014. Boosting Happiness With Mindful Movement ft. Danielle Havens; @daniellehavenshealth

January 27, 2021

Danielle Havens

Hey There, I'm Ryann Nicole.

I’m a recovered binge eater who changed the story from something that happened to me to something that happened for me. Now, I’m a licensed therapist teaching you to do the same.

My mission? To help you ditch food stress and live your life with mental peace and freedom every single day!

Connect with Danielle

📲 Instagram: @daniellehavenshealth

đź–Ą Website: www.daniellehavens.com

Episode Transcript

Ryann

All right, hello, hello and welcome back. I’m so excited for you guys to chat with me and Danielle today. Danielle, thank you so much for coming on the Coffee Talks Therapy podcast.

Danielle

Thank you for having me, Ryann. I am so excited. This is a new venture for me, podcasting, and I just, I can’t wait to get into things today.

Ryann

And I can’t wait for you guys to hear what Danielle has to say. She’s just so amazing, and I just love her approach to movement, mindful movement. I just feel like it’s something that’s really missed lately. And I feel like there’s kind of this connotation around movement that it has to be super intense and it has to be intense to like mean something. And so I just appreciate her perspective so much. So before we dive into all that good stuff, Danielle, why don’t you tell everybody who’s listening a little bit about who you are and what it is that you do.

Danielle

Okay, Ryann, I would love to. So my name is Danielle. I am a women’s health and wellness coach. I have a background and I’m a registered nurse, a new mom, and I’m also a movement instructor. So I teach barre and yoga sculpt classes. My mission is to help women achieve everyday wellness through simple nutrition, movement, and self-care and mindfulness. And I really am passionate about and believe in simple and sustainable habits and routines and being present over perfect. And I really do believe that movement is medicine and that mindfulness can be life-changing. It has both of those things have been for me. I’m all about wellness in real life.

Ryann

And have you always been that way?

Danielle

So I have had a long journey to become where I am today and I’ve definitely had a lot of ups and downs and looking back at my journey I realized that everything I’ve done up until this point is where I am today is accumulation of all my experiences and if I hadn’t been through what I have I wouldn’t be where I am. And I think I, my story begins when I was little and several things happened in my life that made me kind of a caregiver and take on that role and really bring health and wellness as a core value to my life.

So my sister and my dad both had some health issues the same year when I was little and I went to the hospital a lot with them to see them. I stayed with relatives during that time and it was it wasn’t just like that one year. We continued to go into the hospital with them and get cared for by medical professionals throughout my years growing up and I just saw all the compassion and love that these nurses and doctors gave my family and health care providers and and I was really drawn to that.

So that’s kind of how I became a nurse, but I wasn’t planning on talking about that, but I have not always had this approach to movement and wellness. After I became a nurse and checked off all my boxes, I checked off my to-do list, I was like I’m gonna go to college, I’m gonna graduate from college, I’m gonna get a full-time job as a nurse and then I’ll finally be where I want to be. I’ll be so excited, it’s going to be perfect, and I will have accomplished my goals.

Well, when I got there, I started working on an infusion floor full-time, rotating nights and days shift, which was hard and challenging. However, it wasn’t just that. I felt like something was missing. And after college, I graduated and started working full-time and my movement practice suddenly shifted. I went from dancing on the dance team being the captain, like hours and hours a week, and having that creative expression to working day and night shift rotating and not knowing how to move my body and like how to squeeze it in and how to fit it into my life with all of these changes. And it felt really overwhelming. So that’s kind of where I came to after college.

So I became a nurse because of my passion for caring for others and the impact that people had on my family members that I loved and I wanted to provide that. And then once I did become a nurse, I didn’t feel cared for myself. I felt overwhelmed, I felt tired, I felt stressed, I felt lost. So looking for a movement practice, I kind of started exploring things and I started pushing myself to take classes in studios where I didn’t know anyone. I would just go by myself and it was really scary. I don’t know if you’ve ever done that.

Ryann

Yeah, yeah.

