Take26

Caitlin Brown and I met almost ten years ago at party for The Everygirl. Since then, we've stayed in touch, and I've been in complete awe of her journey to happiness. At age 25 she married her high school sweetheart. At age 27, she got divorced. Now at 29, she's living out her dreams and traveling the world as a freelance writer.

We talk about the highs and lows of her marriage, how she knew it was time to part ways, and how ultimately the ending of their marriage allowed them to be friends. We really dissect this chapter of her life. Caitlin vulnerably shares what this time was like and how she found Caitlin Brown again.

Now, Caitlin is fearlessly living in New Zealand as a freelance writer. She takes us inside this decision, the ups and downs that come with traveling the world, and explains how she went from owning monogramed cheese boards to just four shirts.

Follow Caitlin:

@caitlinpaigebrown

www.caitlinpaigebrown.me

Meet Emily Lunstroth. Emily is an internet friend, turned IRL friend that is bravely sharing her career path with us today.

Emily is a 20-something blogger & lifestyle brand founder living in Houston. Her journey to finding her passion in her 20s is brave, vulnerable and one of perseverance. Like most college grads, Emily wanted to live in NYC and made the steps to do so. She quickly found out that the concrete jungle is not what it's cracked up to be, and she packed her bags to head south to Nashville. After a few years in Nashville and a steady job, she made the decision to continue south and move home to Houston.

This is where her journey really began. She shares career highs, major lows (spoiler: always read contracts before signing), and through it all, keeps her hair big, her smile wide and keeps on going. Emily shares how to get through a REALLY tough time, how she stays positive and how to really dig deep to find what makes you happy.

Emily is about to launch Edith Hour, a lifestyle brand. Edith Hour celebrates the time you spend getting ready no matter what your routine is, or where you are headed.

Follow Emily:

@emilylunstroth // @edithhour

Lina Midla has more fitness certifications than I have fingers and toes. To name a few, she is NASM certified, a certified functional strength coach, a certified online trainer, a pre/post-natal corrective exercise specialist, CrossFit certified, Zumba certified, AND Olympic Weightlifting (yes) certified.

If she's not an expert in creating a healthy lifestyle, I'm not sure who is.

Lina and I discuss her personal journey with fitness. We start with her college years and how late puberty and the freshman 15 impacted her psyche, and that ultimately began an unhealthy association with food and fitness. If there was a diet fad that people talked about, she did it. Vegan? Check. Master cleanse? Check. Nutrisystem? Check (spoiler: you may not go number 2 on this one).

Ultimately, Lina educated herself on healthy living, and turned her passion into a career.

From being the Chief Training Officer for The Barre Code (a national fitness franchise), to teaching pregnant women how to have a healthy pregnancy, to having TWO kids in FOUR years, Lina has unlocked the mystery of living well.

Ultimately, with a rock bottom moment, Lina discovered "Three Secrets To Lifelong Wellness".

Join us as we unpack these secrets that you, YES YOU, can start living by today.

Lina has a FREE (zero dollars) Fast Fitness Guide for Busy Women that you can download here: http://www.themidlamethod.com/fit

Facebook: Lina LOVE'S friend requests, so you can send them to https://www.facebook.com/lbelkin21

She also runs a free group on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/midlamethod

And if you're like heck yes, how do I work with Lina, she does a FREE 10-minute call (leave your credit cards at home because we're just getting to know each other ;) here: http://bit.ly/30vFBrb

"According to the IHRSA (International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association), the $30 billion health and fitness industry in the U.S. has been growing by at least 3 - 4% annually for the last ten years and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon." Forbes

Bara Ketonen, Pure Barre Lincoln Park owner, has been involved in fitness all her life. After trying many forms of exercise, a friend took her to her first Pure Barre class. While she was cursing in her head throughout the first class, she was immediately addicted to the shake and burn.

What did Bara do before owning Pure Barre? What was her journey from client, to teacher, to owner like? Does she work out 24/7? How does she deal with a room full of (mostly) women, while preserving the sacred space that is inside the studio?

Listen to her journey and we promise, you'll feel inspired and wanting to get to the barre.

Follow: @purebarrelincolnpark @bara.ketonen

Today we bring you our first roundtable interview with Suzie Carroll and Holly Gottschalk from SpaDerma Medspa in Chicago. Suzie is a nurse practitioner with a love of needles and keeping you looking youthful and glowing. Holly is a licensed aesthetician with a love lasers and dermaplaning. Together, they make up our panel of skincare experts.

What is the difference between Botox and Filler?

Is botox REALLY preventative?

Is it dangerous to shave your face aka dermaplane?

If I get filler, will I look like a Kardashian?

Does botox hurt?

How long does it last?

What is microneedling?

Where should I put my money if I'm on a budget?

All these questions and more will be answered. Oh, and you'll learn that Suzie and I have known each other for 25 years, I LOVE botox (yes, I get botox), and you'll discover that Holly could definitely moonlight as an ASMR youtuber.

Follow: @spaderma_medspa, @suzie_spaderma & @holly_spaderma

I'm THRILLED about this episode. I am joined by one of my oldest friends Katie Cassman. Katie is a BADASS realtor, blogger, mom, friend etc in Chicago. She keeps it real, always looks fabulous, and has some seriously good insight into all things real estate and blogging.

How do you buy a house? What is an inspection? What is a downpayment? Are bloggers friends or enemies? We get to the heart of it during this conversation. What's Katie's advice to her younger self? Listen to find out.

Katie can be found on instagram @katiecassman_ and online at katiecassman.com

As always, RATE and leave a REVIEW! lysm.

Welcome to the FIRST episode of Take26! The goal of this episode is to introduce myself to all of you. I give a brief synopsis on who I am, my career path, why it's important to have a side hustle and MORE!

Visit us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/take26podcast

Be sure to RATE and REVIEW! Thank you for listening!