From Sugar Addiction to Vibrant Living : A Guide for Menopausal Women with Tanya Willis

Did you know there are secrets to embrace midlife with curiosity, compassion, and courage

In this episode of All Things Menopausal, Mary sits down with Tanya Willis, a fellow podcaster and experienced health, fitness, and wellness coach. Tanya shares her journey of overcoming sugar addiction and explores the vital roles of movement, mindset, nutrition, and holistic wellness. 

We delve into the power of using one’s voice to connect with clients through podcasting, the significance of community, and continuous learning in achieving a vibrant, energetic life. Tanya emphasizes the importance of curiosity, compassion, and being non-judgmental in navigating menopause and living a fulfilled life. 

Here insights you will learn from this show:

1. Understanding sugar addiction and emotional eating
2. The power of self awareness and mindset shifts
3. The role and benefit of coaching to overcome obstacles
4. Understanding food energy and how to make empowering nutritional choices
5. What building a strong nutrition and wellness foundation entails
6. Embracing simple shifts and learning from mistakes
7. Why connecting through community is so vital for living a vibrant life

Resources:

• Learn more about Tanya Willis, Vibrant Living on her website
• Connect with Tanya on Instagram, and Facebook
• Tanya's recommended read, her book: Cookie Dough In The Dark 
• Tanya's podcast: Menopause Made Easy

Transcript

Tanya Willis: 0:00

the aha moments for me are to lean into curiosity, lean into compassion, lean in to being non judgmental of yourself and others, and then the aha moment will come because you've laid the foundation, you've nurtured your soil, you've planted the seeds, and then the water comes. And this is what I was talking about with You will get into a flow.

Mary Lee: 0:33

Welcome back my listeners to another great episode of all things menopausal. If you're returning listener, thank you. Thank you so much. And if you're new to this podcast, I'll sit back and enjoy. we will hear from guest experts in the field of menopause and women's health and wellness and my goal is that you will get information and knowledge that will power you through your menopause journey. In this episode I have the delightful pleasure of sitting down with Tanya Willis, a fellow podcaster on the topic of menopause as well, and she is a seasoned health, fitness, and wellness coach with over three decades of experience. Her podcast, Menopause Made Easy, is yet another insightful platform to bring stories out into the open and keep the conversation about our transition going without the fear, shame, confusion, or misinformation. Together, we take a deeper look at the complexities of menopause, coaching, and the power of using one's voice to connect with clients through podcasting. Tanya shares her journey of overcoming sugar addiction, exploring the vital roles of movement, mindset, nutrition, and holistic wellness. This conversation also touches on overcoming obstacles, the importance of curiosity and compassion, and the benefits of having a coach. Tanya emphasizes The significance of community and continuous learning in achieving a vibrant, energetic life. Stick around for an enlightening discussion filled with practical insights and inspiring stories. But before we begin, here's something you should know about Tanya. She is a wife, mom, and dog lover. Tanya combines 32 years of working as a personal trainer, fitness, Pilates, yoga, and rolling instructor. She's Nutrition coach, behavior change specialist, pain free specialist, sleep stress management and recovery coach, and the author of the book, Cookie Dough in the Dark. And she's the founder of Vibrant Living Programs, with a lot of experience working with clients. Her mission is to continue to help women step into the body they want, to feel confident and sexy and in control of their food choices and have their clothes fit just as they should while having the energy to live a vibrant life, Let's get to it. Okay. listeners, you don't know what went on behind the scenes before we hit record. So I'm going to give you the skinny Tanya and I are both in the same area, the same arena in terms of menopause coaching, but Tanya, you've been at this for. A very long time. And you're going to tell us more. We were talking about this world of digital course delivery, and just the nuances of trying to crack that nut. And then we started to understand, and this is why it resonates so well with you, we realized that it is the power of our voice that really helps us connect more intimately with our, customers, our prospects, our people, and that the podcasting world, which you have the power to do. Beautiful podcast menopause made easy. This is where we are really going to be able to shine to draw on those people so that they can have that more intimate relationship, which is what we learned with Kathy Heller's podcasting your turn to podcast course, but we both agree. That it's that social media space that is just driving us crazy because could you imagine before social media, if we wanted to have like our sandwich boards outside of our studio to come in and try our program, or we had our billboard signs, or even the name on the door. But you had to pay an entity to take off like a black curtain so that somebody could actually see the words on the sandwich board or see the title on your building. That's what it feels like in social media. It feels like if you're not paying more money to have advertisements, nobody sees you. And so to heck with that, let's tell our story on podcasting and that's why you're here, Tanya. So thank you. That was a bit of a preamble, but I'm setting the stage. Tell us all about who you are, what you do and why you do it.

