February 24, 2025 • 54 mins
Join me for an inspiring conversation with Kristine Gardner, a wellness expert who’s made it her mission to help women create fulfilling, balanced lives. Kristine takes us on her remarkable journey from discovering wellness in her 20s to becoming a personal trainer, earning a master’s in counseling, and leading a successful sales team—all while navigating the challenges of motherhood, a 20-year marriage, and even the joy of becoming a dog mom, all from her charming home in Niwot, Colorado.
In this episode, Kristine shares powerful insights on how simple morning habits can set the tone for a more intentional, balanced day. From hydrating first thing to soaking up the morning sun, she explains how these small practices can shift your mindset. We also dive into the benefits of delaying your first cup of coffee, the power of personal mantras, and how these simple changes can transform your daily routine.
Kristine opens up about her entrepreneurial journey, offering tips on stress management and how women can reclaim joy and balance, even amidst the chaos of midlife. We also discuss practical wellness practices, like using glucose monitors and the surprising benefits of castor oil, along with mindful choices around alcohol and overall self-care.
This conversation is a must-listen for any woman looking to make empowering choices in her life. So, grab your favorite beverage, settle in, and let’s explore how you can thrive in every area of your life—no matter where you are in your journey.
You can find Kristine Gardner at:
https://www.instagram.com/kgcaliglow/
Here are Kristine's must-haves:
Her favorite beef tallow moisturizer
Kristine's castor oil of choice
_________________________________________
Are you ready to reclaim your midlife body and health? I went through my own personal journey through menopause, the struggle with midsection weight gain, and feeling run-down. Faster Way, a transformative six-week group program, set me on the path to sustainable change. I'd love to work with you! Let me help you reach your health and fitness goals.
https://www.fasterwaycoach.com/?aid=MicheleFolan
Have questions about Faster Way? Please email me at:
mfolanfasterway@gmail.com
After trying countless products that overpromised and underdelivered, RIMAN skincare finally gave me real, visible results—restoring my glow, firmness, and confidence in my skin at 61. RIMAN Korea's #1 Skincare Line - https://michelefolan.riman.com
*Transcripts are done with AI and may not be perfectly accurate.
**This podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional healthcare services, including the giving of medical advice. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Michele Folan (00:00):
I love having other coaches on the podcast and
sometimes they're doing some ofthe same things that I am in
the health, fitness and wellnessspace, but that's okay.
One of my favorite sayings isall ships rise in high tides,
supporting other women and theirendeavors, whether it be
coaching, writing a book or as amedical professional.
(00:20):
It's important to me tocontinue to provide listeners
all their options when it comesto their own wellness choices.
Health, wellness, fitness andeverything in between.
We're removing the taboo fromwhat really matters in midlife.
I'm your host, Michele Folan,and this is Asking for a Friend.
(00:45):
I just love it when I meetinspiring women on Instagram and
it makes it even more specialwhen you feel this immediate
connection that says I think Ifound a new friend.
Kristine Gardner startedexploring wellness when she was
(01:05):
in her 20s, but it wasn't untilshe got her master's in
counseling and became a personaltrainer that led to her running
a successful sales team thatshe realized that she wanted to
focus on helping women withstress management, happiness and
overall mind, body and energyalignment.
Stress management, happinessand overall mind, body and
(01:27):
energy alignment.
She wants her clients to createhabits that work specific to
their lifestyle and step intotheir favorite version of
themselves.
Kristine Gardner, welcome toAsking for a Friend.
Kristine Gardner (01:36):
Michele, I'm so happy to be here and I feel
the same as you.
We were fast friends, I have totell you.
Michele Folan (01:44):
I think so too.
I feel so fortunate to havethis job and I do air quotes
when I say job.
I really have met someincredible women through doing
this podcast, but there wassomething about you.
We started commenting on eachother's stuff and I was like I
like this lady, I think she'sfun.
(02:05):
I wish she was my neighbor.
Kristine Gardner (02:07):
Well, I always say it's never random when
people meet.
Synchronicity, yes, and Ireally feel that we're like
energy, so we were meant toconnect.
Michele Folan (02:20):
I believe that is true.
It's serendipitous.
It's one of my favorite wordsand I use it all the time.
There you go.
So, even though I kind of knowyour story, I would like for you
to share your story, just whereyou're from, tell us about your
boys, and also let's talk aboutyour career path, because I
(02:42):
think it really does help paintthe picture of where you are
today.
Kristine Gardner (02:46):
Okay, well, first and foremost, I am a very
proud mom of three boys.
My oldest one is in college now, which is hard to believe.
Every time I say it, and I'msure it'll get to the point when
he graduates, and all thosenext steps.
It's always I can't believethat my kids are here here.
But for real I have.
My first one is in college now,back in California, which is
(03:07):
where we're from.
And then I have a 16 year oldand a 13 year old and I have to
say I love the teenage years.
I do.
Michele Folan (03:16):
I love being a teenage mom.
Kristine Gardner (03:18):
Oh yeah, and it probably goes into a lot of
what we're going to talk about,but all the mind games and the
different types of relationshipsare going through and just
everything, the energy thatteens bring to the home I love
it.
I love the space of motherhood.
Michele Folan (03:39):
Yeah, and it gets even better, christine, because
I will say that once theybecome like young adults, it
really, I think, goes into aneven kind of cooler phase when
you're hanging out with them andthey're like little adults,
it's just fun.
Kristine Gardner (03:57):
And I love that.
I keep hearing that from womenthat it keeps getting better.
You know the way, too, where Ihave women that are friends,
that are grandmothers, and theysaid, oh, just wait until you're
a grandmother, that's the best,all right, um.
So every yes, every phase ofmotherhood is amazing, or has
moments of amazing.
And then I married my husbandScott.
We've been married for 20 years.
(04:17):
We met in San Francisco at abar.
Good, and then proud dog mom tomy dodger.
I did not.
I was so scared to get a dog.
I thought it was going to belike having a fourth child.
Little did I know it was goingto expand my art to a whole new
level.
I love being a dog mom.
We live in Boulder, colorado,actually right outside Boulder,
(04:39):
in a town called Niwot, and itreally is living in the country,
five miles out of the city.
I never thought I would live ina country setting.
I'm from California, was bornand raised in the Bay Area,
marin County, and then we movedto Los Angeles shortly after we
were married and I lovedeverything about that phase of
(05:00):
my life, also Love living inCalifornia.
I still am a very proudCalifornian, my heart.
We just got back fromCalifornia and I always leave a
piece of my heart there.
Yes, my son is there, but Ialso.
I just really I just still feellike California is truly my
home.
I love it.
So we'll see if we end up thereback there.
Michele Folan (05:17):
That's where your roots are.
It's, it's, it's hard to.
It's hard to walk away fromthat when that's kind of what
you've known for so many years.
Kristine Gardner (05:23):
So it's true.
Well, especially when it's 70in February, come back to two
degrees, so it really is winter,it's still winter and my, my
career did you and you saidabout, but a little taste of my
career, right?
Michele Folan (05:37):
Yeah, because you , I I like this entrepreneurial
thing.
You got, you got going, Cause Ithink there's there's kind of a
cool story here.
Kristine Gardner (05:45):
I've always been an entrepreneur.
It's funny when I take a momentto pause, when I'm talking to
someone like you or I'm sharingmy story with someone, I realize
in that moment, like gosh, I'vebeen an entrepreneur for 20
years 25 years and I love beingan entrepreneur.
I started way back in my early20s, when I was in graduate
school and I was getting mymaster's in counseling, and at
(06:08):
that time is really when I fellin love with fitness and so I
started my own bootcamp programin Northern California.
It was awesome.
We met outside underneath theRedwoods, and I trained women of
all ages and we would meet andwork out outside.
And so from that early age, Iwas combining my love for
movement and nature, theoutdoors, happiness and feeling
(06:30):
our best, and that was in themid twenties.
All the way through grad school, I was putting together hiking
groups for women biking groups,hiking groups, boot camps,
personal training, anythingbasically that got people moving
.
Michele Folan (06:45):
Yeah, but you were also creating this amazing
community too, and community,that's right.
Kristine Gardner (06:50):
And then I was in graduate school and then, at
the same time, I was going tobe a master's in counseling.
I also was studying nutrition.
I was studying holisticnutrition, ayurvedic nutrition
specifically.
So I also started my ownbusiness where I was going into
people's homes and clearing outtheir pantries and helping them
put together meal plans andcooking.
And this again was like 25years ago.
(07:11):
I was in my early 20s.
My friends were all drinking inthe city.
Not that I never did this, butfor the most part I was cooking
up tofu in my little apartmentin Mill Valley and going to
silent retreats in my earlytwenties.
It's kind of funny to thinkback on that and putting
(07:32):
together different health andwellness entrepreneurial
programs, and I loved it.
I was also teaching in studiostoo.
So I was teaching reallyfocused on bar and Pilates.
That was my main focus.
And then, at different timesduring during that as well, I
would um, I sort of became likea air quote master trainer and I
(07:55):
would actually go intodifferent studios and help
different studio owners puttogether different programs and
helping to train trainers andtrain teachers programs and
helping to train trainers andtrain teachers.
So I've always I've always umbeen putting together and
(08:16):
creating businesses aroundhealth and wellness in different
phases of my life.
And then you went to beautycounter.
I went to beauty counter, so Ihad three fast forward.
Uh, we're now living in LosAngeles and I was training and
teaching in different studiosall over LA and I started to
notice my body getting a littletired and also running after
three toddlers and realized Ineeded to.
(08:37):
I needed to do something elseat that time and wanted to do
something else at that time.
So in came beauty counter.
It kind of dropped in my lap.
It was just getting started,had no idea what direct sales
was, is network marketing?
I had to Google it to find outwhat it was, but I thought this
sounds fun, I'll jump in.
I'm into.
I love learning.
I believe we should always belearning and educating ourselves
(08:59):
and I was really surprised tolearn about ingredients that
were in, that was in ourskincare and that was considered
toxic and I this was sort oflike right at the peak of clean
beauty or when it was juststarting to take off.
So I thought, if I don't knowall this information, I know
other women don't know thisinformation about toxic beauty,
(09:21):
toxic ingredients.
So jumped into Beauty Counter,grew a really large sales
organization there, loved it,loved it, was there for almost
10 years and about eight yearsinto beauty counter I started to
get that itch again that I knewit was time to do something
else.
That and the and kept creepingin.
(09:42):
So that was when, Michele, Istarted my coaching business
again and started puttingtogether um, started doing group
work with women, reallyfocusing on stress management.
Uh, movement for fun meditation, making meditation accessible
and sort of normalizingmeditation for women that had
(10:04):
never done meditation before,which was also me.
I was on the same path and Iwanted to help women feel more
joy, feel more happiness, feelless stressed out, less burnout,
because that's what I wasseeing at beauty counter, to be
honest, and that's what I washearing from a lot of women that
I was working with that womenwere feeling stressed out and
feeling burnout and they wereshitting all over themselves.
(10:24):
I like to say, and I justdidn't think that was the way
that we should be living.
That wasn't the way that weshould be living.
So I really wanted to helpwomen de-stress, align and come
back to that whole body mind,body, energy, alignment.
Michele Folan (10:42):
Well, you know, it's really difficult to do
anything, to address anything interms of your health, your
relationships, all of that, Ifyou have stress and anxiety
pulling you down day after dayafter day.
It's like you've got to dealwith that component first before
(11:04):
you can really be there foryourself and for other people.
That that is what they need,that they need to address this,
the stress that is kind of theirburden.
Kristine Gardner (11:30):
No, a lot of times.
No, okay, I have so many womenand you probably have this too
that reach out and say I don'treally know what I need.
But I know I need something.
Something just doesn't feelright and I don't know what it
is.
Something just doesn't feelright and I don't know what it
is.
And there's a lot of guilt andshame in that too, because so
many women come to me andthey're like I should feel good,
(11:52):
I should feel joy, I live thisgreat life, I am healthy and,
you know, my kids are this, orI'm married this, or I live here
, or I'm doing this, I'm goingon this vacation, but yet I
still just feel like they'rejust flat and I can't get out of
my own way.
