09 Feb 2021
Empowerment, Going Vegan Tips, Holistic Health, Podcast, Vegan Lifestyle
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What’s Love Got to Do With It (EP 44: The Vegan Life Coach Podcast)

Let me share exactly how we came to decide the topic of “What’s Love Got to Do With It” for our latest The Vegan Life Coach Podcast episode (this is my text conversation with Stephanie)…

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*Links mentioned in the episode are at the bottom of this page.

Ella: The episode will be 5 days from Valentine’s Day… in case anything comes to mind related to Vday…

Stephanie: V-day is a made up holiday designed by Hallmark and Russell Stovers to make us spend money and eat candy?

E: Totally😆- so should we ignore it or challenge it?

S: Well, will we seem like the valentine equivalent of grinches or Scrooges if we challenge?

E: If we aren’t organized with our thoughts probably!

S: Maybe we could share alternative ways to celebrate…

Whether you think “Valentine’s Day is a made-up holiday designed by Hallmark and Russell Stovers to make us spend money and eat candy,” or not, most of us can agree that love is something we all want and need in our lives.

The holiday can be a source of joy or a source of stress and grief for different people at different points in their lives. If you’re single and don’t want to be, or you’ve recently had a tough break-up for example. 

The holiday can also cause strife between partners when they have different expectations for each other in terms of how it should be celebrated.

In this episode, we encourage you to try an alternative way to celebrate Valentine’s Day that could spread love to yourself and the world in more meaningful ways that bring you a deeper sense of fulfillment. Things like…

  • Donate/volunteer (e.g. Hogs & Kisses Farm Sanctuary)
  • Make a list of 10 things you love about yourself (or write a love letter to yourself)
  • Random acts of kindness

Sending you all lots of love!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Episode on the Self-Empowerment Coaching System

Hogs & Kisses Farm Sanctuary Website

Take Our New Going Vegan Quiz HERE!  

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02 Feb 2021
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Creating Unity Among Vegans (EP 43: The Vegan Life Coach Podcast)

In this special episode, guest co-host Anne Molina (founder of Hogs & Kisses Farm Sanctuary) and I discuss our mission to create healthy conversation around controversial vegan-related topics.

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*Links mentioned in the episode are at the bottom of this page.

As Anne was doing research and networking with other animal-lovers in Facebook groups, she witnessed turmoil within many of these communities. The discussions all too often seemed to end up as unproductive arguments driven by ridicule and harsh judgment. 

Anne and I decided to produce a series of roundtable discussions to address tough topics in productive ways. We’re calling it, “Beet Around the Barn,” and the first episode will be coming out on our Hogs & Kisses YouTube Channel within the next month. We’ll be covering subjects like, “What exactly is a vegan?” “Should vegans adopt cats?” “What about dating as a vegan?” and so much more.

Stay tuned!

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Hogs & Kisses YouTube Channel

Hogs & Kisses Farm Sanctuary Website

Take Our New Going Vegan Quiz HERE!  

CONNECT WITH US!

Grab the valuable gift we have for you HERE.

Have a question you’d like us to answer, or feedback you’d like to give us (we love hearing from you!)? Leave us a voice (or written) message HERE.

Interested in receiving a free coaching session to air on an upcoming episode? Apply HERE.

26 Jan 2021
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Picking Your Battles (EP 42: The Vegan Life Coach Podcast)

One of the most common challenges we tackle at Vegan Life Coach Academy is how to handle the people in your life who don’t “get it” when it comes to your decision to go/be vegan.

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*Links mentioned in the episode are at the bottom of this page.

Vegan newbies are particularly vulnerable to being criticized and made fun of by the people in their lives who may feel threatened by the person’s lifestyle changes.

In this important episode, after having some fun with our “Lovin’ on the Haters” segment, we dive deep into the tools you need to navigate the critics powerfully and with grace.

After all, the best way to be an effective influencer is to inspire. And the more you can focus on your own growth, the sooner you can inspire other people as you radiate the love, strength, compassion, and confidence everyone strives for!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Vegan Life Coach Academy (Doors opening soon – for 48 hours only so get on the waitlist HERE!)

