May 11, 2024 • 37 mins
"Cooking is love made visible."
Join me in conversation with Whitney Cardosi, the inspiring owner of Wellness with Whit, as she delves into the art of cultivating a positive food culture among families. Through engaging cooking classes, Whitney shares invaluable insights on fostering a healthy relationship with food from a young age, promoting wellness, and empowering kids to embrace nutritious eating habits with joy and creativity. We also talk about the 75 Soft Challenge and Whitney's brand new cookbook "In The Kitchen: Healthy Meals You'll Actually Enjoy". Tune in to discover practical tips and heartwarming stories that illuminate the path to raising a generation of food-loving, health-conscious individuals.
Follow Whitney Cardosi’s fitness and cooking program on her website www.whitneycardosi.com or Instagram @whitney_cardosi for more inspiring and healthful content.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Music.
(00:23):
Welcome to the Hustle & Harmony podcast, Finding Balance in the Chaos.
I'm your host, Sharon McEntee, owner of Embody Med Spa and founder of Fye Skin Care.
And today I'm very excited to be joined by another mom boss,
Whitney Cardosi, mom of two and owner of Wellness with Wit.
(00:43):
Welcome, Whitney. Thank you so much. I'm so excited. This is a perfect way to
get back into it from school vacation.
Yes, absolutely. And as we had discussed, it was a little bit of a chaotic morning for me.
You're seen to be a little more calm, so that's great.
Whitney, I do want to just start by getting a little bit of a background and
(01:07):
also just telling us about your business because I think it speaks to a lot
of the audience members who are interested in health and wellness and sustainable nutrition,
which is a phrase I took from your website.
And I just love that concept. So I'm going to turn it over to you.
(01:28):
Awesome. Thank you. Well, I'll start with my journey, I guess.
So as we were just sharing, and I don't know why I feel like I always have to
share this, but obviously it's just a really big part of me.
So I live in Massachusetts and
just north of Boston where my husband's from, but grew up in San Diego.
And we've been back here now about 11 years. And so, yeah, I don't know,
(01:48):
I guess just moving across the country is, can be pretty, you know, life-changing.
And when I made that move, I really, that was in 2013.
I, it was really the first time I dipped my toe in the water of entrepreneurship.
You know, prior to that, if you had asked me, what do you want to do when you
(02:09):
grow up or what What do you want to do?
This was before the days of Instagram influencers. And I really,
my answer was, if I could, I would get paid to travel.
And what that stemmed in really was, I never really wanted to,
I wanted to be in charge of my own schedule and my own life.
It wasn't that I didn't want to work hard.
(02:29):
And I have always looked up to, you know, coaches and bosses and teachers.
So it wasn't really like an anti-establishment type thing. It was just really
like I always have beat to my own draw. My mom's always said that.
And so when we moved here, it just felt like it was a good time to kind of start with that.
And I dabbled in blogging, which 10 years ago was a lot harder than it is now
(02:50):
because you had to know how to write code and all of that kind of stuff unless
you were paying someone to do that.
And that was really where I began learning about marketing on social media.
And so, you know, it's funny. I look back at my pictures now and they make me
laugh. But, you know, I really, my concept was like a girl from California living in Boston.
Anyways, you know, eventually had to get a real job again. And,
(03:13):
but I did that for about six months while I was here.
Anyways, jumped into corporate because I was also always very like goal and
financially driven as well.
So I actually did great in corporate
America because I was very good at climbing the corporate ladder.
And I was happily doing that for about five years until I had my first daughter.
And when I came back from maternity leave, first, I was very excited to come
(03:36):
back to work because maternity leave was very hard for me.
I think partly being it's isolating for anybody, but especially if your village
is not here and you're, you know, we were still new, very new to Massachusetts.
I was, and my whole perspective changed.
So I began building a way out. And that my first way of doing that was actually
in network marketing through Arbonne, which is really like where my journey
(03:58):
with health and wellness professionally started.
I always was the girl reading like self magazine and fitness magazine because
I was just interested, not because I was obsessed with like my body image or anything like that.
I just loved learning about nutrition and things like that. So that love was always there.
And so I built my business with that and was able to walk away from my corporate
(04:21):
job after I had my second daughter in 2018.
The struggle was real with that.
If you are someone who's ever left
a job to start a business or continue a business, it's very challenging.
You think you're going to have all of this time.
But in reality, you lose all your structure and your identity gets very confusing.
(04:42):
So I was just getting that figured out about a year and a half later and then the pandemic hit.
So I continued on with that.
And then post-pandemic, a couple years later, as my oldest daughter started
full-time preschool, I knew I could add more to my plate.
So I dabbled in meal delivery for about a year because I loved cooking.
(05:02):
And one of the reasons since I think I was so successful with coaching nutrition,
was because I could inspire people to cook healthy because I loved doing that and sharing that.
And that was fun, but I realized after a year that the long-term of that,
the road that would go down wasn't the road that I wanted to take.
And that's where I sort of pivoted and ended up where I am now with Wellness
(05:25):
with Wit, which is really focusing on, like you said, sustainable nutrition
for moms while also incorporating our kids in that journey.
So cooking with our kids, I teach cooking classes several days a week,
both in preschools and also in the public and sort of just meshing all of that together.
(05:45):
And I think I will just say, like, as I sum that all up, it's just really,
you know, as a business owner, and I'm sure you know, having been in business
for so long, like your business can tend to pivot with your stages of life.
And as girl mom, two girls, five, almost six and nine,
I just became more and more and more passionate about the message that we're
(06:07):
sending to young girls and kids,
all kids, but girls in particular, and just really feeling like adamant of not
giving them the same messages that we had as children. I'm 42.
So that millennial age and what sort of what we grew up with,
with a special K diet, low fat, and all these crazy things that aren't true
(06:30):
that are affecting us in adulthood.
And after coaching adult women for so many years, I realized most of us women
don't need another program.
We need to unwind all of the crazy things that we were taught and experienced through our life.
And if we could only get in front of that with this next generation,
then hopefully we can give them a little bit more freedom, a better relationship
(06:53):
with food, a healthier life, and they won't have to be spending time and energy
in their adult years on this stuff.
It'd just be a way of life. You know, I think about as a mom.
In her 40s with two young kids running a business and all the things,
like the amount of time that we spend thinking about and worrying about our
weight and what we look like, what if we freed our children of that?
(07:16):
What if they didn't have to spend all that time and energy, imagine what they
could accomplish and how much easier their life would be.
And so that's really where my passion has come from with where I am with my business now.
So I love that. I love all of that. And there's so many little nuggets in there,
as far as you talked about when you start your own business and you just found yourself with no time.
(07:37):
One of the things I tell people is do not start a business thinking you're going
to have more free time because that certainly does not happen.
It consumes most of your time.
However, I feel that it's not as bothersome because we love what we're doing,
right? So if we're starting our own business, it's our baby.
So it's okay that we're putting in all this time and effort.
(07:59):
The other thing I wanted to touch on was that you really said,
you know, kind of getting these either archaic ideas out of our heads about health and wellness.
But I also think, like you, a lot of people do a lot of research and know a
lot about nutrition. They know what they need to do.
(08:20):
They know what they should be doing. It's a matter of time and convenience, right?
And so I think a lot of us reach for what's easy because my life is so chaotic.
And so for you to be able to make it easy and make it doable so people understand
that they can do it and prepare healthy meals and take care of their family
(08:43):
without driving themselves crazy or feeling like it's one more thing. I think that's great.
Yeah. And I think like, you know, speaking about just like cooking,
for example, cooking in particular, it's kind of changing your mindset about it. Right.
As opposed to being one more thing you have to do. It's the same thing with
working out and exercise.