And that's really what it is.
I just can't get out of my ownway.
(12:12):
And it's the old stories, it'sthe old patterns that are going
on in our beautiful brains thatare holding us back.
And that's what I see the mostis that women just don't don't
know what it is that they need.
But they need, they need.
They need something.
They need like a little.
They need a little love nudgeis what they need.
(12:33):
They need some accountability,they need some coaching.
They need community and they'renot really sure how to get
started or where to get started,and there's also a lot of guilt
, feeling like they need thattoo.
So they think it's like, oh, Ineed to lose five pounds, or oh,
I need to lose 10 pounds, thenI'll be happier when, really, if
(12:54):
we unpack that it's.
I really need to shift myhabits.
I really need to change mymindset.
I really need to take my powerback and stop shitting all over
myself.
Boundaries, boundaries yes, Ilove that word.
Michele Folan (13:07):
You know it, it.
I love the word and I know somepeople think it's kind of
overused, but I'll tell you it's.
It frees your soul when youlearn to say no.
I was having this discussionwith one of my daughters this
weekend.
Like, you don't have to go tothat party, you don't even have
(13:28):
to make up an excuse, you canjust say I'm not coming.
Kristine Gardner (13:32):
And Michele even to the next step is you can
say no and you also don't haveto explain yourself.
And when you become aware ofthat, I feel like that is so
freeing, because that first stepis, oh my gosh, I did say no
and then careful that we don'tget stuck in that spiral of no
because this and this and this,and because this and this, and
(13:53):
having to explain ourselvesconstantly.
It's like when we just say nobecause no, that's it, yeah.
Michele Folan (14:00):
That's all.
That's all we have to say Right.
So do you really feel like thatis?
What holds most women back isjust being able to set
boundaries and really addresssome of those things that are
holding them back, and they justneed someone to kind of guide
(14:20):
them down that path.
Kristine Gardner (14:21):
Well, that, and also the old stories that we
get so ingrained in our minds,our old patterns, and it's
really retraining our brain andwe think it's harder than it
really is.
Our brains are so incredibleand they're open to creating new
narrow pathways, and I don'tthink I mean the average woman
isn't thinking I need to changesome of my narrow pathways, I
(14:45):
need to change the way my brainis thinking.
But that's really what it is.
It's shifting some.
It's just shifting some simplehabits that can be really
life-changing, starting withmorning habits and how we talk
to ourselves.
But yes, I think it's themindset, the stress and getting
(15:08):
out of our own way and habits,and the habits are just part of
old stories, old patterns.
Michele Folan (15:13):
Kristine, we're going to take a quick break and
when we get back, I want to talkabout some of those morning
habits that you like.
Are you feeling overwhelmed bythe changes that come with
midlife, struggling with weight,energy or finding time for
yourself?
You're not alone.
I get it because I've beenthere too.
I specialize in helping midlifewomen just like you transform
(15:37):
their health and lives throughpersonalized nutrition and
coaching that fits your reallife.
Together, we'll tackle thoseunique challenges, whether it's
balancing your hormones, dealingwith cravings or boosting your
energy.
It's not just about diets.
It's about reclaiming yourstrength and confidence one step
(15:57):
at a time.
Check out the show notes ofthis episode and shoot me an
email.
I'd love to learn more aboutyou and your challenges.
Okay, we are back.
All right.
Before we took the break, wewere talking about some of those
things, just some of thosesmall things that we can do to
(16:19):
set our day up, to set ourselvesup for success.
Can you talk a little bit aboutthose morning habits that
you've adopted, that you try toteach your clients?
Kristine Gardner (16:29):
Yes, and I also want to be honest that this
was not.
It wasn't always this way I was.
I was absolutely.
It was absolutely the mom.
I was the woman that was wakingup to the alarm, throwing
myself out of bed, spiking mycortisol through the roof,
injecting coffee as quickly aspossible and running out the
(16:53):
door in my pajamas,over-caffeinating, doing all the
crazy hip workouts nonstop,cardio, nonstop.
I mean, I didn't always havethese habits in place.
However, I've slowly adoptedthem into my life and I'm here
(17:16):
to say that even the smallestshifts can make the biggest
differences.
So one of those is drinkingwater first thing in the morning
.
It makes such a huge difference.
It's when I forget to do thator when I don't have that water
by my bed the morning.
It makes such a huge difference.
It's when I forget to do thator when I don't have that water
by my bed the night before.
It just it.
My day does not feel the same.
So hydrating first thing is keybecause, think about it, you are
vertical for nine hours,vertical or horizontal,
(17:42):
horizontal.
You're horizontal for ninehours, hopefully nine hours,
eight or nine hours, and andyou're dehydrated.
You are dehydrated.
So, first thing in the morning,drinking your water before you
have any coffee.
That is first and foremost.
That is what I'm always tellingmy clients.
Let's start with that and youwould not believe when, when
(18:05):
clients start, when women startdoing that first thing, it's
like that first majoraccomplishment.
I'm drinking my water firstthing, I've got my lemon, I'm
detoxing my liver first thing inthe morning and I feel so much
better.
So start there and celebratethat, celebrate that win.
And then getting a little bit ofmovement in.
And this doesn't mean gettingup and starting to lift weights.
(18:27):
This doesn't mean getting upand doing a three mile walk.
This means getting up and juststarting to move the lymph.
Again, you were horizontal foreight hours.
So getting starting to move thecells.
And I have a five minute littlemovement ritual that I always
send to my clients in themorning first thing.
(18:49):
And again, the difference theyfeel when they do five minutes
of movement before they havetheir coffee or it's.
It's.
It can be life changing.
So also the sunlight, and Iknow we're starting to hear more
and more about this, butgetting sunlight first thing in
the morning is everything Ialways say.
My hardest client is my husbandand some mornings I will
(19:09):
literally drag him out, outside,we are getting sunlight on our
face first things in the morningand again, we always feel so
much better.
It's funny I think I said thisin the beginning that I have a
dog and if we could just livelike a dog in the first 10
minutes and learn from our dogs,we would all be happier,
(19:30):
happier humans.
Dodger, when he gets up, firstthing he does he does a loud
stretch and a yawn, and anaudible yawn.
So good for you.
Same thing get out.
He immediately wants to gooutside.
He wants to get the sunshine onhis face.
Comes back inside, drink somewater.
If we can all just be thesimple little habits, just like
(19:53):
our, just like our furry littlefriends, we feel so much better.
Michele Folan (19:57):
Yeah, and I think you know, grabbing for the
coffee the first thing when youwake up in the morning, it's
just a habit, we all, we, we'veall done it.
But I, like you, have adoptedthat, that in the morning, that
first thing I do, I drink 16ounces of water.
I put some sea salt in mine.
(20:19):
I love the idea of lemon andjust chug that down.
And sometimes I find out once Iget that in and I get that
little movement in, Kristine, Idon't need my coffee for like an
hour.
It's so true.
One morning about a week ago Iforgot to drink my coffee.
It was 11 AM.
I was like, oh, I didn't havecoffee.
(20:40):
That's great, I know, yeah, sojust yeah, but I, I, I love what
you're saying I should also sayI am not a huge.
Kristine Gardner (20:48):
although I love routines, I also like
mixing my routines up, so I justI just like um.
I love my five minute movementin the morning.
Sometimes I'll jump, jump onthe trampoline.
I love a rebounder and I'lljust bounce for five minutes in
the morning before I get my kidsup or do anything, and it just
gets my cells going and I turnon a fun song and I get in again
(21:10):
.
This is the most important thingalso, besides from the water
and the coffee get your brainright, get your head right.
And so what I'm always sharingwith my clients is we come up
with our own personal mantra inthe morning, a brain primer and
something that is going to getthem in a good mindset for the
(21:31):
day.
And we always come up with apersonal one, because
everybody's in a different space.
But have your personal mantrain the morning and what I
started with and this is areally easy one to remember if
you need one, it's today isgoing to be a great day and it
seems so simple.
But I'm telling you, michelle,I sat up for two years straight,
every single morning.
It was the first thing I said,and now it's just on autopilot.
(21:52):
Today is going to be a greatday, because it is.
If we train our brains to bethat way, then our whole day is
different.
You can manifest.
Michele Folan (22:03):
You're manifesting Absolutely.
We always are.
Yeah, and one thing I will sayabout that and I should be
better about that and Iappreciate the little nudge
you're giving me here bymanifesting we can change the
trajectory of our day and ourlife and it's getting out of
that negative headspace thatdrags us down.
(22:24):
And I love that little tip ofjust starting your day with a
positive phrase or positivelittle motivation to get things
going.
Kristine Gardner (22:35):
One other one I love and again game changer is
go big.
In the morning and my coachshared that with me and I have
adopted that and I share it allthe time Go big, begin in
gratitude, begin in gratitude.
There's no other way.
There's so much to be gratefulfor when we start our day, just
(22:57):
like you said, looking for thepositive, looking for the joy.
The joy sparks the gratitude,it shifts the energy.
Michele Folan (23:04):
You just said something.
You said your coach and this issomething you and I chatted
about a little bit before we hitthe record button about the
stigma sometimes around having acoach or getting therapy or
whatever it is you do.
Can you talk about that alittle?
Kristine Gardner (23:23):
bit.
We could have a whole, just onepodcast on this series.
It's funny, it's interesting.
I think it's hard for women toask for help.
In certain ways, maybe it's nothard to ask for help.
You go to the gym, you go to agym class, or you have your
girlfriends.
So people think like, oh well,I have my girlfriend, so I
(23:44):
should be good and love mybesties.
I love my girlfriends, butthey're not your coach, they're
not going to call you out on allthe things, they're not going
to challenge you.
In certain ways, I think thatwomen feel a sense of guilt or
shame that they need a coach.
I think there's some guiltaround having to spend money on
(24:06):
a coach.
I should be able to do thismyself.
I'm in my forties, I'm in myfifties, I'm in my sixties.
I should have it figured out.
I shouldn't need help Likeaccountability.
I should be able to do thatmyself.
So it's again it's that mind,talk and that feeling of I
should be able to figure thisout on my own.
Michele Folan (24:25):
I'll get my husband to be my accountability
partner or okay, you know, letme know how that works.
Kristine Gardner (24:32):
Meanwhile, though, what I think is really,
really interesting is that womenare, are and myself included
are willing to spend a limitedamount of money on their kids.
So their kid needs a trainer,or?
No problem, your kid needs atutor, of course, your kid needs
, you know, your child needsthis extra accountability or
support.
But no problem, right, we'll doanything for our kids.
(24:54):
But then, when it comes to us,we think, oh, we'll do it later,
oh, I can do that on my own, Idon't need that.
So again, we're puttingourselves on the back burner,
and really I believe that, firstof all, all our kids want is
for us to be happy, and so,whatever we need to do, if mom's
(25:16):
happy, everybody's happy, right?
So true, and we're human.
I mean we all need to have alittle extra coaching, a little
extra accountability.
We all love community, andthat's when we thrive.
When you have coaching, whenyou have accountability, someone
checking in, when you havecommunity, people that are
(25:36):
supporting you, that's when youcan start to get out of your own
way.
So it's not something you needforever, and I say that too
because, honestly, if I've donemy job and I'm a good coach,
then after a few months I hopethat my clients graduate and
move on.
This isn't something thatyou're going to be doing forever
, but it's just someone to helpyou, kind of it's helped help
(25:59):
you shift.
My coach has changed my life110,000%.
I love coaching.
I always have coaching in some,some capacity.
Michele Folan (26:07):
Yeah, you know, and we all know, you know you
can't pour from an empty cup andall that, but it's not selfish
and all that, but it's notselfish, no, no.
Kristine Gardner (26:23):
And it's also it's getting a different
perspective.
It is someone challenging youin the best way, with love,
because they want the best foryou, and it is that
accountability piece.
And that's what I see the most,Michele, from my clients.