Episode #7: Reprogramming Your Mind

Take Our New Going Vegan Quiz HERE!  

Hogs & Kisses Farm Sanctuary

Live Ultimate (the supplement I mention in the intro)

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08 Sep 2020
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Boundaries Part 2 (The Vegan Life Coach Podcast Episode 22)

If you haven’t listened to episode 21, part 1 of our 2-part series on boundaries, check it out HERE first!

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*Links mentioned in the episode are at the bottom of this page.

Setting and sustaining boundaries is a skill. Unfortunately, it’s a skill that many of us didn’t necessarily learn growing up. We may have picked up a few pointers here or there, but in reality, it can be very challenging and feel really uncomfortable when we first begin setting those boundaries. 

I have a few steps that will help get you started.

Step #1

First, look to your emotions to help you name your limits. Two really good indicators of boundary violations are discomfort and resentment. If you are feeling uncomfortable, you can likely point to a boundary being violated from the outside. 

If you are feeling resentment, that is often an indicator that you have pushed yourself beyond your limit to avoid feelings of guilt, or you are giving in to someone imposing their expectations or views on you. You are responding by violating our own limits.

Step #2

Pay attention to your feelings and become clear about your own limits, both internally and externally. You can’t set good boundaries if you’re unsure of where you stand. 

Identify your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual limits. Consider what you can tolerate and accept, and identify what makes you feel uncomfortable or stressed. Those feelings coupled with your understanding of your values help us identify what our limits are.

Take a moment to think of some examples of where your limits might be. For example, you may find that you are uncomfortable when your best friend asks you for money.  This might be a mental and emotional limit that you are wanting to set with your friends and family. You do not lend money because everyone has a different philosophy when it comes to money, and it is something that tends to cause a lot of conflict, so that is your particular limit.  

Another might be that you become stressed when your children have a lot of the neighborhood kids over. Maybe this is your line. Your children can play with the neighborhood kids in the yard or the garage but not in the house. This is an example of setting a physical boundary. 

Maybe your partner expects you to take on the bulk of the responsibility for the household; however, this is something that you find impossible to do successfully.  It is okay to set the boundaries for those areas that you are willing to take responsibility for and no more.

Step #3

The next step is to give yourself permission to set boundaries and work to preserve them. When setting new boundaries, emotional pitfalls can cause us to wonder why we deserve to have boundaries in the first place. Fear, guilt and self-doubt are big potential pitfalls. 

It can feel strange when we start to set boundaries because we aren’t used to creating these limits. We might fear the other person’s response if we set and enforce our boundaries. We might feel guilty by speaking up or saying no to a family member. For example, many believe that they should be able to cope with a situation or say yes because they’re a good daughter or son, even though they “feel drained or taken advantage of.” This can cause some self doubt… So much so that we might wonder if we even deserve to have boundaries in the first place.  

It’s important to keep going back to why you set the boundaries in the first place. Creating that line and holding to it creates a healthier you and healthier relationships in the long run.

Boundaries are all about honing in on your feelings and honoring them. If you notice yourself slipping and not sustaining your boundaries, ask yourself some questions…

What’s changed from when I set this limit? Consider the situation. “What I am doing or [what is] the other person doing?” or “What about this situation is making me resentful or uncomfortable or stressed?” 

Then, examine your options: “What am I going to do about the situation?” “What do I have control over?”

You might also consider the roles you play, and commit to putting yourself as the leading role in your life. It is not only okay, but also necessary to put yourself first and to consider your needs just as important as the needs of others.  

Prioritize self-care. Taking care of yourself isn’t selfish… It is necessary for a healthy life. Putting yourself first also gives you the energy, peace of mind, and positive outlook to be more present with others and be there for them. When we’re in a better place, we can be a better wife, mother, husband, co-worker or friend.

Step #4

If you’re having a hard time with boundaries, seek some support, whether that means finding a support group, church, or seeking counseling, coaching or time with good friends. 

About 13 years ago, I went through a divorce. It was painful and devastating as most divorces are. But when I came out of the emotional haze, I started really analyzing what went wrong. 

