“An autobiographical occasion is any moment when we are encouraged or obliged to reimagine who we are. It’s a narrative event, when our existing life story is altered or redirected in some way, forcing us to revisit our preexisting identity and modify it for our life going forward. And nearly everyone goes through such moments.” - Bruce Feiler
Hello from Denver!
I packed my bags (and whole home) and moved from Minneapolis to Colorado a few months ago. It's one of the bolder things I've ever done and it still feels a bit like I'm just on vacation.
To be clear, I loved living in Minneapolis. But I'd had a gut feeling about moving west for years and so, while I was with my family in Montana, I decided at the end of August to not renew my October 1 apartment lease and find a place in Denver.
Yep, that means that I pulled off the move in less than five weeks which was slightly insane. Maybe it's better that way - long goodbyes are tough, and a tight packing/purging deadline left me little time for second-guessing or even feeling sad (until the morning I left; holy cats did it hit me then).
I filled September with a lot of cooking with friends, packing with friends, teaching cooking classes with friends, and going out with...friends. Yeah, hands down the hardest part about leaving MSP was leaving my incredible group of friends.
There aren't enough words to describe how brilliant, hilarious, generous, loving, and fun they are. They are rockstars.
Given that, you might wonder why I felt the urge to leave.
I'd just been feeling...since 2016 or so when I spent a couple of months in Colorado...that the next phase of my life was meant to play out in a new city with new scenery and new challenges. Do you ever feel pulled to live somewhere else? I'm a native Minnesotan who went to high school in North Dakota, college in Wisconsin, and returned to Minnesota where I remained for my whole adult life.
I was ready to push out of my midwest comfort zone.
I was so encouraged by friends who said that they actually really loved moving because it brought fresh perspectives, new dear friends, new skills, and excitement into their lives.
I was motivated by all of those factors as well as the desire to live in a place a bit more in line with my career values and goals. It's not that Minnesota isn't a healthy place, it absolutely is.
It's just that it's even easier to be healthy in Colorado. The climate is so mild, everyone naturally meets up outside - for walks before grabbing dinner, to go for hikes on the weekend - and I absolutely love that vibe. The neighborhood I landed in is marvelously walkable, so it's been a blast to put on a backpack and walk everywhere to run my errands.
Also - and this is huge - my son and daughter-in-law live here. I had missed them (and their pup JoJo) so much since they left Minneapolis in 2021. Massive bonus point for being closer to my youngest sister and her sweet family too, as well as several hours closer to my parents.
Also - I wouldn't be a Minnesotan if I didn't mention - the weather! Damn I so love no humidity. And 300 hundred days of sunshine per year. And mountains. Every time I catch sight of the Rockies they blow my mind a little bit.
And so! Here I am. I mentioned this in a previous email but I'll mention it again. Listening to the book Life is in the Transitions: Mastering Change at Any Age by Bruce Feiler, was both balm and inspiration as I packed up to move. Because I hadn't moved to a new city since I graduated from college, I felt waaaaay out on a limb after I made the decision.
View from my daily walk.
But since I've arrived, it's all felt...right. Of course I madly miss my friends and the ease of getting together and laughing our asses off.
But being here, and taking my time to settle in, has made me see that without realizing it, I was really needing quiet time. I'm in a transition period, personally and professionally, and my gut instinct has put me in a place and space to work that through.
I initially had a vision of renting a small, utilitarian apartment where I could crush a lot of work and spend a lot of time outside. I didn't want to be distracted by homemaking or even much entertaining. Wellll...it didn't quite work out that way, ha. I actually quite love my apartment. It's wonderfully cozy and sunny, I've had a blast setting it up and entertaining here, and it does make me laugh that I thought I could be quite so emotionally detached from how I live.
“Life is the story you tell yourself. But how you tell that story—are you a hero, victim, lover, warrior, caretaker, believer—matters a great deal. How you adapt that story—how you revise, rethink, and rewrite your personal narrative as things change, lurch, or go wrong in your life—matters even more.” - Bruce Feiler
I don't want to imply that all has been smooth sailing. Uh no.
I'm old enough to know that when you make a decision to shake things up, the universe delivers a few lifequakes to test your mettle and create the growth you say you want. As the shit has hit the fan a few times, I've had to grumble to myself: I wanted this, I asked for this.
So far, I've ridden the waves, albeit with plenty of help and support. My movers were, in a word, creeps. My previous landlord tried to scam me out of my security deposit. There were snafus with the timing of moving into this apartment. My belongings took weeks to arrive in Denver. My new upstairs neighbors are louder than I would like. I experienced a scary health emergency, of course on a holiday weekend. I had to cancel Christmas. Adventures, right?!
I've done my best to stay calm, see all these shenanigans as tests, get into problem-solving mode, and find the lessons. So far, I'd give myself a B (?) and I feel pretty good about that.
I want to offer HUGE THANKS to my amazing clients for being cool with Zoom calls with boxes in the background, with my face swollen from dental surgery, and even with too much sunlight blasting in as I learned how to conduct calls with a southern exposure. My first week of calls here was a bit on the bright side, ha. But I've got it down now!
If you find yourself in the middle of a life transition and feeling a bit shaky about it, I wish you fortitude, courage, luck...
...and a sense of adventure!
“Chaos is not noise, it’s signal; disorder is not a mistake, it’s a design element. If we view these periods as aberrations, we risk their becoming missed opportunities. If we view them as openings, we just might open up to them. Transitions are not going away; the key to benefiting from them is to not turn away. Don’t shield your eyes when the scary parts start; that’s when the heroes are made.” - Bruce Feiler
It's January and there is a LOT of health baloney circulating at this time of year, so let me cut through some of it so you don't have to feel completely confused:
Intermittent fasting isn't magic and can even backfire in overeating at night if you push it for too many hours. An 8-hour eating window (with 16 hours of not eating) is popular, but many women find it hard to eat adequate protein in just two meals per day, experience disrupted sleep, and struggle with hunger and cravings in the evening. If having parameters around when you eat helps you with discipline, try a 12-hour fasting window and remember that it's much more important what you eat than when you eat.