Tanya Willis: 5:04

Okay. So my name is Tanya Willis. Thank you so much for having me on your podcast. I have been in the health and fitness and wellness space for the last 32 years and let's just call it over three decades. And I just have. I walk the talk, first of all. So I have a passion for women in there. It's so menopause starts around the age of 35. This process starts to happen and it completely blindsides us. So part of my passion is to educate women with what I've gone through, with what I've learned now that I'm in my mid fifties. Just tell it like it is. I'm authentic, I'm vulnerable, I'm real. And just getting to really putting at peace and stopping some overwhelm about what's going on in women's lives. And I focus on movement mindset and nutrition because I believe that we are a whole being, we are a whole being. And so we need to look at those different elements and then you can go, of course deeper. But. I also come from the background of, I wrote a book called cookie dough in the dark, because I had a sugar addiction for about three decades, and I was always trying to get to the top of the mountain and heal myself in a day, or a week, or maybe a month. But what I didn't understand, which is what I teach is all the tools and all the skills that need to go behind that. So if anybody overeats sugar or drinks too much alcohol or is not coping with stress properly or using it as a distraction and I really, I've been in the trenches and I get that what people are going through. And I've come out the other side and I say to people, I still eat sugar. I still eat sugar, but it doesn't control me the way it used to. And just to clarify, because people get stuck on this point, when I'm talking about eating sugar, I'm not talking about standing at a sugar bowl and just like spooning sugar into my mouth. Yeah. Sugar's in everything. It's just about in everything. It's, In all our ultra processed food, it's, there's more of it in are just, it's just hard to avoid. And then you have your pastas, your baked goods, your potato chips, your alcohol, and those cause we, we all know carbs, fats, proteins. So we're really focusing on those simple carbohydrates. So I really come to my audience with such a deep understanding of how to navigate. It's emotional eating, habitual eating, chemical sugar addiction, all that kind of stuff. And I put in a pretty little bow and then I help everybody. That

Mary Lee: 7:55

is so fantastic. And you hinted at this, we always arrive at our destiny, that vocation or that one purpose in life that gives us so much fulfillment, but to get there, it's always a tough journey. We go through many iterations, many versions of ourselves. We have failures and mistakes and then we succeed. But all the while we're learning something about ourselves for those pain points so that we can resonate with our clients, with the people that we want to serve. So I would like to hear a little bit more about your backstory. What really got you on this personal journey? You talked about the sugar cravings. What. What was it that happened in your life that made you realize there was a better way?

Tanya Willis: 8:45

You asked me what my favorite book was and it's called Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself. And basically We are only aware of what we're aware of. And so when I was stuck in my sugar addiction, let's just call it that, overeating sugar, I did not know how to act differently when I was stressed. When I was emotional because I had built a habit, a very strong habit that when I felt a certain way, I did this action. stopping a sugar addiction or any addiction for that matter, maybe it's not even addiction. even if you're just eating more than you want, or you can't start exercising or whatever it is. It can be little, it can be small. One thing that I've learned is your ego is trying to keep you safe. So that is a skill and a tool you need to learn. You need to understand your ego. You need to understand your prefrontal cortex versus your amygdala. So you, when you understand that, and these are the things I teach, now you are armed with, it's not me, right? It's my ego is trying to keep me safe. So when I was small, for example. And somehow this became a habit that when I felt uncomfortable, I would use food. So then you keep doing this, you keep doing this, and it reinforces. So when your body feels uncomfortable, you go to food, or maybe you go to alcohol or maybe you smoke or whatever. Okay. And you're not aware of that on a level until you choose to be aware of it. And you're not aware of it until you stop lying to yourself, which I spent many years trying to convince myself that the symptoms I was feeling were not connected to my overeating. And then this is why my book, Cookie Dough in the Dark, A Journey to Vibrant Living. It became a journey and I, and in that moment I had a mindset shift of this isn't a day, this isn't even about the food. This is, has nothing to do about the food. This is about the journey to me of inner healing. So it's not external. And we tend to look external, and that's why a lot of people get attached to diets and food. And when you're willing to take a step back and go a little bit deeper. You understand that there's some healing that needs to happen inside of you. There's some awareness, there's some truth, there's some curiosity, there's some compassion, there's non judgmental. And so when I started to invite these mindset tools in and understand how my body, my mind was trying to keep me safe, then you can begin to start unwinding and unraveling. And that's what I started to do about in my early 30s. So that, that was life changing for me.