It came down to boundaries…. I didn’t have any, and my ex didn’t meet a boundary he couldn’t violate. I knew it was imperative that I build them.  First of all, I didn’t have them in my marriage, and I didn’t have them anywhere. 

Secondly, I had to form a new relationship with this person…We had children and he wasn’t going away. Finding support was the key.  I found a church that had a support group based on forming boundaries and the book, Boundaries: When to Say Yes and How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life by John Townsend and Henry Cloud.  

The support group was a game changer, not only for my relationship with my ex husband but for my relationships with others. I don’t think this would have been possible without the education and support that I took hold of during that time.  I can tell you now that my ex husband and I have a great relationship.  One in which my children never have to choose between their parents, and one in which I can honestly say that he and I are friends.

Step #5

It’s not enough to create boundaries; we actually have to follow through. Even though we know intellectually that people aren’t mind readers, we still expect others to know what hurts us, or makes us uncomfortable or stressed. Since they don’t know, it’s important to assertively communicate this when a boundary is crossed. Most of the time, it is just about being direct and communicating respectfully with the other person (or yourself) so that you can work it out together.

I want to point out that there is a world of difference between being assertive and being aggressive. To hold firm to healthy boundaries it’s vital to communicate those before you feel the need to become aggressive with another individual. 

Being Assertive puts forth your needs and views confidently and directly. Being assertive is simply standing up for yourself while still considering that others have different views than your own and that yours are equally important. It is becoming your own best advocate.  

Aggressive behaviors can sometimes look like you’re living the life of a Neanderthal, where the biggest club is equal to the loudest voice. I’ve noticed in my own work that sometimes aggressiveness is mistaken for strength, when in fact, aggressiveness really notes a lack of control and a lack of respect for boundaries.  

Like any new skill, assertively communicating your boundaries takes practice. So, if this is something new to you, I suggest starting with a small boundary that isn’t threatening to you, and then incrementally increasing to more challenging boundaries. Build upon your success. Setting boundaries takes courage, practice and support.

If you aren’t used to setting these limits with people, it can be difficult at first. Your inner people pleaser will be screaming at the top of her lungs! That’s okay. Let her scream, and start with something small. 

Maybe you will want to start with your partner and block off an hour of time on the weekends where you do something completely for yourself and by yourself while he or she takes the responsibilities of the kids. 

Maybe it is less threatening to start with a co-worker who is often teasing you about your healthy food choices or your vegan food choices, and you simply have a conversation with that person about not appreciating the teasing and why. 

Maybe it is with your children and the amount of money you are spending on their impulse buys at the grocery store, and setting the limit before you go that you are only buying the things that are on your list and if they request something extra, you will say, “No.”

As you build confidence in this, that inner people-pleaser will stop screaming, and you can start on the bigger boundaries where you anticipate a little more push back from those around you.

– Stephanie Hamilton Aguilar, Vegan Life Coach Academy, Master Mindset Coach

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Episode 21   |   Vegan Life Coach Academy

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01 Sep 2020
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Boundaries (The Vegan Life Coach Podcast Episode 21)

We hear the word, “boundaries” thrown around a lot, but many people lack a clear picture of what they really are, or at least why they are important.

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*Links mentioned in the episode are at the bottom of this page.

In this episode we dive deep into the topic of boundaries, which are key for healthy relationships.  Healthy relationships have a balance of both togetherness and separateness.  Boundaries really just define the lines that set us apart from those in our lives.  And this is an important part of making empowered choices, both when it comes to our personal growth and daily activities as well as those choices we might make with another person. 

Something that may surprise people… Boundaries are a measure of self-worth. Our self-worth has everything to do with the way that we value ourselves. And, if we have a high self-worth, if we really value ourselves, that value is NOT contingent on the feelings others have towards us. As we value ourselves less, our self-worth diminishes, and we place a much higher value on another person’s feelings toward us. We can see this play out in our values in really five different ways:

  1. Intellectual Worth and Boundaries:  I am entitled to my thoughts and opinions just as you are entitled to yours.
  2. Emotional worth and boundaries: You are entitled to your own feelings to a given situation, as are others.
  3. Physical worth and boundaries: You are entitled to your space, however wide it may be, as are others.
  4. Social worth and boundaries: You are entitled to your own friends and to pursuing your own social activities, as are others.
  5. Spiritual worth and boundaries: You are entitled to your own spiritual beliefs, as are others.