Danielle

So I would go to take classes and by myself exploring different yoga studios and bar studios and spin studios and it kind of brought that spark back into my life and the thing that really drew me in was bar because it was a bar studio in town here that was movement based, musical based, and everything was tied together and made me feel really strong and energized and I just found that spark inside me again and I was like ooh this is kind of what I was missing.

So once I began incorporating some movement that I enjoyed in medial good and strong, I kind of started to feel better about my career and I didn’t have as much fatigue and anxiety. That’s my son, I don’t know if you can hear him.

Ryann

So cute.

Danielle

So after I realized that I was missing movement practice and began incorporating it, I kind of went the other way in the opposite direction so in my mind I was like okay there can’t be too much of a good thing if it’s making me feel good. Oh! He agrees. Yes, he agrees. So I kind of focused all my attention and my energy on my movement and it came kind of an obsession and I felt like it quickly went from making me feel energized and happy and fulfilled to a lot of should words, like I should be working out and feeling inadequate in my movement and not strong enough and like why didn’t I look like her and I should try this and I should try that.

So that happened and it sounds like just a blip in my story but this really truly took a while for me to realize that it became an unhealthy relationship with my movement practice. And it was hard to realize because externally everyone was validating what I was doing, like, oh you’re so healthy, like, I’m so, like, how do you, I don’t know how you do it. You go to the gym before you go for work for your 12-hour shift. And I was like, well, they all think that I’m doing the right things, I guess I should continue. And in reality, I was just so, so exhausted and making it much worse for myself.

Until one day I went to a restorative yoga class. And I remember it was so cold outside, it was in December, and it was warm in the studio, the lights were dim, I had never done restorative yoga, I had always gone for like the vinyasa or the super powerful flow classes, or sculpt classes, and I remember just lying there, silently crying on my mat, and the tears just started flowing. And I just felt like flooded with all these emotions, and I just let them out.

And I was like, this is what my body needs. It needs to rest, and it needs some love and compassion. And that was a huge turning point for me, I continued to go back to that studio and explore more mindful movement practices and self-compassion and learning and allowing myself to rest and listening truly to what my body needed and healed my relationship with movement through a lot of self-reflection, journaling, help from yoga instructors, and just my loved ones and my family and friends. So that’s kind of where I am, how I got to where I am. There’s other parts to that story, but yeah.

Ryann

Wow, that is so powerful. And I feel like a lot of people can kind of relate to that free time to do all of this workout and have this time to make health and fitness, health and fitness a priority. And then switching into this job where it’s like, oh my gosh, now all of a sudden I have no time or like becoming a mom or like doing all these things where it’s like, okay, I used to have all this time to work out and like I really kind of took it for granted. And now I don’t have all this time and like trying to balance all of these things.

And I am so amazed by you by balancing being a nurse, a new mom and a movement instructor. I mean, oh my gosh. So tell me before we dive a little bit more into mindful movement and all that kind of stuff, like how have you cultivated balance in all of these different areas of your life?

Danielle

That is a great question and something that I’m still continuing to learn and adapt. One thing that I love to remind myself of is to think of my life as a season and in seasons and that just like the the weather and that things ebb and flow and that something just because you’re doing something right now doesn’t mean that it needs to be that way forever. And having that mentality has really helped me find more of a balance in my movement and wellness practices while balancing being a nurse and being a mom and navigating stressful life events.

Because it can be really easy to get stuck in that all or nothing mentality, like I missed a run or like if I don’t run every day this week than I’m feeling. Whereas I really believe that health and wellness is an everyday practice and having that grace for myself and allowing myself to do my body needs in this moment has been a key way for me to balance things. And in my current season of being a mom, I have found that the 15 to 30 minute workouts are like the optimal amount of time for my daily movement practice.

And just allowing myself to know that those 15 to 30, 20, 30 minutes are like just as important and will be just as effective and helpful and beneficial as an hour and a half at like the gym. The time doesn’t matter. So just allowing myself the permission to do what feels good for my body in each day. And then another thing that has helped me find a balance is rather than thinking of something that needs to be really complicated or complex or following a plan that you need to do every single step, is that simplicity can often be the key to sustaining wellness and movement practices.

