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Elena Davis was born in Sardegna, Italy - home to her mother’s family and where she’s spent nearly every summer of her childhood and adulthood since moving to the states when she was seven years old. Italy is home, just as much as Salt Lake City is for Elena now. It’s where her roots planted and grew deep over years and years of returning to visit her “nonna” and “nonno.” It’s where she fell in love with cooking, baking and most of all, sharing food around tables of new acquaintances, old friends and family. Elena’s website, mamamiamangia.com, is filled with these family recipes, stories and traditions, along with new creations and a passion for sharing the joy food brings to our lives. In addition to dreaming up recipes, Elena is a mother to three children and a part-time reading specialist at a high school in Salt Lake City, Utah. She enjoys running, hiking, and traveling with her family, including yearly Sardegna trips.https://www.mamamiamangia.com

Kylie Childs is a 6th grade teacher who found her passion for teaching at an early age. Having now been part of the education system for several years, Kylie’s love for her students and teaching our youth has continued to grow, as have her concerns around the education system, and not just due to at-home learning during the pandemic. Kylie says, more and more, teachers and parents are at odds over the learning process and the students are the ones suffering. Bekah Brewer, is a self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur, who recently became a mother and as she looked at the type of education she wanted to give her son, felt concerned for her options. Mutual friends brought Kylie and Bekah together, but it’s the mutual mission these women share that has been the catalyst to their business: Cube Kids. Kylie and Bekah started Cube Kids just last year in hopes to bridge the gap between teachers, parents, and students with weekly, at-home, interactive lessons to help enhance what is being taught at school.

Monica Packer is a self-proclaimed recovering perfectionist, who’s journey started when she was just a teenager battling the need to reach an ideal she had created in her mind about academics, spirituality, body image… you name it. After years of battling perfectionism, and developing eating disorders, Monica finally decided it was time to change and chose to focus on progress. That shift in perspective led Monica to start a blog, which quickly transformed into a popular podcast, About Progress.Monica is a wife, a mom, a podcaster and a progress coach. Her goal is to save women from themselves, by helping them ditch perfectionism, step into their gifts and move toward real progress. Monica has been a dear friend of mine for over 8 years now and I’m so excited we have the opportunity to learn from her and feel inspired by her today.

Si Foster was born in Okinawa, Japan, where her parents met, married and started their family. It’s also where Si fell in love with food, thanks to her mother’s influence in the kitchen. But it wasn’t until Si was a newlywed and learned that if she wanted to eat good food, she was going to have to make it. She started teaching herself the ins and outs of the kitchen, created a food club with her friends, and eventually started a blog, “A Bountiful Kitchen,” in 2008. Since then, Si’s focus has been on creating delicious, accessible recipes for the whole family. You’ll often see her cooking with her daughters, serving meals to the masses, and sharing her food knowledge with her followers and friends on Instagram, as well as in in-person classes.Most recently, Si’s journey has taken her abroad, yet again - this time with her husband Grant, as they serve as missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Spain, Barcelona mission.Today, Si shares with us the lasting impact her mother’s cooking had on her life, the importance of family meal time, what led to putting life on pause to serve a mission for the Church, and what that experience has been like during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Shayna Ferm and Tracey Tee, moms and creators of The Pump and Dump Show, are bringing you a new podcast: Band of Mothers. With no topic off limits, the Band of Mothers podcast explores women’s lifestyle subjects with honest, hilarious and entertaining conversations through the lens of being a mom in today’s world. This is a podcast for every mom, because every mom should have a Band of Mothers. Listen at http://wondery.fm/BOM_BeyondTheCake.

At an early age Jocelyn Delk Adams was in the kitchen with her grandmother learning the ins and outs of home cooked meals and decadent desserts made from scratch. While Jocelyn was devoted to dancing at the time, those visits to “big mama” Maggie’s house were always magical and the memories became a permanent fixture in Jocelyn’s heart - and are the reason baking eventually became her full-time passion and career. Jocelyn is the founder of Grandbaby Cakes, a brand inspired by big mama, which shares classic recipes in modern and accessible ways. She’s also the author of Grandbaby Cakes, the cookbook, a national television personality and brand ambassador. You’ve likely seen her gracing the screen of the Today Show, Food Network, The Rachael Ray Show, and Good Morning American - to name a few!Today on “Courtney, Beyond the Cake,” Jocelyn shares with us how Grandbaby Cakes began and how she turned it into her full time gig. Beyond that, and probably what I’m most excited for you to hear today, is our conversation around motherhood and the importance of finding magical moments in our every day lives.