When you break it down into these five areas, it’s really easy to see where boundaries get violated as well as where they get drawn. It’s also much more clear as to what a toxic relationship, with both yourself and others, may look like.  

When we talk about toxic relationships, this is often difficult to define. Toxic relationships are marked by a lack of personal boundaries or the inability to maintain those boundaries set. Healthy relationships have a balance of both togetherness and separateness. Boundaries really just define the lines that set us apart from those in our lives.  This is an important part of making empowered choices, both when it comes to our personal growth and daily activities, as well as those choices we might make with another person. 

We can start by creating limits on acceptable behavior from yourself as well as those around you. A healthy life is marked by good boundaries. This is because we have to create healthy boundaries in our relationships with ourselves.   

Just as you would never tell your best friend she was worthless or ugly, this is a limit I encourage you to set for yourself. The feeling of discomfort when you’ve spent way over your budget… The discomfort is a signal that you’ve crossed a personal boundary. These are healthy guidelines and limits that we set for ourselves because we have established that we have self-respect and limits to our behaviors in the relationship we have with ourselves.

Three Parts to Setting Healthy Boundaries

First, have a clear understanding of what your limits are. For this it’s important to have clarity on what your values and commitments are.  

Our limits are really an extension of our values and commitments. For example, one of my boundaries with my children is that they are not allowed to use my bathroom. I value time alone, and that became a pretty big issue when I became a mom. I set this physical boundary that has a big emotional impact for me. I know that I need a space that is mine because I need a break from the outside world, including my beloved kiddos.  

Another boundary for me is with my co-workers.  I know my tendency to be a people pleaser. I was brought up in the Midwest, and still live here today. There was no higher compliment to pay someone than to say, ”She would give you the shirt off her back,” and I know for me, I probably would. The problem came when I was fulfilling the needs of everyone, even the people at work that weren’t particularly significant in my life. I had to start saying the word, “No” to the people in my workplace.  I was able to start doing this by delegating more of the duties that were simply not mine to complete, but had fallen to me because I was simply too “nice.”

Second, it is not enough to know where your limits are. You also have to communicate and maintain those limits effectively. Knowing our boundaries and setting them are two very different hurdles to overcome. 

Setting boundaries does not always come easily. It’s often a skill that needs to be learned. As renowned psychologist Albert Bandura noted, much of human social learning comes from modeling behavior, so if we do not have adequate role models whose behavior we can encode through observation and later imitate, we are at a loss, often left fumbling and frustrated.  

Finally, we have to come to the understanding of why this is important.  I think this is the perfect phrase to define what boundaries really mean. It is ”knowing where you end and I begin.”  It is that sense that there is a separateness that makes you, you, and me, me, and that if we blurr those lines of separation, we both end up unhappy and unhealthy.

In the next episode we will be giving you the exact steps you can take to effectively implement boundaries into your life and relationships… Boundaries that can empower you to start moving through the world with more confidence, joy, peace, and freedom!

-Stephanie Hamilton Aguilar, Vegan Life Coach Academy, Master Mindset Coach

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Vegan Life Coach Academy

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25 Aug 2020
Going Vegan Tips, Podcast, Vegan Fitness, Vegan Lifestyle
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Finding Your “Why” with Vegan Bodybuilder Roger Smith (Vegan Life Coach Podcast Episode 20)

Pro-bodybuilder, entrepreneur, and motivational speaker Roger Smith has 19 years as a vegan under his belt. Roger’s mission is to uplift, embrace and promote Veganism, particularly within the Latin American community.

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*Links mentioned in the episode are at the bottom of this page.

In this special episode, Roger and I had a blast discussing a wide range of powerful topics related to veganism and fitness. 

Roger’s positive outlook on life, his passion for being a voice for the voiceless, and dedication to making a positive impact on the lives of people is inspiring.

