Ep 183: Holistic Health Coaching for Pregnancy and Postpartum with Katie Dudley

In this episode of the Aligned Birth Podcast, Rachael Hutchins and Katie Dudley discuss the importance of holistic health coaching, particularly for women during pregnancy and postpartum. They explore the gaps in traditional health programs, the role of mindset in behavior change, and the significance of self-compassion and resilience in achieving sustainable health. Katie shares her journey to becoming a health coach, the importance of nutrition, and practical tips for busy moms to prioritize self-care. The conversation emphasizes that health is not just about perfection but about compassion, consistency, and understanding one's unique needs.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Health and Wellness Coaching
04:44 Katie's Journey into Health Coaching
08:21 Identifying Gaps in Traditional Health Programs
10:17 The Role of Mindset in Sustainable Health Change
12:58 Overcoming the 'Shoulds' in Health
17:08 Willpower, Motivation, and Sustainable Change
20:39 Resiliency vs. Perfectionism in Health
25:36 Finding Time for Self-Care
30:43 Pouring Into Ourselves
32:17 Building Supportive Habits
36:19 Pregnancy and Postpartum Nutrition
42:09 The Importance of Nutrition in Pregnancy
45:22 Navigating Health Through Motherhood
50:16 Bite-Sized Wellness Wins
54:35 Finding Alignment in Our Bodies
59:55 Aligned Birth Podcast  - Outro

Contact Katie Dudley:

Website: https://www.integrativefitnessandwellness.com/

Email: katie@integrativefitnessandwellness.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/integrative_fitness_wellness

Transcript

Rachael Hutchins (00:01.47)
Welcome back to the Aligned Birth Podcast. I'm one of your hosts, Dula Rachel. And today we are talking about how to care for your health without being overwhelmed, especially in the midst of pregnancy, postpartum and all the transitions that come with it. I'm joined by Katie Dudley, a seasoned health and wellness coach, master trainer and behavior change professional with specialties in psychology, functional nutrition, integrative wellness, personalized movement and prenatal and postpartum health.

She helps women build sustainable, science-backed habits that actually work in real life. Her approach is compassionate, practical, and a much needed break from the all or nothing mindset. She's also a mom of three, a military spouse, a nature lover, a self-proclaimed functional and integrative medicine nerd, and a formal fitness junkie turned holistic health advocate. With nearly 20 years of experience, Katie has helped thousands create sustainable health through coaching and education.

She blends science, soul and strategy to guide busy, overwhelmed people toward balance, peace and lasting wellbeing. Today, we're going to dive into behavior change, identity shifts and motherhood and how to feel better in your own body, even when everything looks normal on paper. I know this episode will leave you feeling seen, supported and empowered. I am so thrilled and honored to welcome Katie to the podcast. Welcome Katie.

Katie (01:25.848)
Thanks for having me. I'm glad to be here.

Rachael Hutchins (01:27.778)
Yes, thank you for taking time to chat with me. I've wanted to do this for such a long time. So little backstory, Katie and I have known each other since sixth grade, sixth grade, and have been friends pretty much since then, maybe some distance between high school and college. But then we came back together. Once we I don't know, we reconnected. I don't even know what brought us back together post. It's like when we were having our kids.

Katie (01:36.846)
It's great.

Katie (01:54.23)
Yeah, good question. feel... Yeah, I think it was when we were having our kids and probably social media at the time and you actually reached out to see if I needed a doula for my second birth.

Rachael Hutchins (02:07.584)
right. Yeah, yeah. Yes. So I got to be Katie's doula. Yes, got to be Katie's doula. That's right. And you were also in the birth world because you were doing the birth boot camp. You were part of the birth boot camp childbirth education arm. And so there was like some crossover there that brought us back and you let me be your doula with not Grayson.

Katie (02:09.614)
So that was exciting, because I did.

Katie (02:25.005)
Yes?

Mm-hmm.

Katie (02:35.746)
Cast in.

Rachael Hutchins (02:36.716)
Gaston and then also with Georgia, but I missed that one. So Katie has three children, two boys, and I got to meet them for Gaston and then Georgia was a surprise unexpected home birth. I still tell that story because I was on the phone as she entered this world. So cool. But anyway, so we have a long history.

Katie (02:40.558)
Everyone missed that one.

Katie (02:52.714)
Yes, my favorite story of them all.

Katie (03:01.366)
Yes.

Rachael Hutchins (03:06.412)
Katie is one of the most kind, smart, amazing people I know, and we have many long conversations. Our work does definitely cross over. We also are moms and we don't live that far from each other and we try to get together when we can. And after our last conversation and learning more about what you're doing with your work, I wanted to bring you onto the podcast to talk in depth about it, to share it with our community, because I think what you're doing is so important and impactful.

Katie (03:20.91)
All right.

Rachael Hutchins (03:36.248)
So I know that you have a lot to share and I just appreciate you coming on with us.

Katie (03:40.75)
Again, thank you for having me. I'm excited.

Rachael Hutchins (03:42.452)
Yeah, yeah. Okay, so a good place to start is a little bit about the why behind your work. So what inspired you to become a health and wellness coach?

Katie (03:54.68)
Sure, so I was raised in a mostly, I would say, healthy-oriented, we'll use quotations, because I think health in the 80s and the 90s looks a little bit different than we're aware of today. My mom was really intentional with what she fed us. And we also practiced. Our pediatrician lived till she was 114 years old. I'm sure some people in Atlanta.

Rachael Hutchins (04:03.746)
Yeah, that's true.

Katie (04:19.796)
I remember Dr. Denmark, but my mom was very much of an advocate in her theories and philosophies. yeah, so I had that foundation and then I went to college and I decided to study psychology and child and family development and educational psychology. And during college, I really just fell in love with nutrition and exercise and how...

how it transformed my focus and my energy and how I felt. cause I think sometime in high school I had discovered like lucky charms and like fast food when I got my driver's license. And I just, I would say the last few years of my high school experience I wasn't feeling my best and especially as an athlete and potentially college athlete. So I focused a lot of my research on nutrition and exercise and school performance. That was really what stood out to me at the time.

But after falling in love with the movement practice and working out and all the things, I decided to get certified after I graduated and never intending to do it full time. And so while I was working for Emory, I got certified and then I ended up, within a year, I moved to Texas and I ended up being a master trainer in corrective exercise professional for seven plus years.

And so, with that experience, I had a lot of exposure to a lot of different people with a lot of different health issues. And I trained over 7,000 sessions now. I don't even know where I would be. But just help hundreds of people and worked with people, pregnant and postpartum women, professional women, women transitioning from perimenopause into menopause and postmenopause, people with Parkinson's, anxiety, depression, just...

all of these hosts of different things that show up in people and those populations. And so I knew that I could only help them to a certain extent. my training up to that point, my education up to that point only got me so far. And so I really recognized that I wanted to be able to help them on a deeper level and really get to the root of a lot of these things because a lot of it just wasn't adding up. Obviously, calories in versus calories out.