And that really consistency is the most important thing that you can do for yourself. And the other thing that I do to make it a non-negotiable with myself is that I have a to-do list and every day except I choose three of the things that I need to get done and one of them has to be about me and self-care and that is usually my movement practice or some type of stretching or workout.

Ryann

I love that. And I love the idea of making that to-do list. I do that as well because it totally helps with overwhelm. But having that extra piece of putting something on there that is about you and self-care, I mean, that, like, literally scheduling it in is so important because when we have, like, all these different roles, right? And with you, having these three major roles, it is so easy to put us on the back burner and be like, oh yeah, I’ll get to that when I finish everything else. But when you actually schedule it in there, it’s like, yeah, I love that. Non-negotiable, this is what I know I need, and then realizing, okay, when I do this, and it doesn’t have to take that much time and it doesn’t have to be anything major but how it just like creates that you know simplicity and consistency that you were talking about of just like this element of balance and peace like that’s so awesome.

Danielle

Yeah and I just have found that asking myself does this feel good has been a good way to guide my choices instead of letting my mind say you should do this in these 15 minutes. I ask my body like would this feel good and if it says yes then I know it’s the right decision and to continue on with that but if it doesn’t really feel good and it feels like heavy or not really in alignment with what I need that day I kind of try to move on and offer my body something else instead. So that question can be super helpful. Like, does this feel good? I think it’s a huge guiding principle in my life.

Ryann

That’s a good question. And something that is so easy to dismiss, like when you go to workouts and you’re doing kind of this like intense kind of stuff, usually, I mean, I know I am very guilty of this of being like, why do I feel this way? I should not feel this sluggish or this heavy, and I’m just gonna push through it because I need to be here, I need to do this. Like, recognizing like, if it doesn’t feel good, then something deeper is going on, right? Like, it’s not supposed to be a punishment. And so, I really like how you have kind of used this as a form of self-care, but also just like bringing more peace into your life and recognizing like this is supposed to be about joy, this is supposed to be about movement, this is supposed to be about making you feel good instead of that kind of obsession with I have to do this.

So I want to kind of go back a little bit and I want to ask you because I I know I have a lot of clients that fear this kind of idea of going from these intense super extreme workouts whether they be the HIIT workouts or the weightlifting or even just like the intense like power vinyasa flows to calming down and doing a more restorative flow or doing some more low impact movement, like bodies that are definitely like so hard, but aren’t necessarily like high intense, get your heart rate up, like sprint kind of things. And so how did you navigate going from those intense workouts to the lower intense workouts and did your body change and how did you cope with that? If it did.

Danielle

I navigated going from double days at the gym, like crazy hours, I’d go at like 4.30 in the morning and then again at like 9, to where I am now where I just have 15 to 30 minutes of a daily movement practice of walking, yoga, then if I feel like it and it was a long journey so I don’t think it’s something that you can expect to wholeheartedly love until you just give yourself some time if that’s the transition that you’re going through. But I kind of made it fun to explore and try different things and take different classes and see how my body felt. I did have a mentor tell me, I said, I remember saying to her, I don’t remember the last time I took a rest day.

Like rest days would be so challenging for me. And I’m not sure if that has been a challenge for you in the past, but I would feel really guilty and like I didn’t deserve to eat and I would struggle so much, so I just didn’t take them. And that was very detrimental to my body. So a mentor who I worked with challenged me to take a week off of my workouts. And I kind of just stopped doing things all together for a whole entire week and this felt terrible and icky and I didn’t want to do it at the time but then day one I was like okay I can do this. Day two I was like wow I slept really good last night I’m starting to I feel like a little bit more energized.

My body felt really good my mind wasn’t quite there yet, but by the end of the week, I just felt so rejuvenated and relaxed and energized and I was like, okay, this is very important. I now realize that rest is very important and I have been pushing myself too hard because I think if we go, go, go and push, push, push, we kind of forget what it’s like to feel rested and you just kind of are chronically fatigued and you don’t even realize it. I did cold turkey for a week and then I slowly started asking myself, does this feel good? And adding in movement that felt good.

