From Vision to Reality: The Founding of Women Optimizing Wellness

The One About Women Optimizing Wellness

 

Join Becks and her guest co-host Jen on Radio Daybreak as they explore the inspiring world of Women Optimizing Wellness (WOW). This episode features an engaging conversation with WOW's founding members, Michelle Orton, Jennifer Banks, and Becks Nielsen, as they share their vision for empowering women through community and connection.

 

Michelle Orton discusses the inception of WOW, a concept that began seven years ago with the idea of creating a community that focuses on optimizing every aspect of being a woman—mind, body, soul, relationships, business, and finances. Discover how these remarkable women came together to build a network that welcomes women of all ages and stages, fostering powerful connections and growth.

 

Jen Banks shares her journey of balancing motherhood and personal ambitions, emphasizing the importance of nurturing both family and dreams. As the author of "Let Yourself Bloom," Jen embodies the WOW philosophy of intentional living and connection.

 

Becks Nielsen, a dynamic real estate agent and retired ER nurse, talks about her multifaceted life and the evolution of her identity through different roles and experiences. She highlights the importance of community and storytelling in creating meaningful relationships and personal growth.

 

Get ready for WOW's upcoming launch party on January 27th, featuring keynote speaker Mary Crafts, a motivational powerhouse with an inspiring story of resilience and transformation. The event promises to be a night of celebration, connection, and empowerment, complete with food, music, and more.

 

00:00 Just Jen joins Radio Daybreak to talk about Women Optimizing Wellness

00:47 Michelle Orton, Jennifer Banks and myself founded Women Optimizing Wellness

04:41 Who are you? And sometimes we get stuck with labels that the world gives us

06:45 Michelle is a master coach, speaker, business consultant and performs weddings

09:23 Jen Bakes: I believe in being a mom while my kids are little

10:46 Bex Butler has a lot of titles in her life

14:48 Next month we have Mary Crafts coming to speak for us

16:43 WOW's website will be launching soon

 

Links:

WOW Website [Women Optimizing Wellness](http://www.womenoptimizingwellness.com)

Radio Daybreak [Radio Daybreak Website](http://www.radiodaybreak.com)

Mary Crafts [Mary Crafts Official Site](https://www.marycrafts.com)

 

#NewEpisode #Podcast #WomenEmpowerment #Community #Utah #RadioDaybreak #WOW #WomenOptimizingWellness #MaryCrafts #LaunchParty

 

Keywords: Women Empowerment, Community, Utah, Radio Daybreak, Becks Nielsen, Jen Banks, Michelle Orton, WOW, Women Optimizing Wellness, Mary Crafts, Launch Party, Connection, Storytelling

Episode Transcript

(00:11):
Hi guys, it's Becks and Just Blane.
Oh wait, filling in for JustBlane today, we have Just Jen.
Welcome, Jen.
Thank you.
It's so good to be here.
We sat down and talked about WOW, WomenOptimizing Wellness, and we're missing
our third founder here, Michelle.
We are.
She'll be joining us though inthe interview here momentarily.
Yes, and you need to save the datefor our launch party, January 27th

(00:36):
for Women Optimizing Wellness.
WOW.
Have a listen.
All right, so we are here withWOW, Women Optimizing Wellness.
I've got Two other amazing powerhouseshere, Michelle Orton and Jennifer Banks

(00:58):
and myself, Becks Nielsen, of course, andwe are the three founding members of WOW.
We're here to talk to you alittle bit about that ladies.
So welcome.
Yes.
Wow.
Wow is right.
So Michelle, you do a great jobwith, with WOW and our vision.
Talk to us a little bit about WOW andthen I'll throw it over to Jen and she
can talk about how we all came together.

(01:19):
So, wow was something that startedstirring in my mind about seven years ago.
And I really love the idea of womencoming together and creating a
community that is only based on beinga woman and how powerful it is, but
optimizing every level of being a woman.

(01:41):
So your body, your mind,your soul, relationships.
Business, and finances.
Because us women, we do it all.
But how do we optimize it?
How do we make a wow?
So when I met the two of you, Iwas like, that was the key to open
this door to create this community.