If you look at it as I'm going to do this and here's all of the things that's
(09:08):
going to allow me to do because of it. So like I'm an early morning workout person.
So I I it's like I do it and then I know it's going to give me this boost of
energy throughout the day and it's going to do all these things. So same with cooking.
If we can look at it like, you know, rather than just having to grab for the
quick meals and things like that, like use it as all of the things that it can
(09:31):
provide for you. It can be a relationship building opportunity for you and your kids.
It can, you know, and it's such a way to also then build your health and your,
you know, getting those nutrient rich foods in your body that then give you
the energy to get throughout the day.
So I think it's just kind of looking at as like this holistic,
you know, thing that we have to do sort of all of these things in order to,
(09:51):
again, like by doing this, by working out and by cooking,
I'm actually going to probably give myself more time because I'm not going to
be so tired and I'll have the energy and the mental stability and all of these
things to do the things I need to accomplish each day.
Perfect. So are you still doing the meal delivery service or is that, has that now shifted?
(10:12):
Yeah, no, I did. I kind of had to, it was like I had to choose to do it or not.
So I, I put a full pause on it. I'll say I do have some people that have inquired
about me coming in and doing things at home. So I miss it.
I was actually just going through all of the testimonials that I had from my
meals because, and I'll mention this more later, but I'm just in the final stages of my cookbook.
(10:35):
And so I was pulling some of those out for the testimonials.
And I do miss it because I genuinely got so much joy out of not only making
food that was delicious, but also healthy.
And for people to have these epiphanies of like, wow, I can eat this food.
It's healthy and it's delicious.
So it could be something that comes back around as like a leg of my business
down the line, but probably not for a little while.
(10:56):
Well, you brought up your cookbook. So let's talk about it. Let's talk about
the cookbook, what is included in that, and, you know, what your goal is by creating the cookbook.
Yeah. So it really started with, you know, when I first originally made the
shift in my business to kind of start with the kids' cooking classes and sort
(11:18):
of following that journey.
I'm very much of just an action taker of, like, let's try this and then just
really seeing where things go.
So originally, it just started with those cooking classes, knowing, though,
that, you know, within at some point, I would need to add additional elements
to it because, you know, really to be successful in business,
you can't just have an in-person service, right?
(11:41):
Because your time is limited. Your capacity is limited.
So I had over the years for my newsletter subscribers, I had been creating these recipe guides.
And so it would be sort of a different theme each month.
And I just figured, hey, I have all these recipes out here. Why don't I just
compile them? And so originally it was just going to be a small e-book, digital book.
(12:02):
But once I kind of put everything together, I realized I had so many recipes.
It was, you know, if I had included everything, it probably would have been 150 recipes.
But I decided to scale back on that. So basically it's called In the Kitchen,
Healthy Meals You'll Actually Enjoy, which is really just kind of,
again, like let's remember that healthy eating and cooking is delicious.
(12:23):
And also let's get back in the kitchen.
Let's stop eating such processed foods and like, you know, do all of those things.
And really, of course, it's healthy. Most of my recipes are gluten and dairy
free, but I don't think people will miss it.
But you can use whatever ingredients that you use.
Fresh, you know, being from California, like I'm very into sort of like very
(12:43):
vibrant flavors, fresh, light, things like that.
And then also I have so many just different elements because of the feedback
I've gotten through clients over the years. So again, I'm such a,
I'm a big believer that we don't have to worry so much about the little things.
And by the little things, I mean, counting the calories and the macros, things like that.
If we're really focusing on consuming real whole nutrient dense foods.
(13:06):
So I have sections in there like homemade sauces and salad dressings,
like all those things that you would buy in a jar, like barbecue sauce,
so easy to actually to make at home.
And if you have the right ingredients, I have like protein forward breakfast
and I have of a special section for celebration meals, side dishes and things like that.
So there's 75 recipes in there that will kind of can be available to you for
(13:30):
there's weeknight fast weeknight meals in there.
You know, there's so many different things because I want it to be kind of like
your Bible of like, you can go in for anything and it's not just one thing in particular.
So, and, and I will say, I think this is important to share is I learned how
to cook by watching the food network. work. So I've always cooked from inspiration.
So many of these recipes are ones that I've tried myself, you know,
(13:53):
through that I found on Pinterest or on websites and then have tweaked to sort of fit my own style.
So most of them have been inspired from other recipes out there and just I've
put my spin on them and shared the ones that I've loved the most or that my
clients have loved the most.
You have to know how to cook before doing any of your programs or using this
cookbook. cook? I don't know. That's a great question.
(14:16):
You know, there are definitely, there's a variety. So there's definitely some
in there that are super simple. Like if you can turn your stove on, you're fine.
And then there's other ones that for, you know, someone who does enjoy cooking
will give them, you know, something, I guess, to maybe challenge them a little bit.
So I think you'll find a variety. So anyone can use those recipes.
So if you don't know, there's definitely some in there.
(14:38):
Like I said, if you can turn your stove on that you'll be able to enjoy.
Perfect. And when are you anticipating that this will be published and people find it?
Great question. So May of 2024. So we're recording this in April.
Yes. Yeah. I'm like, just before jumping on here, I was sending like the images for the back page.
(14:59):
And for starters, it will just be on Amazon. And then from there,
I'll get the publishing rights to have it in other areas.
But yeah, it's really just grown into this whole thing. So I'm kind of winging
it, Not to say that it's not a passion project by any means, but I'm really excited.
And as I've done this journey, I already have so many ideas for future sort of themed books.
(15:20):
And definitely the next one will probably be very focused on doing specific
recipes with kids in the kitchen.
I love it. I love it. And I will, by the time this gets published, it will be May.
So once you have the link, I'll throw that up on my Amazon storefront as well
so that people will be able to find it easily.
Easily so i have i have three kids and
(15:41):
my middle one my 12 year old daughter loves to
cook and so i love this we
buy cookbooks that are kid friendly very often
so she can play around with different recipes she definitely prefers baking
to cooking but i am trying to segue her into more cooking and get comfortable
with that but so when for your kids classes are these generally kids that have an interest in cooking?
(16:09):
Or is it just they've never been exposed to it before?
Or are they, you know, children of clients that you have? Who are the kids that
do your cooking classes?
Yeah, so I'm fortunate to get to work with a variety.
So for my public like retail pop up classes, I will say right now,
and this just kind of happened organically, the majority of of the kids that
(16:31):
I'm working with in this moment are preschool to lower elementary age.
However, like I shared at the beginning, I'm very passionate about working with
the slightly older kids.
So I'm hoping to create a program in the fall of 2024 that will target kind
of that upper elementary, lower middle school, like your daughter's age.
(16:53):
So keep your eye out for that. And it's a combination. So for my public retail
classes, which means anyone can sign up for.
I find it's one of two things. It's either, hey, my kid would love this, right?
Maybe they show interest in cooking and so they want to do it.
Or my kid's super picky and I'm hoping that this will encourage them to expand their palate.
And with that age group, of course, what we're cooking is very basic.
(17:17):
But we have fun with it. Actually, one of my most popular recipes to date in
terms of like how many of the kids tried it and loved it was like a stir fry
and they loved it. We made the sauce from scratch and whatnot.
And then I also partner with inside daycares and preschools.
So it's just whatever kids are there.
But truly, I think, you know, every kid and at this point, since last October.
(17:41):
Well, really just since this calendar year, I've cooked with probably close to 200 kids.
And I don't think I've had one kid that wasn't interested in helping.
There's definitely a variety of their enthusiasm over trying the food.
But there's something really magical that happens when they,
and there's research behind this, when they play a part in creating a recipe,
(18:03):
their willingness to try that food skyrockets.