What they really need, to behonest with you, is the mindset
shifts, seeing things from adifferent perspective that they
haven't seen before, andaccountability to help get the
(26:48):
habits in place, because when Iwork with my clients, it's
always coming up with habitsthat align with their values and
habits that work for them.
What works for you is going tobe different than what works for
me, and what works for oneclient it's going to be kind of
different works for anotherclient.
So I always want to help themcreate these habits that are
going to work for them and thenhold them accountable for a
certain amount of time.
(27:09):
And I see it, it works.
Yeah, the women that really leaninto the accountability it
works.
They retrain those pathways,they're on their way, and then
it becomes a habit.
And then it becomes a habit,and sure do.
They come back sometimes like,oh, I need to tweak a little bit
or I got off track with this orthis wasn't feeling right, or
kids left for college orwhatever.
(27:29):
Summer's over.
Come back and let's reshiftregroup set you up for success.
A hundred percent.
Yeah, Shift regroup set you upfor success 100%.
Michele Folan (27:34):
Yeah, and I think those life transitions, you
know, the kids go to college,the kids leave the nest, the
kids get married, don't feellike they need mom anymore.
Then we get into, you know,grandparenthood, I mean there's
so many phases that we're justasked to adapt to and sometimes
(27:56):
for some women that's hard andbecause we're kind of having to
realign our identity everysingle time, and that's tough.
100%.
Kristine Gardner (28:06):
And we're also going through in that midlife
phase.
We're going through hormonalchanges.
Our bodies feel a littledifferent, they do, and, just
like you said, we're goingthrough a lot of external
transitions as well.
Our bodies feel a littledifferent, they do, and, just
like you said, we're goingthrough a lot of external
transitions as well, withdifferent people coming and
going.
There's a lot going on in thisspace and so, leaning in and
(28:34):
asking for some extra help andsupport and love and guidance,
yes and yes and yes, yes and yesand yes, yeah, more please.
Michele Folan (28:39):
Yeah, we're, we're, we're definitely on very,
very same page.
I want to ask you a little bitabout some of your own things
that you do and some of your owngood habits.
We talked about your morningroutine.
I have to ask you this questionyou started wearing a glucose
monitor recently.
(28:59):
Yeah, I want to know what thegoal was behind getting this
data, and was there anythingthat prompted you like saying I
think I need to see what myglucose is doing on a daily
basis?
Kristine Gardner (29:13):
So my philosophy and my belief is
really, when it comes to eatingand an exercise too but really
for eating it's whole foods diet, and eating for hormonal health
and eating from a place tobalance your blood sugar so that
you're feeling good all daylong, you're not experiencing
(29:36):
those extreme highs.
You're not experiencing thoseextreme highs, you're not
experiencing extreme lows, butyou feel good, you have energy
all day long, and so when youbalance your blood sugar and
you're eating a whole foods,rich protein, vegetables, fruit
diet, you can feel that good.
(29:58):
And I also wanted to get thedata to test it and to see were
there certain things that wereunknowingly like spiking my
blood sugar?
Or how was my cortisol in themorning and was stress really
affecting my blood sugar?
(30:19):
Oh sure, it definitely does.
So I was just sort of curiousto see it for myself.
I also, to be transparent, inmy next program I'm going to
roll out a piece of the programwhere you can have the monitor
and then I'm actually going tohave a nurse is going to be a
partner in my program.
So if a client decides to havea glucose monitor, then Kate
(30:40):
will help and do the reading andgive you feedback and we can
talk about some of the shiftsthat you need to have.
So I partnered with thisamazing woman, kate, and we're
going to have that in the nextprogram, but I first had to do
it myself.
So anything that I'm going toask someone else to do, of
course I need to do it myselfand see what I find.
So, to be honest, that wasreally why I wanted to do it to
(31:04):
be a test person, a test clientfirst, and what have I noticed
out of it?
So the biggest thing is Irealized that when I take a bath
or a sauna, it really spikes myblood sugar.
Those are the two things thathave really really affected the
blood sugar.
And then also this weekend,when we were traveling I know I
(31:25):
just wasn't, as I was stilleating healthy and doing all the
good things, but I wasn't asconscientious about, like,
having a certain amount ofprotein to balance out what I
was eating and I was snackingmore, and it was just so I could
just see the spikes going upand down and up and down much
more versus when I'm at home.
(31:46):
It's very, it's, it's in myrange, it's more stable, yeah,
it's pretty stable, yeah.
So that was interesting and Idefinitely noticed.
Also, coffee in the morning.
I did test it.
If I didn't, I didn't have anyfood first.
Is it going to really spike myblood sugar?
And it does Absolutely.
And just the smallest amount ofsugar really spikes my blood.
(32:08):
That's what it was.
I love those sugar-free peachrings, the smart, smart candy I
don't I can't remember what it'scalled, but you know sugar-free
all of this, I love them.
That my blood sugar wentthrough the roof Really Uh-huh,
uh-huh, crazy.
Michele Folan (32:26):
But then also just like the smallest amount.
Kristine Gardner (32:28):
I love a matcha and I'll sometimes put a
little bit of maple syrup inthere Not very much but that.
So my body is super sensitiveto to sugar.
Um, it gets it going prettyquickly.
Michele Folan (32:41):
One thing I will say, and this is just a general
suggestion for everybodylistening to this podcast today
If you have not had a fastingblood sugar done by your primary
care, done by your primary careprovider, you need to do that
because that is just a baselinethat everybody should know.
(33:02):
You should know what yourfasting blood sugar is and just
be aware, because some women Iknow are finding out that
they're pre-diabetic and theydidn't know.
Keeping in mind that is anasymptomatic situation, so
you're not going to know, unlessyou're like Kristine here who's
(33:24):
wearing a glucose monitor.
But definitely get a fastingblood glucose, all right.
My next question castor oil.
All right, I've seen womenusing castor oil.
I am clueless about castor oil,the benefits of it and putting
it on your stomach.
I've seen some women like putit in their belly button with a
(33:47):
bandaid.
Please explain.
Kristine Gardner (33:49):
So, first, if you Google if you Google castor
oil, it is, I mean, you're goingto get.
There's so much information onit out there and, as I say, with
everything, even with the, youknow, the blood sugar monitors
and all the things I'm not adoctor and everybody's different
, so I'm only speaking from, for, for what's happened to me,
what's worked for me or hasn'tworked for me with the castor
(34:11):
oil.
Again, I love wellness, I lovetrends.
I like to think that I'm on topof them for the most part, and
I also can't stand dry skin,living in Colorado, so that was
first and foremost.
I was always on the hunt forsomething that was going to help
my dry skin, and I kept hearingabout castor oil, and so that
(34:32):
was why I initially startedusing.
It was for dry skin and itworks like nothing else.
It is so great, oh my gosh, fordry skin.
That and my other newestobsession beef tallow.
Michele Folan (34:44):
All right, yeah, we got to talk about the beef
tallow.
Kristine Gardner (34:45):
Yeah.
So beef tallow is my othernewest obsession as well, and
because that I am telling youalso is the cure to dry skin.
And my son one of my boys haskind of has, um, has, he's more
acne prone and he actuallythinks that the beef tallow is
helping the acne.
Some people think it actuallycan clog pores.
He said he he's feeling likethere's a difference.
(35:07):
So again, everybody's different.
But I do have a couple littleeczema patches on my, on my, um,
my leg, a couple of dry patches, and the castor oil and the
beef tallow, both of those havedone wonders to help irritated
dry skin, cracked feet, crackedheels, all of it.
And just with the beef tallowyou have to be careful because
(35:29):
the dogs love it.
So Dodger goes crazy.
You become a dog tree.
But it's so good and there'sonly five ingredients in it and
it just works wonders.
The castor oil also.
It really helps to pull outtoxins.
So that's why women are puttingthe castor oil on their
abdominal area to help to pullout toxins from liver.
(35:49):
There are, you know, studieskind of go both ways.
Some say, oh, you know, studieskind of go both ways.
Some say, oh, you know itdoesn't do anything.
And then you'll see somestudies that say like it does
help.
So it's again.
It's one of those where it'ssomewhere in the middle.
I wore my castor oil pack lastnight after traveling and being
gone for the weekend and I feltI do feel like it helps me
de-bloat a little bit.
(36:10):
Is it placebo?
I don't know.
I do feel like it helps mede-bloat a little bit.
Is it placebo?
I don't know.
But I do feel like it helps andmy skin again is so soft and I
do feel like it probably helpsmove the lymph, helps to
de-bloat, detox, anything tohelp with the detox and the
cleanse.
I'm all about that.
Michele Folan (36:29):
So I like it.
I love it All right.
I've been dying to ask that.
So I like it.
I love it All right.
Kristine Gardner (36:35):
I've been dying to ask you.
So I I I'm glad that we got todiscuss the castor oil thing.
I will reorder.
That's what I always say.
If you know, if you like it, ifyou reorder, I will reorder my
castor oil and I will definitelyreorder my beef tallow, all
right and I.
Michele Folan (36:50):
so castor oil was always used by one of the moms
in my neighborhood.
They had a bunch of kids andthey would use castor oil
because it would like if you hada stomach bug or whatever, and
it would get things movingthrough.
And that's that's my experiencewith castor oil.
(37:10):
Is the kids up the streethaving to take it?
Kristine Gardner (37:13):
And I do like it, like I said, for under eyes,
anything to help with dry skin.
Again in Colorado, I'm alwayslooking for ways to plump the
skin.
I put Botox on hold for alittle while, which has also
been an interesting experimentfor no reason.
I just thought you know I'mgoing to put Botox on hold for a
(37:34):
little while and see how thatfeels and so adding in castor
oil and helping with my undereyes, it's really helped All
right.
Michele Folan (37:43):
Will you report back?
I will.
Kristine Gardner (37:46):
On the Botox.
I know I will.
It's interesting.
It's a mind game it is.
It's really interesting.
And then I do love my red lightmask.
I do, and I was talking to aclient last night.
She had a red light mask andwas saying that she was starting
to really feel the difference,also in just how it evens out
your skin tone.
I actually traveled with minefor the first time and loved
having it there.
I just bought one.
(38:06):
Oh good, okay, good, I can'twait.
It's still in the box.
Get it out of the box.
That's the first.
I've had it a week becauseagain, it's it's, it's a new
habit, it is.
It's like anything.
But what I also love is habitstacking so you can put it on in
the morning.
You don't have to do at night.
Put it on in the morning beforeyou have your coffee.
You can't eat or drink with it.
But it doesn't have to just beat night.
Michele Folan (38:28):
You do in the morning too yeah, it's one of
those things that if I get itout when my husband is here, he
is just going to howl laughingand I just I prefer him not to
like be ribbing me.
Kristine Gardner (38:38):
I know, and they're not even flinch anymore.
They're like, oh cool, can wetry another, another, another
gadget you've got going.
Just don't wear it on the plane.
It's so funny, Michele.
I thought about that.
I thought that'll be next levelwhen I actually decide to wear
this on the plane.
Michele Folan (38:54):
Don't put anything past me.
Hey, you know what, as I getolder, the less and less I
really do care.
It's amazing and it's such Ilove that it's a gift.
All right, let's talk aboutyour weighted vest.
Kristine Gardner (39:07):
Okay, the weighted vest.
We should have worn them forour talk today.
Michele Folan (39:12):
I know, I know we should have what has been your
experience with the weightedvest, because I want you to
share with my listeners, becauseI try to get my clients to wear
them too, so you wear one.
Kristine Gardner (39:19):
I know I've seen you in yours.
I've been wearing mine now forover a year and I think for me,
honestly, what I love most aboutthe weighted vest that's what
I'll say what I love most aboutthe Weighted Best is how it's
helped my posture and it's alsoreally helped my core strength.
Yes, I know it's great for bonedensity, I also it's.
You're going to burn a littlebit, you're going to burn some
(39:41):
more calories, but I also justthink it feels good.
It's like a, it's a habitstacking, it's like a warm hug.
You can stop on your walk and dosome squats.
You can stop on your walk anddo a couple of lunges so you get
a little extra resistancetraining in.