Mary Lee: 11:50

Amazing. It is. It's like overriding that inner narrative, that old thought pattern because the brain has been wired to take the easy pathway and it takes that pathway because we've made it, we've created it over several years. You alluded to that. We come into the world with a concept of what is perfect. Talk about it. It's identified on your website too. Like we want to be this perfectly thin or fit or we get so frustrated. We have this idea of what health is the quick fix. Like you said, one day, if I have this one green drink, I'll be perfect and everything is fine. But it's that wisdom that comes with age that helps us understand. We have the ability to override. And going into that mindset.

Tanya Willis: 12:41

Yeah, and I think it's also, you really have to decide what you want. And then you need to find somebody to keep you on that path. And that's why coaching is so valuable. Because it stops you from going to the shiny stars. And it keeps you on track because I didn't get a sugar addiction or a habitual eating issue in 10 days. It took me years to develop. And one thing, just to put this in a context, it's you remember when you first started to drive? And I, drove a stick shift, a manual until up until last year because I can't get them anymore. They're harder to find. But whenever you're learning to drive remember how you're like, You have to pay attention like all the time. Like I got to go into first, I got to put the clutch down. I got to do this. I got to do that. And then you drive to work and you're like, which way am I going? All these things, it takes so much energy. And now we've been driving, say even after five years and you get to work and you go, how did I get here? You don't have to think about how to drive. You don't have to think about where you're going. And so your habits become like that. And so you think you're in control, but you're not in control, right? And it's until you can step back. And I always say, be the observer of yourself, watch a movie of yourself until you can step back. And watch yourself. That is the first step that, that needs to be done because then you can come up with a plan to do the next thing and the next thing. So it, you have to be willing to be patient and give yourself some time, but once you get in the flow, it's actually amazing how quickly it can start to happen.

Mary Lee: 14:32

Fantastic. The first time I heard about the awareness concept of being more aware of. You being the observer going inward, of course, in yoga, we talk about that with the introspective benefits of yoga, where you actually are, you're doing the pose, but in reality, it's taking you inward to, to feel into the body. But it was sad guru, who has the Isha Kriya meditation and the Isla Foundation. And it was one of his courses that he had offered, and I stumbled across it during the pandemic. And he was offering it for free for anybody who was first responders about managing stress. I think it was maybe 75 for anybody else who was not a first responder, but I desperately wanted to go inward more and deal with the stresses that were going on around us. And that was the first time I had that aha moment with the awareness. I'd heard the, greats like Dr. Joe Dispenza, Eckhart Tolle, even Oprah Winfrey speak about this Deepak Chopra, but it was sad guru, that light bulb moment, that inner awareness and the wisdom that comes with it. What was your aha moment?

Tanya Willis: 15:56

Oh you know what? I think I, I personally think that what you just said, when you hear something from somebody else, it plants a seed. Okay. And you might not be ready to water it. So you might've heard messages from Eckhart. You might've heard from Joe Dispenza, from Oprah, from all of these. And that was when the water started, but you were already planting the seeds. the aha moments for me are to lean into curiosity, lean into compassion, lean in to being non judgmental of yourself and others, and then the aha moment will come because you've laid the foundation, you've nurtured your soil, you've planted the seeds, and then the water comes. You will get into a flow. You don't go to your garden and plant a lettuce seed and go out tomorrow and there's lettuce. Okay, you plant the seed. So say you plant 100, 100 seeds and a bird eats some of them some of them may be washed away with the rainwater. And but you keep going out there and you keep tending your garden. Okay. And then all of a sudden you're like, there's A sprout coming up and that's what I think the aha moment is. I don't, for me, it's not one thing. It's the journey of the things and am I allowing myself to expand and open up and be curious to allow myself to nurture and, have that stuff grow within me.

Mary Lee: 17:29

Wow. So well said, beautiful. with your behavior change, therapists or specialists. And I'm just curious about this background when your clients, your prospects come to you and you're working with them. are you seeing common barriers amongst them that are still, their obstacles that they have to overcome?

