1st Anniversary Special: Celebrating a Sparkling Year Together

EPISODE 026: 1st Anniversary Special - Celebrating a Sparkling Year Together
Download your Celebration eBook here:  https://bit.ly/SparklingFreeGuides

Celebrate with me as I reflect on the incredible 1st YEAR of the Sparkling Life Coach Podcast! 🥳

It's hard to believe it's been 12 months since I started sharing my passion for holistic health and wellness, nutrition, and essential oils with you. In this sparkling episode, we're marking a major milestone and I can't wait to share it with you.

We take a walk down memory lane, reflecting on the past year , and sharing gratitude to our amazing community for the opportunity to have shared holistic wellness wisdom with you.   I also share the listener's favorite episodes, lessons learned from the past year, and a sneak peek at the exciting plans for Season 2. Whether you're a long-time listener or just joining the Sparkling Life Coach community, I'm honored to have you by my side and this video is for YOU! So sit back, relax, and let's pop the champagne (I mean Sparkling Water✨) to celebrate this milestone Podversary together! 🎊🎉

Don't miss the exclusive recipe for our celebratory drink and the chance to win an essential oil and diffuser! 🍾🥂

Get ready to detox and rejuvenate in 2025 with our January Reboot Wellness Challenge! Starting January 15th, we’ll guide you through a cleansing program that boosts your health and energy. Sign up to join our supportive community today! Let’s make this year your healthiest yet!  Visit: https://bit.ly/2025SparklingReboot to get started today!

The 4-Week Win program. Transform your health, boost energy & build powerful habits in just 4 weeks. Take a sneak peek at: https://bit.ly/Sparkling4WeekWin 

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to the 1st Podversary Celebration!
• 2:03 Reflecting on a Year of Podcasting
• 3:45 Top Episodes and Listener Favorites
• 5:41 Behind the Scenes and Personal Favorite
• 8:48 Do You Have a Dream?
• 10:08 Gratitude and Acknowledgements
• 16:53 Q&A: Your Holistic Health Questions Answered
• 25:20 Exciting Plans for Season Two
• 27:04 Special Giveaway and Final Thanks

Transcript

1st Anniversary Special: Celebrating a Sparkling Year Together

Hello Sparkling One and welcome to the first Podversary celebration of the Sparkling Life Coach podcast. I'm Dee Diaz, an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and I'm celebrating here with a little bit of bubbly. Actually, this is sparkling water and I've added a drop of my tropical blend of essential oils and it's absolutely yummy. 

I can't believe it's been a year already since we began this journey together. Whether you've been with me since episode one or you just found the podcast. I'm so grateful to have you here and for your support. You're the reason we've reached this incredible milestone. So, today's podcast is all about celebrating you, reflecting on the past year and sharing some exciting plans for the future. Plus, I've got some gifts and giveaways lined up, so be sure to stick around to the end and I'll even include the recipe to this celebratory drink. 

Reflecting on a Year of Podcasting

You know, originally, I had scheduled to take the month of January off for some self-care and to reset before I start season two of the podcast. But as I was reflecting and meditating on this past year and recalibrating for the next, I was just feeling so appreciative of this milestone and of all the people who supported me on this journey that I just had to post this bonus episode to say thank you. Thank you so much. 

So, I want to start by taking a quick trip down memory lane. Over the past year, we've had 25 amazing episodes filled with incredible, holistic health and wellness insights and tips, and hopefully some healthful aha moments for you. We had 483 downloads of the podcast. Y'all listened to 737 minutes. That equals out to 30 plus days.

 And we also had 14 countries listening in. The Top Five included the U.S., of course, because that's where I'm located. Singapore, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom. So, greetings to everyone listening in from those countries and thank you so much for tuning in. 

Top Episodes and Listener Favorites

The Top Five most popular episodes coming in at number five was Episode 18, Movement and Metamorphosis for a Healthier Life.

Number four is Episode 20. That one was Sleep Solutions. It discusses how to enhance your sleep with natural remedies. And then coming in at number three is Episode Two, Essential Oils Made Easy. It's a beginner's guide to essential oils. Number Two in the top five most popular episodes was Episode 22, which is the Ditch and Switch episode. It talks about toxic personal care products, and some alternatives that you could use instead. 

The number one most popular episode for 2024 was Episode 23, Informed Self Care, talked about how to build a natural wellness toolbox. We also received recognition from Goodpods. Goodpods is a very cool podcast listening app, similar to Apple and Spotify.

