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If you could have a PhD in life Geneviève Espinosa would have one. She has been a Marine, military wife, successful business owner, cosmetologist, single mother, world traveler, awardwinning artist, and caregiver to her special needs daughter. Geneviève received the highest honor a military spouse can achieve, the Dr. Mary Walker Award, for significantly improving the quality of life for over 30,000 military families, soldiers, and civilians during her 22+ years as a volunteer. She firmly believes “When you change the way you see the world, your opportunities are endless.”. It wasn’t easy to find the strength to help her daughter suffer the pain of two separate brain tumors, multiple surgeries, and the long difficult roads to recovery, but through the experience Geneviève mastered her philosophy of how to achieve the life of her dreams. Today Geneviève has a coaching business where she helps others increase their opportunities by overcoming obstacles, mastering positive thinking, and taking charge of their own lives. She now happily lives the lifestyle of her dreams in Arizona, seeking adventure with her husband and their beautiful blended family. Join us as we talk about Genevieve's amazing journey as a single mom and veteran, her whimsical and real view of the world and how she uses positivity to herself and her clients through hard times.  For any questions, please e-mail Amy Lanci at amy@amylanci.com.

In order to feel comfortable in our own bodies, we need confidence. For most of us, that is a struggle because in one way or another we lost it along the way from traumatic experiences. Listen to Dave's story as we talk about the long-term impact of bullying and how he was able to turn his story to one of survival and recovery.   Dave’s bio:   I'm a management consultant, and I specialize in implementing systems to help entrepreneurs achieve their dreams and life the lifestyles they want. I have a heart for empowering introverts to succeed in their businesses and careers. I was once severely overweight, but have shed around 100 pounds and have maintained my ideal weight since 2007. My experiences helped me to learn the integral connection between social relationships and physical health, and I hope to help others benefit from what I learned.   To reach out to Dave, e-mail him at dave@dave-baldwin.com or visit his website at http://www.dave-baldwin.com

Are you disempowered in your life? Do seek validation from others. Tune in to discover how you are empowered through your Genius Zone. Our guest, Serena Curran, MBA, will provide insight about discovering and using your unique Genius to to be empowered to express your highest potential and to manifest greater abundance with ease Here is Serena’s bio: To talk directly with Serena about your possibilities, go to http://serencurran.com and click on the purple button to schedule your Liftoff Call. Download my free "Grow To Love Yourself in 6 Steps" at bit.ly/SelfLovein6

We're going to change gears here for this episode and talk to my business coach, Tiffany Largie-Smith. She's bold, she's tenacious and she's full of heart.  Her specialty isn't in body image issues at all BUT her specialty is getting you outside of your comfort zone so you can be confident in your personal and business life. Confidence, ladies, is something we ALL need more of.  How does Tiffany do this? By teaching people how to tell AND own their story. "Vulnerability is strength" was my favorite quote from this interview.  Instead of going "Huh?", just LISTEN to the audio and you'll get it. I promise.  Find Tiffany at http://www.tiffanylargie.com, http://www.quithinkingsmall.com and http://www.onwardstofreedom.com  

Dina Alexander, president of the nonprofit Educate and Empower Kids and dear friend of mine, is our guest for this episode!    On this episode we talk about:   Dina's own struggles with her own body image issues in the past What our concerns are as parents in today's age of social media and the messages our kids are receiving How our relationships with our hubbies (aka intimacy) has been impacted by our body image issues Her TWO brand new books to help kids navigate through their own body image issues! Educate and Empower Kids website: educateempowerkids.org Purchase her books at http://amzn.to/1TEMnUr A simple body image lesson here: http://bit.ly/1KPbPNm As always, please e-mail me at amy@amylanci.com for any questions or feedback!