Tanya Willis: 17:51

Yes. So we all have obstacles, right? So I'm not perfect. I still have obstacles I'm working on. But when you do, and again, this is the benefit of working with a coach will see just by the way you use words. Words are very powerful when they tell their story. So what my approach is with clients is we're collecting data. That's all we're doing. We're collecting data about where you are, where you want to go, and we're going to practice. And we're going to practice and we are not linear beings just because I do something today does not mean I'm going to be doing that a year from now. And everybody was asking me, Tonya, are you going to write another book? And I said, no, I'm going to do a podcast. The podcast is fluid. A book, which I'm very proud of my book, and it really captures and it's been very helpful for people. It captures a moment of my life. When I was that age and stage. And so a podcast is where I can say and update information. Now, some of it that I talk about my book, like beliefs, that doesn't fundamentally change understanding the awareness of your beliefs, but your beliefs can change because you have new evidence, right? And so maybe something that I believed in 2017 is different now, but the concept. is still the same. I still believe in awareness. I still believe in curiosity. I still believe in compassion and non judgment. So when I'm speaking with a client, you can see the all or nothing thinking. You can hear the negative words that they're using. And just by even this morning, I was talking to a client. She says, Oh my God, Tony, I'm struggling with this. And I said, okay, let's turn that word struggle into I'm curious about this. And so I had her try both words and she's oh my gosh, I feel so much better when I say curious And, so that's just a simple switch. So when I was talking about time, if you don't have a coach or a in my midlife reboot and your programs that you're offering, when you start to hear other people, you move faster because if you're by yourself, you don't hear yourself. You don't see yourself. You don't and that's protective of you. And so it takes courage. It takes courage to sign up and work with you. It takes courage to sign up and work with me. But the question I have to ask is, Do you want to stay where you are or do you want something more vibrant and energetic? And I'm going to attract women who look at their 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s and be like, I want to be doing the things I love to do. I want to feel amazing. And those are the people I attract because that's what they want. They want the energy. They want the vibrancy. They want to play with their grandkids on the floor. They want to be able to go for a walk. They want to be able to get in and out of their car. They want to have a mindset. Of abundance and vibrancy. And this is where it all starts. And so courage, you need the courage and you need to be able to understand that you are going to lean into discomfort because that's where growth happens. And the idea is, and so this is what I see with working with my clients, is how much discomfort can you handle right now? And so what happens is if you, if I link this back to my story of trying to reduce my sugar intake, I was trying to get from the bottom of the mountain to the top of the mountain in one day. Big step and my nervous system couldn't handle it like it way too much and so when you just say what's the next step like what's just the next step I have to do and you trust in the process And you get way further ahead because you can stay stuck for 10 20 30 years Because your ego is wanting you to stay in the sorry, the familiar hell over the unfamiliar pleasure. And so when you start to put all of these puzzle pieces, cause we're just a puzzle, when you put all those puzzle pieces together, you realize it's not your fault, but it is your responsibility. And when you can take ownership and empower yourself, you will get the things that you want.

Mary Lee: 22:35

Beautiful. That was another thing I learned from sad guru too, is. The responsibility piece, when he speaks that our responsibility is boundless. Yes. And it's just not how we are responsible to our own selves, but how that level of control that we can take over ourselves as we step into our age of wisdom. It's menopausal women reflects the energy that we give off to the rest of the world. And then you have this bigger concept of how I show up in the world for me. It's also how I'm showing up in the world for everybody else, maybe my immediate family, maybe my colleagues at work, my neighbors, and then having that awareness that if we can't get a grip on what it is that is holding us back from stepping into that greatness, it will resonate in how we behave, how we speak, our level of compassion for others.

Tanya Willis: 23:32

Yeah. And on one level, I have some selfishness because we are all in this ocean. We are all part of this ocean. We are not a drop of the water. And the way our culture sets us up is to think that we are a drop of water and that what we do doesn't affect anybody else. But when I love you, I raise the collective consciousness. I put the everything in the ocean. We are all in the ocean. So when I help. Lift everybody up into an into a vibrant, loving, energetic, empowering faith. It's helping the collective. It's helping all of us, right? And when we're stuck in shame and anger and regret and fear, you're pulling me down. You're pulling everybody down. And so I think sometimes women feel selfish, that they're caring for themselves. And they give, to others. But when you give to yourself, you do give to others. So it is really important to really not think of it as a selfish act to love and care and honor yourself and love deeply yourself because then you're raising this whole ocean. So you, and so selfishly, I want everybody, come on, let's go, let's move out of the darkness and into the light. And let me tell you, I've had to move out of shame. I've had to move out of judgment. I've had to move out of fear. And do I still have some fear? Sure. I'm human, but is it getting more fun to work with? Yes. Because I realized it's not even there. It's just. Of a, again, that ego trying to protect me. And so when you understand this, you start to step out more.