One of the ways he helps people make the transition to a healthy vegan lifestyle is by encouraging them to connect with their “why.” 

Getting clear on his “why” is how Roger was able to go vegan overnight himself, and how he has been able to achieve his pro bodybuilding card after winning the third bodybuilding show he had ever competed in.

Get ready for a jam-packed episode with information and motivation to help you step into your power, align your actions with your values, and achieve not only a healthy, fit body, but also a happy and meaningful life.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Roger Smith’s Website and Links

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18 Aug 2020
Going Vegan Tips, Podcast, Vegan Lifestyle, Vegan Nutrition
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Problems Are Not The Problem! (Vegan Life Coach Podcast Episode 19)

On this episode of the Vegan Life Coach Podcast our goal is to help you see problems from a very different angle than you’re used to.

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In the book, The Power of Now” Eckart Tolle says, “NOW is all we have.”

That does not mean we shouldn’t have goals for the future. It means that on our path to our goals, we can be present, live in gratitude, operate from a place of abundance, and put the positive energy out that we want to get back.

When it comes to problems, all too often we think, “Once I __________, I’ll be happy, at peace, and/or free from stress… Once I lose weight, land the right job, or find my soulmate everything will be butterflies and rainbows.

We tend to think that one day we could be free from problems… Like there’s a magical place that we would get to and we would then be happy and free.

What if we changed that thinking and began to explore our problems from a different angle? What if we acknowledged that there is an underlying issue. For many of our Vegan Life Coach Academy members, the root cause of unhappiness is the core belief, “I’m not enough.”

So many people are longing for the day that they can feel whole. 

When you don’t feel whole, you feel incomplete, when the reality is that you are already whole.

If you really think about it, there is no “arrival.” You’re never going to arrive at this magical place where you’re free from all problems.

When you’re single for example, you have one set of problems. You may dislike dating and think that if you found the right guy to marry everything would be fantastic in your life. But then, when you find that guy, and you do get married, have you “arrived” and have no more problems?

Of course not! You’ve simply arrived at a whole new set of problems!

Why are we running around so stressed and anxious all the time, trying to solve our problems as quickly as possible? What if we accepted the fact that once one problem is solved, there is going to be a new problem that arises. It’s just going to be a different problem. This is called life! 

We call it the human experience… Having a problem, facing it, learning, evolving, and then having new tools to use for the next problem.

So let’s take a deep breath here.

Problems are simply our own perception of a situation. Problems are created in the mind. In fact, the mind is the only place problems exist.

What’s a problem for one person could be an ideal circumstance for another.

If you’re somebody who doesn’t want children and you get pregnant that’s a problem, right ?

If you’re dying for kids however, and you get pregnant, it could be the happiest day of your life.

What happens is that our perceived problems cause negative emotions, and we are afraid of negative emotion. So what do we do? We fight.  We fight to make those problems go away.  We fight because we think freedom is on the other side of that problem, but that’s not the case. 

Instead, what if we learned to perceive situations in a way that will allow us to grow. What if we acknowledged, accepted, and even embraced the problems we have, because without them we wouldn’t be human. Without problems we wouldn’t exist… We’d be dead!

 So,  how do we change our perspective on a situation? 

We use the tool that we teach at Vegan Life Coach Academy… the Self-Empowerment Coaching System (episode 7).

The Self-Empowerment Coaching System is based on the idea that we have the power to write a different story for ourselves, and our lives, including our problems. SECS helps us learn how we can perceive our “problems”  in a productive way and take action to solve them.

So, remind yourself… Problems are forever. Take a deep breath. Feel yourself relax a bit. There’s no big rush!

 We don’t have to walk around in a hurry all day every day flying by the seat of our pants trying to solve the current problem because there’s just gonna be another one waiting for you once you solve the current one.

It’s called life! I wake up every morning feeling grateful to be alive. Do you?

In closing, let’s take some notes from Albert Einstein who said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

Becoming the master of our minds, including our perception of our problems, will completely transform our lives!

We hope this episode and tips we shared save you time as you stock your pantry, fridge, and freezer with staples so that you can eat healthy, delicious, and nutritious meals conveniently.