Katie (06:43.604)
only go so far and people would be quote perfect with that and still really struggling in a lot of ways. So I just, I knew that I wanted to extend my education. So after I became pregnant and had gray, I decided in 2013 to go back and further my education. So again, that I could help people in a more holistically minded way.

Rachael Hutchins (07:13.92)
Wow, well with all your experience, I mean it's amazing how many people you have helped and also just the evolution of it. And that's what I like about what you do is the deeper the layers, like the access to the layers behind our habits is the way I think you facilitate change and help people sort of really grow in that area. And I know that that's not easy and it takes a lot of work, but with all that experience and all your training,

I think that you're making a huge impact. So with that being said, what gaps did you see in those traditional programs that led you to this different approach? what, like you're working with these individuals, you know, it's not just calories in, calories out. Like what were the gaps?

Katie (08:02.986)
Mm-hmm. Sure. So like you said, in addition to the calories in, calories out, you know, it was the, you know, one size fits all approach. It was, you know, versus bio individuality, right? You know, we kind of take this health approach and think that this protocol is going to work for this person and this person. And then the, you know, BMI kind of being the measure.

for all things and that not always really kind of telling the whole story and that just because skinny doesn't equal healthy and I found in working with clients that were working with dietetics that dietetics often was kind of leaning heavily on heavily processed foods and that didn't seem to align in a way for me for a variety of reasons.

And really, most of all was the bandaid versus treating the symptoms or treating the symptoms versus getting to the root. And I wanted to, you know, arrive at a place where people were able to or support them in a way that they were able to resolve something versus just kind of mask it with something. so and then the last component was that as I fully wanted to understand the behavior change component because information does not translate into change.

Rachael Hutchins (09:12.566)
You

Katie (09:23.686)
and you can give people all the information in the world, but that doesn't really show them the how and the what and then how to navigate all the barriers and the roadblocks that come up in that process.

Rachael Hutchins (09:35.498)
Yeah, they got to understand the deeper, the deeper, the deeper things behind their decision making. and so I can understand that I've had my own personal experience with that. think, I mean, help me find someone that hasn't had that type, you know, like where they're given the information or they do the things and they're still not getting the change. And then they either give up or resort to, you know, back to the unhealthy habits instead of kind of really figuring out the deeper reasoning. And so.

Katie (09:41.474)
Mm-hmm.

Katie (09:51.351)
Absolutely.

Katie (09:59.832)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (10:04.896)
walking, working with you helps people do that. And I think that's making greater change. And then for them and their families down the road, I think it's a ripple effect for sure. So like health coaching versus like fixing your body, kind of getting into a little bit pre conversation about the mindset. So what role does mindset play in sustainable being the key word health change?

Katie (10:14.68)
Sure.

Katie (10:24.662)
Mm-hmm.

Katie (10:30.208)
Yes, sustainable is the keyword. Mindset really is everything I've come to learn in the last 20 years because it's the foundation from which we make the changes that, you know, it determines the lens at which we make choices and the belief in the ability to make change, you know.

because if we have kind of that fixed mindset and everything feels really concrete and it doesn't feel malleable and it's just kind of set in stone, then we don't believe that we have the ability to adapt and grow and shift and, you know, really, um, renew habits and develop new traits and, you know, kind of, I'm either good at this or I'm not, you know, I, what I hear is, you know, I'm, my body's broken and there's nothing I can do or

you know, my family struggled with this. So I inevitably am going to struggle with this. And so with that, you know, growth mindset, you feel like I sure I have that foundation that exists, but I also have the ability to improve my thinking. I can work hard and I can develop habits through consistency.

Rachael Hutchins (11:46.124)
do you help, how do you help people, guess, discover? Because I think I had this, this aha moment for me, kind of probably very, very early on after I had my first son, that about growth mindset, about being more flexible with how I see myself in the world and how I move through it. And that was really an important shift for me. So how do you help people find, because like we say it, right? Like this is, this is.

Katie (12:00.546)
Mm-hmm.

Katie (12:09.774)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (12:14.092)
Growth mindset is the way, but do you help people kind of get there?

Katie (12:17.23)
Mm hmm. Sure. So we look for opportunities where maybe it's already present in their life in other areas where they've maybe taken a growth mindset approach versus feeling very stuck or stagnant and you know, using the tools that allowed them and you know, using that as an opportunity to paint the picture of you have the capacity to do this. And sometimes it you know, it just involves time and that intrinsic work of reflection and

you know, why do I feel stuck here? And what would the risk of having, you know, taking the chance of having the growth mindset with this thing, you know, what would that allow for? You know, what would that open me up to? And what would also the risk be too? So, because they obviously, they have to evaluate that at some point too.

Rachael Hutchins (12:56.322)
Yeah.

Rachael Hutchins (12:59.924)
Okay.

Rachael Hutchins (13:05.772)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (13:09.824)
Yeah, yeah, no, that's helpful. Thank you. So a lot of our listeners I think feel overwhelmed with all of the shoulds around food, movement, exercise, health. I feel it. I'm sure you have felt it. You know, we say don't shit on yourself, right? So how do you help clients cut through that so that they aren't shooting on themselves or letting other people shit on them and that they're focusing on their path?

Katie (13:17.091)
Hmm.

Katie (13:34.606)
Mm.

Katie (13:38.752)
Mm-hmm. I love this one because I was gonna say the same of you know, it shows up in in sessions all the time of you know, it almost becomes a joke which is actually really helpful of like, you know, we can't should all over ourselves and I've you know, we've talked about getting throw pillows and t-shirts that say it, you know, just as a reminder but you know, we live in a culture that's full of shoulds and you know, we we

hold value in shoulds versus more values and principles. And so I get, you know, I encourage my clients in our conversations, kind of walk through, you know, what are your values? What is important to you? And then what are the realistic expectations that go along with that? Because the energy and the motivation behind a should is so different from the energy and the motivation behind a value or a personal principle.

Rachael Hutchins (14:31.426)
you

Katie (14:33.678)
You know, value is a standard and a should is an obligation. So we're almost working against ourselves when we're operating from a should. Thinking about it in terms of like a relationship, you know, do you want to spend time with someone that's hanging out with you because they think that they should? Or do you want to spend time with someone that's hanging out with you because it's something that they value? And so the energy in that relationship is very different just like our

energy to our relationship with a habit or a practice or a behavior is very different. And so, you know, what starts off as a should, you know, my hope is that through our work together, that we move it over to a value and a principle that you have for yourself versus a should.