Join me as I talk to my friend, Katie Nowikow, about how I used to envy skinny girls as an overweight girl, what she struggled with as a skinny girl and just a touch a woo-woo talk! To get in touch with Katie for a card reading or for her art, join her at her FREE FB Group, The Oracle Exchange, here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/oraclexchange/ Ready to get body empowered? Download my FREE step-by-step guide, "Grow To Love Yourself in 6 steps", so you can love the body you have now (not the one you are waiting for)!: http://amylanci.com/grow-to-love-yourself-in-6-steps/ For show notes go to http://www.amylanci.com for show notes! Need some extra reassurance about how to really tackle your body image issues? Let's chat! E-mail me at amy@amylanci.com to find out how!

Hey! Welcome to the Amy Lanci Show! This is the podcast that’s all body empowerment for women   My name is Amy Lanci. I m a body empowerment coach who helps women tackle and break free from their body image issues so they can be comfortable in their skin (no matter their size), be confident in everything they do and live the life they want.   So if you’re a woman...   ...who throws shade at yourself whenever you pass by a mirror..   ...who is tired of punishing yourself with diet and exercise   ...who just wants to feel like YOU again   ...then this is ONE show you cannot miss!   There will be solo episodes meant to be inspiring, empowering and helpful.   Also, I love to celebrate food so I’ll add a little bit of that in the mix too!   Interviews to come with women who have struggled with their body image issues too!   Don’t worry, girl. I’ve got your back!

For those of you who love to think outside of the box, experiment and do what works best for you (I think that describes most of us) then you’re going to love Victoria’s interview!   Victoria Lioznyansky. She is from Houston, TX. Victoria is an entrepreneur and a mom of two super-active and fun-loving boys, ages 10 and 6, who at times can be a handful. She is an owner of Nutty Scientists of Houston which is all about inspiring kids to fall in love with science. She is also a public speaking coach.   During our interview, we discussed:   How much more she worried about her weight once she came to the United States from Russia. Her experiences with yo-yo dieting How she gained and lost 80 pounds with BOTH of her pregnancies Her special formula that works for her, her schedule and her body to shed the baby weight. If you have questions or comments, feel free to drop a line at Amy.Lanci@thevitalitygeek.com. Thanks!   **DISCLAIMER: ADVICE FROM THIS SHOW IS NOT MEANT IN ANY WAY TO SUBSTITUTE OR REPLACE THE ADVICE OF A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. PLEASE CLEAR ANY BIG CHANGES YOU MAKE IN REGARDS TO YOUR HEALTH WITH YOUR MEDICAL PRACTITIONER**  

Brianna Lawson is a 27 year old mama of an adorable baby girl named Braelynn (19 months old). She is an administrative assistant in the largest non profit organization in Maryland. She is from Baltimore, Maryland but have lived in places like Boca Raton, Florida, Memphis, Tenneseee, Suffolk, Virginia and Prince George’s County, Maryland.   Brianna is such a joy to talk to, especially since after the first time I interviewed her, I had ACCIDENTALLY shut down my computer before her recording to come into existence! Guess I REALLY wanted to talk to her again. She is SUCH a good sport though!   Tune in as Brianna and I discuss:   The way she treated her body in high school How finding fitness postpartum allowed her to prioritize her self-care despite her responsibilities to her baby and her boyfriend and her trauma as a rape survivor. The importance of admitting and letting go of resentment ALL of us mamas have!   You can find Brianna on Facebook or her fitness Instagram under breezi_tiu.   Listen to the episode below or download it via iTunes. If you have questions or comments, feel free to drop a line at Amy.Lanci@thevitalitygeek.com. Thanks!   **DISCLAIMER: ADVICE FROM THIS SHOW IS NOT MEANT IN ANY WAY TO SUBSTITUTE OR REPLACE THE ADVICE OF A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. PLEASE CLEAR ANY BIG CHANGES YOU MAKE IN REGARDS TO YOUR HEALTH WITH YOUR MEDICAL PRACTITIONER**