Fifteen years ago Karalynne Call found herself in a life-threatening battle with depression. After attempting to take her own life, Karalynne was desperate for help and healing. Help, she was able to find with doctors who tried their best to prescribe the right antidepressants with the right dosage for her needs, but it was the healing part that Karalynne felt was still out of her grasp - until she finally found a doctor who believed that what Karalynne was experiencing was something that could, in fact, be healed. Karalynne then went on a two year journey with this doctor that completely changed her mental and physical health. Karalynne is a mom of six, a certified nutritionist, a wellness coach and a mental health advocate. On her Instagram and website, Just Ingredients, she offers tips and tricks, how-to’s and why’s behind choosing better, whole, non-toxic ingredients. Today, Karalynne and I are talking about her journey overcoming depression, the changes she’s made in her lifestyle to help in healing, how we can correct hormone imbalances through the foods we eat and products we use, and what Karalynne hopes to teach others from her experiences. Just Ingredientshttps://justingredients.us@just.ingredientshttps://www.mygutsyhealth.com/blog/fighting-fepression-with-diet Mental Healthhttps://www.nami.org/helphttps://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline Suicide Prevention Lifelinehttps://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/talk-to-someone-now/

Today on Courtney Beyond the Cake, I’m welcoming my friend and beauty guru, Courtney Anderson, CEO to five Spa Trouvé locations here in Utah. In 2011, Courtney discovered her passion for the beauty industry when she started working as a manager for a local spa. While Courtney was falling head over heals for her job, the company was unknowingly about to go out of business. But, by the time she found out about the companies financial woes, she had already fallen in love with the work and was determined to save it. Nine years later, Courtney is the CEO of five Spa Trouvé locations and has evaluated Spa Trouvé to one of the premiere medical spas in Utah.Today, we’re talking about how Courtney turned a failing company into a success story, as well as her thoughts about how the beauty industry has changed over the years, how it’s changed our perceptions of self love and self care, her must have skincare services and products, and the one product she says no woman should live without.

Marcia Cornell, is the founder and CEO of My Mind’s Eye. Does that name ring a bell? You’ve likely heard me talk about this brand time and time again on Instagram. My Mind’s Eye is a paper crafting and party goods company that has become my go-to over the years for party decor for birthdays, holidays and photoshoots.After seeing a void in the scrapbooking marketplace, Marcia launched My Mind’s Eye in 1999 with a hand-illustrated line of coordinating paper crafting products. She quickly grew My Mind’s Eye into one of the leading brands in scrapbooking and in 2014 expanded the brand into party and stationary. Since launching the party goods line, My Mind’s Eye has been featured by dozens of magazines, television shows, movies and even at the White House. Running My Mind’s Eye for over two decades now, Marcia has seen her fair share of bumps in the road, including a recent battle with breast cancer. Through it all, Marcia has kept her can-do attitude and shares with us today why she never gave up.

Brooke Romney is a writer, speaker, educator and connector. Her work has been published in The Washington Post, The Desert News, Scary Mommy, and many more publications read by millions. Brooke is also well-known for her blog and Instagram accounts, BrookeRomneyWrites.com, where she hosts Teen Talk Tuesday and writes avidly about motherhood, among many other topics. Brooke recently published her first book, “I Like Me Anyway: Embracing Imperfection, Connection, and Christ.” Having read this book myself, I can tell you it’s a must read for any woman, particularly if you’ve ever questioned your self worth, your path or your importance. Through her personal stories, life lessons, and her inspiring words, Brooke motivates you and gives you the tools you need to become the woman you were always meant to be. When Brooke isn’t writing or mothering to her four boys, Brooke loves to read, volunteer in the schools, and go on walks with her friends. Meaningful connection with family, friends, strangers, and God is central to Brooke’s life and where she says she finds purpose and joy.Links:BrookeRomney.com

Michelle Inkley is the mom of four boys, an organizer, wedding and event planner, DIY guru and lover of all things beautiful. When Michelle gave birth to her second son, Tanner who is now 25, she and her husband were surprised to learn that Tanner had Down Syndrome - something doctors missed in an earlier ultrasound. Feeling a bit blindsided by the news, and in an era before support groups and social media connections, Michelle found herself feeling lost in unfamiliar territory.In today’s episode of “Courtney, Beyond the Cake,” Michelle shares her journey of raising a child with special needs and how this journey has changed her outlook on life, as well perspective on motherhood and how she raises all four of her boys.