(02:02):
I saw something in both of you andyou brought something out in me,
which is what we want to bring outin our community with our ladies.
And so we partnered up.
Yes, we did.
And here we are.
Wow.
So Jen, yeah, the backstory.
We first met through the businesscommunity here in Daybreak South Jordan.
And we just connected over those businessrelationships and just really wanting

(02:25):
to be integrated into the communityand Really just involve others and we
really saw a need for specifically womennetworking because you know Typically,
there's a lot of men in networks andwhen you put women together, we're
powerful And what I liked is that it'swomen of all ages and stages We are
really welcoming and I felt that as ayounger woman and all ages from 19 up

(02:50):
to 71 Oh, yes Even more are all welcome
here.
Yeah.
I love that.
So we are friends outside of this, right?
Jim spoke a little bit to that and it wasreally neat that, um, You know, we did
meet through a business community and,uh, the relationship essentially started.
And then we were like, Hey, wehave this idea of potentially maybe

(03:11):
starting a women's networking group.
And we started meeting after the meeting.
We kind of had our little, our littlebrainstorm session, if you will, that
turned into something we think canbe just incredibly, um, powerful.
And it has been, so we startedour soft launch back in January.
And was that late?
Was that our first event?
No.
So they got burnt.

(03:32):
September.
Did I say January?
November.
I've got our launch party on in September.
But we are going to have a big party inJanuary, so you're letting it out already.
So we
started our soft launches inSeptember, um, and those really took
off and we have heard incrediblyimpactful, powerful stories.

(03:54):
Um, I'll let each of you maybe shareand just touch on one of those events
or something that hit you in the lastthree months since we've watched this.
Yeah, I really loved the idea of a softlaunch because that's the, the question
we have is how do we spread the word?
How do we get these women connected?
And so with these soft launches,they were a casual way to get
together to eat dinner and to meet.

(04:16):
Women from different walks of life,especially since there are three of us
that brought in women from each of ourdifferent networks, and then it has grown
since then, I loved the first event wherewe each stood up and we said who we are,
and we are more than just our roles.
There's, there's more within us than that.
I think let's expand on that and becausethat's the way we start the event.

(04:38):
That's the first questionI asked everyone.
Who are you?
And sometimes we get stuck with thelabels that the world gives us or society
gives us and they're wonderful labels butIn WOW, we wanted to strip those away.
Yeah.
We really wanted to tap into that innerpart, into our soul and our knowing.
And I think it was a reallybeautiful conversation.

(05:02):
It was this great big farm table.
We all gathered around and everyone'sanswer were so inspiring and so authentic.
So I will just answer what I said.
Um, my answer is I am real.
And what that means to me is to bevery authentic in all the choices.
That I make us a move forward.

(05:22):
What was your answer that night, Becks?
Mine was, I am present.
It's one thing that I have triedto be really intentional this year.
That was intentionalitywas my word for 2024.
We're dating this rightof, um, of this year.
And I am a visionary.
I'm, uh, entrepreneur, I'mvery much forward thinking.

(05:46):
Um, and so being present andin the moment sometimes can
be really challenging for me.
I'm an A personality, I'm a driver,I'm all of those things, right?
Um, and so being present cansometimes be hard for me.
And so I was present for that momentand I just was really taken aback.
Um, and, From the answers that thesewomen had and just really opened up

(06:10):
my heart to what do I have to giveto this community and to gain, right?
Cause we're lifelong learnersand I just loved being in
that space and being present.
What was yours, Jen?
And just
speaking to that variety, everytime a woman spoke, you thought, Oh,
surely there's nothing else to say.
But every time there was somethingnew, mine was, I am curated.

(06:32):
And I just love kind of a combinationof your two, just intentionality,
being real and just really selectingthe things in your life that are
most meaningful to you and make
you, you,
I love that.
I saw that beautiful.
Let's talk a little bit.
Cause we get this question often.
Who are we?
Like who, what's our background?
And, um, so let's introduceourselves a little bit.

(06:54):
Michelle, we'll start with you.
Well, I am a master coach,speaker, business consultant,
and I also perform weddings.
I have been coaching for almost 19years and I got my certification through
a program at Stanford University.

(07:17):
It's called Tiny Habits and how tinylittle habits can create such movement
and momentum in all of your life.
I am just in love with my career and myclients and making changes for the good.
My tagline is, you can't go over it.
You can't go under it, solet's go through it together.