Mary Lee: 25:29

Yes. So good. You spoke a mindness, a mindset mindfulness. You spoke about the self-love. Tell us a little bit more of the holistic approach you take to help. First of all, define the holistic approach and then what you serve up in your signature program that focuses on the holistic side of wellness and fitness.

Tanya Willis: 25:52

I think of it as movement because emotion is energy and movement. So it's not just about lifting weights. It's not just about doing Pilates. It's not just about being on your roller. It's not just about moving your body. You move emotion. Through your body. We have issues in our tissues. When we begin to move, we get the energy out, right? And so what do you do with that energy that comes out? And that's where the mindset piece comes in. You know when, I'm doing, so my three components, which I've already, the pillars are like movement, nutrition, and mindset. I've been a personal trainer for over three decades. I've been teaching fitness, I'm like 10 instructors rolled into one. I can basically teach anything at this point. And I have a very. Balanced approach to menopause because you are a story to movement in menopause because you don't move the same as when you're 20 years old. So what does that look like? And that's what I teach. The other thing is that our population is not moving enough. They're not moving enough. We're very stagnant. So that energy is very stagnant. Your thoughts have energy, your thoughts have weight. And so when you learn to look at exercise as opposed to a gift of vibrancy and energy and moving these emotions out of your body, you don't look at it the same of I have to do this because I got to lose weight. No, that is not why you work out. You work out because when you do something, you feel great about yourself. I've never had a client. I always say to my people, when they show up, the hardest part was getting here. The hardest part is I'm doing it. Nobody ever leaves and goes, Oh, I wish I hadn't done that. They always feel better. So movement is a vital part. So how can we move? And again it, it may start depending on where you are this way. It can change depending on what your goals are. But I think it's really important to understand the energetic component of movement, not just the lifting weights, like the physical that we're talking about. The next part is food has energy. What we eat, we are. And a lot of people, I think it's up to almost 80 percent of people are living on an ultra processed food diet. There is no energy in that food. It's like sucking the life out of your cells. So how do you begin to get out of this really chemically addicted food? And start to nourish yourself with nutrient dense choices. And when I'm working with clients, I never take anything away from them because most people get defensive. They're like, I'm not giving this up. I'm not giving this up. And I'm just like, you don't have to give anything up. But when you become empowered about your menopausal plate, you start to make choices from a different spot. You make it from a different energy and you go into that we're just cellular beings and that the food you eat affects your cells. It affects your energy. It affects your frequency. It affects you as a whole. And so I don't revamp anybody. I don't put anybody on a diet. All I do is we say, where are we now? Where do we want to go? What's the next simple shift? And I teach you some basic fundamentals. And then we move from there. And then the mindset piece, if you think you can't, you won't. What you, if you can, you will, and if you can't, you won't. So we work on language. We work on how can we get our nervous system running properly so that we can expand, because we're only as big as what we can handle. And so If this is why self sabotage happens because you haven't expanded your nervous system. So when you understand frequency and nervous system and you don't have to understand all the things I'm talking about because I'll put it into terms that are doable action, right? Because you can't think about change. You subconsciously have to rewire your body to bring on those changes. So those are just the things that I teach and there's a variety of ways to teach that. So what works for one person may not work for another. But the idea is that a lot of us right now are using a hammer to build everything. We're trying to build a house with just a hammer. So a lot of people are just trying to diet. And they're trying to change their whole life with a diet and what I'm inviting people to do is that you need a screwdriver and a wrench and a hammer and an allen key and you're going to learn how to get all these tools and these skills so that you can build your house and we're going to build a strong foundation and then we're going to build a house on top of that. But we have to build the foundation first.

Mary Lee: 30:46

Completely 100 percent agree that building the foundation and I speak about this a lot and it'll be in my signature program is, the chakras as well. You spoke about the energy and the energy centers. Yes. Because then we have stagnant energy from, our thoughts and it doesn't get a chance to, move or it'll manifest as dis ease, a lack of ease in the body. But I always say we've got to bring, it back to the foundation, which is the root chakra, which is your safety, security, and build you up from there. And it's just can be those energetic shifts, rather than this whole big daunting process. Again, another tool in the toolbox.

