Stick 2 You

Episode 31 features Elisabeth Bradley, the co-founder and CEO of Girl Gains. Founded at San Diego State University in 2020 by students with a passion for fitness, Girl Gains is a growing organization that aims to promote female weight lifting and empower women. Girl Gains was created to provide women of all backgrounds and fitness levels with community, resources and confidence. Elisabeth graduated from SDSU in May 2021 with a degree in Biology on a pre-PA track. She started Girl Gains because she wanted to give every girl access to a support system during their fitness journey. Little did she know that being apart of such an uplifting group of women would push her to find her true potential both in and out of the weightroom. Girl Gains has now expanded to over 50 campuses and hosts events and programming for women of all ages! In today's episode, we share tips on how to build confidence at the gym. We discuss the common factors that cause women to feel intimidated of the weightroom and chat about how Girl Gains strives to offer a supportive and encouraging solution to this problem.

Episode 30 features Claire Sefkow, Casady Spencer & Ashley Chammas! We met through Girl Scouts in elementary school and have remained very close friends ever since. In today's episode, we put our friendship to the test ;) ... how well do we really know one another?!

Episode 29 features Sam Pantazopoulos, the CEO of the Vizer app! She co-founded this organization with her cousin and Bachelor-in-Paradise star, Dylan Barbour. Vizer aims to democratize wellness by connecting exercise, giving back, and access to healthy food all in one place. Users are offered daily exercise activity challenges, and upon completion, Vizer’s partners will donate a meal on your behalf to someone in need and will earn  reward points for you at local restaurants. To date, the Vizer community has converted hundreds of thousands of workouts into meal donations and has created a lasting impact in the San Diego community and beyond. 

In today's episode, I was honored to interview Sam about how she started Vizer and how she is leading an inspirational movement in the health / wellness space. 

Topics discussed:

-How Sam knew Vizer was her "calling" and true passion 

-Using incentives to achieve daily goals

-Overcoming and facing rejection

-The importance of celebrating successes

-Achieving work-life balance / maintaining healthy relationships

Episode 28 features founder of Shop Good, Leah Kirpalani! Inspired by her 8-year health journey and following a career in retail merchandising, Leah Kirpalani created Shop Good in 2017 as the wellness hub she wished existed during her path to healing. Now, with boutiques and spas in North Park and Del Mar, Shop Good offers a curated mix of non-toxic skincare and wellness products and customized organic spa services. Her mission is to create a welcoming space where all individuals can find support, access tools and be inspired to feel their best and healthiest selves. Leah is passionate about making healthy living more accessible, more fun, and is committed to creating a sense of belonging and community here in San Diego and beyond. 

In today's episode, we discuss Leah's journey to clean living and holistic healing. We chat about why she chose to focus on the health / beauty aspect of wellness, how she selects which products are "right" for her store, what she considers to be the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, and what products we MUST TRY from Shop Good this holiday season!

Episode 27 features motivational speaker, author, and content creator Haley Hoffman Smith! Haley was recently named "One of Today’s Most Influential Female Speakers" by Forbes and a "Top 12 Motivational Speaker to Capture Your Audience" by Under30CEO. She hosts coaching sessions, delivers TedX talks, and speaks at dozens of universities and companies to share her entrepreneurial story and help others break through their subconscious blocks in order to manifest their wildest dreams. 

In today's episode, we discuss:

• What does manifestation really mean?
• How can changing your mindset help you overcome subconscious blocks or limiting beliefs?
• How can we cope with feeling overwhelmed from the unknown or uncertainty of life?
• What / who is our biggest source of motivation?
• How do you overcome the risks (regarding money, relationships, and career) in order to truly follow where your soul told you that you belong?

Episode 26 is Host Karina Parikh's 2nd solo episode!! In previous podcasts, she has mentioned how she wants to journal more in 2021. In today's quick and fun episode, Karina talks about her unique "cry count" that has been helping her through moments of stress. She also shares her plans to start a gratitude journal for the remainder of 2021. What journaling tips would you share with others, or what is your go-to self-care activity?!

Happy National Women's Equality Day!! Episode 25 features Founder of PepTalkHer Meggie Palmer! PepTalkHer is an organization that is committed to closing the gender pay gap and helping women supercharge their career. Meggie founded PepTalkHer after her own experiences of inequality in the workforce, and we jump into more detail in today's episode. She is achieving her mission by running corporate programming centered around gender diversity for brands like Salesforce, JP morgan and LinkedIn. Meggie also runs an online Career Level Up program for women and created a free PepTalkHer app that has been featured by Vogue and Apple and has helped over 60,000 users negotiate a raise from an extra $5 an hour to multiple 6 figure raises. 