Let’s say my previous episode (you can listen to it here) didn’t get to you in time before a bad day or a social event where you let go and ate 15 brownies.   Don’t worry, mama! Like I have always said, I have got your back!   Join me as I talk about:   *Why you’re not doomed *The thing people say the most in these situations that I hate (and have been guilty for doing too!) *Questions to ask yourself to get back on track.   If you have questions or comments, feel free to drop a line at Amy.Lanci@thevitalitygeek.com. Thanks!   **DISCLAIMER: ADVICE FROM THIS SHOW IS NOT MEANT IN ANY WAY TO SUBSTITUTE OR REPLACE THE ADVICE OF A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. PLEASE CLEAR ANY BIG CHANGES YOU MAKE IN REGARDS TO YOUR HEALTH WITH YOUR MEDICAL PRACTITIONER**

Intention. We all have such GREAT intentions.   We intend to give 100% of ourselves to EVERYTHING we do: work, kids, partners and now we finally get a turn.   We’re making time to exercise when we can. We’re making lots of healthier choices. It all feels SO good.   Then, life happens. The baby had a blowout. The car’s not working. Your coworker pissed you off. Your kid doesn’t eat ANY of his/her dinner so all that food is just SITTING There. You go to a party where there is all kinds of decadent goodies on the table.   Those cookies and brownies are looking MIGHTY good right now.   ...but you KNOW that if you DO eat the cookies and the brownies you’re going to regret it LIKE CRAZY.   Join me as I talk about the ONE thing you can do in the MOMENT before temptation strikes that will kill FOUR birds with one stone. (Theoretical birds, of course!)   If you have questions or comments, feel free to drop a line at Amy.Lanci@thevitalitygeek.com. Thanks!   **DISCLAIMER: ADVICE FROM THIS SHOW IS NOT MEANT IN ANY WAY TO SUBSTITUTE OR REPLACE THE ADVICE OF A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. PLEASE CLEAR ANY BIG CHANGES YOU MAKE IN REGARDS TO YOUR HEALTH WITH YOUR MEDICAL PRACTITIONER**

Milla Blindauer was born in St. Petersburg Russia and came to the United States when she was 4. She moved to Seattle when she was 8 years old and has since stayed there for the last 22 years. This is why she considers herself “from” Seattle. Milla is married and is a stay-at-home mom with two boys (8 and 3 years old).   Tune in as we talk about:   The kinds of things Milla ate in her pre-mom life (think sugary drinks and Gatorade) How different her first pregnancy was as a single mom versus her second pregnancy with a supportive husband who loves to cook! Her experience with body dysmorphia for 9 months after her second pregnancy. How swimming and swimsuits pushed her to look in the mirror and start her weight loss journey (to lose almost 60 pounds in 4 months!) WITHOUT crash dieting.   If you have questions or comments, feel free to drop a line at Amy.Lanci@thevitalitygeek.com. Thanks!   **DISCLAIMER: ADVICE FROM THIS SHOW IS NOT MEANT IN ANY WAY TO SUBSTITUTE OR REPLACE THE ADVICE OF A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. PLEASE CLEAR ANY BIG CHANGES YOU MAKE IN REGARDS TO YOUR HEALTH WITH YOUR MEDICAL PRACTITIONER**

Steph Beaulieu is a 39 year old stay at home mom of 4 kids: Alexa (11), Jack (8), Luke (4) and Matthew (1). She is originally from the Washington DC area. She’s an army wife and generally moves every 1-3 years. She currently lives in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas while her husband is currently deployed in Afghanistan (since June of 2016). Steph was a civil engineer until she stopped working 6 years ago. This busy mama also has Masters degrees in civil engineering and teaching (math) but she isn’t QUITE sure what field she’ll be working in when she goes back to work.   Tune in as Steph and I discuss:   Her life as an athlete in her pre-mom life and how that impacted her relationship with her body throughout ALL her pregnancies What makes her tick when it comes to fitness (particularly Crossfit) Her unique way of getting all FOUR of her kids situated so she can make time for Crossfit 3-4 days a week, even though she’s running the household SOLO while her husband is deployed.   If you have questions or comments, feel free to drop a line at Amy.Lanci@thevitalitygeek.com. Thanks!   **DISCLAIMER: ADVICE FROM THIS SHOW IS NOT MEANT IN ANY WAY TO SUBSTITUTE OR REPLACE THE ADVICE OF A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. PLEASE CLEAR ANY BIG CHANGES YOU MAKE IN REGARDS TO YOUR HEALTH WITH YOUR MEDICAL PRACTITIONER**

