Meet Heather Yancey

 

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Heather Yancey. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Heather below.

Hi Heather, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?

Growing up a very shy girl who didn’t know I had a voice, I never knew the power of walking into a room with confidence and high self esteem. I spent decades not aware of the massive impact body confidence would have on me. Like many young women, I didn’t volunteer my opinions or think that my thoughts were worth hearing. In 6th grade I was one of the tallest kids in school and it made me insecure in my posture and slump my shoulders to appear smaller. The boys would ask me how the weather was waaaaay up there. As a 52 year old woman now, I can say that I love my tall frame. I love walking into a room often taller than others. I carry my body in a completely confident manner because of what I learned in my 40s and what I’m passionate about teaching all women.

Looking back on my career as a fitness professional, there were plenty of times in my 30s that I still felt self conscious teaching classes, training clients and speaking to groups of people. As my hormones post-pregnancy and into perimenopause changed and I developed an autoimmune disease, I felt an even greater magnitude of unease because of physical changes in my body. And then there was the enlightenment. The revolution of strength training became my gateway into a strong, confident woman both mind and body. What happens when a woman learns how to properly lift weights can change everything. For me and for numerous women I know, there are indisputable benefits that come with learning your way around a gym floor, how to smoothly move kettlebells and when to push the intensity.

Along with the perks of feeling at ease lifting weights, women start to see the definition in muscle. They start to feel more confident putting luggage in the overhead rack of the airplane. They carry heavy bags up flights of stairs. They hold a child on one hip and 3 bags of groceries in the other hand. They stand a little taller because of improved posture. They feel safer navigating city streets by themselves. How do I know this? Because it happened to me and to every woman I work with. It no longer is about being smaller or skinnier. It’s about feeling powerful, athletic, and unbreakable.

Focusing on strength training has not only enhanced my muscle tone but has helped increase my bone density, boosted metabolism, aided in decreasing my risk of heart disease, helped my sleep, aided in injury prevention and so much more.

If I had one wish for young women today, it would be to teach them early to learn how to safely and properly lift weights. To love their strong bodies. To feel strong mentally. To understand that strength training can give them independence, health and beautiful confidence.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m the catalyst for women in midlife who are ready to rewrite their stories with strength, vitality, and unwavering confidence. My superpower? Empowering unstoppable ladies to sculpt their best selves, embrace their power, and unleash their inner badass. I work with women online to master their fitness, nutrition and mindset using The Badass Reset Method, a 12 week transformational program.

You can find inspirational transformation stories, self help and more on The Badass Reset Club podcast.

I am also very excited to announce The Menopause Strength Society, an online private membership that covers everything women need to do to age strong and well.

When not online, I am a professional speaker focusing on physical and mental wellness in midlife. A big contribution to my well being is hiking! I just crossed hiking Rim to Rim in the Grand Canyon off my bucket list and can’t wait for the next adventure. Climbing mountains makes me feel so strong and alive and it’s a great way to help inspire creativity!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

As I reflect on what has led me to where I am as a confident, strong, 50+ year old woman I know that putting myself in front of people has made a significant impact. From teaching classes, public speaking, and podcasting, I’ve leaned into a comfort level of sharing my expertise. To be able to bring value to others from my own personal experiences, research and coaching makes my journey fruitful.

My advice to all women, especially young women is to learn how to make your body and your mind strong. Go find the leaders that will help you to gain self confidence, self love, and teach you how to put yourself out there so that you too can make an impact on others. I truly believe life is a gift and when you discover your place in the world, you just make it that much better.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

We can feel overwhelm so quickly in the society we live in. From dinging notifications to people having 24/7 access to us through email, direct messages and texts, we live in a state of mind that we have to immediately take care of things. Overwhelm also comes when we take on more than we should and most of us feel like we should be always “doing more”. I was once told that overwhelm is a choice but I think that needs some clarification.

Understanding our limits and putting boundaries can help overwhelm from happening but when it does (and it will) there are things we can do to help! Here are the steps I take quiet the crazy!
1. Recognize it- acknowledging you feel overwhelmed is good. It helps your mind to address it so that you can move to problem solving
2. Write it out- the physical act of writing things down helps to get it out of your head. That way you can move to action. Our brains like to close loops so when we get into action mode, we start to get a hold on the overwhelm.
3. Sweat therapy – go for a run, lift some weights, or hop in a fitness class. Getting your heart rate up and working out will help squash stress by releasing endorphins, calm your nervous system and help distract you from the chaos
4. Fuel smart- nutrition greatly affects how we manage stress. Focus on eating whole foods like lean protein, fruits, veggies, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates.
5. Connection is key- we are meant to be social and having a community to support you is key. Whether it’s a few good friends or an online support group, we thrive when we feel like someone has our back and know that we are not alone.

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Image Credits

Paul Buceta
Mark Swatzell

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