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We sit down with health coach Jen Trepeck to explain the gut microbiome in plain language and why it affects immunity, mood, hormones, skin, and cravings. We also share practical ways to rebuild gut balance with food, smarter supplement choices, and one small habit you can start right away.

• what the gut microbiome is and why it matters beyond digestion
• dysbiosis explained as an imbalance of helpful and opportunistic bacteria
• common signs of gut imbalance including bloating, fatigue, brain fog, mood shifts, skin flare-ups, frequent illness, cravings
• how antibiotics can disrupt gut bacteria and why rebuilding can take time
• fiber from fruits and vegetables as the most reliable prebiotic strategy
• why plant diversity and more colors on the plate support resilience
• when stool testing may help and why foundations come first
• supplement quality, dosing, and why guidance matters
• how added sugar, artificial sweeteners, and ultra-processed foods affect gut health
• why calorie counting misses nutrient quality and real-world variables
• a realistic starting habit: more vegetables plus more water

Connect with Jenn to get a free 15-minute discovery call at her website:

https://asaladwithasideoffries.com/

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We talk with DEI strategist and leadership coach Israel Greene about why most DEI efforts don’t stick and what it takes to build cultures of real connection. We explore how listening, emotional intelligence, and business-aligned leadership practices turn inclusion into something durable instead of divisive.
• Israel’s path from tech to founding Mosaic Works
• Why DEI fails when it is not tied to business imperatives
• How to engage quiet sabotage with curiosity
• The 101% principle and finding common ground
• A focus group example where skeptics become implementers
• How language choices can trigger DEI backlash
• Why people feel less connected after COVID and remote work shifts
• Emotional intelligence as a core leadership skill
• Psychological safety and trust as drivers of performance
• Practical steps to connect with coworkers and difficult people
• The leadership question that matters most: how people feel after you leave

Learn more, get more information and connnect with Israel Greene via his website: https://www.israelgreene.com/ or at his company website mosaicworks.com.

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We talk with sports counselor Brooke Ewert about what athlete mental health really looks like behind the highlights and why support often starts with identity, grief, and better conversations at home. We share practical tools for anxiety, injury, perfectionism, and retirement transitions that apply to elite athletes and to the rest of us too.
• the difference between performance-focused sports psychology and sports counseling centered on mental health
• how athletes and teammates help break stigma and normalize therapy
• asking “Who are you away from your sport?” to build identity beyond athletics
• using CBT to challenge negative self-talk and reduce black-and-white thinking
• why injury can trigger anxiety and depression and how support changes recovery
• integrating faith as a source of strength and stability during transition points
• making room to grieve failures before rushing to lessons and silver linings
• goal setting with micro-goals and visible reminders to prevent skipping joy
• setting parent boundaries around postgame feedback and car-ride conflict
• what parent motivations can be under the surface and how that impacts kids
• how quitting or getting cut can shake identity and community, especially in college
For more information or to contact Brooke about counseling, reach out to Rocky Mountain Sports Counseling Center in Englewood, Colorado

https://rockymountainsportscounselingcenter.com/

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We explore how identity, language, and harm reduction shape recovery and what friends and families can do that actually helps. Caroline Beidler shares her story, practical tools, and evidence-based resources that save time and protect dignity.

• early trauma and the search for peace
• finding faith, fellowship, and recovery purpose
• identity-first language that reduces stigma
• why labels delay help and fuel shame
• harm reduction as a life-saving on-ramp
• navigating social pressure and judgment
• how to host inclusive, alcohol-free options
• curiosity over control when offering help
• mental health support for anxiety and trauma
• fast access to treatment with Recovery.com
• preorder bonuses and community resources

Preorder “When You Love Someone in Recovery” (out April 7th) at CarolineBeidler.com for a candid video with her husband, a family recovery planning guide, and the opening of the audiobook.