(07:40):
Okay, that's not what I said.
Let's go through the shit together.
That's what she said.
You might want to beat that.
But it's true.
We all have to go through itand that's another reason why I
wanted to build this community.
I want us to go through it togetherbecause there's strength in numbers
and we are meant as people togather together to tell our stories.

(08:01):
It bonds us, it connects us,and it drives a movement.
Um, and we need that in our family,in our neighborhoods, in our
community and across the country.
I am going to just say two things.
She, I never let her forget this.
She's a TEDx speaker.
She always forgets that.
She was a TEDx speaker as well.
And another thing that I do love tosay about Michelle is, which I've

(08:25):
kind of taken on as my own motto, Istole it from you, is lead with love.
So that when she says that sheeven has that tattooed lead
with love on, on her body.
So we, we kind of incorporatedthat into our motto and vision too.
So she is amazing.
Absolutely.
Love you, Michelle.
So thank you.
Thank you.
Thank
you.
I forget to mention my texts and itwas an honor to grace that stage.

(08:50):
It was a privilege because I didnot have to try out for TEDx.
I was invited.
It was a women's event aboutovercoming trauma in your life.
And it was a really pivotal point,um, that talk was to, um, Tell
my story from my childhood and tochange that fabric and that thread.
So thank you for breaking it up.

(09:12):
She's gonna always get her in.
I'm humbled that I was a part of thatexperience and I do have that title.
I am a TEDx
All right, Jen.
I know it can sometimes be reallyhard to talk about ourselves,
but you are on the spot next.
Yes.
Well, especially
after we're done.
I'm Jen Banks.

(09:32):
I have three littleboys, so I am a boy mom.
They're just little, but I believein being a mom and I wrote a
book called Let Yourself Bloomthat came out just this year.
You're coming from a corner.
Let's a huge accomplishment.
I really do.
Especially while my kids are little.
That's what I believe.
You don't have tosacrifice one or the other.
You can nurture your childrenand nurture your dreams.

(09:53):
And so here I am an example of that andwas just barely arranging child care
so I could be here for this episode.
She did.
She pulled it together.
Right.
But I, yeah, I am a teacher.
I am a speaker.
I play the violin.
I, uh, what else do I do?

(10:13):
I just really love women and connection.
That's my highest value.
And so when I have an opportunity toconnect at a deeper level, whether it's a
large event or at a smaller scale, that'sreally what fills my cactus connection.
Yeah, I love that.
And Jen really is a powerhouse.
We have seen her, um,book, Let Yourself Bloom.
And she really is the epitome ofdoing that over the last decade.

(10:36):
Have I known you two years now?
Or close to, um, to see herbloom as well over that.
So you're amazing at what you do.
So thank you.
Thank you.
And then I guess I can introduce myself.
I hate talking about myself and I alsohate when my eyelashes stick together.
But here we are.

(10:57):
So, uh, Um, but, um, Who am I?
So, Becks is, I've got a lot of layers.
I'm like an onion, right, from Shrek.
Um, not a parfait, not a cake.
Um, but yeah, I've got a lotof layers, a lot of titles.
Um, I'm a mom, I'm a wife,I'm, um, a sister, a daughter,

(11:21):
I I'm a real estate agent.
I am a retired ER nurse.
Um, I've held a lot of roles in mylife and still continue to do so.
I am on a radio daybreak podcast withmy partner, Just Blane, which has been
awesome being the The voice in the faceof, um, at the community of Daybreak.

(11:43):
I do a lot of my business outhere, which has been a lot of fun.
Um, I also, uh, helped found and aminvolved in Daybreak business community.
So there's a lot that I do, but Ithink I'm still, you know, figuring
out who is Becks under all of that.
And I think it's a journey, whichhas been fun and, um, which is part

(12:05):
of the reason that I joined WoW is.
You know who Becks was in my 20s and 30sand moving into this season in my 40s.
It has evolved and changed andthat's the beauty of this beautiful
magic thing that we call life.
So a lot of roles that I've playedbut it's, you know, bits and pieces
of that all make up who I am.

(12:26):
So there you go.
I think in so many elements that youYou layered your life so well and all
of those titles are so important andbeautiful, but we're always evolving.
Yeah.
Always changing.
And that's what humans are supposed to do.
We're supposed to change.
We're supposed to adapt and overcome.