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Vegan Life Coach Academy | Episode 17: The Busyness Trap

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11 Aug 2020
Going Vegan Tips, Podcast, Vegan Lifestyle, Vegan Nutrition
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Pantry Vegan Staples: Our Tips & Tricks

On today’s show Stephanie and I are talking about pantry vegan staples and our tips and tricks.

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On today’s show Stephanie and I are talking about pantry staples and our tips and tricks. Our goal for this episode is that you’ll put to use the tips and tricks that we provide to help you eat your healthiest, most delicious meals. We all live full lives, and this episode is going to help you implement easy practices so that you are set up for success with the food already in your kitchen, particularly staples in your pantry and fridge. 

If you have ever wondered what you would find in Stephanie’s or my pantry, what vegan staples we can’t live without, or what tips we have surrounding how to stock your pantry, fridge, or freezer with staples then this episode is for you. 

Some episodes here on The Vegan Life Coach Academy are heavier topics but some weeks, like today’s episode, are lighter episodes. We kick off this episode with a lightning round where we ask each other five questions that the other must respond to quickly, without thinking. Then we share our biggest, most helpful pantry and staples tips and tricks. 

I love how Stephanie organizes the grocery list for our Vegan Life Coach Academy members. On one side, she puts the pantry list and then on the other side, the produce. Both can be staples, but one can be stocked ahead of time and the other, we have to get fresh every week. Organizing the list in this way allows us to think about what we need to keep in the kitchen and pantry, or the refrigerator every week. 

Stephanie always picks a few meals that she is going to have throughout the week, and she chooses them in a way that she can re-purpose them, but there are certain vegan foods that she always have on hand… Staples. So when she organizes her grocery list, she organizes it just that way. She puts them in terms of produce and the things she knows she’s going to have to restock because they don’t keep. And then on the other side, she puts her pantry list and those are usually the staples that she knows that she is going to need. 

Then she goes into her pantry area and looks for them. She buys lots of items like chickpeas, and quinoa in bulk. And then she checks each week to make sure that she doesn’t need to replenish them. She notes, not to forget spices. And that’s the way she does it. Genius, right? 

There are certain non-perishables that I eat every week and it’s so much easier when I buy in bulk too, even though it’s just Christian and I. I know I’m going to eat chickpeas and black beans, all the different legumes. When I purchase those items in bulk my weekly grocery list is so much smaller. It just makes things so much easier. I definitely recommend stocking up on the non-perishables that you know you’ll be consuming each week. 

The way I organize my list, and the way we have our staples list for Vegan Life Coach Academy is by category. We have our nuts, seeds and berries as one category now, frozen foods is another one. However, you can only go as big as your freezer allows.  That’s the only problem there. We usually have more cabinet space or a storage space, but the freezer is a fantastic place to keep berries. I think sometimes frozen food gets a bad rap, but frozen veggies, frozen fruits are really great staples to keep on hand.

That is how we organize our staples, now let’s move on to some tips surrounding them. 

Ella Tip #1:

Organize your fridge so that when you open the door, you see the things that you want to choose first that are the healthiest food.

Refrigerators are set up to put unhealthy foods in front of us because we have the drawers, the crisper, where you want to put the produce and then they are hidden away in the drawer. Well, forget all of that. I want all my whole foods at eye level, I want to see the celery and the lettuce and the avocados and the tomatoes, I want to see all the whole foods right when I open the door. Then I want to slip in those drawers things like:  vegan cheeses, vegan Mayo, vegan meats beyond meat, those sort of things. Anything that I would consider a treat. I want to put those away, where I have to work a little harder to get to them. 

Stephanie Tip #1:

My tip for people who are transitioning to vegan with families that are not transitioning with them is to do a similar thing. Put those foods away into places where you don’t necessarily see them. My kids are vegan at home, but I don’t restrict them out and I do not ban people from bringing food in. So those items always go into the bottom drawer and those things that I don’t necessarily want to eat all the time that they do. For example: we have almonds, and chocolate pudding right now that goes into a drawer because if I see that first thing, I am definitely going to want that before the broccoli. 

