Mind Over Matter: How Meditation is the Key to Health
Stephanie Mansour + Laura Sage, Be a Rockstar of Your Own Health // Episode 4
Mind Over Matter showcases unique strategies that top business leaders and organizations are leveraging to support employee wellness.
Laura Sage, Founder + CEO of Chill Anywhere, sat down with Stephanie Mansour of Step It Up With Steph, TV Personality and Health + Fitness Expert featured on: Today Show, Dr. Oz, CNN and much more. For the past decade, Stephanie has helped millions of people “Step It Up,” every day in their lives with weight loss tips, lifestyle hacks, and fitness secrets.
Below are key takeaways from their conversation:
You are one of my favorite Chill friends. Do you remember how we first crossed paths?
You were the first ever studio I had seen or heard of in Chicago. I go to New York a lot for television and I had been to a couple meditation studios out there, but having your studio in Chicago was a blessing to me. I love how Chill makes meditation very approachable and meets me where I am at in my day-to-day life giving me strategies I can use. Needless to say, I quickly became a super Chill fan. I love everything Chill.
What do you think about the Chill Anywhere app?
I love the app! It is fun to see some of my favorite instructors. I also like how I can set my mood, before and after, the variety of offerings and how the meditations are separated by topic. I also enjoy that there's no music in the background that's distracting me--- it’s my breath, my mind and the instructor's voice. I love the yoga + meditation combo too, because I feel like I'm killing two birds with one stone in an hour.
How did you get into TV?
I have always wanted to create positive healthy lifestyle messages, specifically for women on TV because there are so many advertisements that tell us we have to be a certain size, a certain weight or certain shape to achieve the life we want. So I wanted to create content that helps people work with what they have and improve their lives. It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to do this on television. I feel at home in front of the camera + I feel like I can impact a lot of people that way.
How do you work with female professionals?
I got my certification in yoga, pilates, personal training + professional life coaching. My bachelor's degree is from Michigan in Communications with a focus in Psychology and Women's Studies. I put all that together. I did work in TV for a couple years, but then decided I had to get out from behind the scenes + get myself on camera. That didn't pay so I started working privately with clients. A big piece of my work isn’t just the physical side of weight loss or getting the body that you want, it is the mental side that really differentiates me from other health and fitness experts. I focus on that mindfulness piece. My clients need to be reminded of mindfulness, the power of slowing things down and being kind to yourself. I love working one-on-one with my clients because I'm able to get into their lives and see how we can infuse relaxation, calm and positivity while working towards reaching those fitness + nutrition goals.
How do I practice mindfulness after I eat something like a piece of cake?
Great example of how to be mindful. Ask yourself, “How do I want to feel after I eat that piece of cake?” or “Am I really hungry for that right now or am I just thirsty, bored or stressed?” The more you practice mindfulness, the more you practice chilling - for 5 to 30 minutes at a time, the easier it is to make smart decisions. The effects ripple over. This doesn’t happen after one meditation session. The more you practice, the more mindful and present you are in your everyday life.
Do you have a propensity to veer towards the past or the future?
I am mostly future and past, but not present. Growing up I had a lot of anxiety and used to be on medication. My mind was going a mile a minute thinking about what happened before and what was going to happen tomorrow or later. It wasn't until I started doing yoga when I was in my early 20s that really helped with the anxiety. The slow breathing and mindfulness of yoga made me realize I didn't need the medication anymore. I felt much more mellow and steady. Here we are 15 years later and I'm still committed to a mindfulness and meditation practice. It’s hard sometimes, but I know it's good for me. Some weeks are harder to practice every day and there are some weeks I fall off. It's easy to notice when you fall off. So if I do find myself getting more anxious, like ruminating about the past or too much of a dreamer, then that's a sign for me to open up the Chill Anywhere app and have a seat on my yoga mat or cushion.
Do you need to be guided in order to meditate?
Praying for me is what I call my freeform meditation. I don't use a guide, but when I'm actually focusing on breathing, distance between thoughts, which is something that really helps me, then the Chill Anywhere app is playing on my phone.
Is there anything else you want to share?
One of the things that I work on with my clients is finding a good balance. When we're talking about weight loss, or fitness, it is helpful to follow a plan - that's what makes us successful in a lot of parts of our lives. But I like to think there is more to it. That’s where the mindfulness piece comes in. The most successful way to do this is to be more mindful, focus on the breath and integrate some form of meditation into your daily lives. I'm so excited that people are getting more into mindfulness and meditation because I feel like that's the key to get connected to your mind and body. This balance helps you reach your health and fitness goals.
How do people find you?
https://stepitupwithsteph.com/ or @stepitupwithsteph on Instagram, Facebook