We chat about Meggie's inspiration for launching PepTalkHer, our society's progress in combating the gender pay gap, tips for "making an ask,"  the benefits of tracking behavior and achievements, advice for overcoming imposter syndrome, and the importance of being okay with facing rejection.

Episode 24 features host of The Bright Eyed Podcast Daisy Noh! Daisy Noh is an upbeat, optimistic, and tea-loving senior based in Southern California. As an avid conversationalist, she started a podcast called The Bright-Eyed in hopes to inspire teens to make a difference. In addition to her podcast, she is also the co-founder of a student-led nonprofit called Book Bears and a writer for TV Wasteland. In her free time, she enjoys playing piano, reading, watching movies, and spending time with friends and family. Daisy also created the Teen Changemaker Conference, taking place from July 26-30th and with a mission to inspire, equip, and empower teens to make an impact. In today's episode, Daisy and Karina discuss the topic of self-empowerment. They reflect on their experiences with starting a podcast, share tips for aspiring changemakers, and more. 

Episode 23 is Karina's first SOLO podcast episode for Stick 2 You! She recaps all the things that were happening in her life from the last podcast episode to now (April - July). She also details her summer plans and shares her five personal summer wellness goals. Karina is so excited to be back hosting the podcast this summer so don't miss out on today's episode. Also, Stick 2 You now has a Tik Tok channel, so make sure to go give @stick2you_ a follow :)

Episode 21 features Dr. Amol Doshi! Dr. Doshi is a UCSD student health physician who has practiced medicine in San Diego for 20 years. He earned his undergraduate degree in engineering from Stanford University, his doctor of medicine degree from Harvard University, and his Masters of Public Health at San Diego State University. He is very passionate about helping others achieve wellness, and in today's episode we focus on health & wellness tips for both pre-college and college students. 

Episode 21 features Mr. Rob Carney, a holistic lifestyle coach from Boston, Massachusetts! He created Whole Health Connections, which strives to help others connect the dots to wellness through his 10 week lifestyle transformation program and podcast. He focuses on six different pillars of wellness: thinking, nutrition, movement, sleep, hydration, and breathing. In today's episode, we focus on the science and power behind sleep since it is super important and oftentimes undervalued in our society. Rob elaborates on the importance of sleep; tips to maximize your sleep each night; the correlation between sleep, stress, and higher performance; and the relationship between sleep and the other core pillars. Overall, the goal of this episode is to encourage you to reflect and prioritize a good night sleep each day and to remember to keep it super simple when making lifestyle changes. 

Episode 20 features Kristen Hutchinson, co-founder of lifestyle subscription and gift-box company Strong Self(ie)! Karina interviews Kristen about how Strong Self(ie) aims to promote positivity and confidence in young girls through gifting and ways that you can support small businesses during this time. 

3 years ago, Kristen ditched her role as a stay at home mom in pursuit of creating a gift box company that empowers girls to feel like their #strongselfie! She started helping parents, grandparents, aunts and friends send a gift that their girls would actually like and included a positive message the girls deserved to hear. Getting mail has never been more fun, or positive! Right now, Kristen is packing thousands of Spring boxes that will be delivering good vibes to girls across the country!

Episode 9 features Danya Greenberg! She is a young breast cancer survivor and an empowered human. Danya is passionate about her own wellness and the health and the wellbeing of the community. She loves to move her body in ways such as yoga, fire spinning, acrobatics, hiking, and more. Her journey to recognizing and elevating her strength and joy is ongoing. Through cancer, chemotherapy, surgeries, she has learned the importance of having a positive self concept and not letting society, peers, or a negative voice in her head rule the way she feels about herself and her place in the world. Danya is grateful to have an opportunity to share some of her growth with everyone in this podcast. We talk about facing insecurities, navigating difficult times, and finding your inner strength in this episode. We dive into Danya's journey with battling cancer and how she remained strong and positive as well as the relationship between her feelings back during treatment and now during quarantine. 

Welcome to the first episode of Season 2! Today's podcast features two wonderful guests, Kaya Patidar and Sarina Shah. Kaya is a senior in high school at Canyon Crest Academy and will be a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania next fall. Kaya has played on her high school varsity tennis since a freshman with Karina, and she also loves to bake and do fun art projects. Sarina is a freshman at Santa Clara University and loves to cook, paint, and exercise. Sarina additionally enjoys going on outdoor adventures and exploring and discovering new things in her free time.

Karina, Kaya, and Sarina dive into setting their best and most realistic New Year Goals. The three of them discuss their responses to a 10 question End-of-2020 Quiz to help them self-reflect on this crazy year and formulate the ideal New Year goals for themselves! This episode is definitely worth listening too if you want inspiration on 2021 goal ideas and if you want to join us on reflecting over 2020.