Rachael Hutchins (15:22.902)
Hmm. Yes. I love that. You know, we talked to our birth clients a lot about using values to guide their decisions throughout their pregnancy versus like a to-do list or, or, or again, I should have this, I should do that, whatever. It's like looking at having values and that's a deeper question. You kind of got to sit with it a little bit longer, but I think that that's a shift that kind of impacts a lot of different areas. So I think people seeing

Katie (15:44.942)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (15:52.439)
that that type of approach is invaluable in a way that we should exist.

Katie (15:56.854)
Right. Yeah. And then when it, when it comes to the health piece, it's sometimes like you said, going a step further and you know, maybe we don't like exercise or maybe we don't value exercise, but we do value the way that we feel with exercise. So almost attaching it to like that step further for some people is really important just than whatever the thing is. So again, getting them to do that a little bit deeper digging.

than just taking it at surface value.

Rachael Hutchins (16:28.63)
I just had this with my almost nine year old. It just comes to mind. He's currently doing footsall, which is like this indoor soccer. He goes, it's an intensive, like one hour practice a week. And like, they go hard for that hour that they're there. And he kind of has a little bit of dread around it. But then I'm like, so I try and connect it to, like, but how are you feeling in your soccer games? Cause it's really, it's all skills. It's improving their skills, right? So.

Katie (16:52.558)
Hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (16:56.734)
on the soccer field during this game, he's got a lot more confidence and his skills have improved. And I'm kind of like, how are you feeling during the games? Because you've been doing this now for a couple of months, or do you feel more, you know, have him fill in the blank, right? He feels more confident, he has more fun, he feels better. So it's like, when we're talking about going, I'm trying to like get him to connect it to like that confidence that comes on the other side of it. I guess that's kind of similar. But again, I like to draw connections across. When we make these habit shifts,

Katie (17:01.996)
Mm-hmm.

Katie (17:21.262)
100%.

Rachael Hutchins (17:26.016)
I think it impacts a lot of different areas and there's so many benefits.

Katie (17:29.27)
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Now that trickle-down effect. And getting in, know, for a child to make that connection early on is such a beautiful thing. Good job, mama.

Rachael Hutchins (17:36.714)
Yeah, yeah, always trying to help help Sundays. But yeah, so that kind of leads us into willpower and motivation, because I think I hear a lot of people talk about not having the willpower or the motivation. But I guess maybe that's a similar conversation because you're going to help them overcome maybe lack of motivation by connecting it to a value. Is that the same kind of thing?

Katie (17:49.9)
Mm-hmm.

Katie (18:02.542)
Sure, I wish I had a dollar for every time someone came to me and they just like, give me motivation. I'm really lacking motivation. the picture I really like to paint is that we kind of look at motivation in an interesting way and motivation is a finite resource. And our motivation and our discipline and our willpower, they're ebbs and flows.

throughout life and they depend on so many external variables. And then, you know, in our emotions or kind of how we're feeling in the moment. And the other thing that I hear a lot is, you know, someone comes to me and they say, you know, I start off really strong for like three weeks and then I fall off, you know, also wish I had a dollar for every time someone told me that and

And really, you know, motivation is at a high when we're starting something new. You know, we've got all the dopamine and all the, you know, everything shiny and sparkly and new. And, and then that fades, right? Because the newness has worn off. We're now in the trenches, we're doing the work and like, that's not fun. And so to really prepare someone for that and to practice that, well, what are we going to do when it's no longer fun?

What are we going to do when this is no longer new? Because at that moment, we're left with our the environment that we're in, the relationships we're in, the have our current habits, our emotions, and those things might not have changed in that period of time to really carry us through. so, you know, with the motivation piece outside of it, you know, we're normally just trying left to kind of like white knuckle through it and just kind of force something versus changing the

values, the mindset, the behavior that goes with it to get us there.

Rachael Hutchins (19:57.312)
Yeah, so that's how you are helping people overcome those pain points or that falling off the wagon type stuff. Goes back to the values. That's really good.

Katie (20:05.688)
Mm-hmm.

Katie (20:10.254)
Well, and also understanding to have the grace and the self-compassion for when their motivation is not sustained. I think we oftentimes feel like, oh, I lost motivation. I must have done something wrong. And to just normalize that it's so, it's a part of the process for your motivation to wane. It's a part of the process for your willpower to fall short. Because neither of those things is sustainable at the end of the day.

Rachael Hutchins (20:20.578)
Mmm.

Rachael Hutchins (20:38.476)
So reframing it, right? And especially as women having any kind of menstrual cycle, right? There's going to be days you don't have motivation. That's one of those things. If you beat yourself up about it or let it stop you, that's where you do lose. You know, you really completely kind of fall out of line with your values and your ultimate goals or off track or whatever. So I think setting them up for success in that way so they can expect it.

Katie (20:39.681)
Mm-hmm, absolutely.

Katie (21:02.091)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (21:08.608)
Again, I talk about this in childbirth too and I can't help but always draw like parallels, but like with the birth process, I'm always like, you're not going to like get to a state of kumbaya for your birth and stay there. There's going to be moments of fear and disappointment and doubt and uncertainty. But if you know who can prepare someone for it to not be like a perfect situation the whole time and then how to deal with it when it comes up, we're preparing them, I think better, you know, trying, right? So similar.

Katie (21:24.056)
Yes.

Katie (21:31.896)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (21:36.246)
similar approach, you're giving them the tools ahead of time because they're gonna lose, you know they're gonna lose motivation. Especially when you talk about it as a resource type of way, that it's finite, like it's not always gonna be there. So you gotta have the framework around that. So I love that. So getting into talking about like resiliency versus perfection, right?

Katie (21:41.336)
Yes.

Katie (21:47.776)
Mm-hmm. Correct.

Katie (21:53.09)
Mm-hmm.

Katie (21:59.704)
Mm-hmm. Good word. Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (22:02.538)
So can you explain how you help women create that self-compassion and resiliency instead of relying on perfection? Because I think we're really trying to get to like the heart of behavior change with what you're doing.

Katie (22:19.064)
Sure, you know, it really kind of goes back to that, the on and off track, you know, the cycle and like we talk about how the all or nothing or on and off track or perfectionism really kind of shows up in their life and like where are the trends that, you know, how is this kind of presenting itself? And so we talk about

Rachael Hutchins (22:26.562)
Mm-hmm.

Katie (22:47.286)
you know, the stages of change, I think with the perfectionism piece, you know, we have pre-contemplation. And so we're not really even aware that we need to make a change. Contemplation's like, okay, I think I probably need to do something around this. And then there's preparation where like you're getting ready to, and then actions like when you're doing it. And so...

with someone that struggles with perfectionism, if they're in the pre-contemplation or the contemplation or even preparation stage and they're trying to take action on something, that's going to be really hard because they're just, you know, hitting their head against a wall over and over again. so, which means like that just shows up as failure for a lot of women. so, you know, thinking about their why, like, why are you, why are you doing this?