Tanya Willis: 31:26

I talk about chakras in my book, cookie dough in the dark, because that was one tool. It's a tool. Where I was like, I am stuck in my root chakra, like I am stuck in safety, security and addiction really rides, lives in the the root chakra. I think it's important to understand too that when you are going through the change. Of this habit change of this becoming this new person, this new identity that you go at a speed where you can. So one of my philosophies is simple shifts done consistently over time will get you the results that you want. It's not one big swing. It's the consistent action. It goes back to what we were talking about before with you planting the seeds in your garden from Eckhart and Joe and then they sprung. so much. Because you were ready to hear it because you had heard whisperings before. And so there's no failure. There's never failure, which we talked about at the beginning too. It's the willingness to look at yourself, collect data, see what your next step is. What are you learning? How can you, tweak this? What do you like about this? And you learn the flow. And it's just the easiest way I can say that it becomes effortless. It becomes so effortless. And for years I pushed so hard and I feel that in my business. So before you and I hit record today. I was talking to you about the money I've spent and the time I have spent and I said to you, I will save you time and money because I will save you the 10 years I spent. Again, that's another powerful, the power of having a coach is that I'm going to save you from going all through the mistakes that I went through. And so I shared some of the things that I have done. So it's just, there's. There's no failure. It's what did you learn from that lesson and how can you move forward from here?

Mary Lee: 33:32

Yes. Yeah. I heard it beautifully said I was just tuning into the resilient mind podcast. Dr. Joe dispense. And he always plays clips from some of the greats I mentioned already, Oprah Winfrey. And so it was her little segment that was launched yesterday. So that would make it what? May 5th, 16. And she speaks about being brave and it's a little snippets of Speaking engagements of hers over time, but there was one part while I was out on my dog walk today that she said, and it just, again, it grabbed me started doing the watering was when she said, it's not mistakes we made, it's the universe's way of saying there's a better way to learn the route. So try it that way and realize, Oh, that's not working. I'm going to show you a more efficient way to get the results. And I love that because she speaks very candidly about the mistakes that she made in her broadcast days. And, realizing that's not going to work, but did it diminish her? God, just think if she just. Stopped what she was doing right then and there. We would not have the experiences and the beauty and the service that she's brought to this. Great planet. And that speaks to everyone. You think of Einstein.

Tanya Willis: 34:52

We're all, if you are not, so if you are not making mistakes and you are not afraid, you are not living. Yeah. You're not living because I make mistakes every day. I don't do things perfectly. I started a podcast. I thought about it and then I just did it. And I was scared and sometimes you just do things anyway, right? You just I wrote a book that was terrifying. And then there are certain things where I didn't promote my book properly because I was still hiding. And so I don't, and that was the difference between me being in my mid forties to me being now 50 in my mid fifties, where I'm like, you know what? I'm in this life to shine. And if I don't shine, I can't help other people shine. And that goes back to what you said. If Oprah had stopped or if anybody, if all of us had stopped we wouldn't be here. We, I am on this planet to evolve and grow. And Oh my gosh, we could do a whole podcast on how many times I've been absolutely petrified. Sweating. So if you sign up for Mary Lee's programs or my programs and you're like, I don't know if I should do this. That's your ego. I've failed at so many other things. Why is this thing going to be different? Oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm spending this much money on myself. And you're sweating. You're doing the right thing. You're doing the right thing because doing that is going to move you ahead. If you don't do that, you're just going to go right back into what you were doing before.

Mary Lee: 36:25

It's so good. It's so good. It's in the doing that we're actually learning the most. We'll tell you, I'm going to take you from A to Z, and this is the transformation that we're going to bring you to. I'm going to call out where a person, and you too, with your prospects, where you're probably at today and where you want to be. And they'll get fixated on that. But the real delivery, the real bonus of what they really get out of it, is in the doing because those are those independent, individual, unique light bulb moment. So we don't know that they're going to have, we just know that they're there in the transition in the transformation. And so if you're not putting that, that first foot through that door, you'll never know. You'll absolutely never know. And that's why, and I wanted to speak to that. I'm glad you brought it up again about stepping into that greatness. And wanting to shine with your podcast and then just doing it with me. Same thing. Mel Robbins, 1. I had an idea and before my brain could talk me out of it before that ego could say, Oh girl, don't do that. Who do you think you are? Your voice is stupid. I just said. No. And that was when I started to claim my power. So talk to me about what it is about podcasting that allows you to make that intimate connection. You just can't seem to get on those reels on Instagram, Facebook posts.