And then you layer that with being with their peers, and then that adds that extra element.
So especially if you have a couple adventurous kids in the class and they see
them try it, again, their willingness to try that really jumps up.
So I always tell the parents that they might be very adventurous here with me,
(18:24):
and then that they might not be at home, that's totally normal because they
don't have that peer space.
But so, you know, again, I would say from like a public perspective,
it's the kids that are either interested in cooking or their parents are trying
to encourage them to expand their palate and try different foods.
So it's funny. I noticed that when my 12-year-old helps me with dinner or even
(18:48):
sometimes she just makes dinner under my supervision,
vision, her siblings are very supportive and that when I make dinner, there's a lot of.
Critiquing.
So I do think that that whole, the peer environment and that they,
you know, they're very supportive of each other.
So I can definitely see that.
(19:10):
Absolutely. Yeah. There's a lot of research behind it. And that's one of like my pillars.
I have a three -step process that like is to make mealtime easier.
And that just having them involved at whatever level, because that's going to
obviously vary depending on their age.
But research shows that when they play a part in the meal in some way, even if it's just.
(19:33):
You know, contributing to the ideas of what we're going to eat,
like the grocery list and the meal planning.
And that's going to obviously, the more engaged they are, the more willing they
are usually to try things.
So it's, you know, for those of us that are pulling our hair out at mealtime,
even though I know stopping and like getting your kids in the kitchen also feels
like something you're going to pull your hair out about, and it might be,
(19:55):
the end result is totally worth it.
Right. And it won't always be like that, right? It might be a little stressful
in the the beginning, but it does get easier.
So I always say it's like teaching your kids to tie their shoe.
It's so brutal at first to watch them do it.
And like, you just want to get in there and do it for them, but eventually then
they learn and then they, you know, and then they can do it on their own.
And then you have that, that extra freedom.
(20:16):
Love it. So tell me some more about some other programs that you offer.
I know that you have like 30 day resets. I'm not sure if you're still doing
those healthy mom club, corralling the kitchen chaos.
Tell us all about these, these different programs and what they're doing?
So like I said, I'm very much the type to do things and follow my intuition
(20:38):
and then learn from those experiences and actually built that.
The Healthy Mom Club was...
Sort of my baby this time last year. And I learned so much from it.
And that's ultimately kind of what, what brought me where I am now.
And, but I also want to, you know, keep my services streamlined because,
you know, it's important people know how to, to work with me.
(20:58):
So, so the kids cooking classes is obviously like one leg. And again,
I can do private classes.
I can go, if you're like my kids at a daycare and I want you out there,
like there's a lot of ways I can work with people there.
I have my cookbook coming out and then I'm hoping to streamline everything that
I've done, not hoping, I am working on, and the goal is to launch this in June,
(21:18):
will actually be a membership.
So Crawling the Kitchen Chaos, where it basically takes everything that I've
done in the last eight to 10 years and creates one membership.
So it's supporting moms and women in their health.
And if they're interested in incorporating supplements in that journey,
then that's available to them.
But it really is more about just encouraging women to, again,
(21:42):
get back in the kitchen, eating really real whole foods, looking at light health
and nutrition as a lifelong journey and not just a temporary change.
And then of course, that whole element of here's how we can get our kids in
the kitchen. And there is a lot of research.
One of the things I've learned that I get the most excited about is they show
(22:03):
in research that by teaching your kids to cook or giving them an environment
to do that, whether it's you or somebody else,
builds their self-efficacy, which is their confidence in themselves to achieve
things and to overcome obstacles and things like that, which is truly one of
the best gifts I think we can give our kids to be successful in life.
(22:23):
And so I'm really passionate about it. And so that membership,
again, will be live in June and we'll give moms just all the support they need
in terms of health and wellness, community,
which is something I'm really good at, building recipes and then involving their
kids in that journey as well. Wow. Perfect. Love it.
Okay. Kind of off topic, but on topic, let's talk 75 hard because I saw on your
(22:49):
Instagram that you, how far did you complete it?
So I've done the 75 hard twice, which was amazing.
The first time I did it was in, I started at the beginning of the year, January of 2021.
And interestingly enough, because, you know, So I was coming out of the pandemic,
like so many people just thinking like mentally, I really needed a change.
(23:13):
Ironically, at the end of that, within like a week or two, I got COVID.
It was Easter weekend and then
which turned into pneumonia and I ended up in the hospital for a week.
So just goes to show you, you can be in peak health because I was really at
that point and still, you know, get sick.
But so that was the first time that I did it.
And then I did it again the following year. And you know, it's interesting because
(23:35):
I've gone through phases in my health journey where I have fallen into these
sort of like very dogmatic phases.
Behaviors and or mindset around food.
And like, there's actually a term for it. I can't remember what it's called.
But it's where you be basically become obsessed with clean eating.
And I definitely experienced that for a while. And I'm really coming out of that.
(23:56):
And again, that's really what I'm trying to share. So I launched in April that
are at the beginning of this month, a 75 soft groups, we have actually almost
100 women that are doing it with us.
And you can join at any time. And I'll share that link with you as well.
And I ID and what it does, desert that's going to get us through right till summer.
So if you're on the East Coast, our school year goes through like the middle of June.
(24:17):
West Coast, they're out much earlier than that. But so for us,
East Coasters, or Northeast, I should say, it runs us right up through the end
of the school year, right at the beginning of summer.
My goal with it, so it's a soft version of the 75 hard.
So it takes a lot of those same elements, but a little less intense,
which I think is perfect for most people.
(24:37):
And the goal with it is let's establish, let's focus on establishing healthy habits.
Not that we're going to only do for 75 days, but that by the end of the 75 days,
they become habits and we can continue those through not only summer,
but the rest of our lives.
So it's a free group. Anyone can join. I send a weekly email every Friday with an affirmation.
(24:59):
I give three recipes in the recipes.
I also break out. Here's how I would cook this for my kids, meaning I kind of
like separate out ingredients and whatnot with their age, you know,
and then eventually of course we'll incorporate those.
Here's the tasks that they could help you with. So it encompasses all of that.
And then we have a Facebook group and a Facebook chat. So every day everyone's,
(25:22):
it's very much run by the community.
They're in there like sharing their wins, their struggles, their favorite recipes. I did this workout.
I'm reading this book. It's awesome. So anyone can join at any time and they
can either just do it with us until we're done June 21st, or you can keep going
through your full 75 days.
But I think it's a great way to get into summer because I know for a lot of
us, keeping those habits through summer is really challenging when we lose our routine.
(25:46):
I love that. And I love that you incorporate the entire family into some aspects
of the challenge, which then makes it easier to keep going.
I love that. I did 31 days of 75 hard a couple of years ago and I got kidney
stones and had to stop immediately.
But when I was doing it, and I do what's more like a 75 moderate,
(26:11):
so not quite as soft and not quite the hard kind of But I do love when I do
my second workout of the day outside,
my kids will often come with me and do my walk or do my laps or whatever.
And I love that. And I do find, like I said, if I incorporate the family in
it, first of all, I don't feel guilty for taking the time to do it.
(26:34):
And second of all, they're exercising and they're seeing what a healthy lifestyle
looks like without it becoming all consuming. Yes.
Functional exercise is so important. I think like, again, that dogmatic mindset,
but just reminding ourselves that weight training, all of that is so important,
(26:54):
but so is walking and being outside.
And like, even right now I'm sitting, but I just got this standup desk because
I realized like I'm sitting at my desk so long.
So just all of these things that unfortunately in modern society,
we have to like work into our day. Whereas, you know, 50 years ago, it was just the life.