**SELF-CARE JOURNAL GIVEAWAY: Exciting announcement-- Stick 2 You is hosting a fun giveaway to kick off 2021! We are giving away one "Notes To Self" journal by Lisa Currie for free to a lucky supporter. To enter, listen to this episode and DM @stick2you_ on Instagram or email stick2you.biz@gmail.com the "secret phrase."  Winner will be announced at the end of January. Good luck!

Episode 17 features Abi Erle! Abi is a junior in high school from San Diego, CA and the founder of Smile It Fwd, an organization that delivers care packages to kids at Rady Children's Hospital on their first day of chemo therapy. Abi plays both soccer and field hockey and is a part of several clubs, including Rise Up, Cookies 4 Causes, and the ASL Club. On today's episode, Abi shares one of her biggest silver-linings of this "new norm," which is having more free time to self-reflect and grow. Abi and Karina discuss the importance of having a growth mindset and tips on how to really self-reflect. They also tie in the idea of "giving back" to the conversation and how it can benefit our own happiness!

Episode 16 features the wellness Q & A with Steph Plotnik and Alex Felemovicius from the virtual baking workshop on Friday, November 13th! Steph and Alex are the sister-in-law duo behind Clean Culture Cocina- an Instagram platform where they share easy, delicious and super nutritious recipes and wellness tips. They are passionate about using food as a way to sustain optimal health, and love finding ingredient substitutions to recreate favorite recipes, using only clean ingredients. Steph and Alex are mega foodies who want to show how one can enjoy delicious and super nutrient-dense food that nourishes the body, without sacrificing any flavor. Their philosophy is anti-diet culture, and all about CLEAN culture. In the Q & A, we talk about all things wellness including diet culture and meal planning. Host Karina Parikh also shares Clean Culture Cocina's pumpkin spice cinnamon roll recipe in the beginning of the episode. This is a must-listen podcast episode and a must-try fall dessert recipe-- enjoy! 

Here is the recipe for the pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls:

Dough

1 cup self rising flour

1 cup whole Greek yogurt

Filling

1/4 cup coconut sugar

2 tbsp coconut oil or ghee

1 tbsp pumpkin spice powder

candied pecans / walnuts

Cream Cheese Frosting

One 8 oz block of cream cheese

1/4 cup Greek Yogurt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup maple syrup

Steps 

1. Mix self rising flour with whole Greek yogurt and knead until a workable dough forms (if too sticky, add more flour little by little and keep kneading)

2. Melt the coconut oil and mix with the pumpkin spice and coconut sugar

3. Roll dough into a square/rectangle and spread pumpkin spice sugar paste all over

4. Roll and bake for about 17 minutes at 350°F

5. Mix room temperature cream cheese with Greek yogurt, vanilla extract, and maple syrup until incorporated

Use this to spread as a frosting over the rolls and top with candied walnuts

6. Enjoy! Best served warm

Episode 15 features Sofia Kwee! Sofia is a sophomore at UC Berkeley studying data science. She loves to play tennis, run, hike, or go on any outdoor adventure in her free time. While Karina gives the high school perspective, Sofia gives the college perspective on finding balance in your life, managing stress, and navigating common peer and parental pressures. Karina and Sofia also chat about why mental health matters to them and how they have been feeling with distance learning in today's episode. 

This was such a fun episode to record so don't miss out! Episode 15 is live on Instagram TV as well!

Episode 14 features Lily Podolsky! Lily is sixteen years old and a junior in high school from Bellevue, Washington. She plays lacrosse and is very involved with non-profit organizations such as "Friendship Circle" and "Girls Inspiring Volunteer Effects". She spends her extra time working on school clubs, volunteering, and spending time with her friends and family. Lily is the host of a mental health podcast called Fight For You, which shares the stories of a range of guests to present how these experiences have led them work towards self-love, self-worth, self-care.  

On today's episode, Lily and host Karina chat about a variety of topics, ranging from journaling, books, therapy, goal-setting, and podcasting. Lily and I talk more about her mental health journey and how she has been able to find light during difficult situations. Everyone will experience a "low" sometime in their life, but Lily and Karina are both here to show you that there is always a "light at the end of the tunnel," that you should always keep fighting for yourself, and that your "flaws" are what defines you as a person.

Here are Lily's book recommendations if you want to give them a read:

Episode 13 features high school senior and two-business teen entrepreneur Fania Pupko! Fania is a senior at the San Diego Jewish Academy, and she loves to play sports, travel, do arts and crafts, and spend time with her friends and family in her free time. She currently runs two businesses: The Good Neighbor and F.E. Jewelry. The Good Neighbor is an organization that collects necessary supplies such as clothing and hygiene products and distributes it to the homeless population of San Diego in a more dignified manner. F.E. Jewelry is a business that sells stylish and cute hand-made bracelets, necklaces, rings, and mask chains. 