Nicole Schilder is a non-practicing attorney who is currently a stay-at-home mom with two-year-old twins. She grew up in southern California, has lived in the Bay Area for many years and now lives in Sacramento with her husband, kids and dogs.   Tune in as Nicole and I discuss:   Her 80 lb weight loss BEFORE she became a mom Her journey with IVF Her body image issues after she gained 70 lbs during her pregnancy How her chiropractor was PIVOTAL for reigniting her LOVE for running.   If you have questions or comments, feel free to drop a line at Amy.Lanci@thevitalitygeek.com. Thanks!   **DISCLAIMER: ADVICE FROM THIS SHOW IS NOT MEANT IN ANY WAY TO SUBSTITUTE OR REPLACE THE ADVICE OF A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. PLEASE CLEAR ANY BIG CHANGES YOU MAKE IN REGARDS TO YOUR HEALTH WITH YOUR MEDICAL PRACTITIONER**

Calorie counting. In my life its worked like a charm but I got OBSESSED with them. I got to a point where I was only getting 4-5 hours of sleep at night, working out in the mornings, going up and down the stairs TWICE in a day (for 15-20 min each), worked out at night with my hubby in the gym (cause he needed to go so I might as well join in) and worried about how many calories were in a cup of baby carrots.   Yeah, OBSESSED.   Luckily as a mom I can’t do NEARLY as much. You can say that in a weird way, my child keeps me from going off the deep end like I did.   Join me for this episode as I talk about ways to NOT follow in my footsteps, at least in my pre-mommy days.   If you have questions or comments, feel free to drop a line at Amy.Lanci@thevitalitygeek.com. Thanks!   **DISCLAIMER: ADVICE FROM THIS SHOW IS NOT MEANT IN ANY WAY TO SUBSTITUTE OR REPLACE THE ADVICE OF A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. PLEASE CLEAR ANY BIG CHANGES YOU MAKE IN REGARDS TO YOUR HEALTH WITH YOUR MEDICAL PRACTITIONER**  

Jen Jordan is a mom of two kiddos- one 5 month old girl and a 4 yo boy. She has been married for 6 years to a super supportive husband. She works for a hospice during the day and pursues her love of fitness with her free time.  Along her journey she faced her eating disorder head-on to eventually accept her body and try to focus on her strength.   Funny side note, when Jen sent me her introduction she was like, “Does this sound too whiny and braggy???” Just to give you a little snapshot of her personality.   During our interview, she talked about:   How going through puberty lead her to her eating disorder How getting pregnant with her first child influenced her path to beating her eating disorder Finally, how she’s kicking butt with pulling off raising two kids, a full time job AND as a fitness instructor at night!   Don’t miss this interview with this “supermom!”   For full show notes, please visit http://www.thevitalitygeek.com. Please review, leave a comment and if you want to continue our conversation please e-mail me at Amy.Lanci@thevitalitygeek.com   **DISCLAIMER: ADVICE FROM THIS SHOW IS NOT MEANT IN ANY WAY TO SUBSTITUTE OR REPLACE THE ADVICE OF A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. PLEASE CLEAR ANY BIG CHANGES YOU MAKE IN REGARDS TO YOUR HEALTH WITH YOUR MEDICAL PRACTITIONER**  