And then, truthfully, Michele,I actually just went up to 20
pounds.
So I started at 10 and I got toa point where I could start
(40:02):
doing.
I was running in it.
I could barely tell I waswearing it anymore.
So I actually just went up to20 pounds and I'm feeling the
effects all over again.
So now I can feel like myglutes are a little more sore
after a walk.
Again, that core strength, I'mreally feeling that, feeling it
from my posture.
I love it.
I love it.
(40:23):
I bring it to the gym.
If I go to the gym and I wearit on a treadmill, I'll just put
on my 10 pound, but if I'moutside doing a walk outside,
I'd wear my 20 pound, my 10pound, but if I'm outside doing
a walk outside I'd wear my 20pound.
Okay, and again, you have tolisten to what's right for your
body.
I know some women say like, oh,it doesn't feel good on my back
or it doesn't feel.
Then you know what.
Don't do it.
No one's here to say you haveto.
It is what feels good for you.
For me it feels really.
(40:44):
It feels really good and formost of my clients, a lot of my
clients, they love it.
Michele Folan (40:49):
Also for swimming around the house too.
I just tell people you know,look, just it's recommended that
you start at 5 to 10% of yourbody weight and move your way up
.
Mine has little weights that Ican take in and out, so I can
vary mine depending on the dayif I want.
But yeah, I think, yeah, I loveit, I do too.
(41:09):
I think, yeah, I love it, I dotoo.
Again, it's one of those thingsyou'll have to pry out of my
hands because I'm going tocontinue using it until someone
tells me I can't.
Kristine Gardner (41:18):
I just think it's fun.
It adds a little extra, like,adds a little extra extra to
your walk, to the everyday, forsure.
And you can wear it around thehouse too.
Michele Folan (41:26):
Oh yeah, when you're doing housework, and yeah
, no.
Kristine Gardner (41:33):
I think that is actually really great.
Turn your laundry into aworkout, you know, while you're
at the kitchen sink.
Michele Folan (41:43):
With my red light mask on.
Kristine Gardner (41:45):
I know I did that one time.
I was like here I am okaywearing my red light mask.
I've got my weighted vest onyou know what?
Michele Folan (41:51):
It's all fun.
I see an Instagram reel coming.
Yeah, all right.
You commented on talking aboutInstagram.
You commented on one of myrecent posts that I had about
alcohol and I was wondering howyour relationship has changed
(42:12):
with alcohol in midlife.
Kristine Gardner (42:13):
I know such a hot topic, I feel like
alcohol-free.
Are you alcohol-sober?
Curious?
And here's my most recent thingI don't think in life we want
to have anything that we have todo or that we depend on every
single day and that we needevery single day.
(42:34):
That to me, especially if it'ssomething that you're using to
numb or to check out or there'san old story attached to it, and
for so many of us, that can bewine, that can be our, our, our
drink of choice.
I also think and this is, itcan lead into this too, Michele
our, our drink of choice.
I also think and this is it canlead into this too, Michele it
(42:59):
can be that that's Instagram tosocial media, right?
So, um, I was saying this to aclient the other day.
You know we talk so much aboutwhy not?
We don't need a glass of wineevery single day.
Well, you know what?
Maybe we don't need to checkInstagram every single day
either, right?
So I think it's whenever you'redependent on something.
Um, every single day is a timeto check.
In my relationship with alcoholis whenever I over um, whenever
(43:20):
I overthink about something, orwhenever someone tells me that I
can't have something or that Ineed to take something out.
That's that's when I cheat also.
So if someone were to say like,oh, you need to do dry January,
that's when I would think aboutit and I would actually cheat
and want to have a glass of wine.
So I didn't do dry January, Idon't do.
I don't have a certainlifestyle where I put rules
(43:43):
around myself or say that I canor can't do something.
It's really.
It's about living lifeintentionally and living each
moment intentionally, and sothat's when I check in with
myself and say, okay, do I wanta glass of wine?
Do I really feel like I want tohave this margarita?
And, to be honest, when youtake those intentional pauses
and you have a conversation withyourself and you get out of
(44:04):
autopilot, it's reallyincredible what the answers are
and what the conversation isthat you're having with yourself
.
And so when I've, when I've,I've learned to slow down over
these past couple of years andto have those, those that inner
dialogue, conversation, a lot oftime, the answer when it comes
to alcohol is no, I don't.
(44:26):
I don't really want to drink.
I'm not drinking to get drunk.
I'm not even drinking to get abuzz.
It's really just the habit ofgrabbing a bottle of wine and
pouring a glass of wine, and Idon't like the way alcohol makes
me feel.
I don't want to be tired, I donot.
I'm not looking to be tired inmy life, and wine makes me tired
(44:48):
.
So, without even really trying,I just don't drink very much
anymore.
If I'm in Italy and my husbandwants to have a glass of rosé,
will I have one?
Yeah, absolutely.
If I'm out at a great Mexicanrestaurant and someone wants to
have a great margarita, will Ihave one?
Maybe if it sounds good.
(45:09):
So I'm not putting these harshrules around myself, but I do.
Honestly, I do everything inlife now to bring joy and to
feel my best and to liveintentionally, to live with
purpose and to be happy, andmost of the time, alcohol is not
(45:29):
something that makes me happyor brings joy to my life, and so
therefore I don't need it.
It's not a joy sparker for themost part.
Michele Folan (45:40):
It puts me to sleep.
Kristine Gardner (45:41):
It puts me to sleep and that's not fun.
I'm more fun without alcoholand there's so many fun
mocktails now.
I mean I bring mocktail packets, I make mocktails, I just don't
need it.
I also work really hard to livea clean life and you know we
work out and we do the thingsand we know that alcohol is
toxin.
We know it's a known toxin, soI'm not looking to put known
(46:02):
toxins into my body all the time.
So that's sort of that's whereI am right now with it and I
appreciate you being so openabout that and appreciate you
being so open about that.
Michele Folan (46:20):
and what's funny, if I post something about and
I've mentioned this before onthe podcast but if I post
something about cutting back orbeing more mindful of alcohol, I
lose followers I remember Iheard you say that.
(46:40):
And, and so it doesn't stop mefrom talking about it.
I still have a cocktail now andagain, like you.
I don't want to say never, butI also know when I play things
in my mind, when I say, oh, howdo I want to feel tomorrow
morning?
Yeah, feeling good and sleepingwell always trumps the quick
buzz.
Because because, frankly, if Iwere to have more than one, I
(47:04):
will feel like shit the next day.
Oh, yeah, I mean like shit.
If I were to go out with out todinner with my husband and have
a cocktail before dinner and aglass of wine with dinner, I
will feel like total crap thenext day.
Yeah, same, I don't tolerate it.
And this is the girl that coulddrink a 12 pack in college and
(47:26):
be fine and go to work the nextday.
I mean, I was, yeah, I was, Iwas, I was that girl in college,
I guess.
Kristine Gardner (47:36):
I was too.
Um, I also wanted to be worthit, right.
And so I remember going out torestaurants before and just be
like oh, I'll have a glass ofPinot Grigio or whatever.
Whatever's on the menu, I'lltake the house wine.
And now I, it doesn't eventaste good.
That's the thing too, cause Ithink once and you know this too
like once you take something,your, your palate becomes
(47:58):
accustomed to certain things, oryou take things out, um, it
doesn't taste as good anymore.
You really pick up on thesugars, right.
It's the same thing withprotein bars.
I used to live off protein bars.
I mean, in my, in my twenties,my late, my later twenties,
early thirties, I always had aprotein bar.
What was in my bag, what was inmy car?
Coffee and a protein bar.
Now I taste a protein bar andit's just.
(48:20):
You know, unless you get areally good one Truvani.
I love Truvani protein bars.
They're actually really good.
Elemental makes a great proteinbar.
Um, shout out to them.
But other than that, you canjust taste the artificial,
everything in it.
Michele Folan (48:37):
Yeah, it's the same with wine.
Kristine Gardner (48:38):
You can just taste like the sugars, and
there's so many ingredientscrammed in that wine that they
don't list too.
That's the other.
Michele Folan (48:46):
Well, I know what's in it it's not just great
, it's's the mass produceddomestic wine is just.
I tell people, just stay awayfrom that.
Just do yourself a favor.
I want to do a quick.
I thought this might be kind offun, like a rapid fire.
I'm going to ask you somequestions.
Okay, I love it, okay, okay.
(49:07):
Protein how much per day?
Kristine Gardner (49:10):
I don't know, I don't.
I don't calculate everything.
It's like how I cook.
You know I'm not, I don'tmeasure anything.
Everything's a sprinkle.
I guesstimate everything in mylife.
So far it's worked.
I would say if I had toguesstimate, it's probably
around 90 grams of protein.
Michele Folan (49:24):
Okay, good, all right, I already.
We already talked about waterbefore coffee.
We already talked about waterbefore coffee.
Yes, that was Water beforecoffee.
Yes, what is your best sleep?
Kristine Gardner (49:36):
hack.
Best sleep hack turning downthe lights.
No overhead lights.
My kids laugh at me, they know.
Come eight o'clock it's liketurn off every overhead light.
Turn off your overhead lightsand try to stop drinking
anything.
Finish up your last glass oftea by 7.30 so you don't get up
throughout the night.
Those two and then I love alegs up the wall.
(49:58):
Legs up is so easy to do, Oneof the best things to start with
an evening routine.
Legs up, you can habit stack it.
You can read your book.
You can put your red light maskon, you can put a little
weighted eye mask on.
Turn on your favorite mellowsong.
Michele Folan (50:13):
I just I love legs up and kids love it too, so
it's a great easy eveningroutine hack you can bring in
for your kids as well.
Oh, I'm, I'm writing that onedown.
I love that one.
What is your favorite skincareproduct that you are loving
right now?
Besides the beef tallow, whatelse?
Kristine Gardner (50:33):
Besides the beef tallow and the?
Um, the castor oil, cause thosereally are two of my favorite
skincare hacks right now.
I love eye cream, Michele, Ilove eye cream.
Some women love lip gloss.
I do love a lip gloss, but Ilove oh gosh, it's so hard to
pick one.
Um, I love under eye cream.
Um, there's a few.
I have one that's an Amazon $6eye cream that's actually UWG
(50:55):
one, so it's very clean and it's$6.
It's amazing.
I can give you a link.
And I also just found a lipstain I love.
I should have worn it for ourpodcast recording, but it's
incredible.
It actually stains your lip andyou put a little lip oil over
it and your your lips don't.
They don't become one with therest of your face.
Michele Folan (51:20):
They don't bleed, like that's a problem for me
now, being 60.
It's like a part of my face now.
Yeah, okay, you, after wefinish recording, I want you to
give me the links for your eye,your eye cream and your cream
and your lip stain.
So, when you look at your wholeday, what is one of your most
(51:41):
important pillars of self-care?
Kristine Gardner (51:45):
My morning routine is how you start your
day matters.
How you start your day mattersand how you talk to yourself
matters.
We need to be our own bestfriend, and so starting my day
with self-love, starting my daywith positivity and gratitude,
is the best way to start yourday, best way to start my day
(52:07):
and make your bed.
Michele Folan (52:09):
Make your bed.
Yeah, my husband makes the bedevery day.
I get off the hook on that one.
That's a good guy.
Yeah, what is your coachinglook like?
What services do you offer?
How can women find you so?
Kristine Gardner (52:24):
Women can find me on Instagram.
I love hanging out on Instagram.
Kg Cali Glow I just want to sayKG are my initials, but people
will often ask me why is it Caliglow?
I'm from California and Istarted my Instagram 10 years
ago.
The day I started BeautyCounter is the day I started
Instagram.
So KG Cali glow because I'm allabout the glow up and I have
(52:46):
three ways to work with me.
I have my revitalize and thrive, my RNT method.
That is a six week program andthat I do four times a year.
My next one is going to be inApril and, yes, we're going to
be doing the blood sugarmonitoring.
So that's exciting.
I do one-on-one coaching, whichI love.