So it was a huge change for me and it’s something that I still work on every day is making sure I don’t, I’m not working out because of the should mentality. And my body responded very positively. And this may not be everyone’s experience and I don’t want to give anyone expectations of what will happen, but what I found is that my body felt so good physically. My body did not actually gain any weight because I think I was just putting so much stress on it that when I kind of took time to rest, it was like, yeah, I need this. Thank you so much.

And I know that can be a really big fear. That was a huge fear for me. I was like, I’m going to gain a whole bunch of weight. I’m never going to be able to stay how I am, but your body knows what it needs and your body is wiser than you think it is. So if you allow yourself to lean into it and listen to what it’s asking for, allowing it rest and nourishing it with good foods and moving it in ways that feels good. It’s going to respond nicely back.

Ryann

What a phenomenal challenge. And I totally relate to that because I had to do something similar. I think that workout obsession is something that is very common. And I grew up as a swimmer. And so it was something that like, it was just something that I did. And then once I got into kind of my food obsession and eating disorder stuff, I believed or I correlated that in order for me to maintain my body and maintain my size, that I had to keep doing these extreme workouts.

And that if I didn’t stream workouts, then I was going to gain all this weight. Like in my mind, I thought that I like I had to do this to maintain where I was at, like I did not believe that I could be my size and not work out like that and so I was challenged to do that as well and it was so amazing to me, A, how uncomfortable it was and challenged the rest of my body, but B, that after the week was done, nothing changed. And so I realized that that was kind of the thing that I needed, the validation that I needed to be like, okay, I don’t need to kill myself with these workouts anymore.

I can listen to my body and do what feels good and still maintain the same weight. And if I gained weight, it didn’t matter because what I realized was that if I had to live the rest of my life with Killing myself with these kinds of workouts was it worth it? And was that the life that I was supposed to live and I realized no So it was that like where I was like, okay I’m gonna trust this and trust that wherever my body goes when I take a break is where my body is supposed to go because living this life of killing myself with workouts is not the way that I was supposed to live and was not what was giving me joy. And so anybody who’s listening who is struggling in that boat, Danielle and I highly recommend taking a break off.

Okay, I want to dive in now to mindful movement and all that good stuff. So first of all, I want to know, why do you call it movement instead of fitness, workout, exercise, any of that? I love it. I want to know.

Danielle

I think that words are super powerful. And there are certain words in that I’ve found personally that I was brought up or associated things with and that particular word was triggering for me and made me think of a certain thing. The word workout is kind of like that for me and I have a background as a dancer and I think that dance is flowing and movement and that is a really the core of what I believe in for what your body needs. And I think that movement is more individualized to you because a workout I feel is more kind of structured, regimented, has certain moves.

Thinking of it as a movement practice is something that allows individuality, it allows you to without expectation and it is more encompassing of everything you do in your day. So that is why I call it movement. It feels good to me.

Ryann

I love that and I love the explore without expectation. I mean what a line like because at the end of the day like that’s how we move our bodies and enjoy moving our bodies and like never have it be this good or bad thing or like the idea of I had a good workout, I had a bad workout.

When I remove those expectations of I need to burn this amount of calories, I need to work out for this long, I need to X, Y, Z and just went into it with again going back to that question you asked at the beginning does this feel good or what would help my body feel good and focusing on that feeling then if you’re achieving the feeling that you want to achieve which is moving your body feeling more energized getting those endorphins moving if that’s what you’re in the mood for then always gonna be an amazing experience and so I just love that idea of explore without expectation. And that was a challenge for me for a really long time, but that is, I think, kind of like a game changer in shifting your mindset.

Danielle

Yes. And something that really helped me, Ryann, with this is taking mirrors away. So growing up as a dancer, we would do all of our rehearsals in front of mirrors and we learned how to move our body certain ways and we learned about feeling our bodies and where to place our toe or where to place our legs. And so I really liked any studio that had a mirror because it kind of brought me back to those ballet days, dancing days, and then the restorative yoga class I went to didn’t have any mirrors and I was like, hmm, I don’t like this. And I was like, why don’t I like this oh I can’t see myself and then I noticed I was so much more present in my body and that’s when the tears came that’s when the emotions came flooding through that’s when I connected to myself was when I wasn’t looking in a mirror at my external body but I was in my body present and feeling myself and my soul.