We hit their charts as the top third all-time podcast in the Holistic Health category and the top third podcast in the Health Coaching category. So, I'm very proud of that and of course that's all thanks to you, my listeners. So, thank you so much again for tuning in. Okay, so now it's your turn. Do you agree with the Top Five listed, or did you have another favorite episode, and if so, which one, and why was it your favorite? Also, tell us what's one thing you learned from the podcast this past year. I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

Behind the Scenes and Personal Favorite

Now, my favorite episode to make was Episode 14, Symphony of Wellbeing.

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a music lover and it was so much fun coming up with music metaphors to illustrate the process of creating a daily health and wellness routine. So that was my favorite. Now, don't get me wrong, producing this podcast every two weeks has been one of the hardest challenges I've taken on in a long time, especially since I also have a full-time job, a health coaching practice and other responsibilities.

But! It's something that I've wanted to do for years and until now I hadn't drummed up the courage to bring it to life. And I'm not gonna say that it's been easy because I had no idea what I was doing when I first started and I still have so much to learn. Uh, part of my challenge is that I'm definitely a perfectionist and I'm definitely my own worst critic, but fortunately, I've aligned myself with some amazing mentors in this space who've educated me and cheered me on, like Sean Cannell and the Think Media team, Pat Flynn and the SPI community, and the amazing team from my hosting platform at Buzzsprout.

Alban, Jordan, and Kevin. They are incredible podcasters themselves, and I've so appreciated their education and encouragement. They make learning so much fun, and they're such genuinely nice people, so I'm so grateful for them. 

In addition, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a couple of podcasting events, and conferences and got to see in person one of my favorite podcasters Steven Bartlett from Diary of a CEO who spoke at one of the events. I also got to meet some of the podcasters that I really admire like David Shands of the Social Proof Podcast and Harry Duran of the Podcast Junkies and Ashley Long from the reCapping Podcast, and Veronica from the Pod Sound School. And so, although I originally promised myself that I'd try it for just one year, Season Two is definitely on the way. I'm gonna continue to take imperfect action and learn and grow along the way. And so, I want to thank you, my listener, for your attention, for your time, and for your patience as we go on this journey together.

Do You Have a Dream?

And I'd like to encourage you to do the same. Do you have a dream? Something you've always wanted to do and you're still sitting on that dream waiting for the perfect year, the perfect day, the perfect time when all the stars align? Yeah, well, guess what? That time's never going to arrive. So, take imperfect action and grow, grow along the way, get into community with those who are on the same path, find coaches and mentors that can teach you to get to your next step.

And start today. Take one small step today that will put you on your dream path. What's the worst that can happen? At least you can say that you tried, right? And if you don't already have someone, I would love to be your accountability partner. So tell me in the comments that you're gonna go for it.

Whatever that IT is for you, I want to hear it. Or reach out to me at our email at Podcast@SparklingLifeCoach.com. I'd love to hear from you and cheer you on. 

Gratitude and Acknowledgements

So now, although this is, for the most part, a solo podcast, I couldn't celebrate this milestone without thanking some of my favorite podcast participants for allowing me to incorporate them in the episodes. These are people who I really admire and respect. So,

First one is my queen bee, my bestie, Elizabeth Roman. She is one of the support leaders on our team. She's a wellness advocate, a certified essential oil specialist, and a master gardener, and she is my favorite DIYer. She was gracious enough to allow me to use footage from a class she taught on natural aphrodisiacs.

This is such a sensitive but important topic and she handled it so beautifully with such grace. So, for those of you who haven't listened to it yet, I encourage you to go back and take a listen to Episode 7. It's called Spice Up Your Love Life Naturally because I really think you'll find it interesting. She usually doesn't like being in front of the camera, But I'm hoping this next season to convince her to join me on a future episode and perhaps share some of her Master Gardening techniques with us.

What do you think? Does that sound like something you'd be interested in learning? If so, let me know in the comments so I can convince her to come on the podcast. So, Liz, Thanks bunches for always being my ride or die. I love you and appreciate you so much Sis. 

The next virtual guest I wanted to thank is Janelyn Ramirez Velasco. She's also a wellness advocate, certified in the aroma touch technique, and one of the support leaders on our team. And she loves helping people balance their emotions and moods in a holistic way. And in Episode 10, she shared an amazing experience she had with one of her clients and how she was able to help them with a stressful episode.

If you haven't heard that one, you'll definitely want to check it out. It's called Navigating Life's Storms, Sail Through Stress. Definitely info that we all need at one point or another, so it's good to have the information in our back pocket, right? So thank you so much, Janelyn, for your heart and your care and for always having your home be our Laughing Place. Hearts to you! 

The next person I wanted to thank is Adam Brady. He's a well-being coach who specializes in meditation, yoga, and is a mind-body wellness instructor. He taught a class for the Sparkling Life squad on the basics of meditation and I was able to share that on Episode 11 of the podcast. If you haven't heard that one yet, what'cha waiting for? It's a good one. Go check it out and then if you're interested in learning more, reach out to Adam. You're gonna love working with him. Tell him Dee from the Sparkling Life Coach podcast sent you. 

