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Welcome to the 100th episode of The Live FAB Life Podcast. I’m your host, Naomi Nakamura and I’m so excited to be here with you for this milestone episode.

Technically, this is actually the 102nd episode I’ve released because I did release an Episode 000 and an 005.5, but for the sake of the numerical order, let’s celebrate this one as the 100th episode!

For this milestone episode, I thought we’d take a trip back to revisit the most popular episodes. I’m highlighting ten of the top every tenth episode, so the top one from Episodes 001-010, 011-020, 021-030, 031-040, 041-050 - you get the picture.

And I’ll share one tip, lesson or takeaway from each one.

So let’s dive in, shall we?!

EPISODES 001-010

From Episodes 001 - 010, the most popular episode, by far, has been Episode 008: How to Break Up with Sugar.

I mean, in this day and age, we all know that there aren’t any nutritional benefits to sugar and its not good for anyone. But that doesn’t mean that it’s easy to stop eating it. In fact, a lot of the brands who make processed, sugary foods, have put a lot of effort into purposefully making them addictive so it is in fact hard to quit.

But when I help people with their nutrition, quitting sugar is always the first place to start. Because if you can’t quit sugar, you really have no business attempting other, more advanced diets.

And that’s why I’m a certified coach for the 21-Day Sugar Detox program and that’s what Episode 008 is all about.

In this episode, I share my experience with quitting sugar and how I didn’t realize how addicted I was to do despite not have a sweet tooth. It wasn’t until I learned that I had a fatty liver did I become fully committed to breaking free of the bonds of sugar.

But the biggest takeaway from this episode is my walkthrough of the basics of the 21-Day Sugar Detox. Because after coaching people through this program for years, one of the biggest mistakes I see folks make is not setting themselves up for success.

What do I mean by this?

They don’t know the parameters of the program, what’s allowed, what’s not, or even what resources are available to them - and there are plenty of resources for every budget! We all know that sugar is really hard to quit and like I said, food brands intentionally make their products that way. So why not take the time to read, research, learn, listen and then invest in the resources available to you, whether that be the 21DSD books, online program, coaches programs, free newsletters, Pinterest boards, I mean you name it, its there, to help you finally quit sugar for good!

EPISODES 011-020

The next episode I’m highlighting, from Episodes 011 - 020 is Episode 013 - How to Effectively Work from Home and Find Time for Fitness

Now although I work from home, I realize that not everyone works from home, but the discussion in this episode is relevant to everyone.

One of the things I love about having a podcast is not only being able to do solo shows and share my perspectives and personal stories but also share the stories of real-life regular people, people like you and me.

So in this episode, I was joined by a long-time Internet friend, Jolene Peixoto. Jolene and I connected through blogging and Twitter, gosh, 8 or 9 years ago, and over the years, she has taught group fitness classes, specifically barre, but she’s also is a woman in tech who also works from home.

Some might think that working from homes allows for all the time in the world to do all the things, but that really isn’t the case. In fact, I find its the opposite because it’s so easy to become glued to your desk that unless you make it a priority, you really don’t have the natural breaks in the day for say, lunch, or even the end of the day.

As such, making time for a workout can be really challenging.

But as you’ll hear in this episode, Jo shared what works for her to make this happen. She shares many tips, but I think the most important one is how she has self-imposed boundaries with a structure to create those natural breaks for herself.

I know this isn’t something that’s easy to do, especially if it's not something that comes naturally to you, but with a little bit of effort, its well worth it!

EPISODES 021-030

The next episode, selecting one between Episodes 021 to 030, is Episode 030: Secrets to A Successful 21-Day Sugar Detox.

Yep, episodes on the 21-Day Sugar Detox seem to be the most popular!

One of the biggest mistakes I see, happens when someone attempts to do the 21DSD without support or even knowing the most basic elements of the program.

So what does support look like? At the very least, it means getting the 21-Day Sugar Detox Daily Guide, the other two books wouldn’t hurt either. It could also mean getting the self-paced online program, or you can really set yourself up for success by working with a 21DSD coach like me.

Because its not just about quitting sugar for 3 weeks, but its also about learning how sugar damages your health, what it does to your body, and what real food really is. Then, how to put that all into action in a practical way where you incorporate it into your daily life.

Another way to boost support, even more, is to do the program with a friend and that’s exactly what Episode 030 is all about.

In this episode, I interview two past clients who are also personal friends who participated in my 21DSD group program together.

They both had their own reasons for doing the program, their own unique apprehensions and fears, so they decided to do the program together so they could support each other, and it was so much fun!

