Balancing Life and Health: Practical Tips for Sustainable Change (Replay)
As we step into 2026, many of us feel the pull to create meaningful change—to eat better, move more, and build habits that truly support our wellbeing. Yet so often, these intentions don't stick. Why do most New Year's resolutions fail by mid-January?
In this timely replay episode, host Harmony Slater reconnects with health and nutrition coach Layne Stowell for an honest, practical conversation about sustainable habit change. Together, they explore why the all-or-nothing approach sets us up for failure, what actually creates lasting transformation, and how to build realistic habits that you can maintain throughout the entire year.
This episode is packed with actionable insights on mindful eating, movement, stress management, and creating small changes that lead to big, lasting results—without extremes and without burnout.
What You'll Learn Understanding Why Resolutions Fail
- The psychology behind "Quitter's Day" in January
- Why doing too much too fast guarantees failure
- How our childhood food habits shape adult eating patterns
- The biochemistry of food cravings and comfort eating
The Science of Sustainable Change
- "Act the way you want to feel": Why waiting for motivation keeps you stuck
- The power of "consistently good" over "inconsistently perfect"
- How pride and dopamine create lasting habit loops
- Why starting small actually gets you further than grand gestures
Practical Habit-Building Tools
- The Ripple Effect Habit: Identifying the one habit that makes everything else easier
- The Pause Technique: Creating mindful awareness before reaching for food
- How to use your calendar to prioritize yourself (not give yourself the "scraps" of your day)
- Celebrating without food: Finding new ways to reward yourself
Nutrition & Movement Wisdom
- The importance of protein-rich breakfasts (20-30g by 10am)
- Why movement after meals stabilizes blood sugar and boosts metabolism
- The truth about intermittent fasting for different bodies
- How to fight afternoon fatigue without caffeine or sugar
Key Quotes
"We change best by feeling good. We're going to change by feeling good, not by feeling bad." — Layne Stowell
"Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. Doing something will always be better than doing nothing." — Layne Stowell
"We're very good at giving ourselves the scraps of our day. There's no such thing as having leftover time in this day and age." — Layne Stowell
"Act the way you want to feel instead of waiting for the feelings to show up and then take the action." — Layne Stowell
"Every choice we make is a vote for the person we want to become." — Layne Stowell
"You are the type of person who follows through, not the type of person that you can't trust your own word to." — Layne Stowell
Guest Bio
Layne Stowell is a health and nutrition coach specializing in weight loss through sustainable habit and behavior change. Based in Denver, Colorado, Layne is a mother of three and passionate advocate for simplifying healthy living in our busy modern world. She helps her clients break free from all-or-nothing thinking and yo-yo dieting patterns to create lasting transformation through small, consistent changes.
Connect with Layne:
- Website:https://www.laynestowell.com/workshop
- Instagram: @layne_stowell
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00:00 - Introduction and Special Offer
00:41 - Meet Elaine Stowell: Health and Nutrition Coach
04:58 - The Impact of Food Habits from Childhood
09:48 - New Year's Resolutions and Habit Formation
13:44 - The Psychology of Habit Change
19:41 - Celebrating Without Food: Finding New Rewards
31:22 - Act the Way You Want to Feel: Motivation and Action
34:29 - Prioritizing Self-Care in a Busy Schedule
35:26 - The Importance of Consistency in Habits
36:04 - Maintaining Yoga Practice During Busy Times
37:24 - The Ripple Effect of Small Habits
39:36 - Balancing Ambition with Realistic Goals
43:33 - Creating a Supportive Environment for Change
46:26 - Identifying and Focusing on Key Habits
49:59 - Practical Tips for Healthy Eating and Movement
58:35 - Building Awareness Around Eating Habits
01:05:16 - Resources and Support for Habit Formation
01:06:31 - Final Thoughts and Upcoming Opportunities
Weight-Loss & Health Coach
Layne Stowell is a health and nutrition coach and specializes in weight loss through habit and behavior change.
Layne believes that every woman deserves to feel confident, energized and vibrant in her body. But as a mom of 3 and a business owner she knows exactly how hard this can be to actually make happen with our busy modern lives.
Layne is on a mission to support the over scheduled women of the world to lose weight, build healthy habits and learn the skills to stay consistent, motivated and on track no matter how busy her life is.
She is the founder of Elevated Health Coaching where she teaches a minimalist nutrition model combined with implementation strategies based in behavioral science to help women create the life and body of their dreams.
When Layne is not nerding out over these topics you can find her playing with her kiddos, enjoying the CO sunshine or sipping on her favorite cup of coffee with her friends.
Finding Harmony Host / Coach / Spiritual Wellness Teacher
Harmony Slater is a Spiritual Wellness Coach whose mission is to support spiritually-curious entrepreneurs with “science-backed woo” to create a deeply fulfilling life and a business they love.
She's a National Board Certified Health Coach, Certified in both Quantum Coaching and in the Mastery Coaching Methods. She's also Certified Ashtanga Yoga Teacher, one of less than 20 women in the world to hold this honour, after training in India for 15 years.
She began travelling to East Asia in 2002 to study Buddhism, after completing two degrees in Philosophy and Eastern Religious Studies. In 2004, I began a life-long love affair with India, spending the next 15 years living there for extended periods of time immerse in Yoga practice, Vipassana meditation, Ayurveda, and Philosophy.
For the past 20+ years Harmony's been focused on sharing these deeper teachings + practices of multidimensional wellness to support women around the world in eliminating midlife burnout + restoring joy, to create a life and wellness business that nourishes both their soul and bank account. She's taught workshops and retreats in over 30 different countries.
She’s the host of the Finding Harmony Podcast, an active Board Member for the non-profit organization Yoga Gives Back, and has been featured in two anthologies on yoga, pregnancy, and motherhood in: ‘Yoga Sadhana for Mothers’ and ‘Strength and Grace: A collection of Essays by Women of Ashtanga Yoga.’