I also want to take this time to thank you, all of my listeners and supporters. You really, really mean the world to me. I know many of you know my story that what impelled me to take this holistic health path was the six-month deadline I was given and how quickly my health was deteriorating.

But I was able to turn all that around by adopting a holistic lifestyle. Notice I didn't say diet, I said lifestyle. And so, I hope you've been able to hear and see my passion and my heart when I share the health wisdom I've shared with you. Because I'm living proof it works. 

Will it be exactly the same for you? No? You're a bio-individual. A unique, sparkling, beautiful living soul. And so, your journey may be different from mine. But whatever that looks like, I'm here to tell you, there's hope. You're not alone. We can't rewrite our last chapters of our life book, but we can turn the page and start a new one. And so, I hope if you've been looking for holistic solutions for your health, for you and your family, that you've learned something from this podcast. You know, podcasting is a tough gig in the sense that it's kind of lonely.

You're talking into the ether, into the void. You don't really know who's listening or if the info that you're sharing is really helpful. And so, I wanted to especially thank those of you who have written notes or commented how much you're enjoying the podcast. It really means so much to me and gives me the encouragement to continue I especially want to thank my little brother, Ed, who's not so little anymore, but he's my number one supporter, my constructive critic, and especially my number one fan.

He's been amazing at sharing the podcasts on social media, helping me with my audio issues and just being a great sounding board when I start doubting myself. So to Ed, I just want to say Thanks, Bro. Love you Bunches to infinity and beyond. I also want to thank Erissa, Girlfriend, thank you. Thank you for being my unofficial publicity agent.

She is always. publicly sharing with others about the podcast and encouraging others to tune in. Erissa, your support and your friendship means the world to me, so thank you so much. And to Nate, thanks for always having a kind word and cheering me on. I so appreciate you. Thank you all so very, very much. 

Now, I'm thinking of adding a question-and-answer segment to the podcast in Season 2. So, I'd love to hear if you think this would be helpful for you. If so, don't be shy, let me know if you've got any questions about nutrition, holistic health and wellness, or essential oils. Or even if you just want to share how the podcast has impacted you or what you'd like to hear and learn about in the future, please drop me a line at Podcast@SparklingLifeCoach.com, or leave a brief audio message at Fanlist.com/SparklingLifeCoach to be included in a future episode. So, I'm excited to share with you some questions I've received. 

So, the first question is, I'm so busy. How can I start incorporating holistic wellness into my busy lifestyle? This is a great question, right? So many of us are juggling work, family, and personal goals every day. So, we need practical tips. So, I'd like to encourage you to start small.

If you're anything like me, you start gung-ho wanting to do all the things all at once, right? But, believe me when I say, that just leads to overwhelm. It's better to start small, pick one to three things the most that you're going to work on adding to your already busy schedule. And keep doing them until they become a habit, kind of like brushing your teeth. You don't even have to think about that anymore, do you? Right. So, as an example, you might want to start with breathwork.

Make it your intention to take two minutes every day to focus on deep, calming breaths during your day. Especially when you're feeling stressed. I, of course, like incorporating aromatherapy with my breath work because it helps me reach that calm state more quickly.

So, I'm encouraging you, of course, to try that too. Or, perhaps you want to set an intention to nourish your body by adding one whole unprocessed food to every meal. Or maybe you decide to begin a gratitude practice by writing down one thing you're grateful for daily. Because here's the thing, even these little changes can spark bigger transformations. And then when those become habits, you can add more. 

Here's a great question. What are the best ways to manage stress holistically? Yeah, that's a good one. Stress is kind of like static in your body. It disrupts everything from sleep to digestion. Right? Emotions are the signals your body uses to communicate what's going on on the inside. And chronic stress and unprocessed emotions, those can lead to physical symptoms like fatigue, headaches, or even illness.

And so, managing stress with tools like mindfulness, exercise or aromatherapy can keep your body and mind in sync. Now, y'all know, I love using my natural remedies as my first responders, right? Because they're so effective. However, I'm also going to encourage you, if your stress is chronic and you're really struggling emotionally, please, please seek support.

It's very important to address this and consult a qualified healthcare professional and or a mental health therapist as they can provide personalized advice just for you. Please don't keep putting it off. This is so important. And in the meantime, I hope you'll check out episodes 9 and 10 for some more tips on handling stressors and emotions. 

Our next question is, what are the best foods for boosting energy naturally? Great question. You're going to want to focus on foods that stabilize your blood sugar and provide long-lasting energy. So, this leaves out those toxic energy drinks, right?

The things that can help with this are things like complex carbohydrates, like sweet potatoes, quinoa, or oats. or healthy fats like avocados, nuts, or seeds. Protein is a really good one for, expanding your energy. So, things like eggs or lean meat, and for vegans, legumes, beans, green veggies like spinach, and nuts and seeds would be good for, stabilizing your blood sugar and boosting your energy naturally.

And of course, don't forget hydration. Dehydration is a sneaky energy zapper, so we want to make sure that we're properly hydrated. 

Okay, and the last question I'm going to cover today, can essential oils really help with energy, sleep, and focus? If so, Which ones work best? Great question. Absolutely they can, and so for a quick guide, uh, for energy, I would say to use peppermint essential oil and any of your citrus oils, whatever your favorite is, like orange or lemon.

Those are great pick-me-ups. One recipe that I love for energy is my natural espresso recipe. What I do is I take a drop of peppermint essential oil and a drop of wild orange essential oil and I put them in the palm of my hand, rub them together, and then I apply that to the back of my neck, over my shoulders, and then I cover my nose and mouth with Be very careful with your eyes, but make sure your mouth and nose are covered and take three to four deep inhales.

I promise you, that is gonna wake you right up and fill you with energy. Now, for sleep, of course, I love lavender. Lavender is a great one for resting and relaxing. another good one is cedar wood or vetiver essential oils can help you relax. But my favorite is the Serenity Sleep System. It works amazingly and you can learn more about this system in Episode 20.

And then for focus, rosemary essential oil and frankincense essential oil are gonna help sharpen your mind. But my favorite is a blend called InTune. It works amazingly and there's even a blend for children called Thinker. it's a roller bottle blend that they can take to school. Of course, you'll want to make sure that your essential oils are Certified Pure Tested Grade essential oils, so you know you're getting the purest form. And then you can use them in a diffuser, or a personal roller blend, or even apply them topically so you can feel the difference. Hope, those answers were helpful for you. 

Now, as I wrap up this celebration, I want to give you a sneak peek of what's coming next for Season 2 of the Sparkling Life Coach Podcast. In the next year, we're diving into a few topics that I think you'll find interesting. As I mentioned, I'd like to add the Q& A segment to the podcast. We're going to continue to have different topics on nutrition and diet, of course. We'll also be talking about the importance of building muscle as we age, Ayurveda, essential oils, oral care, hormone health, sound healing, reflexology, acupuncture, tuning forks, you get the idea. These are just some of the exciting topics I'm hoping to cover in this next season. 

I'm also hoping to have guest interviews on the podcast too with some amazing holistic health specialists. I can't wait for you to meet so you can learn more about different holistic modalities that are available to you. Plus, I'm thrilled to announce that I'll be launching mini-episodes on the off weeks to give you even more inspiration and practical tips on holistic healthy hacks. But I need your help. How can I serve you? What topics or guests would you love to see? Drop your ideas in a message to Podcast@SparklingLifeCoach.com or leave an audio message at Fanlist.com/SparklingLifeCoach. I really would love to hear from you. 

Now, let's talk about the special giveaway. As a thank you for sticking with me to the end, everyone who clicks on the link will receive a free eBook with some of my favorite recipes. You'll find a recipe for pure-fumes for both males and females. There'll be a non-toxic natural room spray, DIY for a natural lip balm, some meal planning recipes, and video links. For my guys, I've got a non-toxic natural beard oil recipe, which will also work as hair oil for my ladies. And I'm going to give you that recipe for the tropical essential oil blend that I'm using for my sparkling drink., I'll include a meditation and more. So, make sure to download the eBook. 

And then as a bonus for those of you who share my podcast on social media and tag me, for every person you share the podcast with, you're going to receive an entry in the Drawing to Win an Essential Oil and a Diffuser. And this is going to run until the end of the month. So, I'll announce the winner in the first episode of Season Two in February. So, share, share, share! 

My intention this year is to double the impact by reaching even more people who need to hear this holistic health information. And with these social media platforms, the way the algorithm works is the more people who like, subscribe, comment, and share, the more the platforms will share to different audiences. So, every time you share, you'll get an entry in the drawing. Cool? Thanks! Appreciate that. 

Now, before we end, I just wanna say thank you again. Thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart.

This podcast has been such a joy to create and I couldn't have done it without your support. Every download, every comment, and review means the world to me. It helps support the show and it helps others find this information.

So, if you haven't already, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and follow me on social media for updates and more inspiration. 

Here's praying you have many more years of living a sparkling life and we'll see you soon for Season Two of the Sparkling Life Coach podcast. 

Sparkle on and don't forget to sprinkle a little sparkle everywhere you go.

Ciao!