But I love that you bring your kids. And yeah, we try to get in as many outdoor
(27:16):
walks in the evening as we can also.
Love it. Love it. Love it. So what do you want the audience to take away?
What's a little nugget of wisdom that or a couple nuggets of wisdom that you
would love for the audience to know about sustainable nutrition and family nutrition?
Yeah. You know, I think I've shared, you know, pretty clearly like sort of where
(27:39):
my mindset and my passion is at. But I think for me, it really is just a reminder to moms that.
More is caught than taught. And the examples that we set, which we were just
talking about, the examples that we set for our children is so important and
so much more important than talking at them or telling them things.
(28:01):
So if we're telling them like, you know, you need to get outside,
but we're never doing that ourselves.
They see that same with what we eat, same with the way that we talk about our body.
Like I'm very intentional about, I'm not perfect, but I do my best to never
talk about losing weight in front of them, shaming the way that I look.
If I'm trying on an outfit and I'm looking in a mirror, I try to close my door
(28:24):
so that they're not in there because I don't want them to ever see me looking
at myself in a way that's not pure love.
And I think that's just a reminder for moms that they see everything that we
do and they mirror everything we do, monkey see, monkey do.
And just Just if you struggle, I always say this, if you struggle to find the
(28:46):
motivation to do these things for yourself, then use the motivation for setting
the example for your children as that motivation.
And for some people, that will be more because, again, I just think about all
of the times where I've looked at a picture and not liked the way I looked or,
you know, just spent time and energy.
(29:06):
And I just don't want that for my kids. And I know I can't protect them from
anything, but I can definitely set a good example for them.
And, you know, just, yeah, more is caught than taught and just lead by example.
And the benefit is, is you're going to get healthier along the way.
But also be careful of the other extreme, right?
Like if you are obsessive about exercising or if they see, you know,
(29:31):
that you are preparing this yummy
meal for everybody else, but then you're eating a salad, they see that.
So if that's the case, then talk about why you're doing that, right?
Like, there's just so much that goes into it. I think that's really what I want
most moms to just realize and remember. They're setting that example for their kids.
I agree 100%. I try to talk to my kids about building muscle and getting stronger and eating for fuel.
(29:57):
And that's the terminology I try to use for the same reasons.
I don't, you know, the terminology and all these things that were around when
I was growing up and I'm, I'm a little older than you.
So, you know, we had the whole heroin chic look in all the models and then,
and then it shifted, which was nice to see that shift towards muscular,
(30:19):
healthy fit bodies versus just skinny,
skinny bodies. So I love it. Yeah.
And I think that's where, you know, you may, you bring up a really good point
in that. that I think so many of us from our generation.
Weren't taught to listen to our bodies. And really, whether you believe in God
(30:41):
or the universe or whatever, our bodies were built exactly as they were meant to be.
And we were given the food on earth that we were given for an exact reason.
Every food source had its purpose.
And then we introduced processed food and that changed.
And it changed our ability to listen to our body. but also because of marketing
(31:02):
and magazines, you know, we were reading like these things that, and not listening.
So for example, my daughter, we, we got ice cream last night.
Cause you know, end of vacation, whatever.
So she ate the whole thing. And then really quickly after it was like,
oh, my stomach hurts so bad.
And so I took that opportunity just to say, listen, like ice cream is delicious,
but there's, you know, there's a lot of dairy in there that might your,
(31:24):
your body just might not love.
So just remember that next time I'm never seen, don't have the ice cream,
but just remember like how you feel and we'll do the same thing.
And they just, it's so important to teach them to listen to their body.
We do the same thing. If we have like a really great, healthy dinner and,
and they are like happy afterwards and energetic, I'll say, look how much energy
(31:44):
you have after eating this meal.
And it was, you know, you had this in it. You, you, we had chicken tonight,
so you had all that extra protein.
And I think that's just really important, And which a lot of people may not,
many know all of that, like you and I, and many might not.
And so that's where like this membership for me is so exciting because I'm giving
(32:04):
like the tools to the moms to educate themselves about these things and,
and the resources to be able to have those conversations with their kids if
they don't already know those things.
But having those conversations about what we're eating and just like you said,
how it fuels our body is so empowering.
And especially young kids, they absorb so much information and they really do
(32:26):
hear what you're saying if you talk about it enough.
I love it. I love it. All right. Wait, tell us where people can find you.
How do they sign up for your 75 soft challenge?
How do they enroll their kids in your programs or work with you as an adult?
So the easiest place to really keep up to date with everything I'm doing is
Instagram, which I'm just Whitney underscore Cardosi on Instagram.
(32:48):
You can just Google my name and it'll pop up there.
My website is WhitneyCardosi.com. So you can find most of that stuff as well.
And that is where I have linked there. And Instagram is kind of like all my
links where you can find the link to my website, to the 75 Soft,
to my updated schedule for cooking classes,
and then ultimately I'll have my cookbook link up there as well.
(33:12):
Fabulous. Okay, I want everyone in the audience to check out Whitney's website.
Again, that's WhitneyCardosi.com, and I expect everyone to at least check out
the 75 Soft Challenge and challenge yourselves to participate in it.
I think that would be great.
One last question. How do you find balance in the chaos of being a working mom?
(33:35):
That's a timely question. I was actually just thinking this morning that this vacation,
this school vacation was probably the first period of time off with my kids,
whether it was a vacation week or summer, where I really truly felt like balanced
in that where I had pockets of time.
I was I sat down and did some work, but I wasn't forcing it.
(33:58):
And I was able to be very present with them and really enjoy the time off with them.
And, you know, as much as I hate to admit it, I usually dread these weeks because
for so many years I have assigned my worth to my career achievements.
So time this is going to sound terrible, but time away from that and and where
(34:19):
it's being interrupted, I always felt irritated by that.
But through a lot of work on myself and whatnot, I've shifted that.
And so I think it's really just, you know, for me, like, it's important for
me to be present with my kids and my family and not feel that they are a distraction to my career,
(34:42):
but that actually they support it and, you know, let me recharge and things like that.
I don't know if that answers that question, but it's a journey and it's not
linear and you'll have ups and downs.
And there's, it's very likely that this summer I might not feel that way,
but, you know, just really, I think being present, you know.
(35:03):
I just yesterday, a close friend of mine has been passed unexpectedly.
And it really was just this like reminder that life is so short and there's,
you can never take time back with your family.
And for me, like that will always come first.
And I think that's just really important to remember.
And you know, work and career will always be there for you when you're ready
(35:25):
to get back to it, but it can't be the most important thing in your life.
I'm so sorry for your loss. I, I am. Yeah. I think though, what you said,
I don't think it sounds awful. I think it sounds like classic mom guilt, right?
That when we're home with our kids, we feel like we should be working.
And when we're at work, we feel like we should be home with our kids.
So I think that's something that all of us working moms need to just give ourselves
(35:51):
grace and understand that we're all doing the best we can.
And to your point, life can change in a minute, an instant.
And so you You just do the best you can and put your heart and soul into whatever
you have going on at the moment.
And it'll hopefully the universe will balance everything out for you.
Yes. And if you're feeling down, avoid scrolling social media because that will
(36:15):
just make it or, you know, seeing so many entrepreneurs this week that are,
you know, achieving because either they don't have kids or they're not in Massachusetts.
And I kept I kept getting those feelings.
And I was like, you know what? Just stop. Like, get off the social media. media
this is temporary you know you'll get back to like working this
week and so that's another tip stay off the social media if you're
feeling like you're you know down agreed a
(36:38):
hundred percent hundred percent well i want to thank
you so much whitney for being on here this was
great and i it has inspired me to now you know cook with my kids tonight and
have them help me with dinner i love it yeah no i love it and hopefully everybody
else is inspired as well and not intimidated to get in the kitchen with their
(36:59):
kids. I think it's wonderful.