Detoxing and cleanses aren't really a thing. Celery juice and lemon water don't have healing powers. Your body needs protein, vitamins and minerals, and carbohydrates to recover and repair. If you're exercising more after the new year, and you want to build muscle, you definitely want to be eating actual food.
Protein is great. Eating only protein isn't. Fiber is great. Eating too much fiber isn't. Vegetables are great. Eating only vegetables isn't. You get the picture. Moderation isn't sexy enough to make headlines, but balance of all the nutrients is what works to create optimal health, strength, and vibrancy.
Medications are not evil. People facing serious health conditions fare the best when they combine meds with good nutrition, exercise, plenty of sleep, and stress management. All of it together, not either/or. When a health influencer starts talking about "big pharma," raise an eyebrow. When an influencer says high cholesterol or high blood pressure doesn't matter, stop following them. When I shared recently that I took an antibiotic for a tooth infection, I had several people DM me that antibiotics are unnecessary and I could have healed my tooth naturally. Ooooooof. It should go without saying, but never leave an infection near your brain untreated. Or high blood pressure untreated. Etc.
Greens powders are the not same as eating greens. Colostrum powder is not the same as eating dairy. Protein powder is not the same thing as eating meat, fish, or eggs. Can supplements be handy? For sure. Just know they don't replace the nutrient density or satiety of eating actual food. They're also expensive. So: food first, supplements to supplement as needed.
I know these messages are confusing and that it's tempting to believe that someone out there really has cracked the code on losing weight by avoiding insulin spikes. Or seed oils. Or lectins. Or carbs. Or meat. Or toxins.
But the tried and true way to be healthy, energetic, and weigh what you prefer over the long-term is to find a way, with foods that you enjoy, to be full for the right number of calories for your preferred weight and activity level.
That's it.
If you're a midlife woman struggling with cravings, intrusive food thoughts, and being too hungry in the evening to make decisions that feel good, something is amiss and it's NOT a lack of discipline or willpower.
It's definitely not a lack of intermittent fasting, detoxing, or colostrum!
You can find balance with a satiating eating pattern and/or with the assistance of a GLP-1 agonist drug like Ozempic (which exponentially increases satiety).
I coach people doing either or both. Click here to work with me and have a kickass 2025.
Spicy Sausage & Red Lentil Soup
OK here's a recipe a quick note about gut health. (I shared this recipe on Instagram too, but this is an easier-to-print version.)
'Tis the season for antibiotics, which can do a real number on gut health. After you finish a course of antibiotics - and in fact, even while you're taking them - do yourself a favor and focus on the following tips:
Eat plenty of colorful prebiotic foods to support your healthy gut bacteria, including legumes, onions and garlic, berries, kiwis, sweet potatoes, fresh herbs, green vegetables, oats, coffee & tea, artichokes, and mushrooms.
Eat plenty of probiotic foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, kefir, sourdough bread, and miso.
Minimize sugar and flour so you don't give candida yeast infections an edge.
If you end up with diarrhea, consider supplementing with Saccharomyces boulardii (S. boulardii), a type of probiotic that can help with diarrhea (keep it on hand for travelers' diarrhea as well).
I myself had to take an antibiotic over the holidays and focused on the first three tips, during and after my course. I made the soup below as I recovered and it not only ticked all the boxes, it really hit the spot with deliciousness and comfort. (Note from the photo that I enjoyed it with kiwi and sweet potato for extra fiber and color.)
Note: this soup is so nourishing and supports gut health with lentils, fermented kraut, onion, and garlic. Take that even further by using bone broth, and feel free to stir in a cup of chopped spinach in the last minutes of cooking.
1/2 white onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 8 ounces spicy sausage (I used pork, chicken would also be great) 2 carrots, peeled & diced 1/2 large russet potato, peeled & diced 1/2 cup dry red lentils 1/2 teaspoon each dried thyme, oregano, dill 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 1 quart chicken broth 1/2 cup half & half Sea salt & black pepper Fresh dill & fermented sauerkraut (I like Bubbie's) for serving
In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté onion, garlic, and sausage together, breaking up sausage, until sausage is just cooked through.
Add carrot, potato, lentils, herbs, and nutmeg. Stir in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes until vegetables and lentils are tender. Stir in half and half and simmer for a few minutes more.
Season with salt and pepper. Serve with a couple of tablespoons of sauerkraut (drizzle some of the juice in as well) and fresh dill.
Minnesota Ice Festival in Eagan
This last note is for my Minnesota friends - stay tuned Denver, I'll get to know you better soon!
If you're looking for some winter fun to break up this looong stretch of winter, don't miss the Minnesota Ice Festival at TCO Stadium at Vikings Lakes. My friends at Minnesota Ice have crafted the World's Largest Ice Maze - confirmed last week by Guinness World Records! - as well as an ice slide, ice skating, ice bars, food trucks, warming house, live music, cocktails & beer, fire pits, ice carving competition, live broadcasts, and an ice signature wall.
They really have outdone themselves and people are having an absolute blast bundling up and getting out in it with kids and/or friends!
I love Minnesotans for heading out into the cold and making the best of winter. There are 1000 great reasons to do it, including boosting metabolism, improving mood, building camaraderie, having bragging rights, and creating great memories.
Go have fun for me!
xoxo Stephanie
Want help knowing how to eat to beat cravings, easily prepare healthy and delicious meals, stop wasting food, and boost your energy so you feel and look...dare I say...vibrant?
