October 1, 2007- Marta Tracy

Marta's Success:
MARTA TRACY is a television strategist who positions personalities, entrepreneurs and businesses for maximum exposure and brand recognition on TV.  She has an impressive resume and has been successful in her field. But after the death of her husband and while at Sony Pictures Television, she began to contemplate what to do next in her life and career. 

She found writing to be a source of inspiration and the launch pad of her new found passion. 

She is the co-author of STARRING YOU! The Insiders' Guide To Using Television And Media To Launch Your Brand, Your Business And Your Life.  Writing the book turned from a personal journey into a book and business that now inspires other women.  She believes her story can teach women the importance of finding and following one’s passion, networking with abandon, making a commitment to your passion, carrying a “calling card” and identifying yourself and your passion in a way people can relate to and also the importance of persistence. 

October 8, 2007- Michelle May
www.AmIHungry.com

Michelle's Success:
Michelle was overweight by the time she was 5 and received mixed messages about food at home.  After her parents divorce at 9 years old, she turned to food for comfort and gained even more weight.  Following in her mother’s footsteps she began dieting, but it didn’t last.  Soon she was on the roller coaster of dieting and overeating that she would ride for twenty years.  This was coupled with exercise used as penance when she wasn’t good around food.

She went to medical school and during her residency relied on free cafeteria food and a daily bag of double-dipped malted milk balls.  Each piece became her consolation prize and a boost of confidence, energy, reward and pleasure that she felt she deserved.  After med school, she went back to dieting and exercising only to give in to a bag of chocolate Kisses and to give up on exercising.  She struggle that she did this as a doctor, but she knew her patients were similarly struggling. By watching her husband and children who didn’t struggle she learned that the answer was to eat in alignment with her body’s needs and wants.  She stopped dieting and depriving herself.  She came to understand her emotional connection with food, and today she eats for health and enjoyment.  She also hikes and does yoga for how good it feels instead of to lose weight.

Her experience helped her discover her purpose to help others get off their roller coasters.  Michelle is the award-winning author of Am I Hungry? What to Do When Diets Don’t Work.  She also founded the Am I Hungry? Weight Management Program, dedicated to changing the way people think about eating and exercise.

October 15, 2007- Roberta (Bobbi) Smith

Bobbi's Success:

Roberta (Bobby) Smith is happily married with her husband Dave for 27 years and has two sons.  Bobbi has lived a very healthy lifestyle, exercised regularly, teaching 2 to 4 cardio/muscle classes a week, did weight training, consistently worked on keeping her mental, spiritual, emotional and physical health a priority, thus keeping her stress level down and her energy up.  So when she was diagnosed in August of 2000 with Breast Cancer, what a complete shock it was to her and her family.  From that moment on, her life changed, irreversibly.

Bobbi shares, “Cancer certainly threw a wrench into the works of a normal life. Was it easy? No. But I am here to say that it is possible to survive, and thrive, and go on to appreciate each day, no matter what the challenges.”  Here about her challenges, decisions, and perseverance.

October 22, 2007- Mary Williams

Mary's Success:
Mary Williams spent 14 years with debilitating back pain and physical limitations from a car accident.  She had relied on healthcare professionals to help her, but only received temporary relief from the pain.  So she took matters into her own hands and discovered there was a lot more to back pain then she had imagined.  At the time she was a “stress junkie”, drinking coffee all morning, diet cola all afternoon, eating foods that stressed the body, working constantly and not moving too much.  She read everything she could and discovered that these choices were contributing to her pain.

She learned that stress is a major component of back pain and so are foods that are inflammatory.  She began changing her lifestyle and committed to putting her health first.  She started practicing progressive muscle relaxation to reduce stress in her back, doing Pilates to stabilize her vertebrae through core strengthening and getting regular exercise.  She also stopped drinking caffeine and alcohol and began eating foods that are anti-inflammatory and healthy.  She has been almost pain free ever since, and when she has symptoms she can quickly see what is causing it and takes corrective action.  She now lives well through wellness, having learned it isn’t just about managing her back pain.  She has reclaimed her life and done things she never thought she’d do again, including skiing, white water rafting, hiking and kayaking.

October 29, 2007- Meg Barnhouse
www.megbarnhouse.com

Meg's Success:
Meg Barnhouse has learned to love every square inch of her larger body and revel in what it can do for her.  She not only accepts her size; she exults in it and smashes through the ideals of being thin.  Looking at older pictures of herself when she had thought she was fat, she discovered that she was actually beautiful.  She came to understand that feeling fat is a state of mind, not the reality.  She replaces negative self talk with encouragement and gratitude, and she chooses friends who tell her how attractive, sexy and powerful she is.

Instead of waiting to start her life when she reached a goal weight, she puts her focus on being fit and strong.  For years she has practiced martial arts and has a second degree belt in karate.  She now also works out with a friend every day.  She has her days when she gets caught in the self-hatred spiral, but she knows how to pull herself out of it and get moving again. 

She now travels across the country, sharing her story about smashing the self-hatred critic within and how to be happy with who you are.  She is a minister, writer, musician, songwriter and humorist, and she can be heard regularly on NPR’s Radio Free Bubba.