Ryann

That’s a good point and like I understand the purpose of mirrors right like I understand they’re there so that you can look and make sure your form is correct but no I do think that like in a yoga class or in these fitness classes where you are guided by somebody else why does there need to be mirrors you know what I mean like if you have a instructor there who is certified and trained to help you with your form. Then there’s no reason why we don’t have mirrors in there.

Danielle

I think there’s a certain time and a place for mirrors, but even if you can learn how to get the correct form without using a mirror, I think it’s a good learning tool. However, it’s even more powerful if you can learn how to get your body into a safe yoga position, so like Warrior 2 for example, by feeling it versus having to look at yourself. Yeah, it’s more about trusting your body.

Ryann

Yes, I love that. So I know that mindfulness is such a hot word right now. Yes, it is. It’s one of those things that’s really kind of thrown around. So what does mindfulness mean to you?

Danielle

I feel the same way, Ryann. And I was like, oh my gosh, mindfulness, it’s just feels like something extra and something else that I’m going to have to feel at and have to learn. And like, this is, I just, whatever. I don’t have time for this. However, that is completely something that I have changed my thoughts about. So to me, mindfulness is about being more present in your everyday life. It’s being present in your physical body, experiencing the moment that’s happening in the here and now, and really paying attention on purpose. was no quote right or correct way or succeeding or failing at mindfulness, it allowed me to stop seeing it as something extra or something unattainable or something that I was failing at. And the other thing that I believe about mindfulness is that it can be easily incorporated into your every day and it feel overwhelming.

So for example, I sometimes take a mindful shower where it’s not like I’m declaring, I’m like, okay I’m gonna go take a mindful shower now. No, I just like intentionally, I kind of like intentionally say that these are the five minutes I have and I’m just gonna be present and if I notice a thought I’m just gonna let it float by and I don’t know where I heard this but I think of my thoughts sometimes when I’m trying to practice being mindful or meditating as like little puppies floating by and that has been something that’s really stuck with me so sometimes if I feel worry creeping in or feeling like I need to rest I’m like oh there it’s just a little puppy and there it goes floating by. I love like connecting thoughts to tangible things because it really helps me kind of move them through my mind. Mindfulness is just being really present and intentional and paying attention on purpose.

Ryann

I love that, paying attention on purpose, because that’s what it’s really about. So I love the shower example, so tell us more about how you bring more mindfulness into your daily routine and then how you bring mindfulness into your mood.

Danielle

So bringing mindfulness into my daily routine, I have found that I identify a few things that I do consistently in this season of life. And right now, that is for me showering, making my bed, and having an iced latte in the morning, and I intentionally bring mindfulness into those practices because it was something that I was already doing, and the cue of me doing this in the routine allowed me to add it in seamlessly, add mindfulness in seamlessly, instead of saying, okay, I’m going to now take 10 minutes and go to a different room and like get out a journal and like do mindfulness practice.

That felt like a lot and so instead incorporating it into things I was already doing was really helpful. I love tuning into my breath. That is another mantra of mine is just inhale exhale. I actually have a necklace that I wear a lot that says inhale exhale because it’s so powerful and has helped me be more mindful and pay attention on purpose because it’s, you literally have to be in the present moment to feel your belly expand and contract with your diaphragm. So inhale and then exhale.

And that just to me is practicing mindfulness and paying attention on purpose. And I do that breathing exercise either in the shower or like I said making my bed is something that I really enjoy and just taking a few extra seconds to breathe and then when I take sit down with my latte or I’m making my latte in the morning I practice mindfulness during that as well.

The other thing that I have found to be super fun and easy to incorporate mindfulness to is my brushing my hair. There was a period of time right postpartum when I was like I don’t think I brush my hair I can’t remember the last time I brushed my hair. And I don’t know if this ever happens to you but it’s just something that I forget sometimes and it feels really good to brush your hair and so that adding that like physical sensation sensation with, okay, I’m going to be mindful and in the present moment and breathe right here right now, it just is so refreshing in the day. So that’s how I incorporate mindfulness into my everyday.