I love doing one-on-oneaccountability um,
accountability mindset wholebody coaching and I have a
(53:11):
membership.
Whole body coaching and I havea membership.
And I also have my onlineprogram, revitalize and thrive,
which is an online program youcan do.
It's 30 days I actually justredid it, so it's 30 days to
transform your life.
Michele Folan (53:24):
Wonderful.
Yeah, a couple of differentways.
I'll put all that in the shownotes.
I'll put your links in there.
Kristine Gardner, this was alot of fun and I knew it would
be.
Thank you so much for beinghere today.
I'm sad it's over.
Kristine Gardner (53:37):
I feel like I could sit here and hang out with
you for the rest of the day,but my husband reminded me that
I have other things.
Michele Folan (53:41):
I need to do All right.
Well, you get to it, and thanksfor being here.
Thank you, thanks, Michele.
Hey, thanks for tuning in.
Please rate and review the showwhere you listen to the podcast
.
And did you know that Askingfor a Friend is available now to
listen on YouTube?
You can subscribe to thepodcast there as well.
(54:02):
Your support is appreciated andit helps others find the show.
Thank you,
I love having other coaches on the podcast and
sometimes they're doing some ofthe same things that I am in
the health, fitness and wellnessspace, but that's okay.
One of my favorite sayings isall ships rise in high tides,
supporting other women and theirendeavors, whether it be
coaching, writing a book or as amedical professional.
(00:20):
It's important to me tocontinue to provide listeners
all their options when it comesto their own wellness choices.
Health, wellness, fitness andeverything in between.
We're removing the taboo fromwhat really matters in midlife.
I'm your host, Michele Folan,and this is Asking for a Friend.
(00:45):
I just love it when I meetinspiring women on Instagram and
it makes it even more specialwhen you feel this immediate
connection that says I think Ifound a new friend.
Kristine Gardner startedexploring wellness when she was
(01:05):
in her 20s, but it wasn't untilshe got her master's in
counseling and became a personaltrainer that led to her running
a successful sales team thatshe realized that she wanted to
focus on helping women withstress management, happiness and
overall mind, body and energyalignment.
Stress management, happinessand overall mind, body and
(01:27):
energy alignment.
She wants her clients to createhabits that work specific to
their lifestyle and step intotheir favorite version of
themselves.
Kristine Gardner, welcome toAsking for a Friend.
Kristine Gardner (01:36):
Michele, I'm so happy to be here and I feel
the same as you.
We were fast friends, I have totell you.
Michele Folan (01:44):
I think so too.
I feel so fortunate to havethis job and I do air quotes
when I say job.
I really have met someincredible women through doing
this podcast, but there wassomething about you.
We started commenting on eachother's stuff and I was like I
like this lady, I think she'sfun.
(02:05):
I wish she was my neighbor.
Kristine Gardner (02:07):
Well, I always say it's never random when
people meet.
Synchronicity, yes, and Ireally feel that we're like
energy, so we were meant toconnect.
Michele Folan (02:20):
I believe that is true.
It's serendipitous.
It's one of my favorite wordsand I use it all the time.
There you go.
So, even though I kind of knowyour story, I would like for you
to share your story, just whereyou're from, tell us about your
boys, and also let's talk aboutyour career path, because I
(02:42):
think it really does help paintthe picture of where you are
today.
Kristine Gardner (02:46):
Okay, well, first and foremost, I am a very
proud mom of three boys.
My oldest one is in college now, which is hard to believe.
Every time I say it, and I'msure it'll get to the point when
he graduates, and all thosenext steps.
It's always I can't believethat my kids are here here.
But for real I have.
My first one is in college now,back in California, which is
(03:07):
where we're from.
And then I have a 16 year oldand a 13 year old and I have to
say I love the teenage years.
I do.
Michele Folan (03:16):
I love being a teenage mom.
Kristine Gardner (03:18):
Oh yeah, and it probably goes into a lot of
what we're going to talk about,but all the mind games and the
different types of relationshipsare going through and just
everything, the energy thatteens bring to the home I love
it.
I love the space of motherhood.
Michele Folan (03:39):
Yeah, and it gets even better, christine, because
I will say that once theybecome like young adults, it
really, I think, goes into aneven kind of cooler phase when
you're hanging out with them andthey're like little adults,
it's just fun.
Kristine Gardner (03:57):
And I love that.
I keep hearing that from womenthat it keeps getting better.
You know the way, too, where Ihave women that are friends,
that are grandmothers, and theysaid, oh, just wait until you're
a grandmother, that's the best,all right, um.
So every yes, every phase ofmotherhood is amazing, or has
moments of amazing.
And then I married my husbandScott.
We've been married for 20 years.
(04:17):
We met in San Francisco at abar.
Good, and then proud dog mom tomy dodger.
I did not.
I was so scared to get a dog.
I thought it was going to belike having a fourth child.
Little did I know it was goingto expand my art to a whole new
level.
I love being a dog mom.
We live in Boulder, colorado,actually right outside Boulder,
(04:39):
in a town called Niwot, and itreally is living in the country,
five miles out of the city.
I never thought I would live ina country setting.
I'm from California, was bornand raised in the Bay Area,
marin County, and then we movedto Los Angeles shortly after we
were married and I lovedeverything about that phase of
(05:00):
my life, also Love living inCalifornia.
I still am a very proudCalifornian, my heart.
We just got back fromCalifornia and I always leave a
piece of my heart there.
Yes, my son is there, but Ialso.
I just really I just still feellike California is truly my
home.
I love it.
So we'll see if we end up thereback there.
Michele Folan (05:17):
That's where your roots are.
It's, it's, it's hard to.
It's hard to walk away fromthat when that's kind of what
you've known for so many years.
Kristine Gardner (05:23):
So it's true.
Well, especially when it's 70in February, come back to two
degrees, so it really is winter,it's still winter and my, my
career did you and you saidabout, but a little taste of my
career, right?
Michele Folan (05:37):
Yeah, because you , I I like this entrepreneurial
thing.
You got, you got going, Cause Ithink there's there's kind of a
cool story here.
Kristine Gardner (05:45):
I've always been an entrepreneur.
It's funny when I take a momentto pause, when I'm talking to
someone like you or I'm sharingmy story with someone, I realize
in that moment, like gosh, I'vebeen an entrepreneur for 20
years 25 years and I love beingan entrepreneur.
I started way back in my early20s, when I was in graduate
school and I was getting mymaster's in counseling, and at
(06:08):
that time is really when I fellin love with fitness and so I
started my own bootcamp programin Northern California.
It was awesome.
We met outside underneath theRedwoods, and I trained women of
all ages and we would meet andwork out outside.
And so from that early age, Iwas combining my love for
movement and nature, theoutdoors, happiness and feeling
(06:30):
our best, and that was in themid twenties.
All the way through grad school, I was putting together hiking
groups for women biking groups,hiking groups, boot camps,
personal training, anythingbasically that got people moving
.
Michele Folan (06:45):
Yeah, but you were also creating this amazing
community too, and community,that's right.
Kristine Gardner (06:50):
And then I was in graduate school and then, at
the same time, I was going tobe a master's in counseling.
I also was studying nutrition.
I was studying holisticnutrition, ayurvedic nutrition
specifically.
So I also started my ownbusiness where I was going into
people's homes and clearing outtheir pantries and helping them
put together meal plans andcooking.
And this again was like 25years ago.
(07:11):
I was in my early 20s.
My friends were all drinking inthe city.
Not that I never did this, butfor the most part I was cooking
up tofu in my little apartmentin Mill Valley and going to
silent retreats in my earlytwenties.
It's kind of funny to thinkback on that and putting
(07:32):
together different health andwellness entrepreneurial
programs, and I loved it.
I was also teaching in studiostoo.
So I was teaching reallyfocused on bar and Pilates.
That was my main focus.
And then, at different timesduring during that as well, I
would um, I sort of became likea air quote master trainer and I
(07:55):
would actually go intodifferent studios and help
different studio owners puttogether different programs and
helping to train trainers andtrain teachers programs and
helping to train trainers andtrain teachers.
So I've always I've always umbeen putting together and
(08:16):
creating businesses aroundhealth and wellness in different
phases of my life.
And then you went to beautycounter.
I went to beauty counter, so Ihad three fast forward.
Uh, we're now living in LosAngeles and I was training and
teaching in different studiosall over LA and I started to
notice my body getting a littletired and also running after
three toddlers and realized Ineeded to.
(08:37):
I needed to do something elseat that time and wanted to do
something else at that time.
So in came beauty counter.
It kind of dropped in my lap.
It was just getting started,had no idea what direct sales
was, is network marketing?
I had to Google it to find outwhat it was, but I thought this
sounds fun, I'll jump in.
I'm into.
I love learning.
I believe we should always belearning and educating ourselves
(08:59):
and I was really surprised tolearn about ingredients that
were in, that was in ourskincare and that was considered
toxic and I this was sort oflike right at the peak of clean
beauty or when it was juststarting to take off.
So I thought, if I don't knowall this information, I know
other women don't know thisinformation about toxic beauty,
(09:21):
toxic ingredients.
So jumped into Beauty Counter,grew a really large sales
organization there, loved it,loved it, was there for almost
10 years and about eight yearsinto beauty counter I started to
get that itch again that I knewit was time to do something
else.
That and the and kept creepingin.
(09:42):
So that was when, Michele, Istarted my coaching business
again and started puttingtogether um, started doing group
work with women, reallyfocusing on stress management.
Uh, movement for fun meditation, making meditation accessible
and sort of normalizingmeditation for women that had
(10:04):
never done meditation before,which was also me.
I was on the same path and Iwanted to help women feel more
joy, feel more happiness, feelless stressed out, less burnout,
because that's what I wasseeing at beauty counter, to be
honest, and that's what I washearing from a lot of women that
I was working with that womenwere feeling stressed out and
feeling burnout and they wereshitting all over themselves.
(10:24):
I like to say, and I justdidn't think that was the way
that we should be living.
That wasn't the way that weshould be living.
So I really wanted to helpwomen de-stress, align and come
back to that whole body mind,body, energy, alignment.
Michele Folan (10:42):
Well, you know, it's really difficult to do
anything, to address anything interms of your health, your
relationships, all of that, Ifyou have stress and anxiety
pulling you down day after dayafter day.
It's like you've got to dealwith that component first before
(11:04):
you can really be there foryourself and for other people.
That that is what they need,that they need to address this,
the stress that is kind of theirburden.
Kristine Gardner (11:30):
No, a lot of times.
No, okay, I have so many womenand you probably have this too
that reach out and say I don'treally know what I need.
But I know I need something.
Something just doesn't feelright and I don't know what it
is.
Something just doesn't feelright and I don't know what it
is.
And there's a lot of guilt andshame in that too, because so
many women come to me andthey're like I should feel good,
(11:52):
I should feel joy, I live thisgreat life, I am healthy and,
you know, my kids are this, orI'm married this, or I live here
, or I'm doing this, I'm goingon this vacation, but yet I
still just feel like they'rejust flat and I can't get out of
my own way.
And that's really what it is.
I just can't get out of my ownway.
(12:12):
And it's the old stories, it'sthe old patterns that are going
on in our beautiful brains thatare holding us back.
And that's what I see the mostis that women just don't don't
know what it is that they need.
But they need, they need.
They need something.
They need like a little.
They need a little love nudgeis what they need.
(12:33):
They need some accountability,they need some coaching.
They need community and they'renot really sure how to get
started or where to get started,and there's also a lot of guilt
, feeling like they need thattoo.
So they think it's like, oh, Ineed to lose five pounds, or oh,
I need to lose 10 pounds, thenI'll be happier when, really, if
(12:54):
we unpack that it's.
I really need to shift myhabits.
I really need to change mymindset.
I really need to take my powerback and stop shitting all over
myself.
Boundaries, boundaries yes, Ilove that word.
Michele Folan (13:07):
You know it, it.
I love the word and I know somepeople think it's kind of
overused, but I'll tell you it's.
It frees your soul when youlearn to say no.