(12:46):
So adding something else, sometimes like,Oh, we're so afraid to add something
else, but maybe that's the piece that'sgoing to shift something else and make
spinning those plates a little bit easier.
So joining a community like, wow.
Sometimes the answer when you're like,Oh, I can't put something else on my
table because I'm a young mom with youngkids, or I'm in the middle of a busy

(13:08):
career or where I'm more at the end of mycareer, I'm in my mid fifties and we have
our early thirties and our mid forties.
I'm sorry, I'm throwing you out, but thisis, this is what it is that we don't,
we're not our twenties, thirties, forties,and you, like I agree, she is blimped.
Oh, huge.
Yes.
Yes.
Such a beautiful scene to see her cometo life and the same thing with you.

(13:34):
Um, all of these layers that arecoming out, I think they're coming
out is because you're around peoplewho bring out the best in you.
Yeah.
And that's really what Ithink this community does and
what our friendship has done.
Yeah.
And like you said, it'skind of an experiment.
You do want to figure out whereyou want to focus your energy or
your interests or things like that.

(13:55):
And so you do have to try the
things in order to know.
Yes, and it's soimportant that we do that.
Um, and then I think it's importantthat we create a space and that's
something that I think our lastevent that's really standing out is.
The stories, stories connectpeople on such a deeper level.
And that's one thing that WOW has reallydone is every single month we bring in a

(14:19):
speaker who's going to tell their story.
And from the beginning of time,when people have gathered around
a campfire or wrote the stories oncane walls, it's because they want
this connection and every story isimportant and deserves to be heard.
And last month's story was.
So powerful.
Um, it was Carrie Butlerand she's phenomenal.

(14:43):
And if you missed out on the event.
That's why we're going to have more andwe're going to have more great speakers.
Let's talk about maybe our speaker.
That's coming up next month.
Jen
next month, we have Marycrafts coming to speak for us.
She'll be the keynote at our launch party.
She was a very successful womanwho had a catering company and

(15:06):
now she is a motivational speaker.
She has gone through so manythings in her life that have
just really Added the richness toher experiences and her wisdom.
She went through a hugeweight loss journey.
She escaped a traumatic or abusiverelationship and really just has

(15:26):
exercised her mental capabilities andso much more that her story is just
inspiring and funny and motivational.
So she's not one to miss.
If you don't know Mary, you'regoing to want to be there.
The date for that is January 27th,Monday, January 27th, beginning at 6pm.
We are going to have food, aband, um, what else are we doing?

(15:51):
Uh, surprise raffle draws, um, charities.
We're going to have
give back to the community.
It's gonna be huge.
It's gonna be big.
If you're like Becks, youdidn't mention location.
I know.
We are figuring that out.
It will be somewhere herein the South Valley area.
More details on that to follow.

(16:12):
Um, continue to follow us here on,um, social media and we will be sure
to get the word out on location.
Yeah, it's gonna
be a big launch party.
Yes.
Absolutely.
What else did you haveto add to that, Jen?
Just a woman's night outthat you won't want to miss.
Even if you're maybe unsure of,you might not know many people,
there will be people to meet andpeople to help you feel comfortable.

(16:34):
Completely.
So let's give them that dateagain, Jen, if you don't mind.
January 27th, the last Monday of the month
at 6 p.
m.
Perfect.
Um, what else do we want toshout out before we jump off
this podcast today, you guys?
Anything else or any other Top of mindthings that we wanted to mention about
WOW are common questions that we get.

(16:55):
Yeah, I know a common question thatI get is how can I be more involved?
How can I participate in this?
How can I receive updates?
Our website will be launching soonwhere you can opt into those emails.
And then also there will be a placewhere you can apply to be a sponsor
or a speaker at a future event.
Yes, yes.
So if you have a great story orsomething that you want to add to our

(17:17):
community, something that's uniqueto you, yeah, message us, please.
Um, feel free.
Yes, we want, we want everyone to beinvolved and share the story and community
and foster those kind of relationships.
Do you have any feedbacks?
I
think lastly, the only thing to addis, as women, we have a lot of roles.
We are so, so busy, butmark your calendars.

(17:40):
The WOW events will be on the lastMonday of the month, beginning at 6pm.
Um, particularly mark your calendarsfor the, the hard launch date, which
is Monday, January 27th at 6pm.
The location is to be announced.
See you there.
See you there.
Bye.