Please know that this is something I continue to work on every day and I don’t, I love to remind people that it is a mindfulness practice, meaning that we are always learning, we’re always growing, we’re always exploring without expectation, like I said earlier, and it’s not something that you master. So having that mentality will be helpful to add it into your day.

The other thing that I love to incorporate mindfulness to is movement. So with awareness and attention. And as we do in yoga class, the breath. Again, it’s really paying attention to what your body is doing and the intention behind your movement. And I like to tune into the sensations as I move. So like, if you’re ever taking a class or doing a bicep crawl is a good example.

So if you’re doing a bicep crawl and you’re really visualizing looking down at your muscle, like feeling your muscle and thinking about all the parts of your body and your sensations that are contracting to move, that is truly amazing. And the practice with mindful movement is not about physical goals, it’s more about intrinsic and well-being and appreciating and loving on your body. So it’s great to help you start trusting your body because the more that you tune into it, the more that you pay attention on purpose to your body, the more that it will be apparent what it needs and you will appreciate all that it does for you.

Ryann

Two things I really love that you said is incorporating mindfulness into what you’re already doing. I feel like that’s such a good way to dive into mindfulness. I think sometimes it almost becomes overwhelming because people think like, oh my gosh, now I have to start meditating or journaling or like adding these things into doing more mindfulness into my life or to get started with mindfulness, but I think you make such a good point about it’s not necessarily bringing things in. I mean, you can do that later, you can do that now, but like to just begin to feel what it feels like to be more present in your life and again, like that paying attention on purpose, doing it on things that you’re already doing.

Like, you already take a shower, so how can you make this a mindful shower? You already brushed your teeth so how can you bring a little bit more mindfulness into brushing your teeth or brushing your hair like you said like all those things and like once you experience that and these things that you’re already doing then you can kind of reap the benefits of what it is and like get a taste of what it is without feeling this pressure to kind of add in all of these things so I think that is such good idea and just like such a great thing to like share with people who are kind of like, I don’t even know where to begin.

And I also love that you brought attention to the idea that mindfulness is never an ending thing and you never master it and it’s a practice. And I think that is so important to recognize that we’re always learning and we’re always growing and it’s never going to be like, snap my fingers now all of a sudden every single time I eat like I’m mindfully eating and every single time I take a shower I’m mindfully taking a shower. No! I have to remind myself over and over again like Ryann relax put the fork down taste your food you know like Thanksgiving is the perfect example right like I had to be like Ryann this food is delicious but relax like taste it you know what I mean like even though I’ve been doing it for so long it’s not ever something that you master and so I think that that is so important to recognize because I know like as a perfectionist I used to always get into my head like why do I not have it down yet like why do I have to keep reminding myself to do that why do I have to keep bringing attention to this you know and recognizing that is normal.

And so I just love that. So how has bringing more mindfulness into your everyday routine and your movement helped with your overall mental health?

Danielle

It has truly changed my life. When you ask me this question, I think about the first time I really experienced being in the present moment, and that was on my wedding day and I’m so thankful that it was that day because it’s such a special day and that was about two years ago. Bringing mindfulness into my daily life into my movement practice has allowed me to experience so much more joy and create lasting memories and connect with my people, the ones that I love the most. And it’s allowed me to, it’s allowed me to step into the person that I was meant to be and it’s really honestly allowed me to help others as well.

So mindfulness has changed my life and I am a huge advocate for it. And it’s hard to explain because it’s something intangible. You can’t see it. You can’t measure it. You can’t write it out in specific directions because everyone’s unique, you know? So it’s hard to express how much it affected me, but it truly has been a game-changer for sure. One thing that mindfulness has helped me as well is overcoming some insomnia. I used to get super anxious about going to bed at night because I would be worried about how much I would sleep because I wouldn’t sleep very well and so that it’s helped me improve and overcome insomnia.

It’s helped my relationship with food. It’s helped my relationship with others, with my husband, and allowed me to step into this role as a health and wellness coach as well. So I’m just truly, it’s something that I hope I never stop doing or exploring.

Ryann

I love that. And step into the person you’re meant to be. I mean, that is just so good. That is so good. So for anybody who is in this place of really struggling with mindfulness, struggling with falling down, struggling with trying to balance all these different areas in their life and like bringing movement into their life, what advice would you have for those people?