I was having this discussionwith one of my daughters this
weekend.
Like, you don't have to go tothat party, you don't even have
(13:28):
to make up an excuse, you canjust say I'm not coming.
Kristine Gardner (13:32):
And Michele even to the next step is you can
say no and you also don't haveto explain yourself.
And when you become aware ofthat, I feel like that is so
freeing, because that first stepis, oh my gosh, I did say no
and then careful that we don'tget stuck in that spiral of no
because this and this and this,and because this and this, and
(13:53):
having to explain ourselvesconstantly.
It's like when we just say nobecause no, that's it, yeah.
Michele Folan (14:00):
That's all.
That's all we have to say Right.
So do you really feel like thatis?
What holds most women back isjust being able to set
boundaries and really addresssome of those things that are
holding them back, and they justneed someone to kind of guide
(14:20):
them down that path.
Kristine Gardner (14:21):
Well, that, and also the old stories that we
get so ingrained in our minds,our old patterns, and it's
really retraining our brain andwe think it's harder than it
really is.
Our brains are so incredibleand they're open to creating new
narrow pathways, and I don'tthink I mean the average woman
isn't thinking I need to changesome of my narrow pathways, I
(14:45):
need to change the way my brainis thinking.
But that's really what it is.
It's shifting some.
It's just shifting some simplehabits that can be really
life-changing, starting withmorning habits and how we talk
to ourselves.
But yes, I think it's themindset, the stress and getting
(15:08):
out of our own way and habits,and the habits are just part of
old stories, old patterns.
Michele Folan (15:13):
Kristine, we're going to take a quick break and
when we get back, I want to talkabout some of those morning
habits that you like.
Are you feeling overwhelmed bythe changes that come with
midlife, struggling with weight,energy or finding time for
yourself?
You're not alone.
I get it because I've beenthere too.
I specialize in helping midlifewomen just like you transform
(15:37):
their health and lives throughpersonalized nutrition and
coaching that fits your reallife.
Together, we'll tackle thoseunique challenges, whether it's
balancing your hormones, dealingwith cravings or boosting your
energy.
It's not just about diets.
It's about reclaiming yourstrength and confidence one step
(15:57):
at a time.
Check out the show notes ofthis episode and shoot me an
email.
I'd love to learn more aboutyou and your challenges.
Okay, we are back.
All right.
Before we took the break, wewere talking about some of those
things, just some of thosesmall things that we can do to
(16:19):
set our day up, to set ourselvesup for success.
Can you talk a little bit aboutthose morning habits that
you've adopted, that you try toteach your clients?
Kristine Gardner (16:29):
Yes, and I also want to be honest that this
was not.
It wasn't always this way I was.
I was absolutely.
It was absolutely the mom.
I was the woman that was wakingup to the alarm, throwing
myself out of bed, spiking mycortisol through the roof,
injecting coffee as quickly aspossible and running out the
(16:53):
door in my pajamas,over-caffeinating, doing all the
crazy hip workouts nonstop,cardio, nonstop.
I mean, I didn't always havethese habits in place.
However, I've slowly adoptedthem into my life and I'm here
(17:16):
to say that even the smallestshifts can make the biggest
differences.
So one of those is drinkingwater first thing in the morning
.
It makes such a huge difference.
It's when I forget to do thator when I don't have that water
by my bed the morning.
It makes such a huge difference.
It's when I forget to do thator when I don't have that water
by my bed the night before.
It just it.
My day does not feel the same.
So hydrating first thing is keybecause, think about it, you are
vertical for nine hours,vertical or horizontal,
(17:42):
horizontal.
You're horizontal for ninehours, hopefully nine hours,
eight or nine hours, and andyou're dehydrated.
You are dehydrated.
So, first thing in the morning,drinking your water before you
have any coffee.
That is first and foremost.
That is what I'm always tellingmy clients.
Let's start with that and youwould not believe when, when
(18:05):
clients start, when women startdoing that first thing, it's
like that first majoraccomplishment.
I'm drinking my water firstthing, I've got my lemon, I'm
detoxing my liver first thing inthe morning and I feel so much
better.
So start there and celebratethat, celebrate that win.
And then getting a little bit ofmovement in.
And this doesn't mean gettingup and starting to lift weights.
(18:27):
This doesn't mean getting upand doing a three mile walk.
This means getting up and juststarting to move the lymph.
Again, you were horizontal foreight hours.
So getting starting to move thecells.
And I have a five minute littlemovement ritual that I always
send to my clients in themorning first thing.
(18:49):
And again, the difference theyfeel when they do five minutes
of movement before they havetheir coffee or it's.
It's.
It can be life changing.
So also the sunlight, and Iknow we're starting to hear more
and more about this, butgetting sunlight first thing in
the morning is everything Ialways say.
My hardest client is my husbandand some mornings I will
(19:09):
literally drag him out, outside,we are getting sunlight on our
face first things in the morningand again, we always feel so
much better.
It's funny I think I said thisin the beginning that I have a
dog and if we could just livelike a dog in the first 10
minutes and learn from our dogs,we would all be happier,
(19:30):
happier humans.
Dodger, when he gets up, firstthing he does he does a loud
stretch and a yawn, and anaudible yawn.
So good for you.
Same thing get out.
He immediately wants to gooutside.
He wants to get the sunshine onhis face.
Comes back inside, drink somewater.
If we can all just be thesimple little habits, just like
(19:53):
our, just like our furry littlefriends, we feel so much better.
Michele Folan (19:57):
Yeah, and I think you know, grabbing for the
coffee the first thing when youwake up in the morning, it's
just a habit, we all, we, we'veall done it.
But I, like you, have adoptedthat, that in the morning, that
first thing I do, I drink 16ounces of water.
I put some sea salt in mine.
(20:19):
I love the idea of lemon andjust chug that down.
And sometimes I find out once Iget that in and I get that
little movement in, Kristine, Idon't need my coffee for like an
hour.
It's so true.
One morning about a week ago Iforgot to drink my coffee.
It was 11 AM.
I was like, oh, I didn't havecoffee.
(20:40):
That's great, I know, yeah, sojust yeah, but I, I, I love what
you're saying I should also sayI am not a huge.
Kristine Gardner (20:48):
although I love routines, I also like
mixing my routines up, so I justI just like um.
I love my five minute movementin the morning.
Sometimes I'll jump, jump onthe trampoline.
I love a rebounder and I'lljust bounce for five minutes in
the morning before I get my kidsup or do anything, and it just
gets my cells going and I turnon a fun song and I get in again
(21:10):
.
This is the most important thingalso, besides from the water
and the coffee get your brainright, get your head right.
And so what I'm always sharingwith my clients is we come up
with our own personal mantra inthe morning, a brain primer and
something that is going to getthem in a good mindset for the
(21:31):
day.
And we always come up with apersonal one, because
everybody's in a different space.
But have your personal mantrain the morning and what I
started with and this is areally easy one to remember if
you need one, it's today isgoing to be a great day and it
seems so simple.
But I'm telling you, michelle,I sat up for two years straight,
every single morning.
It was the first thing I said,and now it's just on autopilot.
(21:52):
Today is going to be a greatday, because it is.
If we train our brains to bethat way, then our whole day is
different.
You can manifest.
Michele Folan (22:03):
You're manifesting Absolutely.
We always are.
Yeah, and one thing I will sayabout that and I should be
better about that and Iappreciate the little nudge
you're giving me here bymanifesting we can change the
trajectory of our day and ourlife and it's getting out of
that negative headspace thatdrags us down.
(22:24):
And I love that little tip ofjust starting your day with a
positive phrase or positivelittle motivation to get things
going.
Kristine Gardner (22:35):
One other one I love and again game changer is
go big.
In the morning and my coachshared that with me and I have
adopted that and I share it allthe time Go big, begin in
gratitude, begin in gratitude.
There's no other way.
There's so much to be gratefulfor when we start our day, just
(22:57):
like you said, looking for thepositive, looking for the joy.
The joy sparks the gratitude,it shifts the energy.
Michele Folan (23:04):
You just said something.
You said your coach and this issomething you and I chatted
about a little bit before we hitthe record button about the
stigma sometimes around having acoach or getting therapy or
whatever it is you do.
Can you talk about that alittle?
Kristine Gardner (23:23):
bit.
We could have a whole, just onepodcast on this series.
It's funny, it's interesting.
I think it's hard for women toask for help.
In certain ways, maybe it's nothard to ask for help.
You go to the gym, you go to agym class, or you have your
girlfriends.
So people think like, oh well,I have my girlfriend, so I
(23:44):
should be good and love mybesties.
I love my girlfriends, butthey're not your coach, they're
not going to call you out on allthe things, they're not going
to challenge you.
In certain ways, I think thatwomen feel a sense of guilt or
shame that they need a coach.
I think there's some guiltaround having to spend money on
(24:06):
a coach.
I should be able to do thismyself.
I'm in my forties, I'm in myfifties, I'm in my sixties.
I should have it figured out.
I shouldn't need help Likeaccountability.
I should be able to do thatmyself.
So it's again it's that mind,talk and that feeling of I
should be able to figure thisout on my own.
Michele Folan (24:25):
I'll get my husband to be my accountability
partner or okay, you know, letme know how that works.
Kristine Gardner (24:32):
Meanwhile, though, what I think is really,
really interesting is that womenare, are and myself included
are willing to spend a limitedamount of money on their kids.
So their kid needs a trainer,or?
No problem, your kid needs atutor, of course, your kid needs
, you know, your child needsthis extra accountability or
support.
But no problem, right, we'll doanything for our kids.
(24:54):
But then, when it comes to us,we think, oh, we'll do it later,
oh, I can do that on my own, Idon't need that.
So again, we're puttingourselves on the back burner,
and really I believe that, firstof all, all our kids want is
for us to be happy, and so,whatever we need to do, if mom's
(25:16):
happy, everybody's happy, right?
So true, and we're human.
I mean we all need to have alittle extra coaching, a little
extra accountability.
We all love community, andthat's when we thrive.
When you have coaching, whenyou have accountability, someone
checking in, when you havecommunity, people that are
(25:36):
supporting you, that's when youcan start to get out of your own
way.
So it's not something you needforever, and I say that too
because, honestly, if I've donemy job and I'm a good coach,
then after a few months I hopethat my clients graduate and
move on.
This isn't something thatyou're going to be doing forever
, but it's just someone to helpyou, kind of it's helped help
(25:59):
you shift.
My coach has changed my life110,000%.
I love coaching.
I always have coaching in some,some capacity.
Michele Folan (26:07):
Yeah, you know, and we all know, you know you
can't pour from an empty cup andall that, but it's not selfish
and all that, but it's notselfish, no, no.
Kristine Gardner (26:23):
And it's also it's getting a different
perspective.
It is someone challenging youin the best way, with love,
because they want the best foryou, and it is that
accountability piece.
And that's what I see the most,Michele, from my clients.
What they really need, to behonest with you, is the mindset
shifts, seeing things from adifferent perspective that they
haven't seen before, andaccountability to help get the
(26:48):
habits in place, because when Iwork with my clients, it's
always coming up with habitsthat align with their values and
habits that work for them.
What works for you is going tobe different than what works for
me, and what works for oneclient it's going to be kind of
different works for anotherclient.
So I always want to help themcreate these habits that are
going to work for them and thenhold them accountable for a
certain amount of time.
(27:09):
And I see it, it works.
Yeah, the women that really leaninto the accountability it
works.
They retrain those pathways,they're on their way, and then
it becomes a habit.
And then it becomes a habit,and sure do.
They come back sometimes like,oh, I need to tweak a little bit
or I got off track with this orthis wasn't feeling right, or
kids left for college orwhatever.
(27:29):
Summer's over.
Come back and let's reshiftregroup set you up for success.
A hundred percent.
Yeah, Shift regroup set you upfor success 100%.
Michele Folan (27:34):
Yeah, and I think those life transitions, you
know, the kids go to college,the kids leave the nest, the
kids get married, don't feellike they need mom anymore.