What is the goal? What is that? What does that future self look like? What are the habits of that future self? Who is that person? And then kind of creating the space of like, what does that allow for and acknowledging that the on and off track or the ebbs and flows are part of that process to being that future person. So,

It just really comes down to, I think that acceptance piece, I think for a lot of women. thinking about the inevitably life throws curve balls, we're gonna have imperfections and we kind of have to anticipate those things when they don't go as planned.

Rachael Hutchins (24:36.062)
I think a lot of women are that is that all or nothing. We all I think and I don't know what it stems from you know biologically or culturally or whatever that if we're not all or nothing then we shouldn't do it and that either makes people stop halfway through or not even start. So you know how are you helping people kind of remember that?

Katie (25:02.668)
Yeah, so we talk about, again, what it looks like when life doesn't go as planned. We almost like call it out like, here you are, it happened, right? Because I think we have the tendency to kind of prepare for the best day, the best scenario. And we really kind of have to prepare for not the worst day, not foreboding joy in a sense, but just this is life, it's messy, it's going to happen. And so,

Rachael Hutchins (25:11.244)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (25:17.228)
Yeah.

Katie (25:29.982)
We talk about how it shows up specifically for that individual and I get them to kind of walk through and almost role play in a sense of let's practice it and then what is the narrative that typically comes up for you in those moments and then what is the new narrative for which we would like to adopt because we so easily go to that like playlist or you know for us that grew up in the 70s and 80s playing that tape over and over in our heads and so that narrative is just

Rachael Hutchins (25:47.616)
Hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (25:55.35)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Katie (25:58.424)
hardwired. And so what we're going to do with that growth mindset that we talked about is we're going to really work with that because we have the ability to rewire the pattern of thinking and change the narrative to want of self compassion and grace. And this always makes me think of recently, the latest research on this. One of my favorite professionals is Dr. Judd Brewer. And so he is a neuroscientist and

psychiatrist. And so he worked with addiction and he wrote this book called The Hunger Habit. And so he had developed a protocol around addiction. But what he found in feedback was that people were changing not only their addictive patterns, but also that it was helping to transform their anxiety and their mood and their eating behaviors. And so he talks about

the awareness being key to his protocol and the success of these individuals. But we need grace and self-compassion in order for that change to be solidified in our brains. And so we can't really have one without the other and to have a neuroscientist say that self-compassion and grace is key in order to make these changes really kind of says it all.

Rachael Hutchins (27:07.682)
Mmm.

Rachael Hutchins (27:19.81)
Yeah, oh, I love that bringing that component in and the psychology component and yeah, grace and compassion, grace upon grace. I say it all the time, grace upon grace. That's beautiful. I think that's really helpful. So what do you say to someone who says they don't have time for all this? For all this self-care? Katie, I'm a busy mom. I work. Tell me, what do I do?

Katie (27:38.518)
Sure.

Katie (27:43.118)
I also wish I had a dollar.

Rachael Hutchins (27:45.634)
Yeah, well it's like everyone, right? Everyone, by default, we're all so busy.

Katie (27:50.572)
Right, this modern, I mean, we are just sent in a million different directions. We have so much on our plate, you know, both inflicted by culture and kind of self-inflicted by all the different moving parts of modern life. And so, you know, I just, I wanna affirm them that it's hard. It's not easy. It's challenging. You know, there are days that you wanna kind of throw your hands up and just like, I'm stuck and a lot of people just end up.

I'm just going to stay in doing what I'm doing because that feels easier than trying to carve out the time or figure it out. But, you know, and it's easy for us, our self-care specifically as women, you know, we are very others oriented. We're nurturers. We are helpers. You know, we want to be there for the people that we love. And so it's easy for us to put ourselves on the back burner. But as cliche as it is, all the, you know, put your own oxygen mask on first, you know.

It's true. know, we, again, we can't pour from an empty cup. And so, so many women that, you know, sit across from me every last 20 years, just they're burnout, they're tired, they feel stuck. And so, we really get, you know, down to the nitty gritty of, have to do this, we have to create the time. And so, how can we break, you know, what are you wanting to achieve? And then how can we break it down into smaller, more doable pieces?

And then we also talked about like what are actual barriers versus what are perceived barriers because sometimes it's just a mental block that we have to talk through and process out loud. And then we also have to think about, okay, well, what are the things that we can delegate, which is not easy for a lot of us. We don't really want to give up that control. And sometimes people don't, you know, I can speak to this people.

Rachael Hutchins (29:26.274)
Mm-hmm.

Katie (29:43.438)
won't do things the way that you want them to do. So to delegate that calls on a lot of courage and emotion and risk and trust. And then there's the things that not only can we delegate, but what can we remove? Are we spending more time on social media or on Netflix or in other areas of life that could be carved out for other more supportive practices? Not that there isn't a time and a place for that, but...

I think we're probably, there's probably more time than we are aware of, not always, but there's some time in seven days that we can figure out just the little deposits of self care here and there.

Rachael Hutchins (30:27.232)
Yeah, absolutely. was just talking with a client yesterday or the day before about that delegation. And, know, especially when you're in that early postpartum asking for help, letting people help you so that you can prioritize self care. And it was a, an amazing woman who, who definitely struggles with that because they feel, you know, I've learned in my own, own work that it's an element of controlling my own anxiety is

is why I'm more of a controller, but leaning into asking for help, letting it go, and then that frees up. It does create more time. I'll tell a story too. I was just talking to Hannah about this, that it was from COVID. It was from the times of COVID and the pandemic 2020. My husband was the opposite of most. He was out of the home working like 14 hour days at the hospital.

Katie (31:20.696)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (31:24.212)
or longer when during the height of the pandemic, was called to work instead of called to be home. But the kids were sent home from school and I was with them. I was still working remotely and had the kids at home and I was like at my wit's end and finally had to sit down and evaluate the day and back where can you help out at home so I can have some time for myself? Because I was getting zero time, but he had a high demand. It was all high demand job. He was fried too.

Katie (31:31.022)
Mm-hmm.

Katie (31:48.994)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (31:53.676)
but it was a great come to Jesus moment in a good way. But I'm not good at asking for help, but it was a good exercise. And I shared this actual story with lots of my newer moms of like, you don't have to do it all. Like even if your husband works outside the home, like sit down, evaluate the day, where can each person plug in differently? And we found, I carved out about an hour, hour and a half in the morning.

Katie (31:56.558)
Sure.

Rachael Hutchins (32:19.922)
myself where he was able to take over the rest of the household duties before he went to work and that was amazing. It was a huge shift but you have to be willing to evaluate like you said it's almost like instead of a food diary it's like a life or schedule diary about like or journal. Do you ever do that like where are the pockets like tell me what you're doing and when and where and like log all this so we can maybe find those pockets of time? Yeah.