Danielle

Number one is know that you’re not alone and and that it’s okay to ask for help. In fact, I highly recommend asking for help and support. And reaching out to someone that you feel you can trust and can support you if you’re feeling this way is a huge step that will help you in the long run. The other advice that I have is to remember that simplicity can be key and that consistency is going to make a bigger overall impact than doing it perfectly.

So done is better than perfect is another thing that I mantra that I repeat to myself a lot because I am a thousand percent a perfectionist, a recovering perfectionist. So my first piece of advice is to find some, seek some support for yourself and know that you’re not alone. And then the second piece is that find a simple way for you to weave in anything that feels good to you in your daily routine. And maybe even experiment with adding that self-care item on your to-do list and seeing if that makes a difference for you. It’s helpful to just remember that health is like an everyday practice. Wellness is a lifelong journey and we’re in it for the long run. I don’t know, I’m pretty sure everyone is.

So that it doesn’t all need to be done and changed right now, but just taking little baby steps and exploring will open up a lot of doors for you and the community and support has been a huge piece of that for me. So once you find someone that you resonate with or think that could you you could connect with or support you, reach out to them. And I’ve never not I’ve never reached out to someone and then been mad about it or upset or thought I shouldn’t do it because if your heart is calling you to there’s a reason for it So yeah, my cheeks hurt because I’m smiling so much because all of that.

Ryann

Oh good Okay, so to wrap up today I have some speed round questions for you for everybody to get to know you a little bit more outside of This mindful movement. So with this whatever comes to your mind first, are you ready?

Danielle

Yes, I’m closing my eyes. I’m so ready.

Ryann

Okay, first one. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?

Danielle

Three minutes.

Ryann

Three minutes? What?

Danielle

I swear.

Ryann

What is your go-to breakfast?

Danielle

Oatmeal.

Ryann

Ooh, yes. Do you put anything on top of it?

Danielle

I put frozen blueberries and a little bit of maple syrup.

Ryann

Yum! Maple syrup in oatmeal, I mean, is so underrated. Coffee or tea?

Danielle

Coffee.

Ryann

Okay. Peanut butter or almond butter?

Danielle

Oh, peanut butter for sure. You will agree with me with almond butter.

Ryann

Biggest guilty pleasure?

Danielle

Ooh, Gilmore Girls.

Ryann

Oh, yes! You like big parties or small gatherings?

Danielle

Small gatherings.

Ryann

Me too. What do you feel like is worse, laundry or dishes?

Danielle

Oh, dishes for sure.

Ryann

Yes. Hamburgers or tacos?

Danielle

Tacos.

Ryann

Yes. How would you define happiness?

Danielle

Happiness is doing the things that light your soul on fire and fill you with smiles.

Ryann

I love that. And if you were a coffee drink, what would you be and why?

Danielle

Okay, I think I would definitely be an iced oat milk latte because I love when the milk is poured in and it gets all swirly and moves around and that’s how I feel. I like to feel flowy and it would have a little bit of caramel in it because I like to spread out sweetness and I think that it feels like a cup of love. So.

Ryann

Yum, that sounds so good right now, too. Thank you so much for coming on here today and sharing all of that with us. For anybody who is looking to learn more about this or connect with you, where can everybody find you?

Danielle

Yeah, so I hang out on Instagram a lot, and that’s where you can find me but it’s Danielle at Danielle Havens Health and my website is daniellehavens.com and I also have a Facebook group if you are interested in joining where I have a group of women where we support one another and connect.

Ryann

I’ll have all of those links in the show notes so if If you’re looking to find Danielle’s Instagram, website, Facebook group, you can just go ahead and click on the show notes and all the quick links will be there for you. So thank you so much again, Danielle.

Danielle

Oh, this was amazing. Thank you so much for having me, love from Vermont.


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Ryann is a licensed therapist and virtual wellness coach who has assisted individuals worldwide in establishing a healthier relationship with food and their bodies.

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Ryann is a licensed therapist and virtual wellness coach who has assisted individuals worldwide in establishing a healthier relationship with food and their bodies.