Then we get into, you know,grandparenthood, I mean there's
so many phases that we're justasked to adapt to and sometimes
(27:56):
for some women that's hard andbecause we're kind of having to
realign our identity everysingle time, and that's tough.
100%.
Kristine Gardner (28:06):
And we're also going through in that midlife
phase.
We're going through hormonalchanges.
Our bodies feel a littledifferent, they do, and, just
like you said, we're goingthrough a lot of external
transitions as well.
Our bodies feel a littledifferent, they do, and, just
like you said, we're goingthrough a lot of external
transitions as well, withdifferent people coming and
going.
There's a lot going on in thisspace and so, leaning in and
(28:34):
asking for some extra help andsupport and love and guidance,
yes and yes and yes, yes and yesand yes, yeah, more please.
Michele Folan (28:39):
Yeah, we're, we're, we're definitely on very,
very same page.
I want to ask you a little bitabout some of your own things
that you do and some of your owngood habits.
We talked about your morningroutine.
I have to ask you this questionyou started wearing a glucose
monitor recently.
(28:59):
Yeah, I want to know what thegoal was behind getting this
data, and was there anythingthat prompted you like saying I
think I need to see what myglucose is doing on a daily
basis?
Kristine Gardner (29:13):
So my philosophy and my belief is
really, when it comes to eatingand an exercise too but really
for eating it's whole foods diet, and eating for hormonal health
and eating from a place tobalance your blood sugar so that
you're feeling good all daylong, you're not experiencing
(29:36):
those extreme highs.
You're not experiencing thoseextreme highs, you're not
experiencing extreme lows, butyou feel good, you have energy
all day long, and so when youbalance your blood sugar and
you're eating a whole foods,rich protein, vegetables, fruit
diet, you can feel that good.
(29:58):
And I also wanted to get thedata to test it and to see were
there certain things that wereunknowingly like spiking my
blood sugar?
Or how was my cortisol in themorning and was stress really
affecting my blood sugar?
(30:19):
Oh sure, it definitely does.
So I was just sort of curiousto see it for myself.
I also, to be transparent, inmy next program I'm going to
roll out a piece of the programwhere you can have the monitor
and then I'm actually going tohave a nurse is going to be a
partner in my program.
So if a client decides to havea glucose monitor, then Kate
(30:40):
will help and do the reading andgive you feedback and we can
talk about some of the shiftsthat you need to have.
So I partnered with thisamazing woman, kate, and we're
going to have that in the nextprogram, but I first had to do
it myself.
So anything that I'm going toask someone else to do, of
course I need to do it myselfand see what I find.
So, to be honest, that wasreally why I wanted to do it to
(31:04):
be a test person, a test clientfirst, and what have I noticed
out of it?
So the biggest thing is Irealized that when I take a bath
or a sauna, it really spikes myblood sugar.
Those are the two things thathave really really affected the
blood sugar.
And then also this weekend,when we were traveling I know I
(31:25):
just wasn't, as I was stilleating healthy and doing all the
good things, but I wasn't asconscientious about, like,
having a certain amount ofprotein to balance out what I
was eating and I was snackingmore, and it was just so I could
just see the spikes going upand down and up and down much
more versus when I'm at home.
(31:46):
It's very, it's, it's in myrange, it's more stable, yeah,
it's pretty stable, yeah.
So that was interesting and Idefinitely noticed.
Also, coffee in the morning.
I did test it.
If I didn't, I didn't have anyfood first.
Is it going to really spike myblood sugar?
And it does Absolutely.
And just the smallest amount ofsugar really spikes my blood.
(32:08):
That's what it was.
I love those sugar-free peachrings, the smart, smart candy I
don't I can't remember what it'scalled, but you know sugar-free
all of this, I love them.
That my blood sugar wentthrough the roof Really Uh-huh,
uh-huh, crazy.
Michele Folan (32:26):
But then also just like the smallest amount.
Kristine Gardner (32:28):
I love a matcha and I'll sometimes put a
little bit of maple syrup inthere Not very much but that.
So my body is super sensitiveto to sugar.
Um, it gets it going prettyquickly.
Michele Folan (32:41):
One thing I will say, and this is just a general
suggestion for everybodylistening to this podcast today
If you have not had a fastingblood sugar done by your primary
care, done by your primary careprovider, you need to do that
because that is just a baselinethat everybody should know.
(33:02):
You should know what yourfasting blood sugar is and just
be aware, because some women Iknow are finding out that
they're pre-diabetic and theydidn't know.
Keeping in mind that is anasymptomatic situation, so
you're not going to know, unlessyou're like Kristine here who's
(33:24):
wearing a glucose monitor.
But definitely get a fastingblood glucose, all right.
My next question castor oil.
All right, I've seen womenusing castor oil.
I am clueless about castor oil,the benefits of it and putting
it on your stomach.
I've seen some women like putit in their belly button with a
(33:47):
bandaid.
Please explain.
Kristine Gardner (33:49):
So, first, if you Google if you Google castor
oil, it is, I mean, you're goingto get.
There's so much information onit out there and, as I say, with
everything, even with the, youknow, the blood sugar monitors
and all the things I'm not adoctor and everybody's different
, so I'm only speaking from, for, for what's happened to me,
what's worked for me or hasn'tworked for me with the castor
(34:11):
oil.
Again, I love wellness, I lovetrends.
I like to think that I'm on topof them for the most part, and
I also can't stand dry skin,living in Colorado, so that was
first and foremost.
I was always on the hunt forsomething that was going to help
my dry skin, and I kept hearingabout castor oil, and so that
(34:32):
was why I initially startedusing.
It was for dry skin and itworks like nothing else.
It is so great, oh my gosh, fordry skin.
That and my other newestobsession beef tallow.
Michele Folan (34:44):
All right, yeah, we got to talk about the beef
tallow.
Kristine Gardner (34:45):
Yeah.
So beef tallow is my othernewest obsession as well, and
because that I am telling youalso is the cure to dry skin.
And my son one of my boys haskind of has, um, has, he's more
acne prone and he actuallythinks that the beef tallow is
helping the acne.
Some people think it actuallycan clog pores.
He said he he's feeling likethere's a difference.
(35:07):
So again, everybody's different.
But I do have a couple littleeczema patches on my, on my, um,
my leg, a couple of dry patches, and the castor oil and the
beef tallow, both of those havedone wonders to help irritated
dry skin, cracked feet, crackedheels, all of it.
And just with the beef tallowyou have to be careful because
(35:29):
the dogs love it.
So Dodger goes crazy.
You become a dog tree.
But it's so good and there'sonly five ingredients in it and
it just works wonders.
The castor oil also.
It really helps to pull outtoxins.
So that's why women are puttingthe castor oil on their
abdominal area to help to pullout toxins from liver.
(35:49):
There are, you know, studieskind of go both ways.
Some say, oh, you know, studieskind of go both ways.
Some say, oh, you know itdoesn't do anything.
And then you'll see somestudies that say like it does
help.
So it's again.
It's one of those where it'ssomewhere in the middle.
I wore my castor oil pack lastnight after traveling and being
gone for the weekend and I feltI do feel like it helps me
de-bloat a little bit.
(36:10):
Is it placebo?
I don't know.
I do feel like it helps mede-bloat a little bit.
Is it placebo?
I don't know.
But I do feel like it helps andmy skin again is so soft and I
do feel like it probably helpsmove the lymph, helps to
de-bloat, detox, anything tohelp with the detox and the
cleanse.
I'm all about that.
Michele Folan (36:29):
So I like it.
I love it All right.
I've been dying to ask that.
So I like it.
I love it All right.
Kristine Gardner (36:35):
I've been dying to ask you.
So I I I'm glad that we got todiscuss the castor oil thing.
I will reorder.
That's what I always say.
If you know, if you like it, ifyou reorder, I will reorder my
castor oil and I will definitelyreorder my beef tallow, all
right and I.
Michele Folan (36:50):
so castor oil was always used by one of the moms
in my neighborhood.
They had a bunch of kids andthey would use castor oil
because it would like if you hada stomach bug or whatever, and
it would get things movingthrough.
And that's that's my experiencewith castor oil.
(37:10):
Is the kids up the streethaving to take it?
Kristine Gardner (37:13):
And I do like it, like I said, for under eyes,
anything to help with dry skin.
Again in Colorado, I'm alwayslooking for ways to plump the
skin.
I put Botox on hold for alittle while, which has also
been an interesting experimentfor no reason.
I just thought you know I'mgoing to put Botox on hold for a
(37:34):
little while and see how thatfeels and so adding in castor
oil and helping with my undereyes, it's really helped All
right.
Michele Folan (37:43):
Will you report back?
I will.
Kristine Gardner (37:46):
On the Botox.
I know I will.
It's interesting.
It's a mind game it is.
It's really interesting.
And then I do love my red lightmask.
I do, and I was talking to aclient last night.
She had a red light mask andwas saying that she was starting
to really feel the difference,also in just how it evens out
your skin tone.
I actually traveled with minefor the first time and loved
having it there.
I just bought one.
(38:06):
Oh good, okay, good, I can'twait.
It's still in the box.
Get it out of the box.
That's the first.
I've had it a week becauseagain, it's it's, it's a new
habit, it is.
It's like anything.
But what I also love is habitstacking so you can put it on in
the morning.
You don't have to do at night.
Put it on in the morning beforeyou have your coffee.
You can't eat or drink with it.
But it doesn't have to just beat night.
Michele Folan (38:28):
You do in the morning too yeah, it's one of
those things that if I get itout when my husband is here, he
is just going to howl laughingand I just I prefer him not to
like be ribbing me.
Kristine Gardner (38:38):
I know, and they're not even flinch anymore.
They're like, oh cool, can wetry another, another, another
gadget you've got going.
Just don't wear it on the plane.
It's so funny, Michele.
I thought about that.
I thought that'll be next levelwhen I actually decide to wear
this on the plane.
Michele Folan (38:54):
Don't put anything past me.
Hey, you know what, as I getolder, the less and less I
really do care.
It's amazing and it's such Ilove that it's a gift.
All right, let's talk aboutyour weighted vest.
Kristine Gardner (39:07):
Okay, the weighted vest.
We should have worn them forour talk today.
Michele Folan (39:12):
I know, I know we should have what has been your
experience with the weightedvest, because I want you to
share with my listeners, becauseI try to get my clients to wear
them too, so you wear one.
Kristine Gardner (39:19):
I know I've seen you in yours.
I've been wearing mine now forover a year and I think for me,
honestly, what I love most aboutthe weighted vest that's what
I'll say what I love most aboutthe Weighted Best is how it's
helped my posture and it's alsoreally helped my core strength.
Yes, I know it's great for bonedensity, I also it's.
You're going to burn a littlebit, you're going to burn some
(39:41):
more calories, but I also justthink it feels good.
It's like a, it's a habitstacking, it's like a warm hug.
You can stop on your walk and dosome squats.
You can stop on your walk anddo a couple of lunges so you get
a little extra resistancetraining in.
And then, truthfully, Michele,I actually just went up to 20
pounds.
So I started at 10 and I got toa point where I could start
(40:02):
doing.
I was running in it.
I could barely tell I waswearing it anymore.
So I actually just went up to20 pounds and I'm feeling the
effects all over again.
So now I can feel like myglutes are a little more sore
after a walk.
Again, that core strength, I'mreally feeling that, feeling it
from my posture.
I love it.
I love it.
(40:23):
I bring it to the gym.
If I go to the gym and I wearit on a treadmill, I'll just put
on my 10 pound, but if I'moutside doing a walk outside,
I'd wear my 20 pound, my 10pound, but if I'm outside doing
a walk outside I'd wear my 20pound.
Okay, and again, you have tolisten to what's right for your
body.
I know some women say like, oh,it doesn't feel good on my back
or it doesn't feel.
Then you know what.
Don't do it.
No one's here to say you haveto.
It is what feels good for you.
For me it feels really.
(40:44):
It feels really good and formost of my clients, a lot of my
clients, they love it.
Michele Folan (40:49):
Also for swimming around the house too.