Katie (32:35.48)
Mm-hmm.

Katie (32:44.364)
We do. And like, you some people need to kind of like the 30 minute breakdown and other people just need to kind of write down their day and where they're spending their time. And it reveals a lot. And it's also, you know, again, going back to the grace and self-compassion piece to have the grace to know that it's hard to ask for what you need sometimes, especially when you're very capable, you know, strong-willed, you know, successful women, you know, it's hard for us to kind of go, I need help.

Rachael Hutchins (33:04.428)
Yeah.

Rachael Hutchins (33:09.642)
Mm-hmm.

Katie (33:12.718)
I need to delegate this thing or I need you to fill in for me in this way.

Rachael Hutchins (33:12.876)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (33:18.718)
Mm-hmm and seeing the long-term benefit of pouring into ourselves. I mean it is cliche, but it is true. mean pouring into yourself so that you can pour into others. I really do believe it as cliche as it is. So let's talk about feeling good in your body and what that means from a coaching perspective especially when like we're talking about like maybe labs presenting as normal, but you still feel awesome.

Katie (33:21.154)
Mm-hmm.

Katie (33:45.1)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, labs, that's one of those, you know, stories I hear often. People kind of come to me after they've seen a variety of specialists or work with a variety of professionals and they're like, you know, my labs are normal and, you know, I'm not feeling my best, but I know there's something more. There's something more I could be doing. You know, and the labs aren't telling the whole story and so we have to really figure out how to get curious.

how to be present, how to be still, long enough to listen. Our bodies speak to us through symptoms. symptoms can be both physical in our body, but also showing up as patterns in our life. And so kind of where are those things existing and how can I be kind of my own scientist and my own advocate and really...

Collect the data I need to figure out how to feel better in my body and then going back to what we've been talking about all along is kind of what are the things that I need to adjust? Do I need to ask for more help and support? Do I need a larger community of people to rely on? And then also kind of sitting in the process of that change and kind of accepting where we are is really important too because I think when we fight ourselves on that, it's hard.

and loving ourselves through that change and that process. It's the greatest gift that we can give ourselves.

Rachael Hutchins (35:10.05)
That's beautiful. Thank you. Can you share an example of how you help clients build supportive habits without feeling restricted?

Katie (35:20.33)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. You know, that comes up a lot because we live in very much of a diet culture, right? And so it's like we talked about it, all or nothing kind of on or off. It's either this or that good versus bad, healthy, you know, not healthy. And so I really try and remove labels as much as I can or get them to maybe reestablish a different narrative around habits and food and such.

And also acknowledging that it's a process. so to meet again, going back to that grace and compassion to meet themselves where they are. And, you know, I have clients that come in that think again, that that fixed mindset with food feels really challenging. And so to even think about changing anything feels scary. It feels tricky. It doesn't feel like there's room for change. Kind of walls go up.

but we typically focus on other things like nourishment versus dieting. We get curious about kind of the foods, like what are the foods that energize you? What are the foods that, you know, feel really palatable and help you feel your best and, you know, keep your digestion going? What foods don't bloat you? And then also getting really curious about what are the foods that kind of bring on that brain fog or...

maybe the lethargic feeling or, you know, it disrupts your sleep at night after you've had it for dinner, or maybe you notice a change in your menstrual cycle. You know, we can remove a lot of the symptoms in our menstrual cycle just through our nutrition. so, because when we think of symptoms, we often always go straight to just the digestive piece, but nutrition and kind of our habits, how it shows up for us, you know, can look...

like a lot of different things. so again, putting on that scientist hat and getting really curious about kind of what does this look like for me? And then also going back to there is a time and a place for elimination, you know, with health concerns and like things are pressing. Maybe that person does need to, you know, remove that because it's really spiking their blood sugar or it's really destroying their digestion in a way. And so sure, there's a time and a place, but ultimately,

Rachael Hutchins (37:23.638)
Mm-hmm.

Katie (37:48.13)
loving yourself through the process, acknowledging the why behind the change, and again, more than anything, getting curious and staying curious. And that requires that awareness and that presence in order to do so.

Rachael Hutchins (38:01.452)
Yeah, I love the getting curious component and I like the individualized nature of this approach because what I might be able to eat and feel okay is different than what you might be able to eat and feel okay. You know, there's always the foods that get labeled as like the, you know, inflammatory foods or digestive disruptors or no-no foods, but that's not necessarily case for everybody and that feels more restrictive. Like if you go full sale into like all the

Katie (38:12.622)
Mm-hmm.

Katie (38:19.363)
Mm-hmm.

Katie (38:28.003)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (38:30.614)
things you can't have versus paying attention to what, but also people being aware of like, my puffy face is a result of what I ate or my upset stomach is, you know, kind of helping people connect those down line like sleep, you know, like alcohol is something I used to drink. And when I did it, totally messed up my sleep and not drinking alcohol. feel like a totally different person. And, but you know, for a long time, you don't, you don't notice, I think a lot of people don't notice it.

Katie (38:38.306)
Mm-hmm.

Katie (38:43.17)
Mm-hmm.

Katie (38:51.148)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (38:59.148)
So you help them maybe pay attention to those subtleties and then focus on that. But then also the component of what feels good to you. What do you enjoy? So we can bring probably, so I'm guessing you help them bring more of the things they can eat that feel good or that energize them. And I just like that individualized nature and helping people kind of connect their symptoms to what they're eating and how that can really, how we can nourish our body versus like restrict it.

Katie (39:06.862)
Uh-huh.

Katie (39:26.114)
Right, we're so busy and kind of distracted from all the things that a lot of us aren't even in our bodies. We're not even present. And so to get people to kind of sit in your body, which is harder for some temperaments more than others, but to get them to feel and to really connect in that way is, it's really a neat process to see play out.

Rachael Hutchins (39:33.41)
Thanks

Rachael Hutchins (39:51.306)
Yeah, vulnerable process because you got to, yeah, feeling and being in your body is scary, but so rewarding or I'll say and so rewarding. So now let's talk a little bit, a little bit about the like pregnancy and postpartum piece and how you help people. So can you tell us just from your expertise why sustainable habits and healthy habits are so important?

Katie (39:52.962)
Mm-hmm.

Katie (39:57.516)
Mm-hmm.

Yes.

Yes.

Rachael Hutchins (40:20.342)
during pregnancy and postpartum.

