This is 50

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below. 

On my 50th birthday, I reflect on my life to date, my fears about hitting 50, and the surprising (and refreshing!) reality that came with the actual day. I share my goals for this decade including my commitment to having “fun for fun’s sake” and “filling up my joy bucket” to help me in the transition to empty nester that is coming soon.

“This is 50” will be a regular installment of the podcast going forward – sometimes featuring a 50-something guest with a story to share around her 50s to date, sometimes an update on my 50th year, and sometimes a conversation with the always-popular Bite-Sized Balance co-host, Dr. Sarah Baillie.

Free resources here: www.wendymccallum.com/learnwithwendy

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Easy Potato & Leek Soup

Ingredients:

2 tbsp coconut oil

3 large leeks (white and light green parts only)coarsely sliced

4 cloves garlic crushed

6 medium potatoes peeled and cubed

2 bay leaves

1.5 tsp dried thyme leaves

1.5 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp pepper

4 c low-sodium veggie broth

2 c unsweetened almond (or cow’s) milk

1 c plain yoghurt (greek or any type is fine, avoid fat-free)

To make: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add leeks and garlic and cook a few minutes until leeks softened. Add potatoes, bay leaves, thyme, salt, nutmeg, and pepper and stir to coat. Add broth and milk and bring to a low boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes tender. Remove from heat. Remove bay leaves, stir in yoghurt.

Blend in stand blender or with immersion blender until smooth. (Careful: hot liquids in a blender can be messy - let the steam escape and hold your lid on!)

Makes about 9 cups (Serves 5).

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Instant Power Oats Mix

Ingredients:

3 c instant or quick oats (unflavoured)

1 c chopped unsweetened dried fruit of choice (raisins, prunes, apricots, dates, cherries, or blueberries)

1/3 c chia seeds

1/3 c ground flax (flax meal)

2/3 c seeds or chopped nuts of choice (try pumpkin or sunflower seeds, or slivered almonds)

2/3 c maple flakes (the local bulk store will likely carry)

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice (easy recipe on my blog, if you don't have or can't find!)

 

To make: Combine all ingredients well in a large airtight jar.

To make a single serving, cover 1/2 c mixture with 2/3c boiling water in a bowl. Stir, then cover and let sit 3 minutes. Add a splash more water if it’s too thick. Add milk or more fruit if desired and enjoy.

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Why We’re Overdrinking

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

My friend, author, and fellow Certified TNM Alcohol Coach, Emily Lynn Paulson, joins me for an honest discussion around why women’s drinking has been rising dramatically during the last couple of years.

We discuss the connection between stress and alcohol, the additional anxiety and overwhelm of the pandemic, and how that has spiked drinking levels and alcohol-related disease, the normalization of women’s drinking as a necessary tool of motherhood through the media, and the science behind the addictive nature of alcohol.

How do you know if it’s time to make a change? Emily and I both believe that labels aren’t helpful and that objective tests for “problem drinking” just keep women stuck in patterns that aren’t serving them. The only question that matters is “how is alcohol making me feel?” and if the answer is “not great”, then you owe yourself the opportunity to explore it...

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How to Drink Less Without Feeling Deprived!

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

 

Women’s drinking has been rising dramatically during the last couple of years. It’s become our go-to for numbing and escaping the challenges of modern, busy life in a pandemic. The good news is more and more women are questioning their relationship with alcohol.

If you’re starting to wonder if alcohol is still serving you, please celebrate that awareness! Drinking less (or not at all) is a positive wellness choice, and I'm on a mission to normalize that decision.

Join me as I share the 5 keys to making alcohol small and irrelevant in your life. Based on the practical, science-based approach of This Naked Mind, my path to achieving freedom from alcohol has worked for me and thousands of others. It’s like nothing you’ve ever tried, and it’s truly the way to take alcohol out of the driver’s seat. If you’re ready to take back control over alcohol, and drink less - start...

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What Women Want To Know

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Sarah and I reflect on the first Women Talking Frankly coaching program that we ran in the early summer, including a discussion of our favourite parts and the lessons we learned from the incredible group of women in this first iteration of the missing conversation around women’s burnout, hormones, and midlife.

We talk about new bits of the missing conversation that bear exploring in future episodes, including the complicated nature of women’s libido in midlife, the gifts of pelvic floor therapy, the importance of boundaries when it comes to creating a life you don’t want to escape from, and weight management during perimenopause and menopause.

Grab our free perimenopause/menopause checklist, here: www.wendymccallum.com/perichecklist

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How We Spent Our Summer Vacation

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

Bite-Sized Balance is back!

In the Season 2 opener, Sarah and I reminisce about how we spent our summer, including our shared “dirty little secret” and our deepening friendship.

We update listeners on our personal hormonal journeys and experiences with hormone replacement therapy and Sarah explains the unexpected possible impact of the COVID-19 vaccine on her cycle.

We discuss the piecemeal nature of care for women in midlife in Canada and the role the patriarchy’s approach to women’s health plays in that.

Grab our new perimenopause/menopause checklist, here: www.wendymccallum.com/perichecklist

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Martha Wright: From Vineyards to Mocktails

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

Sobercurious or looking to drink a little less? You won't want to miss this episode!

I interview fellow This Naked Mind Coach, Martha Wright, about her decision to become alcohol-free and her midlife career transition from wine importer and vineyard owner to alcohol-free beverage expert & advocate.

Martha and I discuss women’s gray-area drinking and the revolutionary approach to changing your relationship with alcohol: the This Naked Mind philosophy. Martha provides a few of her best tips for living life fully (including visiting wine country!) while staying alcohol-free, along with her best picks for alcohol-free wines, spirits, and botanicals.

Find Martha’s picks list at www.clearpowercoaching.com/resources

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Robyn Berman: Midlife & Midwifery

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

In today's episode, I interview Robyn Berman, who pursued a second career in the challenging primary care field of midwifery at the age of 40 while navigating parenthood and midlife (and all that comes with that.) 

 

I share a bit of my own birth story, and Robyn provides some insight from the midwife and doula perspective. Robyn talks about her recent burnout and decision to leave clinical practice, and what she learned from that. Robyn and I discuss the role of perimenopause and estrogen in their own “midlife rebirths” and reflect back on what we’ve learned in the first half of our lives around balance and stress management as busy working moms.

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Chase Chewning: What Women Need to Know About Men’s Burnout

 

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

Ladies and GENTLEMAN: We have our first official male guest on the Bite-Sized Balance Podcast!

Chase Chewning is a health coach and host of the popular wellness podcast Ever Forward Radio, and he’s also no stranger to burnout. Chase joins me to share his personal story of multiple burnouts & recovery and what he’s learned along the way. 

Chase and I talk about the differences between men and women’s burnout, the warning signs, the importance of self-care for men (and what that word really means), and how to support someone you care about who is nearing or in burnout.

Got a guy in your life you love (partner, brother, dad, or son) with a lot on his plate? This is a very timely topic given the increase in burnout rates during the recent pandemic, so don’t skip this one!

Find out more about Chase here: https://chasechewning.com/

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