I just tell people you know,look, just it's recommended that
you start at 5 to 10% of yourbody weight and move your way up
.
Mine has little weights that Ican take in and out, so I can
vary mine depending on the dayif I want.
But yeah, I think, yeah, I loveit, I do too.
(41:09):
I think, yeah, I love it, I dotoo.
Again, it's one of those thingsyou'll have to pry out of my
hands because I'm going tocontinue using it until someone
tells me I can't.
Kristine Gardner (41:18):
I just think it's fun.
It adds a little extra, like,adds a little extra extra to
your walk, to the everyday, forsure.
And you can wear it around thehouse too.
Michele Folan (41:26):
Oh yeah, when you're doing housework, and yeah
, no.
Kristine Gardner (41:33):
I think that is actually really great.
Turn your laundry into aworkout, you know, while you're
at the kitchen sink.
Michele Folan (41:43):
With my red light mask on.
Kristine Gardner (41:45):
I know I did that one time.
I was like here I am okaywearing my red light mask.
I've got my weighted vest onyou know what?
Michele Folan (41:51):
It's all fun.
I see an Instagram reel coming.
Yeah, all right.
You commented on talking aboutInstagram.
You commented on one of myrecent posts that I had about
alcohol and I was wondering howyour relationship has changed
(42:12):
with alcohol in midlife.
Kristine Gardner (42:13):
I know such a hot topic, I feel like
alcohol-free.
Are you alcohol-sober?
Curious?
And here's my most recent thingI don't think in life we want
to have anything that we have todo or that we depend on every
single day and that we needevery single day.
(42:34):
That to me, especially if it'ssomething that you're using to
numb or to check out or there'san old story attached to it, and
for so many of us, that can bewine, that can be our, our, our
drink of choice.
I also think and this is, itcan lead into this too, Michele
our, our drink of choice.
I also think and this is it canlead into this too, Michele it
(42:59):
can be that that's Instagram tosocial media, right?
So, um, I was saying this to aclient the other day.
You know we talk so much aboutwhy not?
We don't need a glass of wineevery single day.
Well, you know what?
Maybe we don't need to checkInstagram every single day
either, right?
So I think it's whenever you'redependent on something.
Um, every single day is a timeto check.
In my relationship with alcoholis whenever I over um, whenever
(43:20):
I overthink about something, orwhenever someone tells me that I
can't have something or that Ineed to take something out.
That's that's when I cheat also.
So if someone were to say like,oh, you need to do dry January,
that's when I would think aboutit and I would actually cheat
and want to have a glass of wine.
So I didn't do dry January, Idon't do.
I don't have a certainlifestyle where I put rules
(43:43):
around myself or say that I canor can't do something.
It's really.
It's about living lifeintentionally and living each
moment intentionally, and sothat's when I check in with
myself and say, okay, do I wanta glass of wine?
Do I really feel like I want tohave this margarita?
And, to be honest, when youtake those intentional pauses
and you have a conversation withyourself and you get out of
(44:04):
autopilot, it's reallyincredible what the answers are
and what the conversation isthat you're having with yourself
.
And so when I've, when I've,I've learned to slow down over
these past couple of years andto have those, those that inner
dialogue, conversation, a lot oftime, the answer when it comes
to alcohol is no, I don't.
(44:26):
I don't really want to drink.
I'm not drinking to get drunk.
I'm not even drinking to get abuzz.
It's really just the habit ofgrabbing a bottle of wine and
pouring a glass of wine, and Idon't like the way alcohol makes
me feel.
I don't want to be tired, I donot.
I'm not looking to be tired inmy life, and wine makes me tired
(44:48):
.
So, without even really trying,I just don't drink very much
anymore.
If I'm in Italy and my husbandwants to have a glass of rosé,
will I have one?
Yeah, absolutely.
If I'm out at a great Mexicanrestaurant and someone wants to
have a great margarita, will Ihave one?
Maybe if it sounds good.
(45:09):
So I'm not putting these harshrules around myself, but I do.
Honestly, I do everything inlife now to bring joy and to
feel my best and to liveintentionally, to live with
purpose and to be happy, andmost of the time, alcohol is not
(45:29):
something that makes me happyor brings joy to my life, and so
therefore I don't need it.
It's not a joy sparker for themost part.
Michele Folan (45:40):
It puts me to sleep.
Kristine Gardner (45:41):
It puts me to sleep and that's not fun.
I'm more fun without alcoholand there's so many fun
mocktails now.
I mean I bring mocktail packets, I make mocktails, I just don't
need it.
I also work really hard to livea clean life and you know we
work out and we do the thingsand we know that alcohol is
toxin.
We know it's a known toxin, soI'm not looking to put known
(46:02):
toxins into my body all the time.
So that's sort of that's whereI am right now with it and I
appreciate you being so openabout that and appreciate you
being so open about that.
Michele Folan (46:20):
and what's funny, if I post something about and
I've mentioned this before onthe podcast but if I post
something about cutting back orbeing more mindful of alcohol, I
lose followers I remember Iheard you say that.
(46:40):
And, and so it doesn't stop mefrom talking about it.
I still have a cocktail now andagain, like you.
I don't want to say never, butI also know when I play things
in my mind, when I say, oh, howdo I want to feel tomorrow
morning?
Yeah, feeling good and sleepingwell always trumps the quick
buzz.
Because because, frankly, if Iwere to have more than one, I
(47:04):
will feel like shit the next day.
Oh, yeah, I mean like shit.
If I were to go out with out todinner with my husband and have
a cocktail before dinner and aglass of wine with dinner, I
will feel like total crap thenext day.
Yeah, same, I don't tolerate it.
And this is the girl that coulddrink a 12 pack in college and
(47:26):
be fine and go to work the nextday.
I mean, I was, yeah, I was, Iwas, I was that girl in college,
I guess.
Kristine Gardner (47:36):
I was too.
Um, I also wanted to be worthit, right.
And so I remember going out torestaurants before and just be
like oh, I'll have a glass ofPinot Grigio or whatever.
Whatever's on the menu, I'lltake the house wine.
And now I, it doesn't eventaste good.
That's the thing too, cause Ithink once and you know this too
like once you take something,your, your palate becomes
(47:58):
accustomed to certain things, oryou take things out, um, it
doesn't taste as good anymore.
You really pick up on thesugars, right.
It's the same thing withprotein bars.
I used to live off protein bars.
I mean, in my, in my twenties,my late, my later twenties,
early thirties, I always had aprotein bar.
What was in my bag, what was inmy car?
Coffee and a protein bar.
Now I taste a protein bar andit's just.
(48:20):
You know, unless you get areally good one Truvani.
I love Truvani protein bars.
They're actually really good.
Elemental makes a great proteinbar.
Um, shout out to them.
But other than that, you canjust taste the artificial,
everything in it.
Michele Folan (48:37):
Yeah, it's the same with wine.
Kristine Gardner (48:38):
You can just taste like the sugars, and
there's so many ingredientscrammed in that wine that they
don't list too.
That's the other.
Michele Folan (48:46):
Well, I know what's in it it's not just great
, it's's the mass produceddomestic wine is just.
I tell people, just stay awayfrom that.
Just do yourself a favor.
I want to do a quick.
I thought this might be kind offun, like a rapid fire.
I'm going to ask you somequestions.
Okay, I love it, okay, okay.
(49:07):
Protein how much per day?
Kristine Gardner (49:10):
I don't know, I don't.
I don't calculate everything.
It's like how I cook.
You know I'm not, I don'tmeasure anything.
Everything's a sprinkle.
I guesstimate everything in mylife.
So far it's worked.
I would say if I had toguesstimate, it's probably
around 90 grams of protein.
Michele Folan (49:24):
Okay, good, all right, I already.
We already talked about waterbefore coffee.
We already talked about waterbefore coffee.
Yes, that was Water beforecoffee.
Yes, what is your best sleep?
Kristine Gardner (49:36):
hack.
Best sleep hack turning downthe lights.
No overhead lights.
My kids laugh at me, they know.
Come eight o'clock it's liketurn off every overhead light.
Turn off your overhead lightsand try to stop drinking
anything.
Finish up your last glass oftea by 7.30 so you don't get up
throughout the night.
Those two and then I love alegs up the wall.
(49:58):
Legs up is so easy to do, Oneof the best things to start with
an evening routine.
Legs up, you can habit stack it.
You can read your book.
You can put your red light maskon, you can put a little
weighted eye mask on.
Turn on your favorite mellowsong.
Michele Folan (50:13):
I just I love legs up and kids love it too, so
it's a great easy eveningroutine hack you can bring in
for your kids as well.
Oh, I'm, I'm writing that onedown.
I love that one.
What is your favorite skincareproduct that you are loving
right now?
Besides the beef tallow, whatelse?
Kristine Gardner (50:33):
Besides the beef tallow and the?
Um, the castor oil, cause thosereally are two of my favorite
skincare hacks right now.
I love eye cream, Michele, Ilove eye cream.
Some women love lip gloss.
I do love a lip gloss, but Ilove oh gosh, it's so hard to
pick one.
Um, I love under eye cream.
Um, there's a few.
I have one that's an Amazon $6eye cream that's actually UWG
(50:55):
one, so it's very clean and it's$6.
It's amazing.
I can give you a link.
And I also just found a lipstain I love.
I should have worn it for ourpodcast recording, but it's
incredible.
It actually stains your lip andyou put a little lip oil over
it and your your lips don't.
They don't become one with therest of your face.
Michele Folan (51:20):
They don't bleed, like that's a problem for me
now, being 60.
It's like a part of my face now.
Yeah, okay, you, after wefinish recording, I want you to
give me the links for your eye,your eye cream and your cream
and your lip stain.
So, when you look at your wholeday, what is one of your most
(51:41):
important pillars of self-care?
Kristine Gardner (51:45):
My morning routine is how you start your
day matters.
How you start your day mattersand how you talk to yourself
matters.
We need to be our own bestfriend, and so starting my day
with self-love, starting my daywith positivity and gratitude,
is the best way to start yourday, best way to start my day
(52:07):
and make your bed.
Michele Folan (52:09):
Make your bed.
Yeah, my husband makes the bedevery day.
I get off the hook on that one.
That's a good guy.
Yeah, what is your coachinglook like?
What services do you offer?
How can women find you so?
Kristine Gardner (52:24):
Women can find me on Instagram.
I love hanging out on Instagram.
Kg Cali Glow I just want to sayKG are my initials, but people
will often ask me why is it Caliglow?
I'm from California and Istarted my Instagram 10 years
ago.
The day I started BeautyCounter is the day I started
Instagram.
So KG Cali glow because I'm allabout the glow up and I have
(52:46):
three ways to work with me.
I have my revitalize and thrive, my RNT method.
That is a six week program andthat I do four times a year.
My next one is going to be inApril and, yes, we're going to
be doing the blood sugarmonitoring.
So that's exciting.
I do one-on-one coaching, whichI love.
I love doing one-on-oneaccountability um,
accountability mindset wholebody coaching and I have a
(53:11):
membership.
Whole body coaching and I havea membership.
And I also have my onlineprogram, revitalize and thrive,
which is an online program youcan do.
It's 30 days I actually justredid it, so it's 30 days to
transform your life.
Michele Folan (53:24):
Wonderful.
Yeah, a couple of differentways.
I'll put all that in the shownotes.
I'll put your links in there.
Kristine Gardner, this was alot of fun and I knew it would
be.
Thank you so much for beinghere today.
I'm sad it's over.
Kristine Gardner (53:37):
I feel like I could sit here and hang out with
you for the rest of the day,but my husband reminded me that
I have other things.
Michele Folan (53:41):
I need to do All right.
Well, you get to it, and thanksfor being here.
Thank you, thanks, Michele.
Hey, thanks for tuning in.
Please rate and review the showwhere you listen to the podcast
.
And did you know that Askingfor a Friend is available now to
listen on YouTube?
You can subscribe to thepodcast there as well.
(54:02):
Your support is appreciated andit helps others find the show.
Thank you,
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!