Katie (40:23.246)
Good question. So our nutrition, our movement, our stress management, our relationships, they influence ourselves, right? All the way to the cellular level, and then determine also how we kind of engage in the world, right? And so all of those habits are building blocks, not only for ourselves, also for our child. And so our bodies work really hard.

hard in that prenatal and postpartum period, as you know. And so, you know, we have the ability to influence our child's development and our prenatal and postpartum health and our birth. And so, you know, getting really clear for the families that I work with and what I encourage people to do is to, you know, ask what are the health values that are not only important for this period, but what are the health values that we want to create as a family?

unit and you know how do we want to establish them now and kind of what is that version or what is the present or current version of that because life doesn't slow down and you know the present is the best time to kind of get started even if you have to modify it and so we have the ability to you know teach our children and they learn through observation and you know research shows that

you know, what we eat through pregnancy or what we eat through breastfeeding can influence a child's palate. And so that's a really, you know, scary but also neat thing that we do have some agency over. investing in that nutrition and movement and stress management and other self-care just reduces the risk of so many symptoms and that prenatal inputs part of period from our mood to our digestion, digestion to our

immune systems to, like I was saying before, our births. And so as a doula and as a coach and someone that's worked with women for almost 20 years, I see such a significant difference in the moms that in whatever way, or form invest in their self care, their nutrition, their movement, their stress management, their sleep, hygiene, all the things. so, you know, kind of the greatest way that I see that show up specifically in pregnancy is

Katie (42:43.682)
you know, reducing morning sickness. You know, the blood sugar, gestational diabetes, you know, risk reduction and migraines and headaches are, you know, much less prevalent for moms that, you know, are having a more balanced diet or paying attention to kind of maybe what some of those food triggers are. You know, heartburn and reflexes reduced and an energy and digestion and, you know,

those aches and pains aren't as present. so, and then if you do have any pre-existing conditions, those can be managed a lot better and stabilized with that proper support. And 70 % of the food that we intake crosses the placenta. Baby's brain is 60 % fat. And so we have this privilege of nourishing our bodies in a way to reduce their risk of allergies and eczema and...

their immune systems and their gut health through what we take in.

Rachael Hutchins (43:45.154)
Yeah, and I'll add in hypertension and blood pressure issues because that's when we see a lot of, and that's what I know, know, how nutrition and how we're taking care of our body can have an impact. And it comes up so frequently in pregnancy that it's sort of, it's concerning.

Katie (43:48.865)
Yes, I forgot all, yes.

Katie (44:05.922)
Yes, the preeclampsia piece and nutrition piece is just what I've experienced with people that I work with. And it's just amazing to see it play out when people are really having that balanced nutrition, that you're typically not seeing that towards the end of pregnancy. And then you're reducing the risk of induction and C-section and less medications and better progression and efficiency in labor.

Rachael Hutchins (44:35.018)
Yeah, and I just, what I feel like is a missing piece and I know you get it, but just to drive it home, the missing piece in our current, the model of care for most birthing individuals who are giving birth, you know, in a hospital most likely and under the care of that medical model of an obstetrician or a hospital-based midwife, how the focus isn't put, there's very little, if any, focus put on

the nutrition component of pregnancy. And I think it's a really important missing piece that has a direct impact on all those things you just said, you know, reducing risk of disease and illness and sickness and feeling crummy and all that you said, if we can, if we understood that connection and that missing piece, unfortunately, I think a lot of people go to

Katie (45:06.657)
huh. huh.

Katie (45:24.546)
Uh-huh.

Rachael Hutchins (45:33.484)
their provider anticipating they're giving them or expecting that they are being given all the information they need for their pregnancy. And I feel like there's missing information there and nutrition is one of them. And that's why I think working when you're in pregnancy, hopefully they got you preconceptive, but if not, even during pregnancy, laying that foundation in this way is going to improve your outcomes.

Katie (45:58.647)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (46:00.834)
for pregnancy, birth, then like you said, beyond, because now you've passed on this, you know, whatever to your child or help them out in that way and you've rewired yourself pre having, you know, before the baby's here. So like all of that has that downline benefit. So I just think that's an important thing that you're doing working with that subgroup of people. And I just want to kind of drive home that is a missing piece and it is one that I think is worth.

Katie (46:04.022)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (46:30.876)
seeking out from a professional such as yourself so that you can have a better birth experience.

Katie (46:38.892)
Mm-hmm. And postpartum period as well, know, kind of laying the groundwork before baby's here, before we've grown our family to, you know, going into, you know, a recovery period in a sense, which is, you know, longer for some of us than others and, you know, influencing our breastfeeding. And I noticed that when moms are investing in it during the, you know, fertility and then also that prenatal period, they're...

Rachael Hutchins (46:42.198)
Yeah, absolutely.

Katie (47:07.17)
feeling much more grounded in their habits and feeling empowered and making those changes, even with less sleep and less energy and changes in your routine and adding another individual in your household, it just gives them agency over those choices.

Rachael Hutchins (47:23.584)
Yeah, I'll never forget you said to me, I think I was pregnant with Everett. I think it was during that one. It might've been Marshall either way. The idea that you don't have to be miserable during your pregnancy or the end of your pregnancy. Cause I think there's this assumption that, know, pregnancy is this, you know, and for some it's very real. I'm not dismissing anyone's real experience about how, how challenging or uncomfortable or miserable you are.

Katie (47:39.372)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (47:52.034)
But that idea, that shift in that like perception that pregnancy is this thing you kind of have to suffer through or that's always awful at the end. And you were like, no, you can feel good and thrive and feel your best or have minimal aches and pains because of how you're taking care of yourself. And that for me is like, oh yeah, this doesn't have to be, I don't have to suffer through this. And I went to 41 and six both times and felt pretty good. Like I...

Katie (47:55.82)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (48:19.828)
you know, I wasn't miserable and I tried to impart that on my clients of like, we don't have to be miserable, right? If you are, I want to help you so much. But like, how can we set you up so that you're not? And I think this what you're doing is would help them now, you know, feel better during that those times.

Katie (48:33.07)
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

Yes.

Yes, and you know, we can still have good digestion. We can still have good sleep. We don't, it doesn't have to be interrupted. Are we going to get up and go to the bathroom in the middle of the Probably because we have physical changes, but there's so much more to that piece of the puzzle that we can keep kind of normal, you know, the, the loading, the, you know, a lot of that doesn't necessarily occur when we're kind of meeting those needs and checking up those boxes. Yeah.

Rachael Hutchins (48:58.754)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (49:06.786)
And that's amazing. want more people to know that. Like you have some oneness here, right? Like don't, it's like this, I always find that this, this line we have to walk of, you know, not, of course, not shaming people, but like motivating them to want to shift any little bit of habit and knowing that that has a, it can have a direct impact on their experience. But it's like, you know,

Katie (49:09.271)
Yes.

Katie (49:29.358)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (49:31.68)
supporting people where they're at and with what they're struggling with. Everyone has different circumstances, but also trying to motivate people to have that maximum self-determination to take oneness of that whole experience and see the impact, but also take oneness of it without feeling like you're fully responsible for all the outcomes, right? Like it's just balance. So do you mind sharing a little bit about your experience navigating health through your different

Katie (49:50.572)
Right. Right.

