For the last 12 years of my life, I was blessed to grow up beside someone that affected my life in the most positive way, and who also helped me to flourish as an individual. This week’s ChikChat post is very dear to my heart because I get to showcase my wonderful best friend, and all of her strengths and attributes that make her who she is.
Juliette Shanahan is currently an ACE Certified Personal Trainer, at Anytime Fitness located on our home grounds of Cape Cod, in Massachusetts. She is also the owner of her own home-run personal training practice, Redefine by Juliette. Over the last year her practice has expanded from a free 30 minute consultation to boot camps that are run locally at beaches, parks, and eventually she hopes that they will take place in school systems. “The goal is to attract the younger generations in a way that will shape them into wanting to develop a healthier lifestyle.”
While currently pursuing a degree in Occupational Therapy, she additionally works as live-in Certified Nursing Assistant. When it comes to Julie, the word “caretaker” is an understatement. Although I would like to say I know her entire life story, her background as an up and coming business woman is something that really intrigued me. Julie is always looking to broaden her horizons and never turns down an opportunity to get more knowledge under her belt. From attending conferences that are nutrition focused, to workshops that get her involved with new fitness techniques there really isn't anything that she doesn't do- and here is what she had to say.

You recently responded to our CC entrepreneur post, what is your big picture for yourself for your entrepreneurial endeavors?
“My goal is to change the life of the younger generation, to adapt into a healthier lifestyle and push them in a direction to develop better lifestyle habits to avoid health issues and obesity in the future.”

What kind of education and training did you have to undergo?
“I went through with getting my personal training certification along with  nutrition consulting courses, currently right now becoming a health coach with a concentration in nutrition, along with pursuing a bachelor's degree in exercise science with a minor in nutrition.”

What has motivated you to want to become a business owner?  
“I have always known I wanted to work for myself. Being so young at only 22, and having experience in the field that you want to spend the rest of your life in, it's hard to take orders from other people. Being able to make my own schedule,  creating my own classes, learning how to get people interested, and creating a name for myself that people remember and talk about was kind of a brought me into it. I want to know if there's type of business inside and out and what better way to do it and running it yourself.”


Why are you so passionate about what you do?
“I've grown up in a family with mostly people who are overweight or have some kind of weight issue. I have always had a heart for fitness, but more on the side of getting people healthy internally as well as externally,  so they can live a better life, happier and healthier. It is amazing seeing the changes in people's lives, and the way you can affect them just by sharing your knowledge with them.”

What do you see as your biggest challenge?
“Time management is definitely my biggest challenge. Going to school, working as a live in nursing assistant, as well as trying to run my own business, time management is definitely the hardest thing. Making time for my business and building my clientele,  while staying in touch with clients and not falling behind on my homework. That is definitely the part I struggle the most with.”

What do you see as your biggest success?  
“So far I have worked with a couple of people who have seen really strong and positive results. I have these two clients in specific whom have both lost around 80 pounds since July, 2017. They are truly my biggest success story, and are actually getting married this coming September. I have been told multiple times that I have made the bride to be’s wedding the best day of her life already.”

What is one piece of advice you can offer those who want to get started as an entrepreneur in the future?
“Honestly, start small. Learn as much as you can, with such small things.  Master the little tasks, and accept help and guidance from people who have had more experience. It is also crucial to be able to handle constructive criticism. Don't get discouraged, let yourself fall and figure out how to pick yourself back up.  It's definitely a hard journey, but if you put your heart into it you are going to succeed.”

​Keep checking into ChikChat on Wednesdays to see what's happening next!♥

xoxo,
Alayna Anderson
Editorial Contributor 
Intern & Mini Badass in Training




​

 Where do I even begin... When Addy Elizabeth contacted me about wanting to host a fashion show to promote their Spring line, I jumped at the chance. Not only do I LOVE AE clothing (affordable AND quality? what's not to love?), I jumped at the chance to support a fellow female entrepreneur. Crystal Vazquez, the owner of the boutique, is a two-time entrepreneur who has been killing it in Western Mass for years. I adore working with her, and I knew this event was going to be a success from day one.

When Chikmedia was started 5 years ago, it was born out of a horrible situation: being sexually harassed at my full time job. That's the first time I've ever written that. I was being aggressively sexually harassed and after months of reporting it, not only was nothing done, I was scolded for constantly bringing it up. My boss and his sidekick wanted it buried, and I was left to either shut up and live with it, or go out on my own. The decision was a no-brainer.