If nothing else, it's just quality family time too. Absolutely.
Yep. Something your kids will always remember for sure. Absolutely.
Everybody else, don't forget to follow the Hustle & Harmony podcast wherever
you listen to your podcast and be sure to follow me on Instagram at share underscore mom boss.
Music.
Music.
(00:23):
Welcome to the Hustle & Harmony podcast, Finding Balance in the Chaos.
I'm your host, Sharon McEntee, owner of Embody Med Spa and founder of Fye Skin Care.
And today I'm very excited to be joined by another mom boss,
Whitney Cardosi, mom of two and owner of Wellness with Wit.
(00:43):
Welcome, Whitney. Thank you so much. I'm so excited. This is a perfect way to
get back into it from school vacation.
Yes, absolutely. And as we had discussed, it was a little bit of a chaotic morning for me.
You're seen to be a little more calm, so that's great.
Whitney, I do want to just start by getting a little bit of a background and
(01:07):
also just telling us about your business because I think it speaks to a lot
of the audience members who are interested in health and wellness and sustainable nutrition,
which is a phrase I took from your website.
And I just love that concept. So I'm going to turn it over to you.
(01:28):
Awesome. Thank you. Well, I'll start with my journey, I guess.
So as we were just sharing, and I don't know why I feel like I always have to
share this, but obviously it's just a really big part of me.
So I live in Massachusetts and
just north of Boston where my husband's from, but grew up in San Diego.
And we've been back here now about 11 years. And so, yeah, I don't know,
(01:48):
I guess just moving across the country is, can be pretty, you know, life-changing.
And when I made that move, I really, that was in 2013.
I, it was really the first time I dipped my toe in the water of entrepreneurship.
You know, prior to that, if you had asked me, what do you want to do when you
(02:09):
grow up or what What do you want to do?
This was before the days of Instagram influencers. And I really,
my answer was, if I could, I would get paid to travel.
And what that stemmed in really was, I never really wanted to,
I wanted to be in charge of my own schedule and my own life.
It wasn't that I didn't want to work hard.
(02:29):
And I have always looked up to, you know, coaches and bosses and teachers.
So it wasn't really like an anti-establishment type thing. It was just really
like I always have beat to my own draw. My mom's always said that.
And so when we moved here, it just felt like it was a good time to kind of start with that.
And I dabbled in blogging, which 10 years ago was a lot harder than it is now
(02:50):
because you had to know how to write code and all of that kind of stuff unless
you were paying someone to do that.
And that was really where I began learning about marketing on social media.
And so, you know, it's funny. I look back at my pictures now and they make me
laugh. But, you know, I really, my concept was like a girl from California living in Boston.
Anyways, you know, eventually had to get a real job again. And,
(03:13):
but I did that for about six months while I was here.
Anyways, jumped into corporate because I was also always very like goal and
financially driven as well.
So I actually did great in corporate
America because I was very good at climbing the corporate ladder.
And I was happily doing that for about five years until I had my first daughter.
And when I came back from maternity leave, first, I was very excited to come
(03:36):
back to work because maternity leave was very hard for me.
I think partly being it's isolating for anybody, but especially if your village
is not here and you're, you know, we were still new, very new to Massachusetts.
I was, and my whole perspective changed.
So I began building a way out. And that my first way of doing that was actually
in network marketing through Arbonne, which is really like where my journey
(03:58):
with health and wellness professionally started.
I always was the girl reading like self magazine and fitness magazine because
I was just interested, not because I was obsessed with like my body image or anything like that.
I just loved learning about nutrition and things like that. So that love was always there.
And so I built my business with that and was able to walk away from my corporate
(04:21):
job after I had my second daughter in 2018.
The struggle was real with that.
If you are someone who's ever left
a job to start a business or continue a business, it's very challenging.
You think you're going to have all of this time.
But in reality, you lose all your structure and your identity gets very confusing.
(04:42):
So I was just getting that figured out about a year and a half later and then the pandemic hit.
So I continued on with that.
And then post-pandemic, a couple years later, as my oldest daughter started
full-time preschool, I knew I could add more to my plate.
So I dabbled in meal delivery for about a year because I loved cooking.
(05:02):
And one of the reasons since I think I was so successful with coaching nutrition,
was because I could inspire people to cook healthy because I loved doing that and sharing that.
And that was fun, but I realized after a year that the long-term of that,
the road that would go down wasn't the road that I wanted to take.
And that's where I sort of pivoted and ended up where I am now with Wellness
(05:25):
with Wit, which is really focusing on, like you said, sustainable nutrition
for moms while also incorporating our kids in that journey.
So cooking with our kids, I teach cooking classes several days a week,
both in preschools and also in the public and sort of just meshing all of that together.
(05:45):
And I think I will just say, like, as I sum that all up, it's just really,
you know, as a business owner, and I'm sure you know, having been in business
for so long, like your business can tend to pivot with your stages of life.
And as girl mom, two girls, five, almost six and nine,
I just became more and more and more passionate about the message that we're
(06:07):
sending to young girls and kids,
all kids, but girls in particular, and just really feeling like adamant of not
giving them the same messages that we had as children. I'm 42.
So that millennial age and what sort of what we grew up with,
with a special K diet, low fat, and all these crazy things that aren't true
(06:30):
that are affecting us in adulthood.
And after coaching adult women for so many years, I realized most of us women
don't need another program.
We need to unwind all of the crazy things that we were taught and experienced through our life.
And if we could only get in front of that with this next generation,
then hopefully we can give them a little bit more freedom, a better relationship
(06:53):
with food, a healthier life, and they won't have to be spending time and energy
in their adult years on this stuff.
It'd just be a way of life. You know, I think about as a mom.
In her 40s with two young kids running a business and all the things,
like the amount of time that we spend thinking about and worrying about our
weight and what we look like, what if we freed our children of that?
(07:16):
What if they didn't have to spend all that time and energy, imagine what they
could accomplish and how much easier their life would be.
And so that's really where my passion has come from with where I am with my business now.
So I love that. I love all of that. And there's so many little nuggets in there,
as far as you talked about when you start your own business and you just found yourself with no time.
(07:37):
One of the things I tell people is do not start a business thinking you're going
to have more free time because that certainly does not happen.
It consumes most of your time.
However, I feel that it's not as bothersome because we love what we're doing,
right? So if we're starting our own business, it's our baby.
So it's okay that we're putting in all this time and effort.
(07:59):
The other thing I wanted to touch on was that you really said,
you know, kind of getting these either archaic ideas out of our heads about health and wellness.
But I also think, like you, a lot of people do a lot of research and know a
lot about nutrition. They know what they need to do.
(08:20):
They know what they should be doing. It's a matter of time and convenience, right?
And so I think a lot of us reach for what's easy because my life is so chaotic.
And so for you to be able to make it easy and make it doable so people understand
that they can do it and prepare healthy meals and take care of their family
(08:43):
without driving themselves crazy or feeling like it's one more thing. I think that's great.
Yeah. And I think like, you know, speaking about just like cooking,
for example, cooking in particular, it's kind of changing your mindset about it. Right.
As opposed to being one more thing you have to do. It's the same thing with
working out and exercise.
If you look at it as I'm going to do this and here's all of the things that's
(09:08):
going to allow me to do because of it. So like I'm an early morning workout person.
So I I it's like I do it and then I know it's going to give me this boost of
energy throughout the day and it's going to do all these things. So same with cooking.
If we can look at it like, you know, rather than just having to grab for the
quick meals and things like that, like use it as all of the things that it can
(09:31):
provide for you. It can be a relationship building opportunity for you and your kids.