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Regret feels like a weight, but we treat it as a signal that points to what we value most and what we still can change. We break down Daniel Pink’s research on regret, share a personal reconnection story, and offer a simple way to turn regret into one small next step.

• reframing regret as a useful emotion and a values signal
• findings from the American Regret Project and how common regret really is
• foundation regrets and the power of small repeated choices
• boldness regrets and why we often regret inaction
• moral regrets tied to identity plus guilt and shame
• connection regrets and why relationships drift quietly
• a real example of reaching out and restoring pivotal relationships
• self-compassion as the middle path between ego and self-criticism
• questions to extract the lesson and choose one forward action

If you'd like a free worksheet to walk you through the process of reframing and learning from specific regrets, just go to stephanienelson.com, go to the Contact button and send me an email. Tell me that you'd like this worksheet and I'll send it to you.

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We talk with Elizabeth Cole of SoloParent.org about how community, safe groups, and faith help single parents move from isolation to strength. She shares practical ways advocates can help, why no-fix listening heals, and how consistent support shapes healthier homes for kids.

• scale of single-parent homes and isolation
• story of finding hope in a first group
• why advocates matter and how to help
• grief as ongoing process alongside joy
• faith as a frame for healing and resilience
• Solo Parent Essentials and recovery-model groups
• no-crosstalk rule and psychological safety
• Solo Parent Nation syncing with weekly podcast
• how to start or join groups in churches, companies, and communities
• links, schedules, and how to connect at soloparent.org

You can join Elizabeth's online group Monday nights at 8 p.m. Central on Zoom via soloparent.org . Get more information about resources for starting a group of finding a group as well.

Save 70%! Order Stephanie's book Imagine More: Do What You Love, Discover Your Potential

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A raw, hope-filled conversation with author and ministry leader Willow Weston about childhood pain, a radical encounter with Jesus, and the honest work of forgiveness that turns wounded collisions into healing ones. We explore naming hurts, stopping reinjury cycles, and saying small yeses that God multiplies.

• Collide’s mission to create spaces where women meet Jesus and find healing
• Willow’s early trauma and surrender to Christ at 21
• The closet moment that led to counseling and change
• How wounded collisions become healing collisions with Jesus
• Small obediences that grew into a nationwide ministry
• A decades-long prayer that revealed God’s pursuit
• Forgiveness as a freeing process, not a single act
• Naming pain to break bitterness and stop sideways hurt
• Reinjury, identity lies, and letting Scripture tell the truth
• How to connect with Collide events and resources

Everyone has to get this book. We're giving away 5 copies of the book to people who enter our giveaway at stephanienelson.com. Sign up for the email newsletter to get a chance to win!

Connect with Willow West on at https://www.willowweston.com/

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We redefine wellness with Jen Trepeck, moving from diet rules and the noise of headlines to foundations that build strength, energy, and choice. We talk body composition, habits over willpower, how to eat for stable energy, and how to spot hype in nutrition news.

• defining wellness as dignity of choice and energy
• ignoring goals that are not your goals
• bloodwork as lagging indicator and body signals
• body composition over scale weight
• muscle as a pillar of longevity
• monthly measurements and daily wellness check-ins
• biostack foundations: fuel, movement, hydration, sleep, stress, community
• habits upstream of cravings and willpower
• protein and fiber every meal with quality fat
• vegetables target and eat the rainbow
• decoding studies: funding, bias, correlation vs causation
• less added sugar and fewer artificial sweeteners
• progress over perfection with simple, consistent steps

I’ll be giving away five free copies of Jen’s book. If you want to enter the giveaway, just go to my website, which is stephanienelson.com, and enter your email for the email newsletter, and we’ll send you a book if you happen to be one of the five winners.

Subscribe to the Pivotal People newsletter for new episodes, giveaways and more: https://stephanienelson.com/newsletter/
Learn more at StephanieNelson.com
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Order Stephanie's book Imagine More: Do What You Love, Discover Your Potential