Brooke is a former teacher and social worker turned Wellness and Mindset Coach, and is also known as the Curvy Mama Mentor. Her mission is to empower women to take control of their lives and Feel Fit At Any Size. She is a mom to a 2 year old little girl, and has one on the way due in November.   She Left an abusive relationship about 6 years ago and had to leave a career in non profit management due to needing to flee the community she was serving.  She started a journey of healing and self discovery that led to losing 100 lbs, healing all of her health issues naturally, learning to manage her anxiety, overcoming infertility and becoming a mother.  She then started her journey of losing the baby weight and making time for herself so she could be a healthy and happy mama.   During our discussion, we talked about Brooke’s determination to get her health on track, her first year of being a mommy, and how she balances it all right now with another one on the way.   To learn more about Brooke and to get updates about upcoming challenges, visit her website at http://www.brookemarkevicius.com   By the way, the paleo grain-free bread she was talking about is by Danielle Walker. Find the recipe here: http://againstallgrain.com/2012/05/21/grain-free-white-bread-paleo-and-scd/   For full show notes, please visit http://www.thevitalitygeek.com. Please review, leave a comment and if you want to continue our conversation please e-mail me at Amy.Lanci@thevitalitygeek.com   **DISCLAIMER: ADVICE FROM THIS SHOW IS NOT MEANT IN ANY WAY TO SUBSTITUTE OR REPLACE THE ADVICE OF A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. PLEASE CLEAR ANY BIG CHANGES YOU MAKE IN REGARDS TO YOUR HEALTH WITH YOUR MEDICAL PRACTITIONER**

Now that you have the MASTER PLAN for the week, its time to make it into a reality! Although, if you haven’t made that plan yet make sure to visit Minisode 001: Meal Planning, Making the Plan FIRST before listening to this episode so it all MAKES SENSE!   In this episode I talk about:   Transferring your chosen recipes to your grocery list Things to think about WAY before you enter the grocery store to make it easier for you and the kiddos Step-by-step recommendations on what to with said groceries once you get home!   For full show notes, please visit http://www.thevitalitygeek.com. Please review, leave a comment and if you want to continue our conversation please e-mail me at Amy.Lanci@thevitalitygeek.com   **DISCLAIMER: ADVICE FROM THIS SHOW IS NOT MEANT IN ANY WAY TO SUBSTITUTE OR REPLACE THE ADVICE OF A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. PLEASE CLEAR ANY BIG CHANGES YOU MAKE IN REGARDS TO YOUR HEALTH WITH YOUR MEDICAL PRACTITIONER**

Meal planning. Its NOT fun, it FEELS like a chore and like the name suggests, it takes some planning! Believe me, you’re not alone. I feel this way and certainly a lot of guests do too.   But when you do DO IT, it certainly pays off budget-wise, health-wise and time-wise. So WISE up by listening to my very FIRST minisode where I discuss:   The point of these minisodes The four pillars of C,D,E and F The benefits of meal planning 6 different options for how to go about meal planning in the first place!   For full show notes, please visit http://www.thevitalitygeek.com. Please review, leave a comment and if you want to continue our conversation please e-mail me at Amy.Lanci@thevitalitygeek.com **DISCLAIMER: ADVICE FROM THIS SHOW IS NOT MEANT IN ANY WAY TO SUBSTITUTE OR REPLACE THE ADVICE OF A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. PLEASE CLEAR ANY BIG CHANGES YOU MAKE IN REGARDS T

Rachel Hosterman is a mom to an energetic 2.5 year old, musician, avid crafter, and runner. She also loves podcasts which is how she and I connected (shout out to the Totally Mommy podcast and Totally Mommy Facebook group!)   Rachel has always struggled with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) so keeping control over her weight has always been a priority. After she gave birth to her child, not only did she have to figure out her role as a mom but she also had to figure out what to do with her “baby weight” despite being a half-marathoner!   In our interview, we discussed:   How dedicated she was to running, no matter what her weight was. How she figured out nutrition/food was the missing part of her weight loss puzzle The role and the importance of accountability How she critiques her meal planning   If you want to connect or ask Rachel questions, you can find her on Facebook.   For full show notes, please visit http://www.thevitalitygeek.com. Please review, leave a comment and if you want to continue our conversation please e-mail me at Amy.Lanci@thevitalitygeek.com **DISCLAIMER: ADVICE FROM THIS SHOW IS NOT MEANT IN ANY WAY TO SUBSTITUTE OR REPLACE THE ADVICE OF A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. PLEASE CLEAR ANY BIG CHANGES YOU MAKE IN REGARDS TO YOUR HEALTH WITH YOUR MEDICAL PRACTITIONER**