Tanya Willis: 37:59

You know what? My power is in my voice. I am very energetic, very vibrant. Absolutely. Absolutely. Very real. And the more we talk, the more that inner being comes out and I'm not a 32nd sound bit and even doing a podcast sometimes I'm like, it's like a story, like each episode when I was listening to your podcast, it builds on another episode and you get to be connected to that person and you understand. This like the obstacles they have faced and how they went through those obstacles. And so you get to share a story and you get to see the process. And so even sometimes when I'm taping a podcast, there'll be things like, oh gosh, people might not understand the context of what I'm saying in that moment. But if they keep listening to my podcast, they will start to tie those threads in. And I just feel, like I was saying to you before, I love listening to podcasts. I love listening to podcasts. I don't go on Facebook and Instagram that much because I actually want to get into hear what they're saying. And then from there, I will go and check out their programs. Or sometimes I'll look them up on Instagram, but more times than, or Facebook, more times than not, I love the intimate connection, the deeper dive into the taking away the shininess and really saying again, I'll use this word because people might be identifying with it, but the, struggle I had with overeating. And nighttime eating and not knowing what to do with it. I would now replace that with the curiosity of why am I turning to food? What is this food giving me? And now I understand Betty bacteria. I understand Edwina the ego. I understand chemical, how our bodies get chemically addicted to certain things. And so when you start to do these podcasts, you can just go into kind of I'm sure, I don't know if you've done this with a podcast, but you'll go off on a tangent and then you'll come back because you're really trying to explain where the, because if you have self sabotage, why do you have self sabotage? Okay. It's not because you have low willpower that has nothing to do with it. But that's what we're taught to believe. So then we go on intent, then we can come back into, okay what is willpower? We can explain that. How can we start to work through it? So that's why I like. the podcasting because I can, I just usually sit here and my arms are flailing all over the place and I'm just talking to the air. Sometimes my podcasts are just off the top of my head. Some days they're a little more structured. I've done some more work. The other day I taped two podcasts without sound. So I had to go read those again. And it's just, I don't know. I get to dive in and just really be me. And I think I heard this quote and I'm, going to ride with it. But when you are your authentic being, you vibrate at your highest frequency. And this is where I vibrate. This is where I'm the most authentic by talking and that's what people get with my coaching calls. Yes, they get. So if you do want to come into my program, your program, you get to know who we are. And it's, the same, except for we're going to really focus on you. It's the same. You're going to get this. I don't change.

Mary Lee: 41:48

So beautiful. That's true. I'm so delighted. You're hitting on all the questions, honest to goodness. I swear you're asking all the questions that come into my head before I even get a chance to open it my mouth. But that is the magic about thought as well. And because thoughts have a vibration, they have a frequency, it is energy. And even in this virtual space, I am absolutely resonating with your vibrancy, your energy. And just as I'm about to ask, you've already spoken about What I was gonna ask. So thank you for being able to do that. Amazing. I'm glad that you, touched on the energy and just vibrating at that higher level, because that really is about healing the planet, the collective energy. And if we are going to rise from this dense 3d and those who gravitate to that kind of a message or understanding the rise to a more flowy, divine, feminine, 5d, more empathetic. We have to work on our vibration first and come to a higher level of vibration. And I learned that also from my podcast guests, don't get me wrong, like a coach, like you probably experienced comes to the platform with a lot of tools in her tool bag from personal experience. And building up through coaching courses, Pilates, yoga, like yourself so many of them, but we don't always know all the answers. And that's another beautiful thing about the podcasting world is we learn, or we expand that knowledge piece when we hear from somebody else and it just, yeah. And I

Tanya Willis: 43:27

love reaching out to people like I reached out to you and just I love, having these conversations as, and as a solo entrepreneur. I've been doing this for a long time. It gets very lonely sometimes. And so the podcast was a way for me to step out and put myself out there to connect with people and to just again, have that higher energy. So it's been very healing for me because we are, meant to be in community. We are not alone. And so we are meant to be doing this together and lifting each other up. So that's important.

Mary Lee: 44:08

And that's exactly what the menopausal journey is that we are meant to do it in community and rise each other up, lift each other up. To be our higher authentic self. And I just know that the energy you're delivering right now and on your podcast is 100 percent what your clients, your prospects can get, can guarantee they're going to get from you when they sign up. So tell our listeners where they can find you and how to get enrolled in your masterclass.