After giving birth to twins, Jess Toolson started noticing a major change in her hormones and cycle. So much so, that she felt like a different person two weeks out of every month. With doctors giving her little answers or help, Jess felt desperate, knowing how she was feeling was not how she was supposed to feel. During this time, Jess found holistic health practitioner Cody Sanders, who had already created a natural herbal formula to help regulate hormones and decrease the symptoms of PMS. Within just two months Jess felt like her old self and knew what Cody had created could help so many other women.Together, Jess and Cody founded MixHers, an all natural supplement company dedicated to changing women’s lives and taking away the discomfort many women experience during their cycles. That’s right, today on “Courtney, Beyond the Cake” we’re talking about your period - why it doesn’t have to be as bad as it so often is for many of us, why making this discussion less taboo is a good thing, and how MixHers is bringing women together through it all.

In 2016, Julie Sullivan-Loos returned home from working in Uganda, where she had been in charge of an employment training program for women overcoming poverty. Back in her hometown of Portland, Oregon, Julie wanted to continue her work and saw the need for a similar program right at home - but she needed a product. During Julie’s search for the right product to pair with her training program, she met Carolyn Cesario. In the years leading up to their friendship, Carolyn had been working hard in her home kitchen creating delicious sugar-free and nut-free nut butters because of her own dietary constraints and not loving anything on the market.The duo put their ideas together and launched Ground Up PDX in June 2016, making their first couple batches with a Cuisinart. Over the past four years they’ve gone from selling their nut butters at farmer’s markets to shipping nationwide and landing a spot in local Whole Foods. And I can confirm, their nut butters are out of this world delicious!But the nut butter isn’t the only life-changing part of Julie and Carolyn’s business. Ground Up PDX is changing lives of women all over the Portland area by providing job opportunities to women overcoming adversity. The Ground Up employment training is helping women gain more than just job skills. Through an individualized approach of mentorship and on-the-job training, these women gain the confidence needed to transition to their next phase of life.

Not too long ago I had a listener reach out and ask if I’d do an episode about navigating divorce. Her parents had just announced theirs, and this listener found herself lost in this new space. I promised her I would. I promised because there were so many times early in my parents’ divorce, and even now, 18 years later, when I wished I would have been able to hear someone else’s story, when I wanted to feel less alone, when I needed help better understanding and better navigating what was going on. Rather than just share my personal experience and what I’ve learned over the last nearly two decades, I’ve invited my friend Dr. Matt Townsend to help guide this discussion and offer his expert advice for not just navigating divorce as the child or parent when it happens, but also for navigating our relationships before it even becomes a possibility. So today, this episode is for that listener, and hopefully it helps many others.For more than two decades, Dr. Matt Townsend has been energizing and educating audiences with his unique lessons on life, love and leadership. Known as one of America’s top presenters in the field of Human Relations and Development, Matt blends humor and story-telling with his real-life solutions to inspire and motivate healthier living.Matt completed both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the field of communication with an emphasis in conflict resolution. He then earned a second master’s degree and a Ph.D. in the field of Human and Organizational Systems. Before building his own coaching practice, Matt spent 7 years as a consultant and presenter for Franklin Covey Co., and also worked as a mediator for companies and couples.Matt can be seen weekly on KSL Television’s, Studio 5 with Brooke Walker. His book Starved Stuff: Feeding The 7 Basic Needs of Healthy Relationships is a popular pick among those searching for better relationship skills and can be found on Amazon, and on his website at MattTownsend.com. He also has his online workshops about Marriage, Parenting and Anxiety and coaches individuals and couples on these issues.Matt's greatest love in life is his wife Mardi, and they have been married for 28 years. They are the parents of 6 children: one girl and 5 boys. Their daughter and son-in-law have blessed them with their first 3 grandchildren.Links:MattTownsend.comStarved Stuff by Dr. Matt Townsend: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0615351700/?ref=idea_lv_dp_ov_d&tag=aiponsite-20&linkCode=ic6&ascsubtag=amzn1.ideas.3V6DPV214GE6VHold me Tight by Dr. Sue Johnson: https://www.amazon.com/dp/031611300X/?ref=idea_lv_dp_ov_d&tag=aiponsite-20&linkCode=ic6&ascsubtag=amzn1.ideas.3V6DPV214GE6V

