In this bittersweet season finale, Sarah Baillie and I come together to share some big news: the early wrap-up of Season 4. It's been a tough decision, but one that opens up exciting opportunities on the horizon for both of us. We peel back the curtain on the "why" behind this choice, exploring the joyous spaces it's creating for personal pursuits. For me, Wendy McCallum, it means dedicating more time to my passion for writing fiction and diving into my Business Building Bootcamp community...

In this second to last episode of Season 4 of Bite-Sized Balance, I'm joined by Sarah Baillie to explore what’s been a game-changing concept for both of us: "No One Is Coming." We dive deep into the profound reality that if our lives aren't what we want them to be, the power to change that rests solely in our hands. This awakening often hits women hard in midlife, around menopause, as the awareness of time becomes more acute. Drawing inspiration from unexpected places like the Trolls movie,...

Hey there, lovely listeners! First, I've got some big news to share with you on this short episode of Bite-Sized Balance. But mostly, I want to dive deep into a mindset shift that has truly transformed my life (and that I recently applied in relation the big decision that prompted today’s announcement): the powerful perspective shift from "What if it goes wrong?" to the game-changing question, "What if it goes right?" Fear and anxiety have a sneaky way of holding us back, keeping us stuck in...

In this down-to-earth episode, Wendy sits down with Natasha Carrillo, a Financial Educator and Coach, to chat all things women and money. No stiff suits or complicated jargon here – just a real conversation about why women need to take the reins when it comes to their finances, and how avoiding the topic isn’t serving us!  Natasha breaks down the impact our upbringing has on our money mindset and shares some practical advice on how to shift those beliefs to feel more empowered about our...

In this short episode of Bite-Sized Balance, I'm serving up practical, empowering strategies to keep your holiday balance in check, with a goal of you wrapping up the year feeling rested, restored, and not even a tiny bit over-stuffed and annoyed!   I'm dishing out practical tips on how to prioritize what truly matters by deciphering between energy drains and gains, and using the 4 Ds (delete, delegate, defer, and do) to get those lists serving you better. No more overcommitting, no more...

In this heartwarming episode of Bite-Sized Balance, Wendy McCallum sits down with a remarkable guest, her client Chantal. Chantal recounts her transformative journey from decades of addiction to true freedom from alcohol. Chantal candidly shares her experience with the medication Antabuse and the pivotal role it played in her recovery. The conversation takes a beautiful turn as Chantal unveils her unique practice of specific gratitude, demonstrating how it has reignited joy in her life. By...

In this brief yet powerful episode of Bite-Sized Balance, my regular guest and BFF Sarah Baillie and I explain the transformative idea behind "Holding it Lightly", a tool we both use regularly in our coaching practices. I open up about a challenging period in my life and how intentionally loosening my grip on the problem (with the help of a fantastic coach!) led to a remarkable shift in my feelings, behaviors, and overall well-being. We explore the tendency among women to hold tightly to...

In this fascinating episode, I’m joined by Adele Spraggon, a Behavioral Change Expert and author, to explore the complicated world of decision-making in your brain. Adele sheds light on why your brain is always making choices on your behalf (spoiler alert: it's not your fault!) and unveils the step-by-step path to reprogramming it with a fresh set of operating instructions.  Together, we dig into neuroscience to uncover how understanding your brain can empower you to make positive changes in...

In this short and insightful Bite-Sized Balance episode, my regular guest and BFF, Sarah Baillie, and I explore the notion of "Filling the Space" that often arises as we begin to say "no" to things that no longer serve us, set boundaries, and experience a shift in caregiving duties as our children grow older. Sarah beautifully articulates the common discomfort we feel with unoccupied time, driven by societal expectations of busyness.  This tendency to fill the void immediately can lead to...

No matter what kind of healing or balance you're seeking in this season of life, you've probably realized that quick fixes and shortcuts rarely bring about lasting results. But taking that initial step towards educating yourself is the first stride toward creating real change. In this episode, I sit down with Ayurveda Health Coach, Carina Greweling, who helps women achieve lasting hormone balance by restoring healthy sleep, gut health, and energy. She's a certified Ayurveda Hormone Coach,...

Today we're diving deep into a transformative practice that can supercharge your daily joy and make you feel like you can tackle the big challenges in your life. Gratitude is not just a buzzword; it's a game-changer. It has empowered me to stay so much more present as a parent, wife, and daughter, especially in the last year of my dad’s life.  In this episode, I’ll share why your gratitude practice may have been ineffective in the past and what steps you have to take to make it a meaningful...

Did you know that 1 in 10 women relies on sleep aids regularly? It's a staggering statistic, but it's hardly surprising. In today's fast-paced world, where we juggle demanding careers, relationships, never-ending to-do lists, hormonal shifts, and mental health challenges, even a mere six hours of sleep can seem like an unattainable dream. What might surprise you, however, is the potential danger hidden within those seemingly harmless sleeping pills. Today, I have the privilege of being...