Tanya Willis: 44:36

So I do just what Spotify and Apple podcasts go to menopause made easy with Tanya. I really shine there. I have some freebies. If you go to my website, vibrant living with tanya. com, I have an exercise freebie. I have a rolling freebie. I have a five hacks to cut your craving guide freebie. Don't get them all at once or you'll get a lot of emails from me, but really pick the one that resonates with you and, then just walk through the journey. And you can also check out my programs. I have a midlife reboot program, which is where I do the coaching calls with you all. And then I have a vibrant living Academy. Which goes into the exercise component more and I also if you're around me I'm also a Reiki instructor. I teach CPR and first aid. I have I've been doing this a very long time So I have a lot of eggs in my basket. So that is where you can find me and if you are on social media You can go vibrantly more tanya at instagram or tanya willis on facebook and You will find me and you can always email me. We'll give you all the show notes in the show notes.

Mary Lee: 45:42

Absolutely. I'm going to get all those links in the show notes, including your book and your podcast. This has been a delightful conversation. So energetic. This is one that I would like to continue on and a future opportunity as well. As we share more and more about our coaching programs, but just the experience of lifting other people up, because this is where we probably wanted to dive into some of those success stories and, share those. And I mentioned it in my, one of my previous episodes that have aired with Alicia Jones and a future thing that I want to start exploring is inviting listeners to. To come on to a show with a guest that I've had before and say, look, it did Tanya and I spoke on this day and I'm bringing her back. Any of my followers, listeners out there who want to link DME Lincoln, and you can ask a question on the podcast, make it a little bit more intimate for the listeners.

Tanya Willis: 46:36

You know what? I, that just reminds me, I'm doing free lunch and learns. So I used to do lunch and learn, And now I'm like, you know what, I'm going to start doing them again over zoom again to have that intimate connection to really, because you might be listening to this podcast. You're like, Oh, I have a question. I just need this. I just want to see her perspective or what should my next step be? So that is again, my gift of giving. You and I, and a lot of women in this space, we give. We have the podcast, we have the freebies, and now I'm going to do these Lunch and Learns, and we're going to dive in, and I'll pick different topics to discuss about. I have one coming up on ending your cravings, boosting your energy, And stopping nutrition confusion. And then I have another one coming up on how to reset your nervous system to stop self sabotage. Yes. So it's the perfect time for you. And this is to just step out. Like people don't have to put their screens on. They can do little chats. But that's just the next little step that somebody may be able to take. That they're comfortable with, a little fear. It's okay to be afraid. It's okay.

Mary Lee: 47:45

It's so true. And another thing, and it's obvious to anybody's feeling the same way, feeling this way, it's been validated. And the research is showing us that coming out of COVID, we've become a little bit more guarded and pessimistic, but more, more so we become much more lonely and we crave intimacy more than anything else. And so step outside that comfort zone, and get into that community, even if it's virtual and find your people and feel empowered. And that's that is the menopause journey right there, get those answers and engage. So thank you for, the sharing that obviously they can link into your zoom lunch and learns through your website and we'll get that in the show notes. Good. It's been wonderful to have you here, Tanya. Once again, I'm feeling so a boost of energy and I can't wait to share this with our listeners. And we'll any clothing, closing thoughts you'd like to share before we, we say adieu. Adieu.

Tanya Willis: 48:58

You know what, we're both smiling. Our, we are smiling so brightly. Our eyes are so wide. Our energy is so big. And I just, know that we have planted another seed for somebody today.

Mary Lee: 49:10

I believe so. Absolutely. We planted a

Tanya Willis: 49:12

seed. We might've even watered some too. So that's all I'm here to do is lift you up and bring more lightness. Into your life, more energy and just, you're not alone. When I was in my addiction, it's so dark. It's so dark, and it's scary. It's scary. I get it. It's scary. But just take a little tippy toe, step forward. Just keep going and we're your big cheerleaders here so, just know you can do it. If I can do it. I know you can do it.

Mary Lee: 49:45

Thank you for tuning in to another insightful episode of All Things Menopausal. If you enjoyed today's episode and want to stay connected, be sure to follow me on Instagram for daily tips and updates. For even more support and community, Join our Facebook group, Personal and Universal, where we share experiences, advice, and empower each other through the transformative journey. And if you found value in today's episode, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Your feedback helps reach more women who can benefit from these conversations. until next time, stay empowered, stay informed and embrace the beauty of your menopausal journey. Remember midlife should be the best life and it will be. Namaste.