Kefi Life

82. Ballerina to Poms - A Journey to Stay Well

82. Ballerina to Poms - A Journey to Stay Well
Notre Dame University Student and Pom Squad Team member brings the energy to the community. 
Rachel Thompson
Notre Dame Poms Squad
Today's Lexi:
Πανεπιστήμιο — Panepistimio (University)
In Today's Episode:
A delightful Notre Dame student and Pom Squad team member shares her experience with having fun, staying fit, and motivation on and off the field.  
A lifelong Ballerina, Rachel Thompson brings her energy, her spirit, and her dance skill to the University of Notre Dame. Today we get a glimpse of the famous school’s spirit and community.
Being a part of a club, a group or a team can bring joy beyond the participation.  One can get organized, in shape, and help a fellow person.
Learn what the Irish community is like at Notre Dame, and how it resembles the Greek Philoxenia.
Rachel is fired up to share her path, which includes finding the movement that fits her personality.  You too can do the same!
Ola Kala Moment:
For Today's Ola Kala Moment: Belong!
Resources:
Notre Dame Women's Pom Squad
Philoxenia: The Roots of Greek Hospitality
Credits:
Music: Spiro Dussias
Vocals: Zabrina Hay
Graphic Designer: Susan Jackson O’Leary
🫒 Purchase the finest, yummiest extra virgin olive oil from Kalamata, Greece at the Kefi Life Shop!🫒
 
Please be sure to follow the Kefi L!fe podcast on your favorite podcast platform to ensure that you are Ola Kala in mind, body and soul!
Follow Kefi Life on Instagram (@kefilife365)!
For a natural and uplifting support with your health and wellness, connect with Kiki to discover the beauty of essentials oils (my.doterra.com/kefilife).
 
This episode made possible in part by:
The Law Offices of Liston & Tsantilis —  Ranked #1
LTLawChicago.com
 
This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. None of the information should be construed as medical advice. Users are encouraged to seek professional medical assistance for any significant health-related matters.

81. Athletic Fundraising to Feed Your Spirit!

81. Athletic Fundraising to Feed Your Spirit!
A young woman turns training for a marathon into a fundraiser.  This episode is about how athletic fundraising can feed your spirit!
Grace Dekoker
Today's Lexi:
Μαραθώνας — Marathonas (Marathon)
In Today's Episode:
A pre-med student organizes her training schedule into a fundraising opportunity to raise money for EMC- Every Mother Counts.
A light yet informative interview with pre-med student Grace Dokoker highlights the benefits of running and moving which yields a natural emotional outlet. 
There is more than one way to prepare for the Chicago marathon, the world’s 6th biggest event.  Consider partnering with a charity and simultaneously feed your spirit.
Grace has chosen the charity EMC, Every Mother Counts.  Learn what this organization is all about and why it is so important to donate to the cause.
Ola Kala Moment:
For Today's Ola Kala Moment: Destination Event Locations
Resources:
Fundraising Page for Grace Dekoker for 2022
A Message From Grace
Hi everyone! I'm running the 2022 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, and fundraising for an amazing organization called Every Mother Counts. If you know me, you know how passionate I am about women's healthcare and health equity, in both the United States and globally. I wanted my first marathon to stand for something larger than myself, and I found this fantastic organization, whose work and mission resonates with my heart. 
Childbirth is the oldest bodily process, and yet the miracles of modern medicine seem to fall short in women's health. Many women cannot access appropriate care, are facing long-term health consequences after childbirth, and are dying due to labor complications every day. Worse yet, this problem is pervasive worldwide, and for different reasons: in Tanzania and Haiti, lack of experienced providers, especially in rural areas, mean women who experience emergencies may not be able to access care. In Guatemala, Indigenous Mayan women are more than twice as likely to experience severe complications or death in childbirth than non-Indigenous women. In the United States, over-medicalization and a high cesarean rate are detrimental to care. We are one of two countries in the world with a rising maternal mortality rate and have the worst MM rate in the western world.
These problems are all unique, and thus, each requires their own unique solution. Every Mother Counts works to target each of these specific health disparities by partnering with grassroots organizations in several different countries, including the United States, to invest in solutions through providing funding, resources, and grant making. Each organization EMC partners with works to empower women, spotlight local voices and expand care for women. EMC also mobilizes and advocates from the streets to the Senate, and fights for all women, everywhere, to have a safe and healthy pregnancy and childbirth. They work with community leaders in several countries to ensure a positive experience for prenatal care, as well as helping women in their first years of motherhood. The work that EMC does is powerful and humbling, and actively allows more women to access quality care.
In the past ten years alone, they have been responsible for investing $21 million for public education and community engagement, received over 100 grants, helped approve 2 US federal maternal health bills that are now laws, and impacted over one million women, providers, and community health workers. Whether expanding midwifery knowledge, nutrition services, access to health centers, legal aid, doula access, or nursing guides, EMC provides and funds a wide range of services.
No donation is too small. Here are some examples of what your money provides:
$12.57 is one-tenth of the cost for a motorcycle that a community can use to transport a woman to a health clinic or hospital in southwest Uganda. 
$32 can provide essential antenatal and delivery supplies and equipment to care for one woman in Karatu, Tanzania.
$50 can pay for five hours of legal counseling for victims of maternal health rights violations in India.
$120 can provide one low-income woman in central Florida with four childbirth education sessions on breastfeeding, nutrition, self-care and newborn care.
Some other fun ways to donate are…
$6.43- that's one penny for every mile I'll run during training!
$16- one dollar per week of training!
$26.2- a dollar per mile on the big race day:)
If you’re interested in reading more about the great work EMC does, check out these links below!
https://everymothercounts.org
https://everymothercounts.org/films/
Thank you all for reading my many paragraphs

80. Fall - The Season to Clean Up Your Life!

80. Fall - The Season to Clean Up Your Life!
Doctor of Chinese Medicine Christiana Cagnoni returns to conclude our Seasonal Wellness Series with a look at how to stay well and cleansed this fall.  
Christiana Cagnoni
Today's Lexi:
Πνεύμονες — Pnévmones (Lungs)
In Today's Episode:
Dr Christiana Cagnoni joins Kefi L!fe to conclude the Seasonal Wellness Series with a focus on the fall season. 
Fall is a season to finish projects, a time for introspection and to nurture yourself.  It’s a time of truth telling and the opportunity to boost the almighty immune system.  You will learn all about it today.
PLUS:
Ancient wisdom states that, “change is the only truth of the Universe.”
Nature has its patterns such as seasons, weather, night & day, new moon, and full moon, all of which are not separate from the lives we live each day. For example, it relates to our biologic clocks: we are not separate from this Earth, we do not live outside of Nature. Nature and its seasons are reflected in our emotional, mental, and physical energies as well as subtle energies related to our creativity, compassion, self-awareness, and spiritual awareness.
Christiana, in this episode, will explore the extra importance of the immune system and how we should care for it.  Discover how the brain works with the gut, and did you realize that what you put in your body says a lot about how you feel about yourself.  
If you are desiring the opportunity to seize fall with wellness and vitality, please listen to every minute of this episode!
Ola Kala Moment:
For Today's Ola Kala Moment: Fall Wardrobe Colors
Resources:
Christiana Cagnoni is a doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine.  She has been in practice since 1983.  She has worked in Chicago, Illinois for 35 years, northern California and for the past 24 years Prescott, Arizona. Her practice of healing from the Heart consists of traditional therapies such as Acupuncture, Herbal Remedies and Medical Qi Gong, which is her specialty, along with having a master’s degree in Shiatsu/Anma therapy. Her practice is designed to “help you help yourself”.  Her in-depth in-take and wellness program is designed specifically for the individual.  She developed the first International Shiatsu Summit held in the suburbs of Chicago and created Manna Vida Center for Wellbeing. Currently Christiana sees patients in person in Prescott, Arizona as well as doing evaluations and teaching of the 6 Healing Sounds of Qigong via the internet. 
If you are interested in knowing more about Christiana or her work: 
Email: christianacagnoni@gmail.com
Phone: 928-308-0880
Credits:
Music: Spiro Dussias
Vocals: Zabrina Hay
Graphic Designer: Susan Jackson O’Leary
🫒 Purchase the finest, yummiest extra virgin olive oil from Kalamata, Greece at the Kefi Life Shop!🫒
 
Please be sure to follow the Kefi L!fe podcast on your favorite podcast platform to ensure that you are Ola Kala in mind, body and soul!
Follow Kefi Life on Instagram (@kefilife365)!
For a natural and uplifting support with your health and wellness, connect with Kiki to discover the beauty of essentials oils (my.doterra.com/kefilife).
 
This episode made possible in part by:
The Law Offices of Liston & Tsantilis —  Ranked #1
LTLawChicago.com
 
This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. None of the information should be construed as medical advice. Users are encouraged to seek professional medical assistance for any significant health-related matters.
 

79. The Magic of Olive Oil

79. The Magic of Olive Oil
Olive Oil Expert, Joanne Lacina, highlights the benefits, use, and historical value of extra virgin olive oil and its birthplace, Greece.
Joanne Lacina
Today's Lexi:
Ελαιόλαδο — Elaiólado (Olive Oil)
In Today's Episode:
Joanne Lacina, Top Taster of olive oil in the world, is here to spotlight the ingredients, the benefits, the value, the uses, and the history of olive oil.  
Joanne was awarded Top World Taster after she scored a perfect score on the prestigious Extra Virgin Olive Oil Savantes international tasting proficiency test - the only person to do so!  She has traveled the Mediterranean region researching, collaborating, and tasting the best olive oils out there, and it all begins and ends in Greece!
Today we are the class and Joanne teaches us the process of how olive oil is made and what should we know about a harvest. And...what about the Koroneiki olive?
Other interesting notes from this episode:
Where is the oldest olive tree in the world?
When is the highest quality time to pick olives for best net value?
How important is the Greek sun and soil to the best evoo (extra virgin olive oil)?
What are polyphenols?
What does a healthy olive oil taste like?
Plus, must-know information about the storage of olive oil!
Ola Kala Moment:
For Today's Ola Kala Moment: Creating Strong Connections
Resources:
Savantes.com - Perfect Score
Credits:
Music: Spiro Dussias
Vocals: Zabrina Hay
Graphic Designer: Susan Jackson O’Leary
🫒 Purchase the finest, yummiest extra virgin olive oil from Kalamata, Greece at the Kefi Life Shop!🫒
 
Please be sure to follow the Kefi L!fe podcast on your favorite podcast platform to ensure that you are Ola Kala in mind, body and soul!
Follow Kefi Life on Instagram (@kefilife365)!
For a natural and uplifting support with your health and wellness, connect with Kiki to discover the beauty of essentials oils (my.doterra.com/kefilife).
 
This episode made possible in part by:
The Law Offices of Liston & Tsantilis —  Ranked #1
LTLawChicago.com
 
This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. None of the information should be construed as medical advice. Users are encouraged to seek professional medical assistance for any significant health-related matters.
 

78. Parenting in 2022

78. Parenting in 2022
Stella Kalfas, President, and CEO of Mental Health Association of Greater Chicago, discusses parenting children in 2022.  Stella’s maxim: Treat them as they are- what you want them to be!
Stella Kalfas
Today’s Lexi: 
Πάλη — Pali (Struggle)
In Today's Episode
Stella Kalfas, President and CEO of Mental Health Association of Greater Chicago, imparts wisdom for parents to raise healthy and well-balanced children. 
We will discuss the challenges parents face in today’s climate, and much will be uncovered in the social media department.  What age do most mental illnesses appear in children, and what do we need to do to ensure the happiness and health of our children. 
TIPS:
Listen without judging
Love
Discipline
Ola Kala Moment:
For Today's Ola Kala Moment: Be the Example! 
Resources
Book Recommendations
Parenting With Courage and Uncommon Sense
The Yes Brain
The Optimistic Child
Mental Health Association of Greater Chicago
National Library of Medicine Article
 
Efxaristo (eucharisto)! Thank you, Kefi Life listeners, for helping us reach the top 5% of podcasts worldwide!
Kefi Life is now one of the top 5% most popular shows out of 2.7 million podcasts globally, as ranked by Listen Score's estimated popularity score!
Credits:
Music: Spiro Dussias
Graphic Designer: Susan Jackson O’Leary
 
 
Please be sure to follow the Kefi L!fe podcast on your favorite podcast platform to ensure that you are Ola Kala in mind, body and soul!
Purchase the finest, yummiest extra virgin olive oil from Kalamata, Greece at the Kefi Life Shop!
Follow Kefi Life on Instagram (@kefilife365)!
For a natural and uplifting support with your health and wellness, connect with Kiki to discover the beauty of essentials oils (my.doterra.com/kefilife).
 
This episode made possible in part by:
The Law Offices of Liston & Tsantilis —  Ranked #1
LTLawChicago.com
 
This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. None of the information should be construed as medical advice. Users are encouraged to seek professional medical assistance for any significant health-related matters.

77. Just Hummus

77. Just Hummus
Hummus: a surprising food source that pleases the taste buds and nourishes the body!
David and Peggy Abboud
Today’s Lexi: 
Γεύσεις — Géfseis (flavors)
In today's episode:
A successful trader and his wife turn creating flavorful hummus into a full-time career!
David and Peggy Abboud of Just Hummus talk to Kiki about all things hummus. 
Today find out what is hummus and what are some of the mouthwatering flavors that David creates fresh every day. 
Why is Just Hummus of Lemont, Illinois, unique and special?  What is the inspiration for making hummus and how do you best eat it?
Hummus, a moderate-fat food, can be part of a low-fat diet. It is also a relatively high protein food, especially for people who follow vegetarian diets.
Hummus is high in several important nutrients, including fiber and protein.  The health benefits, they are plenty.
All this and a little more today during Kefi L!fe!
Ola Kala Moment:
For Today's Ola Kala Moment: Fun at the farmer’s market.
Resources:
Facebook or Instagram (@justhummuschi)
Just Hummus posts on Facebook every Monday to take orders for the upcoming Wednesday
Just Hummus is located at 209 Stephen Street in Lemont, Il 
Just Hummus's Farmer’s Markets Schedule
Hinsdale, IL on Mondays 
Elmhurst, IL on Wednesdays 
Naperville, IL on Saturdays
Frankfort, IL on Sundays 
 
Efxaristo (eucharisto)! Thank you, Kefi Life listeners, for helping us reach the top 5% of podcasts worldwide!
Kefi Life is now one of the top 5% most popular shows out of 2.7 million podcasts globally, as ranked by Listen Score's estimated popularity score!
Credits:
Music: Spiro Dussias
Graphic Designer: Susan Jackson O’Leary
 
Please be sure to follow the Kefi L!fe podcast on your favorite podcast platform to ensure that you are Ola Kala in mind, body and soul!
Purchase the finest, yummiest extra virgin olive oil from Kalamata, Greece at the Kefi Life Shop!
Follow Kefi Life on Instagram (@kefilife365)!
For a natural and uplifting support with your health and wellness, connect with Kiki to discover the beauty of essentials oils (my.doterra.com/kefilife).
 
This episode made possible in part by:
The Law Offices of Liston & Tsantilis —  Ranked #1
LTLawChicago.com
 
This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. None of the information should be construed as medical advice. Users are encouraged to seek professional medical assistance for any significant health-related matters.

76. An Age-Old View of Food in a New Science World

76. An Age-Old View of Food in a New Science World
This exciting episode with Kiki Vale reveals that we as humans can combat age by living a vital and energized lifestyle.
Stella Metsovas
Today’s Lexi: 
Ψυχή — Psychí  (Soul)
In today's episode:
Stella Metsovas, CCN and specialist in food science and human nutrition, chimes in all the way from California to express her love of food as an age-old, science-new lifestyle.
What you will learn today: 
• The way you look at food is a lifestyle • Which foods should you eat to keep you satiated • What should you do to lean out with ease?• Good bacteria: what is it?
It’s time to bring the simpler times into your living space.  A potted basil plant or mint plant, for example, on your kitchen windowsill will add love and oxygen to your space. Speaking of plants, plant-based fibers are most important for gut health.
Elevate your living with these life hacks:
1. Drink more water as your preferred source of hydration - it is essential to overall metabolic health
2. Do breathwork- it feeds the brain through O2
 
Ola Kala Moment:  
For today’s Ola Kala Moment: Small Favors create All Is Well moments for your housemates. 
Resources:
WildMediterraneanOrganics.com
Stella on Instagram (@Wild.Mediterranean)
Stella on Twitter (@StellaMetsovas)
Wild Mediterranean Book 
Seaweed: The Ocean's Powerhouse Detoxing Green
Love Live Wild Recipes
 
Efxaristo (eucharisto)! Thank you, Kefi Life listeners, for helping us reach the top 5% of podcasts worldwide!
Kefi Life is now one of the top 5% most popular shows out of 2.7 million podcasts globally, as ranked by Listen Score's estimated popularity score!
Credits:
Music: Spiro Dussias
Graphic Designer: Susan Jackson O’Leary
 
Please be sure to follow the Kefi L!fe podcast to ensure that you are Ola Kala in mind, body and soul. 
Insta: kefilife365
For a natural and uplifting support with your health and wellness connect with Kiki to discover the beauty of essentials oils.
My.doterra.com/kefilife
Purchase the finest, yummiest extra virgin olive oil from Kalamata, Greece at:
https://kefilife.shop
This episode made possible in part by:
The Law Offices of Liston & Tsantilis —  Ranked #1
https://www.ltlawchicago.com
This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. None of the information should be construed as medical advice. Users are encouraged to seek professional medical assistance for any significant health-related matters.

75. Age is a State of Mind & Things That Make It So

75. Age is a State of Mind & Things That Make It So
This exciting episode with Kiki Vale reveals that we as humans can combat age by living a vital and energized lifestyle.
Kiki Vale
Today’s Lexi: 
Συναισθήματα — Syn-aisthi-mata (Emotions)
In today's episode:
Kiki Vale summarizes the building blocks of aging well and aging youthfully.  Can age technically be an arbitrary way for humans to conceptualize time.  What is time, and how does it affect a phase of life?
Applying a Greek upbringing with an education in Integrative Nutrition, Kiki uncovers the practices which keep one youthful, healthy, and well.
What is the truth about food and how does it impact a human?  Does water positively affect skin and how about exercise?
Unearth the mystery of olive oil and how does it play a significant role in a Greek Orthodox person’s life.
Feeling the urge to look and feel great, this episode is chock-full of info to get you in gear.  Stay tuned and click listen now!
Ola Kala Moment:  
For today's Ola Kala Moment: All is well when you discover and engage in movement as a fun activity.
Resources:
www.integrativenutrition.com
www.healthline.com
 
Efxaristo (eucharisto)! Thank you, Kefi Life listeners, for helping us reach the top 5% of podcasts worldwide!
Kefi Life is now one of the top 5% most popular shows out of 2.7 million podcasts globally, as ranked by Listen Score's estimated popularity score!
Credits:
Music: Spiro Dussias
Graphic Designer: Susan Jackson O’Leary
 
Please be sure to follow the Kefi L!fe podcast to ensure that you are Ola Kala in mind, body and soul. 
Insta: kefilife365
For a natural and uplifting support with your health and wellness connect with Kiki to discover the beauty of essentials oils.
My.doterra.com/kefilife
Purchase the finest, yummiest extra virgin olive oil from Kalamata, Greece at:
https://kefilife.shop
This episode made possible in part by:
The Law Offices of Liston & Tsantilis —  Ranked #1
https://www.ltlawchicago.com
This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. None of the information should be construed as medical advice. Users are encouraged to seek professional medical assistance for any significant health-related matters.