Episodes

The holiday season is here, and while it can be a time of joy and togetherness, it often comes with stress, overcommitment, and a sense of overwhelm. In this episode of Message in the Middle, Marianne welcomes back productivity coach Lisa Zawrotny, founder of Positively Productive Systems and host of the Positively Living® Podcast. Together, they share practical tips to help you navigate holiday chaos with ease, ensuring you can enjoy the season without sacrificing your sanity. Lisa’s expertise...

In this episode, Marianne sits down with Dr. Carrie Holland, a board-certified family physician, personal trainer, and health & life coach. Dr. Holland is the CEO of her life coaching practice, and the host of the Strong is a Mindset podcast. With a passion for helping high-achieving, busy women, Dr. Holland focuses on building strong habits in Eating, Moving, and Thinking. Her unique approach combines habit psychology, mindset tools, and deep expertise in nutrition and exercise. Topics Discuss...

In this episode, Marianne sits down with Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, PhD—founder of Nutrivore.com and NY Times best-selling author of Nutrivore: The Radical New Science for Getting the Nutrients You Need from the Food You Eat. With Nutrivore, Dr. Sarah has created a positive and inclusive approach to dietary guidance based in science, using nutrient density and sufficiency as its basic principles. Dr. Sarah shares her approach to eating called "Nutrivore," which empowers us to enjoy our favorite food...

Join us for a powerful episode of Message In the Middle, as we sit down with Dr. Robb Kelly, PhD, a globally recognized addiction and recovery expert who has lived the extremes of addiction firsthand and now works to empower others to reclaim their lives. Episode Highlights Dr. Robb Kelly’s Backstory Early Years of Addiction: At just 9 years old, Dr. Kelly started drinking, escalating into heavy alcoholism as a teen and into his early twenties. By his late twenties, he hit rock bottom but began...

In this solo episode of Message In the Middle, host Marianne explores what it means to live intentionally, shares examples from her own life, offers insights on key areas to look at if you want to get out of auto pilot and move to a more intentional way of living, and shares some of the benefits of doing so. Key Topics Discussed Understanding Intentional Living: We begin by defining intentional living as making conscious choices to shape your life, rather than simply reacting to circumstances. ...

If you've ever struggled with feeling constantly tired, experiencing unexplained weight gain, or dealing with persistent inflammation and puffiness, this episode is for you. Today, we're diving into the world of anti-inflammatory nutrition with Ashley Malik, who has navigated her own health journey, including overcoming Hashimoto’s and hypothyroidism. Through over a decade of research and personal experience, Ashley has developed an anti-inflammatory approach to help women transform their hea...

Today’s episode is a must-listen for anyone striving to build a healthy lifestyle, maintain weight loss, or just stay consistent with exercise and movement. Joining me today is Jodi Dolo, a certified nutritionist and personal trainer who has an inspiring journey of losing and maintaining a 90-pound weight loss after a health scare in 2017. She's the co-host of the Mindful Muscle podcast and actively supports body positivity through community leadership. Discussion Points: Journey to Health:Jod...

In this candid solo episode of Message In the Middle, host Marianne reflects on a deeply personal moment of self-realization. After years of striving for perfection and external validation, and driving from a place of control, Marianne shares a transformative experience that happened during her nightly routine—a moment when she looked in the mirror and, for the first time, truly saw her middle-aged self with softness and acceptance. She opens up about how her evolving hairstyle mirrored her int...

In today's episode of Message in the Middle, host Marianne is joined by health industry veteran Esther Avant, who brings over 18 years of experience in fitness, nutrition, and wellness. Together, they take a deep dive into the "Six Big Rocks of Exercise and Nutrition" and explore Esther's "Gone For Good" framework, designed to help individuals build a sustainable, healthy lifestyle. The 6 Big Rocks of Nutrition and Exercise Esther advocates for focusing on six core "rocks" to establish ...

Hello and welcome to Message In the Middle. Joining me today is Elizabeth Harris. Elizabeth’s motto is “self-care, not self-control because food is meant to be enjoyed, movement should make you happy, and because we’ve all got better things to do than counting carbs or calories!" Elizabeth is a certified Intuitive Eating counselor, a registered dietitian, speaker, entrepreneur, and co-host of the podcast Wellness Rebranded. Topics Discussed: Healing Our Relationship with FoodSigns that our rela...

In this empowering episode of Message In the Middle, host Marianne sits down with Tara De Leon, a highly credentialed personal trainer, professor of Health, Fitness, and Exercise Studies, podcaster, speaker, and Amazon best-selling author. Tara has helped hundreds of women feel confident and empowered by teaching them how to lift weights, get strong, and embrace their bodies without apology. Tara is also the co-host of the Wellness Rebranded podcast, where she collaborates with a dietitian and a...

In this episode of Message In the Middle, host Marianne is joined by the inspiring Lunaria Gaia, a dynamic speaker, coach, podcast host, and 2-time Amazon best-selling author of “Get Happy & Free: Unlocking the Happiness Code” and “Perfectly Imperfect: Your Complete Guide to Loving Yourself and Loving Your Body.” Lunaria shares her journey from self-hatred to self-love and uses her lived experience to help other women cultivate confidence, self- love, and an unshakable connection to their true ...