Brooke Walker is the host and executive producer of “Studio 5 with Brooke Walker.” She is an Emmy award-winning journalist and a member of the KSL News Team, where she contributes as an anchor and reporter. Brooke is also one of the hosts of BYUTV’s “Family Rules,” which just started it’s second season. A homegrown Utah girl, Brooke is actively involved in her community and enjoys speaking to local groups and organizations. She works with a variety of charitable organizations including Operation Smile and Primary Children’s Hospital.Brooke’s most important and cherished titles are wife and mother. She and her husband, Marc, are the proud parents of Emme, Boston and Lucy… and are expecting baby #4 in 2021.I’m so excited for you to get to know Brooke in today’s episode. She’s one of the hardest working women I know and I just love her outlook on motherhood, her career, and the importance of cheering other women on. She truly has a gift for finding inspiration in others and sharing their stories with her viewers.

Roxanne Bennett is the founder and CEO of Pinners Conference, a nationwide expo for creators and creatives to come together for teaching, learning, and connecting. It’s one of my favorite weekends of the year and today we get a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to put on an event like that. But what I think you’ll love even more in this episode is the insight and inspiration Roxanne lends to other women, mothers, and entrepreneurs about embracing life’s course corrections, how following your dreams and raising family is possible when it’s the right time, and why personal quiet time is a huge priority in her daily life.

In a world that seems to be increasingly divisive and volatile, I've been asking myself more and more: what can I do to make a positive impact? How can I increase unity? I know it may be far-fetched to think I can change the world as a whole, but what about the world around me, right here next to me each day? In today's episode, I'm talking with Steve Carlston, my dad and President of NBC Los Angeles, about the increase in divisiveness and defensiveness, and what we can do right now, in our homes, families, and communities to create more unity, more love, and more respect.

If someone you love is diagnosed with cancer you want them to get the best treatment from the best doctors. In 2013, patients in Michigan thought Farid Fata was that doctor. Between his prestigious education, years of experience and pleasant bedside manner, Fata was everything you could want in a doctor. But he was not who he appeared to be. From Wondery, this is the story of hundreds of patients in Michigan, a doctor, and a poisonous secret.Laura Beil, returns with a second season of the award-winning series “Dr Death.”Listen today at http://wondery.fm/DrDeathS2_BeyondCake

Five years ago, Bre Lasley experienced most people’s worst nightmare when a stranger climbed through her bedroom window and attempted to murder her. For six minutes, Bre and her younger sister, Kayli, fought their attacker before Salt Lake City police officer Ben Hone arrived and shot the attacker, killing him instantly. Though she knew her attacker was dead, her sister and she were safe, Bre soon realized her fight was far from over. In the years since her attack, Bre has continued to fight the effects of surviving that horrific night. Knowing first hand what fighting back truly means, Bre has made it her mission to inspire other women to fight back as well and to educate all that self-defense is just as much mental, emotional and spiritual as it is physical through her organization, Fight Like Girls. In today’s episode of “Courtney, Beyond the Cake,” Bre recounts the night of her attack and shares with us how she’s been able to continue her fight, the miracles she’s witnessed, and why Fight Like Girls is getting a new name, a new look and a new mission. Listener discretion is advised as Bre's account of her attack is violent, though not explicit.Link: https://www.thebiamovement.com/

Jenny Keller is the author of the popular cookbooks Eat More Dessert and Cookie Class, and owner of the destination bakery Jenny Cookies Bake Shop in Lake Stevens, Washington. But long before Jenny’s cookies were given the name Jenny Cookies by her friends and fans, Jenny Keller was baking just for fun as a new mom with no plans of starting a cookie business. And before babies and baking, Jenny actually owned her own successful espresso business in the Pacific Northwest.She’s one of the hardest working women I know and her passion, creations and success are nothing short of inspiring!Today on “Courtney, Beyond the Cake,” I’m talking with my friend Jenny Keller about her journey from coffee to cookies and everything in between - including how she became Tori Spelling’s go-to baker, what it was like opening a store front, the behind-the-scenes of writing two cookbooks, and what’s happening next at the Bake Shop.