This event was more to me than a fashion show. It was an opportunity to TRULY support the women of Western Mass who are making a difference here in the community. Over 75 of you showed up. You bought the shit out of Addy Elizabeth. You cheered for our models, who were also sponsors and incredible, local women. You ate. You drank. You were merry.

I am forever grateful for this community. We are already planning our second Chiks' Night Out  and we want you there. We're not going away. This wasn't a one-time deal. Western Mass NEEDS this. We need to connect with one another. We need more fun things to do. We need to find creative ways to support one another and to keep young professionals HERE in The 413. It's the only way we will thrive. We are stronger together... so let's put on our big girl panties and do this Western Mass.
-Meghan Rothschild, President & Chief Badass of Chikmedia

Sara Hulseberg is the talented and dedicated owner of her own Physical Therapy Practice called Excel Therapy and Conditioning located in Wilbraham, Massachusetts. With a passion for nurturing and taking care of the body mentally and physically, she graciously earned her doctorate degree in Physical Therapy, and is now also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist as well as a Certified Sports Yoga Instructor. She had to adapt to the idea of becoming a business owner, because her determination came from the emotion of wanting to provide the best possible care for her patients. If she couldn’t figure out how to do everything she envisioned with pre-existing systematics and then some, she knew she could, and would make a system just as fantastic as currently standing ones. So, she did; and I had the pleasure of getting to know her and what she owes all of her pride, success and experience to.

Keep scrolling to find out how Sara is shaping people’s lives one body and mind at a time.

How did you initially get started?
“I started out in an accelerated pre-med program at Union College, and after a lot of shadowing, research, and soul searching- I decided to transition into the masters of physical therapy program at Springfield College. I knew that I wanted to focus in sports medicine and it was not, at that time, a very widespread residency option in the medical field, but I discovered that by getting my doctorate in physical therapy and my specialist certification in strength and conditioning, I would effectively be able to do everything that I wanted to do for my patients. So upon finishing my masters at Springfield College I went on to begin working and finish my doctorate at Northeastern University. At this point I had been exposed to several different types of treatment facilities whether they were in patient hospitals or outpatient practices corporate versus privately owned, and I found a real focus in patient care to be lacking. So it was at that time that I decided that if I was going to really love what I do, and do it in such a way that I could genuinely be proud of, I would have to set about doing it myself. So it really wasn’t so much a matter of knowing I could succeed, as it was knowing that something needed to change in order to provide the best care for my patients. If I couldn’t figure out a way to do that within an established system, then I’d create a new one.”

What motivated you to be able to run your own Physical Therapy Practice?
“I had the benefit of having a fantastic role model. My father entered medical school after my brothers and I were born, so I got to see him firsthand go through residency, fellowships, and starting out at a new practice. Through all of that hardship and hard work, not to mention demanding hours splitting time being a new doctor and a new dad, he always made sure that he treated his patients in the same way that he would want to be treated. He respected them, he treated them with love and kindness, and he truly listened to them and what their concerns and needs were. My parents ingrained in me that you treat others the way you want to be treated. So when I witnessed that growing up all my life and then saw the juxtaposition of what was happening through a lot of the rest of the medical world, it felt very disingenuous when people would say they were doing all they could for their patients, and in the same breath refer to that same patient by their diagnosis instead of their name. This was my motivation for starting out my practice, and what fueled my desire to do and be more for my patients.”

What does your “Big Picture” for Excel Therapy and Conditioning look like?  
“I would love to help guide the transition of the field of physical therapy from such a predominantly medical profession to one filled with well-rounded professionals that are able to really be there for their patients. To guide them when needed, to get on the floor or field and work WITH them when needed, to know the hard questions to ask to garner the even harder answers to give so that people’s physical growth doesn’t become stunted by their emotional state. My big picture is to leave a legacy of light and love and care for the people that came to me.”

What made you want to become a business owner?
“I didn’t necessarily WANT to become a business owner, it was a necessity bred from the desire to provide the best possible care for my patients.”

Why are you so passionate about what you do?
“I’m passionate about helping people because I’ve been helped. I know how much stronger you can become when you have people to depend and lean on, and I love having the honor of being able to be one of those supports for the people in my care. I love making my patients laugh while they work through their hardships, being able to provide relief and joy to people that are experiencing pain and difficulty is one of the best feelings in the world.”