Rachael Hutchins (50:01.45)
seasons of life, you know, through pregnancy and motherhood. You've done this now three times. Tell us your wisdom.

Katie (50:06.638)
Yes. Three times all three very different experiences. I would say pregnancy with with Grey, I was actually really sick with or felt really sick with all three and I wish I would have known then what you know what I know now I wish I would have been really you know on top of my B vitamins and understand you know histamine and all the things. But

I feel like I was given all of these experiences for a reason and they've really made me a better professional. know movement was really important for me in all three pregnancies but with my first you know I still ran and lifted and like you know not all the way through but you know I felt strong I didn't have any aches and pains but then you know I went I think 41 and 3 with him or 42 and my water broke.

and I didn't go into labor, right? So I had this hypertonic pelvic floor that sure, it helped me Monday through Friday on a regular day, but not with my birth. And so what it really taught me was I had movement, I was healthy, I felt good, but it wasn't necessarily the movement that I needed for the birth that I desired. And so that gave me this kind of set of intentions that I had for my second, my third, and it made all the difference in the world.

I really tried to incorporate different types of movement and focused on more of that balance versus just keep doing what you're doing kind of thing. And so I love having, again, that experience so I can share that with other moms. And I also changed my nutrition. I was already eating clean, but I really, at the time I think it was...

clean eating, what I considered clean eating, but more focused on nourishment and you know, types of variety of foods specifically, which helped me with that kind of that nausea, that sick feeling and also changed my prenatal, which made a significant difference. But, and then with little ones and breastfeeding, you know, what I found was creating a routine and also accepting that life was going to look different for a little while.

Katie (52:30.466)
and that's hard for some of us, just modifying things because we so tie our identity to a lot of these practices. And so to push pause on weightlifting or running or maybe going out with girlfriends or all the things was just, it was a process to kind of accept and to move through and to figure out, well, what does my self care need to look like right now?

You know, how can I carve out the time and the energy for this when I have, you know, three kids and, you know, I want to focus on them, but I also want to take care of myself because I wanted to feel good. Sometimes I would, you know, throw all three of them in the bob and head outside and, you know, go to the park or go for a walk. And then I'm, you know, still kind of living this out as a working mom. I'd say it looks different with every season and now they're, you know, 13, 10 and eight.

And I still have to be really intentional between my work hours and how am I going to fit this in, you know, with a family. so bundling habits has probably been something that I found to be really successful for me. And so it looks like, you know, yard has to be mowed. I need to move my body. I need some fresh air and I need some sunshine. So I'm going to mow the yard today. And that's my exercise. you know, just getting creative with.

you know, taking care of yourself.

Rachael Hutchins (54:00.524)
Like reframing it too and seeing that as a positive thing. But I really think all of your experiences and your professional work, right? Dula, your nutrition work, your psychology, your training, like all of that, plus your lived experiences are just such an asset for people to have access to like working with you. because you, I think through your experiences, you've learned about the grace and compassion. Cause I'm sure if you look, like you said, from where you were,

Katie (54:25.922)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (54:28.608)
when you first started with your first child to where you are now is different. And if you were the same person now as you are, then you might have made different choices, but you weren't. You had the information you had then. And I think I can look back on decisions I've made and be like, well, I probably would do that differently today, but not judging that prior self. So like, I think when you live through the, experiences, the way you're able to help people is so different and better because of your, your lived experiences combined with all of your

Katie (54:32.994)
Mm-hmm.

Katie (54:47.0)
Right.

Rachael Hutchins (54:57.186)
professional experiences. think it's just for someone to be able to talk to you as they're going into that season would benefit them so much because you're able to kind of shed so much light and give them that start with the grace and the compassion and doing the best you can with where you're at and finding those ways to add in knowing that being pregnant is its own thing and becoming a mother and

Katie (55:11.64)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (55:25.406)
navigating postpartum and if you're working and and all of that so I think the way you can help people is just amazing. Okay so we're going to talk about some like bite-sized wellness wins. So a small shift or daily habit for new or expecting moms that they could start right now.

Katie (55:46.318)
Sure, so, great question. I feel like this really depends on the person that kind of goes back to that personalized approach that I love to take, but I would say universally that really being intentional with whole foods and removing kind of those processed and packaged foods in whatever doable way that looks like for your family, I think is really impactful and has kind of a trickle down effect because of your nutrition.

you know, impacts your digestion and your energy and your sleep and all the things and kind of again that energy to show up for your loved ones. We don't feel our best. It's hard to kind of push through but I would say more recently in my work, I see the opportunity for women in setting boundaries and prioritizing their needs and really reducing their screen time. And I know that sounds irrelevant but what I'm seeing is it's interrupting our time with our self-care. It's

you know, impacting people's moods more than I think we're aware of. It's disrupting sleep. It increases that kind of comparison trap or the overwhelm that moms are feeling. And then it's also kind of pulling us away from connecting with our loved ones. And then I also think there's the component of information overload. And so I know that that was a lot of information when it comes to like a simple thing, but I would say, you know, getting really clear on that whole foods nutrition piece or

getting really clear of what is your relationship with technology and how is it influencing your health.

Rachael Hutchins (57:18.144)
Yeah, so picking, I think it's always nice to have one thing to start with. And so, you know, pick one of those and then maybe add that, you build on your habits, right? Once you've sort of mastered one or, you know, accomplished one, you keep doing that, but then you add in the next one. And so picking and choosing, I think whatever. And I think people know internally of those two things, like which one is probably more of a pain point. And something I did for

Katie (57:21.837)
Mm-hmm.

Katie (57:35.896)
Yes.

Katie (57:45.111)
Right.

Rachael Hutchins (57:47.372)
Technology and phones because with my work. I'm on my phone a lot But at certain times of day, I have it automatically go into a do not disturb mode And I did it in the evening Between I think I started at like 6 p.m Until bedtime and then it goes into a different do not disturb mode but what that did for me is it stopped my phone from pinging and notifying me during a very

Katie (57:56.462)
Mm-hmm.

Katie (58:04.782)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (58:15.65)
crucial time in my home when my kids are home from school or doing dinner or maybe figuring back and forth from sports, bedtimes, all of that. So I'm not being pulled out by having my phone ding because what happens to me is it might be with a text and I open it and then I will see other notifications. So I'll hop over into Facebook, Instagram. I have a

Katie (58:17.452)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (58:39.852)
called Voxer that always has a bunch of notifications in it. Maybe I see a new email just because I heard a text go off, right? So then I'm all of a sudden pulling in, pulled into all of those things. So by having it in that do not disturb mode during the time of day that I felt like I was being disturbed or distracted the most has been helpful. It's one of those little easy do's because then your phone does it for you, right? Tell your phone, set that, set that habit in your phone. So I don't, I like that for me.