It can, you know, and it's such a way to also then build your health and your,
you know, getting those nutrient rich foods in your body that then give you
the energy to get throughout the day.
So I think it's just kind of looking at as like this holistic,
you know, thing that we have to do sort of all of these things in order to,
(09:51):
again, like by doing this, by working out and by cooking,
I'm actually going to probably give myself more time because I'm not going to
be so tired and I'll have the energy and the mental stability and all of these
things to do the things I need to accomplish each day.
Perfect. So are you still doing the meal delivery service or is that, has that now shifted?
(10:12):
Yeah, no, I did. I kind of had to, it was like I had to choose to do it or not.
So I, I put a full pause on it. I'll say I do have some people that have inquired
about me coming in and doing things at home. So I miss it.
I was actually just going through all of the testimonials that I had from my
meals because, and I'll mention this more later, but I'm just in the final stages of my cookbook.
(10:35):
And so I was pulling some of those out for the testimonials.
And I do miss it because I genuinely got so much joy out of not only making
food that was delicious, but also healthy.
And for people to have these epiphanies of like, wow, I can eat this food.
It's healthy and it's delicious.
So it could be something that comes back around as like a leg of my business
down the line, but probably not for a little while.
(10:56):
Well, you brought up your cookbook. So let's talk about it. Let's talk about
the cookbook, what is included in that, and, you know, what your goal is by creating the cookbook.
Yeah. So it really started with, you know, when I first originally made the
shift in my business to kind of start with the kids' cooking classes and sort
(11:18):
of following that journey.
I'm very much of just an action taker of, like, let's try this and then just
really seeing where things go.
So originally, it just started with those cooking classes, knowing, though,
that, you know, within at some point, I would need to add additional elements
to it because, you know, really to be successful in business,
you can't just have an in-person service, right?
(11:41):
Because your time is limited. Your capacity is limited.
So I had over the years for my newsletter subscribers, I had been creating these recipe guides.
And so it would be sort of a different theme each month.
And I just figured, hey, I have all these recipes out here. Why don't I just
compile them? And so originally it was just going to be a small e-book, digital book.
(12:02):
But once I kind of put everything together, I realized I had so many recipes.
It was, you know, if I had included everything, it probably would have been 150 recipes.
But I decided to scale back on that. So basically it's called In the Kitchen,
Healthy Meals You'll Actually Enjoy, which is really just kind of,
again, like let's remember that healthy eating and cooking is delicious.
(12:23):
And also let's get back in the kitchen.
Let's stop eating such processed foods and like, you know, do all of those things.
And really, of course, it's healthy. Most of my recipes are gluten and dairy
free, but I don't think people will miss it.
But you can use whatever ingredients that you use.
Fresh, you know, being from California, like I'm very into sort of like very
(12:43):
vibrant flavors, fresh, light, things like that.
And then also I have so many just different elements because of the feedback
I've gotten through clients over the years. So again, I'm such a,
I'm a big believer that we don't have to worry so much about the little things.
And by the little things, I mean, counting the calories and the macros, things like that.
If we're really focusing on consuming real whole nutrient dense foods.
(13:06):
So I have sections in there like homemade sauces and salad dressings,
like all those things that you would buy in a jar, like barbecue sauce,
so easy to actually to make at home.
And if you have the right ingredients, I have like protein forward breakfast
and I have of a special section for celebration meals, side dishes and things like that.
So there's 75 recipes in there that will kind of can be available to you for
(13:30):
there's weeknight fast weeknight meals in there.
You know, there's so many different things because I want it to be kind of like
your Bible of like, you can go in for anything and it's not just one thing in particular.
So, and, and I will say, I think this is important to share is I learned how
to cook by watching the food network. work. So I've always cooked from inspiration.
So many of these recipes are ones that I've tried myself, you know,
(13:53):
through that I found on Pinterest or on websites and then have tweaked to sort of fit my own style.
So most of them have been inspired from other recipes out there and just I've
put my spin on them and shared the ones that I've loved the most or that my
clients have loved the most.
You have to know how to cook before doing any of your programs or using this
cookbook. cook? I don't know. That's a great question.
(14:16):
You know, there are definitely, there's a variety. So there's definitely some
in there that are super simple. Like if you can turn your stove on, you're fine.
And then there's other ones that for, you know, someone who does enjoy cooking
will give them, you know, something, I guess, to maybe challenge them a little bit.
So I think you'll find a variety. So anyone can use those recipes.
So if you don't know, there's definitely some in there.
(14:38):
Like I said, if you can turn your stove on that you'll be able to enjoy.
Perfect. And when are you anticipating that this will be published and people find it?
Great question. So May of 2024. So we're recording this in April.
Yes. Yeah. I'm like, just before jumping on here, I was sending like the images for the back page.
(14:59):
And for starters, it will just be on Amazon. And then from there,
I'll get the publishing rights to have it in other areas.
But yeah, it's really just grown into this whole thing. So I'm kind of winging
it, Not to say that it's not a passion project by any means, but I'm really excited.
And as I've done this journey, I already have so many ideas for future sort of themed books.
(15:20):
And definitely the next one will probably be very focused on doing specific
recipes with kids in the kitchen.
I love it. I love it. And I will, by the time this gets published, it will be May.
So once you have the link, I'll throw that up on my Amazon storefront as well
so that people will be able to find it easily.
Easily so i have i have three kids and
(15:41):
my middle one my 12 year old daughter loves to
cook and so i love this we
buy cookbooks that are kid friendly very often
so she can play around with different recipes she definitely prefers baking
to cooking but i am trying to segue her into more cooking and get comfortable
with that but so when for your kids classes are these generally kids that have an interest in cooking?
(16:09):
Or is it just they've never been exposed to it before?
Or are they, you know, children of clients that you have? Who are the kids that
do your cooking classes?
Yeah, so I'm fortunate to get to work with a variety.
So for my public like retail pop up classes, I will say right now,
and this just kind of happened organically, the majority of of the kids that
(16:31):
I'm working with in this moment are preschool to lower elementary age.
However, like I shared at the beginning, I'm very passionate about working with
the slightly older kids.
So I'm hoping to create a program in the fall of 2024 that will target kind
of that upper elementary, lower middle school, like your daughter's age.
(16:53):
So keep your eye out for that. And it's a combination. So for my public retail
classes, which means anyone can sign up for.
I find it's one of two things. It's either, hey, my kid would love this, right?
Maybe they show interest in cooking and so they want to do it.
Or my kid's super picky and I'm hoping that this will encourage them to expand their palate.
And with that age group, of course, what we're cooking is very basic.
(17:17):
But we have fun with it. Actually, one of my most popular recipes to date in
terms of like how many of the kids tried it and loved it was like a stir fry
and they loved it. We made the sauce from scratch and whatnot.
And then I also partner with inside daycares and preschools.
So it's just whatever kids are there.
But truly, I think, you know, every kid and at this point, since last October.
(17:41):
Well, really just since this calendar year, I've cooked with probably close to 200 kids.
And I don't think I've had one kid that wasn't interested in helping.
There's definitely a variety of their enthusiasm over trying the food.
But there's something really magical that happens when they,
and there's research behind this, when they play a part in creating a recipe,
(18:03):
their willingness to try that food skyrockets.
And then you layer that with being with their peers, and then that adds that extra element.
So especially if you have a couple adventurous kids in the class and they see
them try it, again, their willingness to try that really jumps up.
So I always tell the parents that they might be very adventurous here with me,
(18:24):
and then that they might not be at home, that's totally normal because they
don't have that peer space.