What would you consider to be your biggest challenge?
“Succeeding as a small local practice in a world of large corporations is always difficult, especially with the insurance world the way it currently is. We have a wonderful word-of-mouth referral network thanks to our current and past patients, so we don’t have to worry about patient volume so much. But it is certainly frustrating to be denied by an insurance company for work that you’ve done because of some arbitrary company coding unique to strictly that policy type. We just keep pushing and striving to provide the best possible care for our patients and are satisfied in the knowledge that the quality of good patient care is evident in their improvements.”

And what do you see as your biggest success?
“Every improving and happy patient and client is a success. Starting a practice from nothing and continuing to grow and educate and help people is a success. Providing care for people that haven’t been able to find that care elsewhere is a success. Honestly, every time someone refers a person that they love to me, I consider that my biggest success. They trust me to take care of the people they love, what greater honor could there be?”

What is one piece of advice you would give future individuals for starting their own businesses, companies or establishments?
“I’m not a businesswoman, so I don’t have much in the way of business advice. What I can say though is that having your own business is tireless and endless and stressful. You have to be resilient and work harder than you knew you could. But, if you have a fire for what you’re doing, if you’re passionate about your vision, it is rewarding beyond imagination. Passion breeds passion, if you’re passionate about what you do then others will be too- it’s contagious. This is where the idea of ‘find what you love and love what you do’ came from. Even if something fails financially, if you set out to do something that sets your soul afire, how can that be anything other than a success?”
 
"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." - Vince Lombardi

With Winter (hopefully) coming to a close, and summer approaching, it's time to start thinking about how we are going to manage our time more efficiently, and in the healthiest of ways. As a female business entrepreneur, we're gaining time in the sun, but not on the clock. With always being on the go, we desire to find the strength to maximize our hours and fill them with what's important to us. This could mean balancing a variety of things. Work loads, school assignments, side hobbies, family, friends, but how can we really do all that if we don't have the proper fuel? Everyone  wants to meal prep, but no one ever wants to make the time to do it (it's tedious, takes forever, and requires a lot of patience that most of us simply do not have.) There are SO many life hacks out there that we can follow, that can really be of advantage to you throughout those long, excruciating days. You can find so many different ways to curve your cravings, and fill up your stomach and with minimum effort. All you need to do is plan out a decent sized grocery list- and you're set to go!
With that being said, here are a few of my all time favorite recipes, and ideas of how to make the most out of your meals. We'll talk about things from meal replacement smoothies, to multiple ways to make your water tastier, and even some dishes to pack up with you when you're on a serious time crunch. 

Smoothing over Cravings

• Protein Power Crunch -  32 grams protein 7 grams of fiber 450 calories
  • ¾ Cup milk
  • ¼ Cup hemp granola
  • 1 banana
  • 1 scoop of protein powder (soy, rice, hemp or whey, approximately comes out to be 2 tbsp)
  • 1 Cup of ice cubes
• Chocolate Peanut Butter - 12 grams protein 5 grams fiber 360 calories
  • ½ Cup milk
  • 1 ½ tbsp peanut butter (PB Fit Powder, All natural)
  • 1 tbsp raw organic honey
  • ½ tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1 banana
  • 1 cup ice cubes
• Go Green! - 18.8 grams protein 20.3 grams fiber 306 calories
  • 1 cup fresh kale
  • 1 cup almond milk, unsweetened
  • 1 cup mixed berries
  • ½  banana
  • 1 tbsp almond butter
  • 2 tbsp rolled oats
• Apple & Cinnamon - 13.7 grams protein 9.9 grams fiber 238 calories
  • 8 oz coconut water
  • 4 raw almonds
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup chopped apple
  • ½ scoop unsweetened protein powder
  • 1 tbsp ground flax seed

Infuse your Immune System
*Combine each with 12-16 oz water*

• Fat-burning, digestion and headaches
  • Green tea, mint leaves, sliced lime
• Blood sugar support and digestion
  • Sliced cucumber, sliced strawberries, kiwi
• Hydration, digestion and appetite control
  • Sliced cucumber, lemon, lime
• Immune defense, digestion and heartburn
  • Lime, orange, lemon
• Weight and Sugar Control
  • Ginger, Cucumber, Lemon
  • Lemon, Lime, Green tea
• Antioxidants- Vitamin Enriched
  • Orange, Strawberry, Cranberry
  • Blueberry, Apple, Raspberry
• Metabolism Booster
  • Cinnamon sticks, Green Tea, Strawberry
  • Mint and Lemon
• Lower Blood Pressure
  • Kiwi, Guava, Passion fruit
  • Pomegranate, Cherry, Kiwi