Katie (58:41.326)
Mm-hmm.

Katie (58:56.61)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Katie (59:08.342)
I can really send you down a rabbit hole and you look up and you're like, where did I go for the last 30 minutes?

Rachael Hutchins (59:12.446)
Yeah, just not even realizing that like one text and then not, know, harm harmless text. It opens the door to especially if you have like a smartphone where you see all your apps and all their notifications and stuff like I might have certain apps that I'll hide notifications. I'm like, it's not an emergency, I don't want to see that red bubble. I don't want to see it. Don't don't give me that notification. But anyways, I think technology and processed foods is what I'm hearing as those those daily habits that can benefit people right away.

Katie (59:22.05)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Katie (59:30.38)
you

Rachael Hutchins (59:42.57)
Okay, so your go-to advice for women who want to feel more aligned in their bodies and maybe a build on those things you just shared, but if there's anything else you want to

Katie (59:52.115)
you know, again, getting really clear of kind of where they are again, going back to that being present, being in your body, paying attention, creating that awareness. cause really assessing what, where's your starting point and kind of what are the growth opportunities? What is my body telling me? What is my time telling me? you know, paying attention, you know, be again, being a student of ourselves, getting curious, because that intrinsic and intuitive work is so important and so critical for us to feel aligned because

no one can tell us what that looks like for us. Only we can do that work for ourselves. And you can have an expert say to do X, Y, and Z, but it might not be the thing that you need to fill in the gaps. And so doing that intrinsic work is really crucial to kind of feeling more aligned.

Rachael Hutchins (01:00:41.538)
Is there a starting place for for doing that for getting besides like, obviously, I know if they work with you, they you walk them through this process. But how does one tap into that presence and that like awareness? What's the starting point for that?

Katie (01:00:49.088)
Mm-hmm. Good question.

Mm-hmm.

I would say what are the things that keep showing up that you'd like to improve upon? You know, whether in your body or in your habits and your lifestyle and you know, map it out. You know, what do I want to achieve? What is that future version of myself that I really want to work towards? And then what are the things that I need to pay attention to or be intentional about to lead me in that direction little by little?

Rachael Hutchins (01:01:21.044)
it. I like that. Okay so we are gonna do a little rapid fire for Katie, some questions to ask her. These are fun, quick answers, and then we will wrap it up. So Katie, what's one food you always come back to?

Katie (01:01:39.872)
One food or one meal? Can I clarify? That's really tricky. I do probably, I would say super chilly during the winter and then summer. I do love like a good, like hearty, I know this is gonna be so typical of any answer for me, but I do love like a really good, huge arugula salad or like kale salad with lots of fun things in it.

Rachael Hutchins (01:01:42.592)
whatever you want. It can be a meal.

Rachael Hutchins (01:02:09.472)
No, those are like the same for me. Soup and salad, love it. It's an easy, healthy meal. Get all of the stuff in, I'm here for that, love it. Okay, favorite grounding habit.

Katie (01:02:09.614)
because it's just refreshing.

Katie (01:02:17.336)
Go one day.

Katie (01:02:26.488)
So probably being outside and barefoot, literally grounding. I like to run barefoot, I know that sounds crazy, no, think doing yard work, gardening, just being out in nature is the most grounding thing for me.

Rachael Hutchins (01:02:41.538)
Yeah, I love that, me too. You've had three postpartums now. What is one word you'd use to describe postpartum?

Katie (01:02:45.634)
Mm-hmm.

Katie (01:02:49.998)
It is the one time I feel like in my life where I could really push pause and all the things and it gave me the time to kind of separate myself from the world and kind of go in. And that's a gift. And that's how I remember all three of those postpartum periods.

Rachael Hutchins (01:03:08.322)
sick.

I that and I wish more people could embrace the pause. See it as a gift. So finite. Okay, what's one quote or what's a quote or mantra you are loving right now?

Katie (01:03:14.252)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. It is.

Katie (01:03:24.878)
I think in the parenting years, something that comes up for me a lot is preparing the child for the path and not the path for the child. I really want to prepare my children for the world and, you know, and for them to have the autonomy to navigate a variety of things and for me not to necessarily carve that path for them.

Rachael Hutchins (01:03:53.186)
Yeah, yeah it totally does. It's a little bit like teach a man to fish he eats forever versus giving a man method like a meal of cooked fish right like you're teaching them the skill to get through things or take care of themselves versus like doing it for them. That's way better and easier said than done but I like it. I'm working on that right now with my kids.

Katie (01:03:53.858)
I hope that makes sense.

Katie (01:04:03.63)
Yes.

Katie (01:04:17.324)
Not always easy. It's hard to back. I mean, I think that's why it probably resonates because it's easy to insert ourselves and to be the thing for them versus to allow them, yeah, to acquire the tools to figure it out and to trust themselves.

Rachael Hutchins (01:04:34.626)
Absolutely. Yeah. Yep. They have to build their own confidence and their own joy and their own things. We just have to be like the safety rails for them. Yep. Guard rails. Yeah. I love that. Okay. So how can people connect with you?

Katie (01:04:43.764)
Mm-hmm. Yep, the good card rails.

Katie (01:04:52.334)
Great question. Probably my website would be number one, integrativefitnessandwellness.com. My company is Integrative Fitness and Wellness because I take a very integrative approach to things in supporting people. And they can also find me on social media, either LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, which is now X, and all the things. But reaching out to me,

via my email too is katie.fitnessandwellness at gmail.

Rachael Hutchins (01:05:28.546)
Amazing. Okay, and what programs or offerings do you want to highlight? Or would you like to share with us?

Katie (01:05:36.174)
Sure, so I have traditional coaching programs that's typically a three, six or 12 month program depending on someone's support and needs and kind of where they are on their health journey. And then I also offer a prenatal and postpartum coaching program that is typically about three months long and we fit it in wherever they are in their pregnancy or postpartum journey. And I typically meet with my clients for two one hour sessions every month and we

Just a lot like our conversation today, collaborate and work together to put a plan in place. And then I follow up with a list of a protocol that we've decided on through my telehealth platform.

Rachael Hutchins (01:06:20.354)
That's amazing, Katie. Thank you for all the work you're doing and for sharing your wisdom and knowledge today with us. I think it's been a little bit of an insight into that, the way you're able to support people and how different it is than normal, I don't know, than most coaching programs that I'm familiar with. So I hope you guys have enjoyed this conversation with Katie as much as I did. Her reminder that sustainable health is about compassion and consistency, not perfection, is one we all need.

If you are feeling inspired, be sure to check out her work. Everything is linked in the show notes. Thanks for being here. If this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend or leave a quick review. Until next time, take care and be gentle with yourself.