But so, you know, again, I would say from like a public perspective,
it's the kids that are either interested in cooking or their parents are trying
to encourage them to expand their palate and try different foods.
So it's funny. I noticed that when my 12-year-old helps me with dinner or even
(18:48):
sometimes she just makes dinner under my supervision,
vision, her siblings are very supportive and that when I make dinner, there's a lot of.
Critiquing.
So I do think that that whole, the peer environment and that they,
you know, they're very supportive of each other.
So I can definitely see that.
(19:10):
Absolutely. Yeah. There's a lot of research behind it. And that's one of like my pillars.
I have a three -step process that like is to make mealtime easier.
And that just having them involved at whatever level, because that's going to
obviously vary depending on their age.
But research shows that when they play a part in the meal in some way, even if it's just.
(19:33):
You know, contributing to the ideas of what we're going to eat,
like the grocery list and the meal planning.
And that's going to obviously, the more engaged they are, the more willing they
are usually to try things.
So it's, you know, for those of us that are pulling our hair out at mealtime,
even though I know stopping and like getting your kids in the kitchen also feels
like something you're going to pull your hair out about, and it might be,
(19:55):
the end result is totally worth it.
Right. And it won't always be like that, right? It might be a little stressful
in the the beginning, but it does get easier.
So I always say it's like teaching your kids to tie their shoe.
It's so brutal at first to watch them do it.
And like, you just want to get in there and do it for them, but eventually then
they learn and then they, you know, and then they can do it on their own.
And then you have that, that extra freedom.
(20:16):
Love it. So tell me some more about some other programs that you offer.
I know that you have like 30 day resets. I'm not sure if you're still doing
those healthy mom club, corralling the kitchen chaos.
Tell us all about these, these different programs and what they're doing?
So like I said, I'm very much the type to do things and follow my intuition
(20:38):
and then learn from those experiences and actually built that.
The Healthy Mom Club was...
Sort of my baby this time last year. And I learned so much from it.
And that's ultimately kind of what, what brought me where I am now.
And, but I also want to, you know, keep my services streamlined because,
you know, it's important people know how to, to work with me.
(20:58):
So, so the kids cooking classes is obviously like one leg. And again,
I can do private classes.
I can go, if you're like my kids at a daycare and I want you out there,
like there's a lot of ways I can work with people there.
I have my cookbook coming out and then I'm hoping to streamline everything that
I've done, not hoping, I am working on, and the goal is to launch this in June,
(21:18):
will actually be a membership.
So Crawling the Kitchen Chaos, where it basically takes everything that I've
done in the last eight to 10 years and creates one membership.
So it's supporting moms and women in their health.
And if they're interested in incorporating supplements in that journey,
then that's available to them.
But it really is more about just encouraging women to, again,
(21:42):
get back in the kitchen, eating really real whole foods, looking at light health
and nutrition as a lifelong journey and not just a temporary change.
And then of course, that whole element of here's how we can get our kids in
the kitchen. And there is a lot of research.
One of the things I've learned that I get the most excited about is they show
(22:03):
in research that by teaching your kids to cook or giving them an environment
to do that, whether it's you or somebody else,
builds their self-efficacy, which is their confidence in themselves to achieve
things and to overcome obstacles and things like that, which is truly one of
the best gifts I think we can give our kids to be successful in life.
(22:23):
And so I'm really passionate about it. And so that membership,
again, will be live in June and we'll give moms just all the support they need
in terms of health and wellness, community,
which is something I'm really good at, building recipes and then involving their
kids in that journey as well. Wow. Perfect. Love it.
Okay. Kind of off topic, but on topic, let's talk 75 hard because I saw on your
(22:49):
Instagram that you, how far did you complete it?
So I've done the 75 hard twice, which was amazing.
The first time I did it was in, I started at the beginning of the year, January of 2021.
And interestingly enough, because, you know, So I was coming out of the pandemic,
like so many people just thinking like mentally, I really needed a change.
(23:13):
Ironically, at the end of that, within like a week or two, I got COVID.
It was Easter weekend and then
which turned into pneumonia and I ended up in the hospital for a week.
So just goes to show you, you can be in peak health because I was really at
that point and still, you know, get sick.
But so that was the first time that I did it.
And then I did it again the following year. And you know, it's interesting because
(23:35):
I've gone through phases in my health journey where I have fallen into these
sort of like very dogmatic phases.
Behaviors and or mindset around food.
And like, there's actually a term for it. I can't remember what it's called.
But it's where you be basically become obsessed with clean eating.
And I definitely experienced that for a while. And I'm really coming out of that.
(23:56):
And again, that's really what I'm trying to share. So I launched in April that
are at the beginning of this month, a 75 soft groups, we have actually almost
100 women that are doing it with us.
And you can join at any time. And I'll share that link with you as well.
And I ID and what it does, desert that's going to get us through right till summer.
So if you're on the East Coast, our school year goes through like the middle of June.
(24:17):
West Coast, they're out much earlier than that. But so for us,
East Coasters, or Northeast, I should say, it runs us right up through the end
of the school year, right at the beginning of summer.
My goal with it, so it's a soft version of the 75 hard.
So it takes a lot of those same elements, but a little less intense,
which I think is perfect for most people.
(24:37):
And the goal with it is let's establish, let's focus on establishing healthy habits.
Not that we're going to only do for 75 days, but that by the end of the 75 days,
they become habits and we can continue those through not only summer,
but the rest of our lives.
So it's a free group. Anyone can join. I send a weekly email every Friday with an affirmation.
(24:59):
I give three recipes in the recipes.
I also break out. Here's how I would cook this for my kids, meaning I kind of
like separate out ingredients and whatnot with their age, you know,
and then eventually of course we'll incorporate those.
Here's the tasks that they could help you with. So it encompasses all of that.
And then we have a Facebook group and a Facebook chat. So every day everyone's,
(25:22):
it's very much run by the community.
They're in there like sharing their wins, their struggles, their favorite recipes. I did this workout.
I'm reading this book. It's awesome. So anyone can join at any time and they
can either just do it with us until we're done June 21st, or you can keep going
through your full 75 days.
But I think it's a great way to get into summer because I know for a lot of
us, keeping those habits through summer is really challenging when we lose our routine.
(25:46):
I love that. And I love that you incorporate the entire family into some aspects
of the challenge, which then makes it easier to keep going.
I love that. I did 31 days of 75 hard a couple of years ago and I got kidney
stones and had to stop immediately.
But when I was doing it, and I do what's more like a 75 moderate,
(26:11):
so not quite as soft and not quite the hard kind of But I do love when I do
my second workout of the day outside,
my kids will often come with me and do my walk or do my laps or whatever.
And I love that. And I do find, like I said, if I incorporate the family in
it, first of all, I don't feel guilty for taking the time to do it.
(26:34):
And second of all, they're exercising and they're seeing what a healthy lifestyle
looks like without it becoming all consuming. Yes.
Functional exercise is so important. I think like, again, that dogmatic mindset,
but just reminding ourselves that weight training, all of that is so important,
(26:54):
but so is walking and being outside.
And like, even right now I'm sitting, but I just got this standup desk because
I realized like I'm sitting at my desk so long.
So just all of these things that unfortunately in modern society,
we have to like work into our day. Whereas, you know, 50 years ago, it was just the life.
But I love that you bring your kids. And yeah, we try to get in as many outdoor
(27:16):
walks in the evening as we can also.
Love it. Love it. Love it. So what do you want the audience to take away?
What's a little nugget of wisdom that or a couple nuggets of wisdom that you
would love for the audience to know about sustainable nutrition and family nutrition?
Yeah. You know, I think I've shared, you know, pretty clearly like sort of where
(27:39):
my mindset and my passion is at. But I think for me, it really is just a reminder to moms that.