Ella Tip #2:

My second tip is to cut vegetables right away. I love to bring home different dips and hummus but if I bring a big thing of celery and I put the celery whole into the refrigerator, the chance of that getting eaten when I’m in a hurry and I just need a quick snack is going to be slim.  I’m not going to take the celery out, wash it, cut it. I’m going to probably choose something else. So my trick is, when I get home from the grocery store with celery, and I’m just using that as one example, I immediately just go ahead and cut it, wash it. I put it in a big Tupperware with water. It seems to stay really well there. 

Stephanie Tip #2:

My biggest time-saver is to decide how much time you want to spend meal- prepping and really give yourself that permission to say, “I really only want to spend 30 minutes meal- prepping. Or I really only want to spend an hour meal-prepping.” When you box yourself into meal-prepping, it becomes a drudgery, and eventually you’re going to give it up. My biggest time-savers are those vegan foods that take a lot of time to cook. I cook beans, quinoa, and do some veggie prep on the weekends and that’s it. I don’t do anything else. 

We hope this episode and tips we shared save you time as you stock your pantry, fridge, and freezer with staples so that you can eat healthy, delicious, and nutritious meals conveniently.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Vegan Life Coach Academy | Episode 17: The Busyness Trap

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Have a question you’d like us to answer, or feedback you’d like to give us (we love hearing from you!)? Leave us a voice (or written) message HERE.

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26 May 2020
Empowerment, Going Vegan Tips, Podcast
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The Self-Empowerment Coaching System: How to Reprogram Your Mind (Ep 7: The Vegan Life Coach Podcast)

You are going to want to stop multitasking, because in today’s training we’re explaining a tool we call the Self-Empowerment Coaching System, or SECS for short (and yes, we like to pronounce it “sex”)!

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The Self-Empowerment Coaching System is the tool that we base all of our mindset work on… And our mindset work translates into lifestyle work. Everything we do, every decision we make; from what we put in our mouth, to how we move our bodies, to the decisions we make: like the decision to go fully vegan, or anything that we want in our lives. All of this is a mindset.

This is what we train our clients on, so that it eventually becomes their operating system. This is what we use to reprogram our subconscious… All of those negative programs that are not serving us.

If you haven’t listened to episode 4, go back and listen to it first, as that episode lays the ground work for the concepts we discuss. 

Here is how SECS works: It all starts with your circumstance. Your circumstance is something that is out of your immediate control. The facts about the situation. This is subjective, not objective. It rained yesterday. I had no immediate control over that. 

What we do have control over is how you react or respond to the situation. What happens is that our circumstance triggers thoughts based on our core beliefs, which all come from the subconscious. We often don’t even notice the core beliefs that are driving our thoughts. We don’t stop and say, “Oh this is my reaction, and these are my thoughts that are based on the core belief that I am not good enough… that I am not worthy.”

Circumstances trigger our thoughts. And those thoughts are based on our subconscious programming, our core beliefs about who we are and what we’re capable of. Our thoughts then evoke our emotions, and emotions are what most of us notice first, because we actually feel emotions in our bodies. 

These emotions, that come from our subconscious programming, are often trapped in our bodies, and we carry them around. In fact it’s often trapped emotion that causes us physical pain and disease. Our mind, body, and emotions are all deeply connected.

Chronic stress means illness. Stubborn body fat can also be caused by stress and the core beliefs that aren’t serving us. So it’s not all about what we put in our mouths. The stress and the core beliefs have a lot to do with how our bodies run physically. 

From these emotions and thoughts, there are two paths we can take.

The first path we can take is to go right into action, as if you’re running on autopilot. Autopilot mode means we are not using conscious thoughts. This is the path we take because it’s how we’ve been programmed. 

Our actions then determine our outcomes or results. Think about these actions that we take based on the core beliefs. If they’re based on these core beliefs that aren’t serving us, we’re going to engage in self-sabotaging actions or behaviors. We all do it to some degree, some more than others. 