Kick Start the Morning

• Iced Coffee Protein Shake
  • ¾ Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
  • 1 Frozen Banana
  • 1 Scoop of Vanilla or Chocolate Protein Powder  (Whey Protein tastes best!)
  • 1 Cup Cold Brewed Coffee
  • 2 Cups of Ice  
• No Bake Oatmeal Energy Bites
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • ½ cup almond butter or substitute PB
  • ½ cup dark chocolate chips
  • ⅓ cup raw honey
  • ¼ cup ground flax-seed
  • DIRECTIONS
  • In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together
  • Roll out teaspoon sized balls and place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper
  • Freeze until set about one hour
• Make Ahead Hearty Breakfast Bowls
  • 3 lbs red potatoes
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 9 large eggs
  • Olive Oil spray
  • 1 ½ cup salsa
  • 1 ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • DIRECTIONS
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees,
  • Cut potatoes into 1 inch cubes, place in a bowl and add tbsp olive oil- mix together to coat
  • Bake for 45 mins or til golden brown
  • Make scrambled eggs and add to the pan with olive oil spray, sprinkle with pepper if desired
  • Add eggs, potatoes, salsa and cheese over 6 separate breakfast containers (bowls)
  • Store in fridge for up to a week, and enjoy/ reheat
• Mini Pancake Bites
  • ¼ Cup of dried blueberries
  • 3 tbsp of cake batter muscle egg egg whites, or regular egg whites
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 4 scoops of vanilla "kidzshake" protein powder or whey protein
  • ¼ cup of stevia
  • ¾ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ cup of dark mini chocolate chips
  • 2 tbsp coconut flour
  • 1 ½ cup kodiak super food mix
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 ¾ cup soy milk, almond milk, or regular
  • DIRECTIONS
  • Mix all ingredients in large sized bowl, add in fruits and choc chips if desired- place in mini muffin tins

Brown Bag Bites

• Chicken Avocado Salad Roll Ups
  • 2 cups shredded chicken
  • 1 ripe avocado-mashed
  • 2-3 tablespoons plain Greek Yogurt (start with 2 and add more if salad seems dry)
  • 2 green onion-sliced
  • Freshly ground black pepper- to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 ½ tablespoon fresh cilantro or parsley-chopped
  • ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 5-6 Tortillas (8 or 10 inch diameter)
  • DIRECTIONS
  • Combine all ingredients for Chicken Avocado salad. Stir until evenly blended.
  • Spread the mixture over tortilla and roll up tightly. Repeat with remains.
  • Slice up or place in refrigerator until firm.
• Skinny Pizza Wrap- Only 255 calories!
  • 1 Flatout Flatbread Soft 100% Whole Wheat Wrap
  • 3 tbsp Ragu Light Pizza Sauce
  • ½ Tbsp Italian seasoning
  • 17 slices turkey pepperoni
  • ¼ cup low moisture, part-skim
  • Shredded mozzarella cheese
  • DIRECTIONS
  • Spread pizza sauce on wrap
  • Top sauce with Italian seasoning, pepperoni slices and sprinkles with cheese
  • Roll wrap tightly- you can eat it cold or throw it in the microwave for 1:30 minutes.
• Skinny Bang Bang Zucchini Noodles​
  • 4 medium zucchini spiraled 
  • OR, if you don’t own a vegetable spiral machine; you can cut the zucchini into thin, noodle-like strips, toss with 2 teaspoons of salt and place in a colander and drain for 30 minutes. Bring a pot of water to boil, add noodles and cook for one minute. Drain, and then rinse immediately with cold water to stop from cooking
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil 
  • For the Sauce:
  • 2 tsp lime juice
  • 1 ½ tsp sriracha sauce
  • 1 ½ tbsp honey
  • ¼ cup + 2 tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce
  • ¼ cup + 2 tbsp light mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup + 2 tbsp fat free plain Greek Yogurt
  • In a large bowl add all sauce ingredients. Mix with a whisk until smooth, taste and adjust if needed.
  • Pour sauce into 4 small containers. Mix zucchini noodles with your proteins and into one large container separate from the sauce.
  • To heat your food up the day of, heat the noodles and drain any water that may be released. Toss the sauce in- try it hot or cold. Either way, it'll taste great and you will not be disappointed.
  • Store in the fridge, and eat within the next three or four days.
  • *You can cook shrimp, chicken, steak, or any sort of protein to go with the noodles, just cook them first on the stove and set aside.* 