You’ll hear them share how they practiced going out to dinner together, they gave each other tips on which stores in their communities they could find different 21DSD-approved products and as a coach, it was so much fun to them lean on each other and successfully complete the program!

EPISODES 031-040 How did you come to form your beliefs? This is the question of Episode 036. It’s a pretty deep question but one that has stayed with me, ever since I first heard it in a nutrition training program I took. While the question was asked in the context of how did we form our beliefs about food and health, it really applies to every life situation you might find yourself in. and as you can imagine, can make you question everything you thought you knew. How did I come to think that fat makes us fat? Or that calories were the only thing that mattered? Were they actual nutrition facts, or information I had been fed from magazines and other mass media? I found this question tremendously helpful in breaking through some mindset blocks I had particularly about starting a growing a business. No one ever tells you how much your self- confidence will be tested. How you’ll examine your mindset about money in a way that you never have before, especially when it comes to money blocks and ones comfort level with selling. You really do examine every opinion you have about everything and if you’re being introspective and honest with yourself, can lead to tremendous self-awareness and mindset shifts. Give it and try! EPISODES 041-050

Episode 047 is one of my favorites because I was joined by a very good friend, Katie Garces.

Katie’s real-life story is compelling because she herself is a nutritionist and nurse practitioner who struggled with her own relationship with food. She openly and vulnerably shares how she spent years preoccupied with food.

She also points out how even popular, really healthy, good-for-you programs can be detrimental when one gets too caught up in the “rules.”

She shares how she’s been able to incorporate intuitive eating into the mix, while still taking care to make sure her meals are providing her and her family with the nutrition that they need.

This is one of my most popular episodes that, if you haven’t heard it yet, please go listen to it. And here’s a bit of a sneak peek - Katie will be joining me again in a few episodes where we’re going to dive further into this topic!

EPISODES 051-060

Moving on to the most popular episode from “the ’50s.” It’s Episode 053 - Defining Clean Eating and How to Put It Into Practice.

There are so many definitions and interpretations of clean eating and in this solo episode, I share mine.

You might be surprised to hear that it doesn’t follow any specific diet or protocol, but rather is entirely based on your bioindividuality, or what your body needs. Because what might be good for you, might not be for me.

For example, tomatoes - super healthy veggie right? A source of vitamin A, vitamin C, antioxidants, but it’s also a nightshade, which is a common food sensitivity that many people have. So despite it being a “clean” and healthy food, is it a clean and healthy food for someone who can’t tolerate nightshades?

Continue this conversation in Episode 053.

EPISODES 061-070

Moving on to the next batch of ten episodes, Episode 068 is one of the most popular of all episodes and one of my favorites because I interviewed my friend and mentor, Diane Sanfilippo when she latest book, Keto Quick Start: A Beginner’s Guide to A Whole Foods Ketogenic Diet was released almost a year ago.

Diane has almost ten years of podcasting for three different shows on her resume so needless to say, I was nervous to interview her!

But we talked about a conversation that we’re both passionate about so the conversation just flowed and there are so many gems, beyond the ketogenic diet to gather from it.

Some of the highlights are: The differences between the keto diet, the Paleo Diet (which is key because Diane is the author of the wildly popular New York Times bestseller, Practical Paleo), and even 21-Day Sugar Detox Approaching the keto diet with a “clean eating / real foods” approach and how this isn’t always the case for some people The role of mindset and calorie counting in ones diets And even her thoughts on the national healthcare crisis of obesity and diabetes

If you haven’t listened to it yet, or if you already have, give Episode 068 a listen!

EPISODES 071-080

Episode 072 is on a topic may seem to be different from the typical topics that I talk about, but it’s really not. You see, I focus on five core topics and every episode is tied to one of those topics - nutrition, gut health, stress, mindset, and environmental toxins.

Environmental toxins isn’t a topic that is commonly associated with health, but it is and we’re more exposed to the toxins that are inside of our homes, rather than outside of it.

Some of the common sources of these toxins are seafood and food in general, water, cleaning products, fragrances, and the beauty and personal care products we use on our skin, which is why I shared my skincare on battling acne for since I was 10 years old up til my 40’s in Episode 072.

Scattered throughout many episodes is my approach using Functional Nutrition, which is like Functional medicine in identifying the root causes of our health complaints. Taking a look at the big picture of my health throughout the course of my adult life, all roads lead back to the decade-long use of birth control pills to treat acne.

And that’s what you’ll hear in Episode 072 and how it’s a factor in the fatty liver challenges I talked about in Episode 008, having SIBO which I discuss in other episodes, hormone imbalances and more.

EPISODES 081-090

You might be skeptical to think that birth control pills are at the root of my health struggles because its such taboo topic in many medical conversations.