The second path we can take is what we call the Power Pause. Instead of going right into autopilot mode, we take a step back and pause. We get really present, connect with our conscious mind, and become the observer of our thoughts and feelings like we talked about in episode four. Then we can approach ourselves with curiosity and compassion.

When we approach ourselves with curiosity and compassion we can go into detective mode and start to figure some things out. We take a deep dive into whether or not the thoughts we’re having are going to serve us or not, and if those thoughts are going to serve us, then we continue on as we were. 

If we determine the thoughts are not serving us, we then have the opportunity, by being present and conscious, to choose new thoughts that will get us into the action that is in line with our values, our goals, and our vision of what success is.

Notice I didn’t say take action based on your new emotions. This is an important distinction that I want to make because even though thoughts evoke our emotions, having a new thought won’t necessarily change our emotions right away, because they are so ingrained. 

Your emotions might not change right away, but you can change. Just because you have a belief about who you are and what your limits are, it doesn’t make the belief true. 

The exciting part of this is, regardless of your emotions, you can then take intentional action based on your conscious thoughts that you’ve decided are the ones that are going to serve you.

The more thoughts we have that are serving us, the more our energy starts to shift and change. So until we’ve got these new vibrations, we’re sending out new energy into the universe, and that attracts back the energy that we’re putting out. 

That is how this all this works together. The Self Empowerment Coaching System is one big awesome cycle that we have control over, that we’ve been taught our whole lives that we have no control over.

In the episode we also give you a specific example to illustrate the system in use. And if it still sounds confusing, don’t worry! The SECS is the foundation for all the coaching and teaching we do so you’ll be learning it over and over in different ways throughout the Vegan Life Coach Podcast.

RELAVANT LINKS

Learn more about the Plant-Empowered Coaching Program and book your consultation HERE today.

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Subscribe to Ella’s Soul-Aligned Sunday Newsletter HERE.

Take the NEW FREE Self-Assessment to explore your relationship with food, exercise, and your body, and receive valuable, personalized insights and resources from Ella herself!

Check out Ella’s website HERE and learn about current coaching opportunities HERE.

05 May 2020
Empowerment, Going Vegan Tips, Podcast, Vegan Lifestyle
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Ep #4: The Secret for Transforming Your Body & Adopting a Vegan Lifestyle you Love

transforming with vegan lifestyle

Are you tired of all the claims out there promising you transformation as you seek help on your path to adopting a healthy vegan lifestyle? (I know I am!)

The word “transformation” is often thrown around by personal trainers making promises about helping people achieve the lean, fit body they’ve always wanted. What these trainers are really talking about however, is change. 

We see the before and after images of the clients, following a strict diet and insane workout regiment, having made significant changes to their bodies.

What we DON’T see are images 6 months, a year, 5 years later, when 80+% of those people have gained all the weight back and then some. Their body changed, and then it changed back.

Transformation only happens when the ROOT issue as to WHY we’re not eating, exercising, and living in the ways that will bring us health and happiness is addressed.

Hence, this week’s Vegan Life Coach Podcast episode!

Get ready to learn the key to TRUE TRANSFORMATION in this empowering episode, which will help you on your path to a healthy, happy, and fulfilling vegan lifestyle you love. 

We keep it real and raw, and dig deep while leaving plenty of room for you to laugh and play with us on this and every episode.

We want you to be intimately involved in ways that will help you absorb the vegan-friendly transformational tools we teach and apply them to your life…

Head on over to our Podcast page, where you can leave us a voice message with the questions you want answered (all things vegan, fitness, and mindset related), grab the awesome gift we have for you, AND even apply to be coached, live, on an upcoming episode! https://sexyfitvegan.com/podcast

Sending lots of love and high vibes your way.💚

LISTEN/WATCH

Subscribe: Apple Podcast | Stitcher | Spotify |  YouTube

CONNECT!

Subscribe to Ella’s Soul-Aligned Sunday Newsletter HERE.

Take the NEW FREE Self-Assessment to explore your relationship with food, exercise, and your body, and receive valuable, personalized insights and resources from Ella herself!

Check out Ella’s website HERE and learn about current coaching opportunities HERE.

TRANSCRIPT

Access a rough transcript of the episode HERE.