If you’ve been curious about what life might look like without alcohol, Sober October is the perfect time to do an experiment. I’m sharing this episode with you now so you have some time to prepare for a successful break from alcohol because it absolutely requires having a solid plan. First, you’ll want to start examining your assumptions about alcohol, even before you stop drinking. Practically speaking, you’ll also need to decide what you’ll drink instead and how you’ll respond when people...

Vacations are over and the kids are back at school. It’s that time of year when we often feel the need to get “back on track” and into the structure and routines that help us thrive. But something that we rarely consider is that as life changes, so does our personal “recipe for success.” Be it in relationships, careers, added responsibilities, shifting hormones, or the ages of your kids, life has a way of changing and throwing curve balls when it comes to maintaining a healthy routine.  So...

There’s a very pervasive social narrative that moms need alcohol in order to survive motherhood. This is what is known as “mommy wine culture” and chances are, you’re all too familiar with this messaging because the marketing behind it is really unavoidable.  On this episode, I’m joined by life coach and author of It’s Not About the Wine, Celeste Yvonne to help us uncover the real reasons moms want to escape and why alcohol as a coping mechanism is just adding to the mayhem. We will talk...

Aaaand we’re back for Season 4! My lovely co-host Sarah joins me as we share some summer updates and ease back into routines and rhythms that keep us sane! I finally moved into the house we’ve been renovating for months, but then we had to deal with the flooding of my husband’s business and the cottage. Sarah spent a good portion of the summer in her favorite corner of the couch with a book but became a professional camp shuttle and laundry service for her busy kids too. Both of us loved...

Wendy and Sarah are back again to wrap up season 3 of BSB and talk about the one impactful mindset shift they have made in the last couple of years that has led to them living with more compassion and way less judgment.   Drawing on a Brené Brown anecdote, Wendy and Sarah explain how everything changes when we start assuming that everyone, even the people who frustrate and disappoint us most, are “doing their best.” We can then decide how to respond from a place of empathy instead of...

Wendy talks about how the empty nesting went last year with Sarah, and how she is feeling now that both of her kids are home for the summer.    Just one year ago on the podcast, Wendy shared the reality of Empty Nest Syndrome, including her apprehension and grief around her children leaving for university and the sale of their childhood home. But their time away brought many unexpected gifts, and she found herself enjoying the agency and freedom that came with the un-parenting. She traveled...

This week Wendy is joined by Maureen Benkovich. Maureen shares her moving personal story as she and Wendy have an honest discussion about infertility, pregnancy loss, grief, depression, and women’s drinking.    Maureen is someone who has experienced the pain of infertility and knows firsthand how easy it is to get stuck in a cycle of shame and blame when it comes to grief, depression, and drinking. For years, she used alcohol as a way to cope with these challenges, and it only made things...

This week, Wendy is joined again by her friend and colleague Sarah Baillie, N.D. to talk about the practical steps women can take to avoid hitting an emotional rock bottom in midlife. Research suggests that most people are at their unhappiest in their forties, but that this continues to improve as they age. Sarah and Wendy believe there are ways to speed that process up!   As more of their clients come to them looking for support in pro-actively making their midlife easier and happier,...

Wendy talks with Jay Fields, an educator, coach, and author who has taught the principles of embodied social and emotional intelligence to individuals and organizations for twenty years.   If you’ve ever wondered how to get better at sitting with your emotions, instead of drinking, eating, or scrolling to escape them, Jay’s got the practical three-step solution.   Wendy and Jay discuss the importance of feeling your emotions instead of “fixing” them, and how learning to do this using...

Today’s conversation around the value of meaningful female friendships in midlife is especially poignant for host Wendy and her co-host Sarah, colleagues who have also become very good friends over the course of the last few years.   They discuss how picture-perfect social media feeds can often lead to comparison and feelings of inadequacy, and how that can keep women from reaching out when they need more connection.    But with midlife there’s a sense of coming home to oneself, and with...

What does your inner critic sound like? In this episode, Wendy introduces coach Lorna Wilson and they dive deep into how to silence your inner critic, identify the opinions or feedback you should be paying attention to, and how not to be reliant on receiving praise from others. Wendy shares how Lorna has helped her reframe criticism and tap into her own inner mentor. The discussion stems from the book Playing Big by Tara Mohr, which Lorna and Wendy both highly recommend to all women! Lorna...

This is Part 2 of the “How to Do Less and Get More in Midlife” Episode. In Part 1, Sarah & Wendy discussed why so many women reach overwhelm and burnout in the care sandwich that is midlife. They shared their favourite coaching strategies and tools to help busy women scale back on their to-do list and clear some space to bring in more of the things that serve them. In this second instalment, they provide some concrete strategies for standing in personal responsibility and figuring out...