Welcome to another episode of Message In the Middle with Marianne. Today, we're diving into a topic that’s more relevant than ever—rethinking retirement. But instead of discussing traditional retirement, we're exploring the concept of “rewirement.” Joining us for this conversation is Jeri Sedlar, a globally recognized author, speaker, and expert on the evolving topic of retirement. Jeri is the co-author of the highly acclaimed book, DON’T RETIRE, REWIRE! 5 Steps to Fulfilling Work That Fuels ...

Welcome to Message In the Middle, in this episode, Marianne sits down with Ginny MacColl, a 72-year-old actress, dancer, and competitive athlete who proves that age is just a number. Ginny's journey from dancing on Broadway to making history as the oldest competitive female Ninja athlete is nothing short of extraordinary. Join us as we explore Ginny's multi-faceted career, which began in 1974 as a dancer in the hit Broadway show Pippin. We delve into her transition into acting, her success in o...

Today we're diving deep into the world of big feelings. Emotions can be overwhelming for anyone, but learning to manage them is crucial, especially when it comes to guiding our children and grandchildren and providing them with tools to help them process, communicate and heal. In this episode, we have a special guest, Jennifer Ginty. Jen is a single mom, entrepreneur, and mental health advocate who has bravely navigated life with Complex PTSD and Major Depressive Disorder resulting from child...

Joining Marianne today is Abbey Heagney. For over 20 years, Abbey struggled to quiet her inner mean girl and find confidence in her body, her decisions, and who she was. Coaching completely transformed her life, and now, as a board-certified health & life coach, she helps others quiet their inner mean girl and create the habits, confidence, and life they love. Episode Highlights: Abbey's Journey to Coaching: Abbey shares her inspiring backstory, highlighting how her path to becoming a coach was...

Welcome to another episode of Message In the Middle! I'm your host, Marianne, and today, we're joined by Witney Riley, a transformation mentor with over 25 years of experience. Witney has dedicated her career to guiding individuals towards better lives, helping them transition from challenging relationships to fulfilling ones, from weight struggles to weight happiness, and from financial insecurity to financial freedom. As a certified EFT practitioner, founder of a unique meditation technique...

Today, we’re diving into the art of reframing our thoughts, expectations, and perceived boundaries of middle age and beyond. Joining me for this conversation is Ande Lyons. Ande is a four-time founder, a former global startup mentor, and a seasoned podcaster since 2012. Currently, she hosts the popular Don’t Be Caged By Your Age Podcast, where she helps individuals dissolve ageist beliefs and thrive beyond 65. In This Episode, We Discuss: Ande's Personal Journey:Ande shares her age and where sh...

Today, we’re diving into the world of strength training. Our guest, Sarah Siertle, is an expert in inclusive strength and movement coaching. Sarah's mission is to help people of all sizes and abilities get strong, enjoy life, and build a healthy relationship with exercise. Sarah is a certified Applied Health and Human Performance Specialist and Human Movement Specialist. She brings a compassionate, patient, and accepting approach to fitness, standing in deep contrast to the mainstream fitness c...

In today's episode we're rounding out our three-guest series focused on learning more about psychic abilities and other non-mainstream modalities that can help validate our intuition and guide us in various areas of our lives. Joining Marianne today is Julie Speetjens. Once an IT Project Manager, Julie's intuitive abilities blossomed spontaneously in her early 40s during her Reiki training. Now, she is a Reiki Master and Teacher, specializing in multiple types of Reiki, as well as a professio...

Welcome to another enlightening episode of Message In the Middle! Today, we dive into the fascinating world of Quantum Human Design with Dr. Marie Gasper-Hulvat. Dr. Hulvat is not only a Quantum Human Design™ Specialist but also a Certified Family Coach, Quantum Alignment System™ Practitioner, and Reiki Master Teacher. In her full-time job, she's a professor of Art History and an art historian, but her true passion lies in helping individuals transform their lives through Human Design coaching. ...

Join us today as we dip our toe into the world of "Woo". Joining me for this conversation is Angela Bixby. Angela's journey into the spiritual realm began long before she officially recognized it. She describes herself as an empath and a natural claircognizant, with an innate ability to perceive what lies beneath the surface. Although she didn't formally embrace her calling until 2010, by attending a psychic school in New York City, Angela's path as a highly sensitive person led ...

Welcome to the first episode of our new series on psychic abilities here on Message In the Middle! I'm your host, Marianne, and today we embark on a fascinating journey into unconventional ways of perceiving and interpreting information beyond our five physical senses. This series aims to provide valuable insights for those who are curious, skeptical, or simply seeking more information about psychic perspectives and modalities. In this episode, we are joined by Rauncie Reynolds, the Pagan Cha...

Today, I have a returning guest that some of you might remember, her name is Shiloh Minor. We’re diving deep into how resentment, growth, and personal development can impact our relationships. As a reminder, Shiloh helps women create soul-satisfying marriages without couples therapy through her proven Real-Love Method. Conversation Highlights: Shiloh's Journey: A recap of how Shiloh entered this area of focus through her own relationship healing and how she has been supporting others in resto...