Pockets of Joy with Natashia Iacovelli (our SoulSista)

Meet Kayla Kleinman, a multi-passionate social media strategist and content creator based in NYC. On Instagram and TikTok she shares thoughts on life in your 30s, book recommendations, and a realistic approach to wellness. Within this episode, Kayla shares all things about her life in the Big Apple from working and living in the same space, to creating rituals with and for yourself, to deepening connections with others as we move forward in our lives. Her advice and practices are perfect for any phase of our lives and meet us along where we are at any part of our wellness journey. In addition to creating content, Kayla works full-time in social media marketing at Bookshop.org and previously taught yoga and fitness classes in NYC. More likely than not you can find her curled up with a fabulous book or walking around Manhattan listening to a podcast while sipping an iced soy vanilla latte. Please give Kayla a follow on any or all of the following platforms: Instagram: @kaylakleinman TikTok: kaylakleinman Substack: http://kaylakleinman.substack.com Blog: http://kaylainthecity.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tony Berlant is a veteran of health and fitness industry with almost 30 years of overall related experience. He holds a B.A. degree in Psychology from UCLA, and a Master of Science degree in Exercise and Movement Science from University of Oregon with a special focus on Sport and Exercise Psychology. Tony joins us to discuss diversifying your self care. Our conversation spans such relevant topics as brain training, having a positive mindset and moving as we age. Tony has held positions of Corporate Director of Education for The Sports Club Company (i.e., Sports Club/LA), Education Coordinator for YogaWorks, Inc., Director of Programs for Mad Dogg Athletics, Inc., and before co-founding Q4 Active, he served as the Director of Education and Programs for the MedFit Education Foundation. He was first certified as a personal trainer by NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) back in 1996, and more recently obtained certifications as a Functional Aging Specialist, and a Brain Health Trainer. Download the free brain training app Tony mentions: https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fapps.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Fq4-active-brain-health%2Fid1642509295&data=05%7C02%7Ctami.reilly%40quinnipiac.edu%7C34f1ad3d58484e55d33708dc4433be9e%7C0940985869fb4de9987990db22b52eaf%7C0%7C0%7C638460236256471527%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=3EqyeEP8OUWnH9xE64tXIS8mIXv5yKxhRQFVFe0MD%2Fk%3D&reserved=0 Check out Q4Active and Tony: https://www.q4-active.com/ https://www.facebook.com/q4active https://www.instagram.com/q4active/ [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meet Melanie Guadalupe. Mel is originally from the UK and moved to the US in 2002. She holds an MBA but says her passion has always been deep-rooted on the front lines of fitness helping others to reach their goals. She holds several internationally recognized certifications to include National Academy of Sports Medicine certified Personal Trainer, Athletics and Fitness Association of America Group Fitness Instructor (GFI), Training Peaks Power Specialist and is a Spinning® Master Instructor and Power Specialist Master Instructor. Mel’s self-care advise will resonate with so many of us as she stresses the importance of truly listening to what our body and soul are telling us. This is a huge shift in mindset for many of us and learning to respect our bodies is paramount to living a quality life as we age. In her teens, Mel was a competitive athlete holding UK national titles and world rankings in Artistic Roller Figure Skating and trained at the Olympic Center in Colorado Springs during her off season. Melanie has been working and presenting in the Health and Fitness industry for almost two decades and is passionate about people. She is an active mentor for new group fitness instructors at Yates Field House, Georgetown University. Melanie also enjoys co-training the University’s Triathlon team in the Spinning® Studio. Away from fitness Melanie is mum to her two beautiful daughters and loves music, dogs, travelling, discovering wine and dancing. Stay connected to Mel: Instagram @mellyg2000 Facebook Group – The Urban Cycle Suite which was set this group up during COVID as a private space for instructors to post their online rides and connect with others and continues to share information and resources today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She is living wellness day in and day out, in both her personal life and for those in the community. Meet Marla Prete Roscoe, Doctor of Physical Therapy and Co-Owner Nolla Wellness (New Haven, CT). Marla is a physical therapist, an acupuncturist and a recent wellness center owner. Our conversation transverses wellness as a form of prevention, treating the whole person and learning to breathe! Marla’s own health journey set her on course to now share her philosophy and set you up to live your best life! Marla is a wife and Mom of 2 boys, who early in her traditional medical career she learned the value of proactive care and this principle has become a staple in her treatment approaches as well as her own life. Follow Marla or visit her in New Haven at Nola: @marlapreteroscoe (all things social) | Linktr.ee/Marlapreteroscoe @nollawellness | www.nollawellness.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beyond excited to share my mentor and all around fabulous human, Petra Kolber (Speaker, Author, Positive Psychology Mindset Coach). Petra is the author of 'The Perfection Detox,' a keynote speaker, and a Positive Psychology Performance Coach. With over three decades of experience in the fitness industry, Petra has globally presented thousands of workshops, created best-selling workouts, hosted several television shows, and earned some of the most prestigious accolades in her field. In this episode, Petra discusses being a former perfectionist, overcoming anxiety and panic attacks, creating communities and bringing our BEST self, not our perfect self to all we do. Petra's journey is about more than just fitness; it's about constantly reinventing herself and proving that age is just a number. At 50, she went back to school to study Positive Psychology and developed Moving to Happiness, one of the first coaching programs to combine movement with mindset. At 55, she dove into the world of music, learning to DJ and debuting at a major event for an audience of 500. Then, at 58, Petra embarked on a solo adventure, traveling across Europe for 10 months. And at 59, she ventured into the corporate world for the first time, taking up the role of VP of Personal Development and Mindset at a prominent fitness company. Petra is a two time cancer survivor and her current passion is helping “Ambitious Procrastinators”™ turn their doubts into drive. She believes that midlife is not just a time for reflection but a launching pad for your most ambitious, fulfilling adventures yet. Join Petra’s tribe: www.petrakolber.com Instagram: @PetraKolber Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest this week is Hamden’s own, R.J. Ugolik, athlete, golf coach and teacher. R.J. reflects on the many practices and habits that keep him moving forward on any given day. His lifelong love of sports and athleticism has him working with multiple age groups in many different settings, sharing and imparting his philosophy along with the practical skills he helps them work on. This conversation encompasses a little bit of everything including the practice of discipline (the long “forgotten skill”), meditation, enjoying the silence and importance of routine. And if you are local, consider hiring R.J. as your teaching pro: Instagram: @fl0g0lf. [Fl0g0lf: F.or L.overs 0.f G.0lf] Lessons at: @back9social (Wallingford) @thvue_ct (Hamden) @arenagolfct (Newington) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meet Mim, a Health and Wellness entrepreneur, Integrative Nutrition Coach, Content creator and Fitness trainer. Mim began her journey into the Health and Wellness space in 2002 with a degree in Health Sciences specializing in Chinese Herbal Medicine. Over the years, with additional studies she has specialized in a holistic and integrative way of looking at health and wellness. Our conversation today spans some very important concepts such as coming home to a more simple life, healing from burnout, living a low tox life and how pushing yourself in some scary situations can be a form of self care. Born in the UK and growing up in Australia, Mim is a world traveler, living in India and the Middle East for over 15 years and being a business owner there. She recently moved back to Australia and has opened her third business, The Healthy Option, a health and wellness brand that focuses on Low Tox products to help people buy clean and eco friendly products for their home and lives. Mim’s website: www.thehealthyoption.com.au Follow her on Instagram: @mimkleiberg and @thehealthyoption.com.au Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jordan Elkins has been an athlete her whole life. The sport of hockey lead her across the country (from Alaska to Connecticut) where she connected with Tami, who taught the first yoga class Jordan ever took! Twelve years later,  Jordan owns her own multi-modality fitness studio teaching yoga and more back in her hometown of Wasilla, Alaska. She looks to inspire others to enjoy movement and live like an athlete… at any age. Listen in as this conversation covers paying attention to what the Universe has to tell you, the magic of spending time alone and how it is easy to show up for what you believe in.   If you find yourself in Wasilla – please check out Innergy:  www.innergyalaska.com    Instagram:  @jordanelkins_ @innergy__  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us for this week’s episode with JT Torres, Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Quinnipiac University.  The conversation with JT touches on the pressure of perfectionism, finding the right learning environment and learning to use your heart as a guide for all things. JT believes the most interesting thing he’s learned as an educational researcher is that we learn, grow, and change when we care about what we are doing and we feel cared about. This finding goes against years of thinking that the best way to educate humans was through content and intellectual stimulation. Fostering relationships in classrooms have resulted in so many achievement-based outcomes. And so, JT works to help educators, team and community leaders and professionals design care into their learning environments, whether in person, online, in community, or the workplace.   You can connect with JT on Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jt-torres-1aa72363   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meet Autumn White and Jeramiah Bruscinanelli, juniors at Quinnipiac University who are walking the walk, and talking the talk! They serve as role models, advocates and change makers on campus and will be out in the world doing amazing things in their communities (below are their detailed bios so you can really see ALL that they are about) upon graduation. Their maturity and intentionally are an inspiration to us all and make me so happy as I know they are guiding and influencing those around them in such a positive way. Our conversation in this episode takes us through the ideas of taking up space, navigating life as an RA (yes, work life balance), and growing as a person both on your own and alongside those you love. These two are aware of and are working on maintaining their own well-being during this challenging time of being a busy and driven college student. Autumn White is a junior majoring in Criminal Justice and minoring in Legal Studies in the 3 + 3 Accelerated Law Program. At Quinnipiac, she serves in several capacities, including community outreach chair for the Multicultural Student Leadership Council, event coordinator for Women Empowered, and Residential Assistant for the Office of Residential Life. As a content writer for One Bread Foundation, Autumn has raised funds for the rehabilitation of children rescued from sex trafficking. In addition to being involved in several non-profit organizations as a community event coordinator, she has also been associated with The Hartford Project and the YMCA, both of which are dedicated to tutoring and providing financial assistance to low-income families and youth in inner-city communities. Additionally, she has a job at the Recreation and Wellness center. She was awarded as a Challenge Coin recipient for Justice and Service due to her published article that helped to spread more awareness for Veterans. In the future, Autumn plans to continue her passion for human rights by pursuing a legal career as a Criminal Defense attorney. Follow Autumn: Instagram @Autumn.c.whitee Jeramiah Bruscinanelli: Jay is a junior in the accelerated (3 + 1 ) molecular and cellular biology program minoring in psychology and a part of the premed route. He is a resident assistant and part of the mental health task force for RAs helping to make sure those who are RAs are not overworked and overwhelmed throughout the year. He serves in a few cultural organizations such as the Multicultural Student Leadership Council serving as the secretary, Naturallyme serving as the vice president, and Quest program serving as a mentor. He was awarded the rising leader award from the Black Student Union and innovator award from MSLC last year when he wasn’t in the eboard. Jay also serves on the dining hall advisory board and the upper classmen advisory board working to improve quality of life and care on Quinnipiac grounds. He also participates in multiple areas of his major, serving as a panelist when incoming students looking for colleges need guidance on whether to come to QU. In the future, Jeramiah wishes to become a neurosurgeon helping patients that are in need of high-level care. He wishes to pursue clinical research in neuroscience in order to develop a cure for mental illnesses and more info on illnesses like Alzheimer's. Follow Jay: Instagram @Itzyoboyjera and Handshake- Jeramiah Bruscianelli Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices