How to Get Healthier with Strong Habits with Annie Gaudreault

Kathi: Hi everyone. I'm back and as promised, I'm with Annie Gaudreault and we're going to talk about nutrition, health, wellness, menopause, postmenopause, all that good stuff. And I'm glad you're here, Annie. This is going to be a fun conversation.

Annie: Thank you.

Kathi: Yeah, we had fun in New York City. So, as a backstory, Annie and I are in the same training program and we went to NYC and we stayed at this fabulous hotel right next to Lincoln Center and we had a lot of fun. It was amazing.

Annie: It was so great. Can't wait to do another road trip.

Kathi: Exactly. Another get-together. So, talk to me, Annie. Tell me a little bit about your background. I mean, I know all about you and I'm so impressed by all of your athleticism. That is one thing I am not, but let's talk about the backstory of what you're doing, how you got to do what you're doing now.

Annie: Yeah. I always say my first career found me. I did not find it. So I worked in PR, ended up working in branding and design. Loved it. It was a really great career and it got me to travel and meet incredible people. The funny thing is that on the side I was this weekend warrior. I loved running and I picked it up because it was the only thing that I could really do that did not require a gym membership or a specific class. My schedule was very jammed all the time. I was in a very deadline-oriented industry, so I did not have a lot of time. Long story short is that I found myself really starting to love this other world of health and fitness. And I had no idea that this was in me, 'cause I was not the athletic girl. I know, right? I was a really uncoordinated kid. I usually was the last one picked in the schoolyard for those teams. I really was not that athletic. But it's because the world of sports and athleticism is really big. I just did not know that for this thing, i.e. marathoning and long-distance running, it was actually in me. So long story short, I decided to go back to school. I became a nutritionist and I let go of my previous business and launched VEEV Health and Wellness to serve women in midlife.

Kathi: Interesting. So did you own your advertising and marketing business or were you an employee? Oh, okay. So you've been a serial entrepreneur. I didn't know this. For a very long time, then.

Annie: Yes. The only caveat, and I like to point that out because it's like Mars and Pluto: I had a B2B company. So my clients were Fortune 500 companies and I provided services to them. Nobody was writing me a check that was coming from their personal checkbook, if you know what I mean.

Kathi: Yes.

Annie: So I had to learn a lot.

Kathi: Well, you're a sponge, so you learn things very quickly. I can't believe that you weren't athletic. I mean, for someone who's done all the triathlons and all this good golly stuff, who knew? But I love the fact that, and this is for everyone listening out here, there's always time to do something with fitness. So all you have to do, Annie, is put on your shoes and start running in whatever that little time frame was that you had in between all your busy life. So anybody…

Annie: Yeah. And Kathi, you're right. To this day, even though I've done lots of triathlons, running is still my first love. And one of the things that I love about it is I squeeze it in. I go for a quick 30 minutes out the door. I come back. You don't need anything special. Even here in Toronto in the cold, people are like, "What? You're running in February?" And I say, "Unless it's icy, I run." I also don't like pouring rain. But it's one of those things: most of the time there's no excuse. I went for a run early this afternoon 'cause I was at my desk at 6:00 a.m. and it was time for a break. So all that to say that it is never too late and you don't need any abilities. You don't need any skills. That's probably why I'm so good at it. You can always run.

It is never too late and you don't need any abilities.

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Kathi: Well, I admired runners all through college. My roommate ran every single day of his life. Even when it was snowing and raining and a little bit of ice, he would still run. I'm like, "You're crazy." He would always do it. So there's something about runners that are just super dedicated. The adrenaline rush or endorphins, whenever you get there, it definitely becomes a habit. So, okay. You had that business, you decided to segue into fitness because that was your passion. So now let's talk about what you're doing now, because what you're doing now is super important for women of a certain age.

Annie: Yes. So it's really important to carve a niche in business. You can't serve everybody everywhere of all nations. So I decided to focus on women at midlife, really capturing perimenopause to postmenopause. Women can enter perimenopause in their late 30s. That's a little early, but there are some women who are entering. So it gives me, let's say, 40 to about 65, supporting those women through private coaching and group programs.

Kathi: Yeah. And it happens to all of us at some time. Some are shorter, some are longer than other episodes in our life, but it does happen to all of us. What would be a piece of advice if you have someone that's entering into that crazy period where they're starting to get a little bit emotionally tapped? What advice would you give them, or what would you suggest that they do to help?

Annie: Really go seek information that is going to be science-based and reliable. You really need to educate yourself. Honestly, we were never given any tools. You just go through life, and we all know that doctor's visits are in, out, next. It's like a factory. So they don't have time to educate us. And menopause is a really complex change in a woman's life. It's far more affecting than just sex hormones. It affects us from head to toe. So we need to educate ourselves. So really look at getting some resources so that you don't suffer in silence, and also to really get yourself as ready as possible to maneuver through that, because everyone's menopause experience is unique.

Kathi: Yeah, absolutely. The first time I was ever depressed in my life was when I went through it. I'm like, I've never been depressed. And then people think, "What does depression have to do with menopause?"

Annie: Everything. It is huge.

Kathi: Oh, okay. I didn't know. I just knew. My husband's like, "You're a little bit moody." Like, "Yeah, I'm thinking so."

Annie: Depression, anxiety, lots of mental health issues. And then weight gain, and then bloating, and then all the fun stuff that us girls have to deal with.

Kathi: Yes. All our life. So tell me the story about one of your clients, since you've started VEEV. Tell me a story about one of your clients.

Annie: Yes. One of the most beautiful experiences I had was to support a woman who was an entrepreneur, like you and I. So first of all, she's going crazy, because we all know how having a business is really busy. She had four kids. Long story short is she had gone through menopause but was flat out exhausted, had gained all kinds of weight. And her sentence for describing where she was is, "I don't even know why I'm talking with you, because I think that this is just the way it's going to be." This is where she was. She wanted to get more energy and really get optimism again in her life. And so we worked together for six months. And the most beautiful thing that she said at the end was, "I had almost given up on myself and now I'm a whole new woman." So it was tremendous, because it's not about, "Oh, I want to look like I'm 22." I just want to feel good in my clothes. And it's directly associated with our vitality and our confidence. And if you're to run your business, boy, do we ever need a lot of confidence. We've got to make those sales calls. We've got to be speaking. You've got to be facing a lot of people.

Kathi: Yeah, absolutely. That's a great story. And I think a lot of women are feeling like that right now. So I hope that the women that feel like that, if you're listening, and even if you don't feel like that, if you have a friend, please refer them to this podcast. This is going to help them enormously, just speaking with Annie and hearing what she has to say about it all, because you are the expert in that at this point. So, what's been the most memorable point in your career so far with your new business?

Annie: I think it has been to be speaking on stages to really share with women that it does not have to be a horrible thing. In North America, in Western health, we have a lot of this negativity associated with getting older, and a lot of misunderstanding around this stage of life. So last Saturday I held my first menopause summit with two other guest experts, and Kathi, it was freaking awesome. And the feedback was like, "Oh my god, it's the first time that I'm getting the right information." So science-based information, not some kind of, you know, it's out there on TikTok and whatever. And it is reliable. And we also showed how this can be the beginning of the best chapter of your life. So it was filled with optimism, and that is for me the most rewarding thing. You could see the mindset change in these women: oh, I have agency over my body and I have agency over the outcomes. So I would say that that's been absolutely phenomenal.

Kathi: Congratulations on this summit. I just think we've been ignored. It was that silent thing that happens to us and no one talks. No one even really says it. It was like "the change," right?

Annie: It was like an alien is coming to town. Half of the world is going to go through menopause. It's a natural thing. We don't look at birth and pregnancy as this horrible thing. Well, menopause is just yet another thing that women get to experience. I'm not saying that it's a picnic, but it's also not horrible for everyone, and I want to be clear about that.

Kathi: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it wasn't really horrible for me. It was a little bit mind-altering. But I truly, truly do believe that the other side of it is starting the best part of our life. I can say that it's like, ah, yeah, best part of my life now. I've been there, done that, went through the blows of, not necessarily menopause, it's just life. Now we're grounded. We know more about what we know. We know more about what we like, and we have more power because of that, I feel.

Annie: Yeah. Totally. You will like this, Kathi. There's a beautiful book written by an American doctor who specializes in women's health, and her book on postmenopause is called The Upgrade. And I completely agree with that philosophy. This is the opportunity through this change to upgrade.

Kathi: Ooh. I'm with you. No more monthlies, baby. Who needs it? Let it go.

Annie: Let it go. Exactly.

Kathi: That's brilliant. So, okay. You get a lot done in a small amount of time. You are just the go girl. So, since I'm an organizer, I have to say, what's your favorite organizing hack? What do you like to use that you just depend on, that works for you?

Annie: Oh, first, I'm super disciplined. So tools, if you don't use them, they're no good. I'm really attached to my CRM. I have a small CRM system, nothing complex, but it houses all my follow-ups and my commitments. So I record everything in there. It keeps me focused. I know what I'm supposed to do, when I'm supposed to do it. I'm also a calendar lady. I still miss my Day-Timer where I wrote with my pencil, because I really loved that.

Kathi: Yeah, not practical anymore.

Annie: But I put everything in there. I schedule the meal prep. All my workouts are in there. Even all the things I just do alone, like my run today, it was in my calendar. I put everything in there. And it really helps me, because it indicates to me that I treat myself as importantly as I treat a call with you, Kathi. So being organized is about making you part of the priority list.

Being organized is about making you part of the priority list.

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Kathi: Yeah, it absolutely should be. And that way you want to do it anyhow. So do you want to name-drop what your CRM is?

Annie: I'm not a very tech-savvy woman like you are, Kathi. So I use Less Annoying CRM because it is perfect for me. It's really affordable. When I started VEEV, I didn't have any revenue, and a year into it, I came across that tool and I thought, this is perfect. It's cheap, and I export my list all the time just to be on the safe side. But I really find that that's an amazing tool, especially as an entrepreneur, to just keep track of everything.

Kathi: No, I think it's a fantastic program. I use it myself. I like it a lot. It's quick, it's easy, it encompasses everything. So yeah, we'll drop the link for Less Annoying CRM below the podcast as well, in case any of you are looking for something like that. But it does keep it really together. I'm with you on that. So, if you could turn back time and tell your 18-year-old self something, what advice would you give little Annie?

Annie: Oh, I was a very, very insecure person and I had very, very little self-awareness, and there was a lot of drama in our family. So it was very chaotic, and I think that what would have been really useful is somebody to just tell me, you have everything that you need within you. Trust yourself. Trust yourself. That would have been very useful.

You have everything that you need within you. Trust yourself.

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Kathi: Everybody needs to hear that, and it's such a shame that a lot of people don't hear that when they're growing up. So now you can, and now you do, and now you will. And I tell young people that all the time, anytime that I run across someone who's just feeling a little bit defeated or deflated or feeling like they don't have the power, because we do have the power to do anything we want, really.

Annie: Oh yes. That, definitely. And it doesn't mean that we're not going to have bad days. It doesn't mean that we're not going to have days that are disappointing or we're frustrated. But I always go back to that. I always go back to: it doesn't matter. This shall pass. It really definitely will pass, and I will figure this out. I know that I can figure this out. I am capable. And boy, would that ever eliminate months and years of unnecessary suffering that I had. So, definitely that wisdom today. This is always why I say getting older has just been the sweetest thing.

Kathi: I'm with you on that, sister. It's fantastic. And for anyone listening out there, know that you have everything that you need. You have every single thing that you need. You have the toolkit to find what you need if you don't have it, and you have a lot of tools in yourself that you don't even know are there. So just stretch and reach and have the confidence to know that you can do it, whatever it is that you're up against. We all have the power to do that. That's really, really good advice to every one of us, because we all go through parts where we're thinking, can't do that. You can pretty much do anything. We know this. So, speaking of that, as an Ironman, I'm so impressed by you doing the Ironman thing. How do you celebrate successes after you do big, huge things like that? How do you celebrate success?

Annie: Oh my god. I used to always treat myself with some object that I'd been eyeing for months and months and months. And now it's very different. I will have a nice dinner with my husband and we'll have a nice bottle of wine, and we will talk about the achievement. We'll talk about what did we learn, what was special. I think it's a lot more about now integrating that I don't need to buy myself things necessarily. Now, I don't mind a new pair of shoes once in a while, but it's really much more about celebrating the learning, and sometimes the courage that it took to get through something, the resilience, and being able to share that with the person that I love the most in this world.

Kathi: Yeah. I think as we get older as well, it's less about the things, more about the experiences. My thing is dinner and a movie with my husband. Absolutely love it. There's nothing more wonderful than a nice dinner and that connection.

Annie: Connection. Yeah.

Kathi: The connection. Like tomorrow, I'm playing hooky and going to a three o'clock movie with a girlfriend. I haven't done that forever. And we're both so excited. We're like little girls. We're like, "Oh my god, the movie, three o'clock in the afternoon. This is crazy." And that's what being an entrepreneur means as well: that you can do things like that, and you can put in the little celebrations all throughout your life, because that's why we're entrepreneurs, for the freedom.

Annie: Freedom. Absolutely. You get to focus on the things that you want, not just the things that you need.

Kathi: Yeah. And with discipline like you have, Annie, you can do anything. You'll just cross it off and move it into the next category if you decide to play hooky at three o'clock. I know you would.

Annie: Well, you know what? I'm all for a little getaway. That's why I do my runs mid-afternoon. And people are like, really? And I'm like, absolutely. Because I get to choose the moments that I'm most productive. And then I also get to choose: oh, I need a break now. This will be good for my energy. I need some fresh air. I need to get out. I need to shake it up and come back and be fresh. I get to choose that. I love that freedom.

Kathi: And being aware, back to the top of what we were talking about, being aware of what your body needs and what your biological rhythms are. Do you need to get up and stretch? Do you need to go out and run? Do you need to just not sit on your butt all day long in front of the computer? What is it that your body needs? Being able to discern that and pay attention to it makes you get more done, I think.

Annie: Oh my goodness. So true. And Kathi, one thing that I have observed is how much we have detached our bodies from our head, and we're just like, oh, I just want to be thinking, and completely ignoring what is going on. And the fact is that your body is telling you, I need to move. And it's not the same for everyone. I know that I'm a morning person. I know you're not. But that just means that we get to organize the day to be at our best.

We get to organize the day to be at our best.

Kathi: Exactly. So that's what it's all about, as long as we listen and we know and we don't try to follow someone else's protocol. We just have to pay attention to what we know. I embrace that I'm not a morning person. I embrace that I can get a lot done at 9:00 at night, not 7 a.m. And so what? It doesn't even matter, as long as we know what we know. We know ourselves.

Annie: Exactly. Being very strategic. And then, to your point about your tools, it's like, okay, then I'm going to set up my schedule to work for me and get 10 times more accomplished. At 9:00, I really can't do anything except for dishes and cleaning some counters. That's my stupor hour. I can't be solving big problems and supporting my clients then. Forget it.

Kathi: You say that because what I do at 7 a.m., if I'm up, is dishes. There you go. One thing I can get done is I can do the dishes and I can slowly wake up.

Annie: I love it. That's so funny.

Kathi: Yeah. Or the opposite. And it's perfect. That's what makes the world go around. That's what makes everything so delightful, is that we're all different.

Annie: Yes. Exactly.

Kathi: Okay. So, you have something that you want to offer the people listening. What is it that they can download or see or read, or how can they experience you further?

Annie: Yes. So I actually have a lovely lead magnet, and I'm not even sure, Kathi, that this is the one that I gave you to drop in. But especially for women at midlife, we know that the dreaded belly fat is really annoying, and I hear it every day. So I have a lovely Lose the Menobelly guide. I'm not even sure that that's what I had given you, because it was a while ago. I just thought about that.

Kathi: It's fine. We'll drop the link below. And do you have a URL for it that you want to speak? Can you say it?

Annie: Yes, it's losethemenobelly.com.

Kathi: Perfect. losethemenobelly.com for all you listening. It'll also be in the show notes as a link so you can just click it and get it. But who doesn't want to lose the menobelly? We all have that issue, right?

Annie: Well, I'd say 99.999% of us have that challenge.

Kathi: Yes. And it's okay that our bodies change, but it's nice to be able to control a little bit of what's going on down there, right?

Annie: Yeah.

Kathi: Okay. So, what should we have discussed that we haven't talked about? Anything on your mind that I should have asked you? A brilliant question that I did not ask?

Annie: I think maybe, and we touched on it, is the fact that health is not just about eating kale or going for a run. So when we want to get healthier, or get through menopause as easily and as smoothly as possible, I just like to remind people that health is mental, it's emotional and it's physical, and we need to deal with it all, because it's all being housed in this one body. It's not three separate things. So really pay attention to all of these dimensions. How are we dealing with our stress levels? Making sure that we've got the right movement. Are we sleeping? Are we protecting our time, such as, I'm going to go see a movie and I'm going to renew my brain and rejuvenate? That's what I call rejuvenation. So all of these things actually help our health, like laughing more, spending more time with people we love. It's not just about eating more kale and having expensive supplements. I have nothing against supplements, don't get me wrong, but sometimes we forget a lot of the fundamentals of the mental and emotional person that really supports the physical body.

Kathi: I totally agree. Because we're like, "Oh, let's just pop a pill. That'll work, right?"

Annie: Yes. Not really.

Kathi: The whole trifecta of our body, mind, spirit, body, is very important. And I'll go further: your environment, being an organizer, your environment, and as a stylist, the clothes that you wear. So all of that is the package of you. So you want to be discerning and pay attention to all of those aspects. And that way you'll be confident and poised, and the life past midlife is just better and better and better.

Annie: Amen. Amen.

Kathi: You go, girl.

Annie: Yeah. To church. We went to church.

Kathi: We went to church. Absolutely. Okay. So, thank you very much for being on the show. I was so looking forward to this. I couldn't wait till we could actually get together for a little podcast. Everybody, make sure to download that download for Annie. You know, why not? We all need to do that. I'm going to do it. I'll see what she has to say about all that and what we have to do about all that. I'm excited. So until next week, you guys, thanks for joining us, and thank you, Annie, for your time. I really appreciate it.

Annie: Thank you so much, Kathi. It's been a pleasure.

Kathi: Likewise. Signing off.