 

• Baked Lime Chicken
  • 2-3 lbs boneless, skinless, chicken breasts. Cut into cubes
  • 6 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • Juice from 2 limes
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • Fresh cracked pepper, to taste
  • DIRECTIONS
  • In a large resealable bag, combine olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
  • Add cut up chicken to marinade and toss to coat. Marinate for 2 hours or overnight.
  • Preheat oven to 400° F. Pour marinated chicken onto baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
  • Serve with Cooked Quinoa, Salad, Green Beans or Roasted Brussel Sprouts.

Dining in a Dash

• Low Carb Goulash- Gluten and Grain Free! (Yield Six Servings)
  • 2 pounds of ground beef
  • 14.5 ounce diced tomatoes canned
  • 2 tsp dried basil
  • 2 bay leaves, diced
  • 10 oz cabbage
  • 4 cloves of large garlic
  • 2 tbsp oregano, dried
  • 1 yellow onion, large
  • 1, 15 ounce tomato sauce, canned
  • 1 ½ tsp soy sauce
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp seasoned salts
  • 1 package of cheddar cheese
  • DIRECTIONS
  • Cook the meat over medium heat, stir in onions and garlic once cooked.
  • Stir in water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, soy sauce, oregano, basil, bay leaves, seasoned salt and black pepper. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to low and cover for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.
  • Stir in cabbage and let simmer for 5 minutes for crunchy texture, 10 minutes for softer texture.
  • Remove from heat, discard bay leaves and refrigerate overnight. If you need to, you can serve it right then and there, but it tastes best once everything’s settled the next day.  
• Bell Pepper Meatball Subs
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • ⅓ cup breadcrumbs
  • ¼ cup chopped parsley
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan
  • 1 egg
  • 2 minced garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 (15 oz) jar of marinara
  • 4 bell peppers, cored and halved
  • DIRECTIONS
  • Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine beef, breadcrumbs, parsley, Parmesan, egg, garlic, salt and red pepper flakes. Mix until just combined and form into 16 balls.
  • Add 1 tbsp of oil into skillet on medium high heat. Add meatballs to cook, turning occasionally. Add Marinara sauce to the skillet and toss to coat.
  • Take the bell peppers cut side-up, on a large rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Top each halve with mozzarella slices and bake until cheese has melted and bell peppers are warm throughout.
  • Add meatballs on top of the pepper halves with cheese already on them and put the second halve on top and boom! Perfect knock-off-meatball sub.
• Balsamic-Glazed Steak Tips and Mushrooms (Gluten free ☺)
  • For the steak
  • 1 ½ lbs sirloin steak tips
  • 1 lb cremini mushrooms
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • ¼ cup taman or soy sauce
  • ¼ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
  • For the mushrooms
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 4 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp butter, unsalted
  • DIRECTIONS
  • Marinate the steak in a resealable bag, set aside and refrigerate at least 1-4 hours. You can add in 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar to the mixture if you would like but it is not necessary.
  • Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium high, take the steak out of the marinade and pat it dry with a paper towel to remove an excess.  Add the steak to the pan in a single layer. Once all pieces are cooked thoroughly put them on a separate platter and set aside somewhere warm or just cover the pan LOOSELY!!!!!!! With aluminum foil.
  • Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook, adjust the heat if needed for about five minutes and then add in the vinegar and simmer for a minute. Once you take the mushrooms off the heat, add in butter and stir until melted and the sauce that is in the pan looks pretty and glossy. Pour everything over the steak pieces, top with parsley if you're feeling extra saucy ;)

What are some of your favorite quick time, or summer prep recipes? Do these look like something manageable? 
Let us know which ones you tried, modified, liked, didn't like. We would love to hear your feedback! 

Tune in next week to see what we'll be chatting about next!♥

xoxo,
Alayna Anderson
Editorial Contributor
Intern & Mini Badass in Training