More is caught than taught. And the examples that we set, which we were just
talking about, the examples that we set for our children is so important and
so much more important than talking at them or telling them things.
(28:01):
So if we're telling them like, you know, you need to get outside,
but we're never doing that ourselves.
They see that same with what we eat, same with the way that we talk about our body.
Like I'm very intentional about, I'm not perfect, but I do my best to never
talk about losing weight in front of them, shaming the way that I look.
If I'm trying on an outfit and I'm looking in a mirror, I try to close my door
(28:24):
so that they're not in there because I don't want them to ever see me looking
at myself in a way that's not pure love.
And I think that's just a reminder for moms that they see everything that we
do and they mirror everything we do, monkey see, monkey do.
And just Just if you struggle, I always say this, if you struggle to find the
(28:46):
motivation to do these things for yourself, then use the motivation for setting
the example for your children as that motivation.
And for some people, that will be more because, again, I just think about all
of the times where I've looked at a picture and not liked the way I looked or,
you know, just spent time and energy.
(29:06):
And I just don't want that for my kids. And I know I can't protect them from
anything, but I can definitely set a good example for them.
And, you know, just, yeah, more is caught than taught and just lead by example.
And the benefit is, is you're going to get healthier along the way.
But also be careful of the other extreme, right?
Like if you are obsessive about exercising or if they see, you know,
(29:31):
that you are preparing this yummy
meal for everybody else, but then you're eating a salad, they see that.
So if that's the case, then talk about why you're doing that, right?
Like, there's just so much that goes into it. I think that's really what I want
most moms to just realize and remember. They're setting that example for their kids.
I agree 100%. I try to talk to my kids about building muscle and getting stronger and eating for fuel.
(29:57):
And that's the terminology I try to use for the same reasons.
I don't, you know, the terminology and all these things that were around when
I was growing up and I'm, I'm a little older than you.
So, you know, we had the whole heroin chic look in all the models and then,
and then it shifted, which was nice to see that shift towards muscular,
(30:19):
healthy fit bodies versus just skinny,
skinny bodies. So I love it. Yeah.
And I think that's where, you know, you may, you bring up a really good point
in that. that I think so many of us from our generation.
Weren't taught to listen to our bodies. And really, whether you believe in God
(30:41):
or the universe or whatever, our bodies were built exactly as they were meant to be.
And we were given the food on earth that we were given for an exact reason.
Every food source had its purpose.
And then we introduced processed food and that changed.
And it changed our ability to listen to our body. but also because of marketing
(31:02):
and magazines, you know, we were reading like these things that, and not listening.
So for example, my daughter, we, we got ice cream last night.
Cause you know, end of vacation, whatever.
So she ate the whole thing. And then really quickly after it was like,
oh, my stomach hurts so bad.
And so I took that opportunity just to say, listen, like ice cream is delicious,
but there's, you know, there's a lot of dairy in there that might your,
(31:24):
your body just might not love.
So just remember that next time I'm never seen, don't have the ice cream,
but just remember like how you feel and we'll do the same thing.
And they just, it's so important to teach them to listen to their body.
We do the same thing. If we have like a really great, healthy dinner and,
and they are like happy afterwards and energetic, I'll say, look how much energy
(31:44):
you have after eating this meal.
And it was, you know, you had this in it. You, you, we had chicken tonight,
so you had all that extra protein.
And I think that's just really important, And which a lot of people may not,
many know all of that, like you and I, and many might not.
And so that's where like this membership for me is so exciting because I'm giving
(32:04):
like the tools to the moms to educate themselves about these things and,
and the resources to be able to have those conversations with their kids if
they don't already know those things.
But having those conversations about what we're eating and just like you said,
how it fuels our body is so empowering.
And especially young kids, they absorb so much information and they really do
(32:26):
hear what you're saying if you talk about it enough.
I love it. I love it. All right. Wait, tell us where people can find you.
How do they sign up for your 75 soft challenge?
How do they enroll their kids in your programs or work with you as an adult?
So the easiest place to really keep up to date with everything I'm doing is
Instagram, which I'm just Whitney underscore Cardosi on Instagram.
(32:48):
You can just Google my name and it'll pop up there.
My website is WhitneyCardosi.com. So you can find most of that stuff as well.
And that is where I have linked there. And Instagram is kind of like all my
links where you can find the link to my website, to the 75 Soft,
to my updated schedule for cooking classes,
and then ultimately I'll have my cookbook link up there as well.
(33:12):
Fabulous. Okay, I want everyone in the audience to check out Whitney's website.
Again, that's WhitneyCardosi.com, and I expect everyone to at least check out
the 75 Soft Challenge and challenge yourselves to participate in it.
I think that would be great.
One last question. How do you find balance in the chaos of being a working mom?
(33:35):
That's a timely question. I was actually just thinking this morning that this vacation,
this school vacation was probably the first period of time off with my kids,
whether it was a vacation week or summer, where I really truly felt like balanced
in that where I had pockets of time.
I was I sat down and did some work, but I wasn't forcing it.
(33:58):
And I was able to be very present with them and really enjoy the time off with them.
And, you know, as much as I hate to admit it, I usually dread these weeks because
for so many years I have assigned my worth to my career achievements.
So time this is going to sound terrible, but time away from that and and where
(34:19):
it's being interrupted, I always felt irritated by that.
But through a lot of work on myself and whatnot, I've shifted that.
And so I think it's really just, you know, for me, like, it's important for
me to be present with my kids and my family and not feel that they are a distraction to my career,
(34:42):
but that actually they support it and, you know, let me recharge and things like that.
I don't know if that answers that question, but it's a journey and it's not
linear and you'll have ups and downs.
And there's, it's very likely that this summer I might not feel that way,
but, you know, just really, I think being present, you know.
(35:03):
I just yesterday, a close friend of mine has been passed unexpectedly.
And it really was just this like reminder that life is so short and there's,
you can never take time back with your family.
And for me, like that will always come first.
And I think that's just really important to remember.
And you know, work and career will always be there for you when you're ready
(35:25):
to get back to it, but it can't be the most important thing in your life.
I'm so sorry for your loss. I, I am. Yeah. I think though, what you said,
I don't think it sounds awful. I think it sounds like classic mom guilt, right?
That when we're home with our kids, we feel like we should be working.
And when we're at work, we feel like we should be home with our kids.
So I think that's something that all of us working moms need to just give ourselves
(35:51):
grace and understand that we're all doing the best we can.
And to your point, life can change in a minute, an instant.
And so you You just do the best you can and put your heart and soul into whatever
you have going on at the moment.
And it'll hopefully the universe will balance everything out for you.
Yes. And if you're feeling down, avoid scrolling social media because that will
(36:15):
just make it or, you know, seeing so many entrepreneurs this week that are,
you know, achieving because either they don't have kids or they're not in Massachusetts.
And I kept I kept getting those feelings.
And I was like, you know what? Just stop. Like, get off the social media. media
this is temporary you know you'll get back to like working this
week and so that's another tip stay off the social media if you're
feeling like you're you know down agreed a
(36:38):
hundred percent hundred percent well i want to thank
you so much whitney for being on here this was
great and i it has inspired me to now you know cook with my kids tonight and
have them help me with dinner i love it yeah no i love it and hopefully everybody
else is inspired as well and not intimidated to get in the kitchen with their
(36:59):
kids. I think it's wonderful.
If nothing else, it's just quality family time too. Absolutely.
Yep. Something your kids will always remember for sure. Absolutely.
Everybody else, don't forget to follow the Hustle & Harmony podcast wherever
you listen to your podcast and be sure to follow me on Instagram at share underscore mom boss.
Music.
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