In this episode of the Lemon Spark Podcast, host Barbara Zabawa sits down with Tonia Bartz, founder and holistic wellness coach at Imperfect AF. Tonia shares her compelling story of receiving a sudden and surprising diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia, which led her to reconsider her life's direction. Transitioning from a tech job in user experience to embracing integrative nutrition and holistic wellness, Tonia discusses how her personal health journey ignited her passion to help others find balance and purpose in their own lives. Tune in to hear how Tonia turned her life-altering lemon into a spark that now inspires and supports others on their wellness journeys.

00:00 Introduction to the Lemon Spark Podcast

00:14 Meet Tonia Bartz: Founder and Holistic Wellness Coach

01:36 Tonia's Life-Altering Cancer Diagnosis

02:35 Transitioning from Tech to Wellness Coaching

05:57 The Philosophy of Integrative Nutrition and Holistic Wellness

07:54 Personal Journey to Wellness and Certification

10:34 The Role of Integrative Medicine in Tonia's Health

14:20 Launching Imperfect AF: A New Beginning

17:02 Words of Wisdom for Those Facing Their Own Lemons

20:26 How to Connect with Tonia and Imperfect AF

21:14 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

You can learn more about Tonia's service offerings as an integrative nutrition and holistic wellness coach by visiting her company website ImperfectAF.com.

Have you ever been caught off guard by criticism for something you did or said? That happened to Terri Dietz, a wellness guru and athlete. Several years ago, Terri told a friend she wanted to be a speaker, and what her friend said in response was jarring. But from that hard lesson, Terri began a journey to find her purpose and to thread together all of her many interests and hats into a purposeful career in wellness. Take a listen to Terri's inspiring story and know that even criticism can be a gift if you are willing to see it that way.

Meet Jen Kodadek, a transformation and mindset coach who after struggling to find her true purpose now helps others find their life's meaning. To quote Jen, life should be lived "by design, not default." So many of us struggle with finding out who we really are and what we were meant to do during our time on earth. Jen is here to help. Listen to her tell her story of struggle and how she now helps others live intuitively. To learn more, visit www.infinitejoylifestyle.com or visit Jen's LinkedIn page at Jen Kodadek or Instagram at infinite__joy.

Meet Craig Nelson, a friend and colleague who 10 years ago lost his position at an insurance company - a place he had worked for 23 years. Suspecting his job was on the line, Craig started to worry about what to do next until his wife planted a seed to start writing the book he always wanted to write. That is how Seasons on Ice, a historical account of Wisconsin Badger hockey, was born. Hear Craig tell his story of overcoming an unexpected job loss and turning it into a chance of a lifetime to dig into all things Badger hockey. Even if you are not a hockey fan, you will enjoy hearing Craig's jovial rendition of his Lemonspark story. To learn more about Craig and buy his book, visit here.

Meet Jennifer Bouchard, a Family Practice Nurse Practitioner by trade and current functional medicine nurse practitioner. Functional medicine helps individuals find the root cause of their disease or illness and approaches wellbeing with improving nutrition and removing toxins. Jennifer embraced functional medicine after researching ways to help her daughter Hannah, who died of a very rare, aggressive cancer a few years ago. Her mission is now to help others suffering from cancer find a way to tackle the root cause of their illness and improve their wellbeing. It's as though Hannah jumped inside her and led her to this new purpose in life. Learn about Jennifer and Hannah's story in this podcast episode, and learn more about the services Jennifer offers at Hyperion Functional Medicine.

Meet George Huntley, a multi-talented professional who has lived with Type 1 diabetes for over 40 years. In this podcast, George explains the differences between Type 1 and 2 diabetes, the epidemic diabetes has become in the United States, and how challenging it is for people to manage either type of diabetes. He also shares the joy he feels in helping others with the disease through the many organizations he has both founded and now leads. Here are the links to the numerous organizations in which he is involved and that you can visit to learn more:

https://diabetesleadership.org/

https://diabetesleadership.org/who-we-are

https://www.diabetespac.org/

https://childrenwithdiabetes.com/

Meet Lisa Elsinger, PhD, Associate Director of Workplace Wellness at Broward College in Florida and expert in mindfulness and wellness. After a recent car accident, Lisa realized the value of staying calm in the face of traumatic events. In this episode, Lisa shares her near-death experience and how the skill of mindfulness helped her survive. She offers some tips for others who may be facing challenging times right now. Here are some links to the resources Lisa discusses in the podcast:

Meta Cognition: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41539-021-00089-5
Center for Mind-Body Medicine: https://cmbm.org/
Center for Healthy Minds: https://centerhealthyminds.org/
Dr. Amish Jha book: https://www.amazon.com/Peak-Mind-Attention-Invest-Minutes-ebook/dp/B08THNJ978

Meet Niki Bergler, a Wisconsin resident who overcame childhood abuse and neglect from her parents. She lived on the street and eventually found her way to love and success. Hear Niki's incredible story on this podcast and buy her book, She's Done Pretending, at https://nikibergler.com/, where you can also buy her really cool t-shirts and learn more about this fascinating person.