So don’t listen to me, listen to Dr. Jolene Brighten, my guest in Episode 084. Dr Jolene is the expert on this topic so much so that my own Integrative doctor at one of the top medical facilities in San Francisco recommended her book to me.

I smiled and told my doctor that not only have I already listened to her book, Beyond the Pill: Post Birth Control Syndrome and Women's Hormonal Health, but I’d interviewed her for my podcast.

You might assume this book is about infertility and helping women get pregnant. But its not just for that group of women - its for all women from young girls to women in menopause.

Really, its the kind of education that everyone, guys too, should be taught in school because its explaining how the human body works.

As of the recording of this episode, I’ve had more things come up in my personal health and I’m listening to this book again, this time with different eyes, or should I say ears, picking up new things that I missed the first time.

So if no other episode that you listen to, please listen to this one - it's so, so, so important!

EPISODES 091-100 And the last episode that I’m highlighting today is Episode 092 - Minding Your Health When Your Mind Is On Work. Two years into podcasting and almost four years into health coaching has helped me to understand who my audience is - and for the large part, its women like you, professional women leading busy who care about your health and are trying to do something about it, but need practical solutions to do so. So Episode 092 is for you. Because I know how easy it is to let daily but important habits slide that truly make a difference on how you feel every single day, particularly for women who work in a fast-paced world like high-tech, where I happen to work. So if this is you and find that some days its difficult to even come up for air - listen to this episode the next time you’re commuting to work or while you’re out for a run or at the gym. There you have my top ten most popular episodes from each batch of ten. But I’m proud of all 102 episodes of the show.

I debuted Episodes 000, 001 and 002 on August 15, 2017 - 26 months ago.

But I first got the inspiration to have my own podcast two years before that, way back in 2015 when a friend of mine in the creative coaching space started her podcast.

I found that after ten years of blogging, I was so bored with it. I was bored reading blogs which meant I was even more bored writing blogs.

It was difficult to convey and express the ideas, thoughts, facts, opinions, and stories that I wanted to tell through written words. It was so much easier for me to just speak them.

Plus the emergence of micro-blogging through social media made blog readerships decline and what’s the point of putting all of your hard work into something that wasn’t going to be consumed.

I needed to do something different, something new that challenge me in a different way, a new thing to really sink my teeth into.

It was about that time that I realized that the way I consumed content had shifted to audio - podcasts and audiobooks. I could maximize my time by listening while driving, working out, walking Coco Pop, or even just doing chores around my home.

So I decided that I would have a podcast.

But - being the Enneagram One that I am, and if you aren’t familiar with the Enneagram One profile, we are perfectionists and I have a tendency to cling to perfectionism to a fault, although I would like to note that I am much better about it today than I was back then, but it truly did take me two years to actually do this thing - to do the thing that I so wanted to do and start my very own podcast!

What finally pushed me to start and just do it was that burning inside of me that I absolutely had to get my voice out. I had to speak my truth, share the things I needed to share because I knew that if what I had to say could even help one person, then it had to be done. I couldn’t hold things in any longer.

It was about that time that my suspicions of have some dysfunction going on with my thyroid was confirmed. Now, in studying holistic health and functional nutrition, we really marry the mind, body, and spirit together.

With the thyroid being physically located in your throat, there is the belief that you can help your thyroid by speaking your truth and that’s what this podcast has allowed me to do. It’s been a source of healing for me.

When I first started the show, my intention was, to be quite honest, to simply narrate blog posts.

But a business coach I had been working with urged me to consider interviewing people, so I did and found that I really doing so.

Because I realized that my podcast could be a platform, a place for other women (and men) to speak their truths, share their voice, their own real-life stories - and most importantly - be heard.

Because at the end of the day, it's our stories and the need to be heard that connects us - and we all crave human connection.

I want to send a big thank you to all of my wonderful, amazing guests who’s been a part of the first 100 episodes of this show and thank you to every single one of you listeners - I hope you’ve learned something new, found a little joy, had a little laugh and felt like you’ve also been heard by hearing someone else share a story that’s similar to yours.

Now before I close, I have a little favor to ask of you - two actually:

If you’ve enjoyed this show and it’s helped you in any way, would you mind writing a review for it over on iTunes? It’s the best way to get others who can benefit from it find it too. This show gets better when I hear from you! So if you have a question or a topic that you want to hear more about, whether it’s been talked about already or not, please let me know! The best episodes are the ones that have come about from listener questions and requests.

Don’t forget - you can find links to every episode mentioned over on the show notes at www.livefablife.com/100.

Thank you so much for being here, and I’m looking forward to the next 100 and more episodes to come!

Chat with you later!