everyone is going to love what we do and how challenging yet important that lesson is to learn.

Kathy discusses the power of gratitude and how she finds time to marvel in the smallest of moments and finds the extra-ordinary in the seemingly ordinary of days.

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More about Kathy

Kathy Smith, New York Times bestselling author, has stood at the forefront of the fitness and health industries for over 30 years. She has sold more than 20 million exercise DVDs, and she has been featured on countless media outlets, including The Today Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The View and Good Morning America.

They call Kathy Smith “A Fitness Revolutionary” for a reason. Several, actually...

Her new podcast, On Health: The Art Of Living ranked as the #18 podcast on iTunes’ overall New and Noteworthy list, and the #12 best show in Fitness & Nutrition. Its radio-on-demand format highlights the latest research and information on how to lead a healthier lifestyle, break bad habits and instill positive new behaviors in order to have a fit body and fit brain!

With a passion for providing healthy food on a budget, Kathy recently released a protein powder, Kathy Smith Wellness, a formula that is clean, natural, and delicious.

And, Kathy developed a 90-day weight loss app, ReShape. This wellness program offers downloadable workouts, food plans, shopping lists, hundreds of recipes, and is topped off with BrainTap, a brain-based approach to enhancing focus and relaxation.

As a sought-out educational and motivational speaker, Smith has appeared at events for the American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, and is currently touring nationally with her presentation “The Stress Solution: Train Your Body, Train Your Brain.” She recently gave the keynote address at Edward Jones’ annual Managing Partners Conference in Phoenix and St. Louis.

Ageless Energy, Smith’s latest TV special, aired nationally on PBS. With her “Four Pillars of Fitness Success at Any Age,” she inspired viewers to shift their perspectives on fitness with a series of tools for boosting energy, stamina, strength and vitality.

She’s the mother of two daughters, Kate and Perrie, and when she’s not on the road, Kathy can usually be found hiking or skiing in the mountains of Park City, Utah.