Fania and Karina met in a teen entrepreneurship program called WIT. On today's podcast episode, Fania and Karina focus on the impact that pursuing our passions has on our wellness! Both of Fania's businesses were derived from her passions, which makes them so enjoyable for her. Fania shares the stories behind The Good Neighbor and F.E. Jewelry,  how she dedicates time each day to working on these projects amidst her busy schedule, and how her Jewish culture has inspired her to leave the world a better place. Fania and Karina also chat about why they believe taking action on causes you care about is so important!

To learn more about Fania's organizations, check out her social media pages:

Episode 12 features keynote speaker, confidence coach, and world changer Janelle Lynnae! Janelle and Karina talk about the importance of confidence, tips for boosting your own self-confidence, and how to really become "next level confident." This episode is super engaging and relevant to every person out there-- the goal is to inspire you to break free from those limiting beliefs and take on those risks!

Episode 11 features Sadie Sutton Kilar! Sadie is a 17-year-old from the Bay Area and the host of the highly praised She Persisted. After receiving a year and a half of intensive treatment for severe depression and anxiety, Sadie was inspired to recount her journey by interviewing family members, industry experts, and fellow teens to offer self-improvement tips, DBT education, and personal experiences in a weekly podcast. Sadie shares her own mental health journey on today's episode with Karina. She gives her advice for someone who is struggling with their mental health and the best ways to reach out for help. She gives some of her favorite Dialectical Behavior Therapy strategies, "TIPS," "Accumulating Positives," and "Building Mastery," on the show as well. To wrap up the episode, we chat more about podcasting and how we both have learned so much from it and how it has become something that we both love to do.

Episode 10 features high school senior Sanjana Benakappa! Sanjana is Stick 2 You's first international guest! She lives in the United Kingdom, and she loves playing field hockey and netball. She is currently in the process of writing college essays and returning back to in-person school, so she shares her experiences with balancing all of these activities. We kick off the episode by doing a series of RAPID FIRE questions to get to know Sanjana more. We also chat about the differences in our schooling systems. Sanjana gives her greatest piece of advice--take the risks because life is too short-- at the end of the episode.

Episode 9 features Clara Oden! Clara is a junior in high school from Hatteras, North Carolina, and she loves to do ballet, surf, play the flute, and travel in her free time. Clara and I chat about the importance of body positivity and the affects of body-image on our society! Especially as a ballerina, Clara has experienced and has heard about many people who have struggled with body insecurities, and she shares her take on the subject. Clara and I also share our tips for staying connected during distance-learning and how we have stayed close friends for over a year now, despite the long-distance.

Episode 8 features UCSD Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Teacher Cheryl Shah! Cheryl shares her journey to discovering mindfulness and why it has become a huge passion of hers. She explains how mindfulness can change one's relationship with stress and how mindfulness can be impactful in all of our lives. Cheryl leads us in a 10 minute mindfulness practice to close the episode!

Episode 7 features high school junior and varsity tennis player Sofia Ung! Karina and Sofia have been doubles partners for two years, and they share their experiences of playing tennis on a team and on the same court together. They discuss how tennis has shaped them as people, related to other parts of their life, and contributed to their personal wellness. Sofia also shares her feelings about starting school online, and she drops her favorite quarantine hobbies at the end of the episode!

Episode 6 features Bella Hirst! Karina and Bella chat about a wide variety of pressures they face in high school, ranging from friendships to academics. Bella is a rising junior in high school who enjoys fashion and writing. She does costumes for our school shows and is part of the creative writing club and school magazine. She describes some of her experiences with transitioning to high school, making new friends, "branching out," and writing articles in this episode as well.

Episode 5 features Certified Life Coach Ms. Erica Rood! Host Karina Parikh interviews Erica about her advice and tips on living a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle, specifically regarding teen self-confidence and managing stress and anxiety with this "new norm." 

Thank you for tuning in!

Host Karina Parikh interviews University of Arizona student Aditi Parikh about her take on self-love and self-care. Aditi loves to model and dance in her free time. She talks about the role it plays in her personal wellness and how she juggles her extracurriculars with school throughout this episode.

Thank you so much for tuning in!

Believe it or not, social media has a very strong impact, especially on teens and young adults today! Rising high school junior Tatum Myrick joins Host Karina Parikh to discuss their perspectives on social media. They chat about the positive and negative effects of social media on our mental health as well as share some of their tips for navigating these pressures. Karina and Tatum became closer friends through a leadership class at their high school called PALs (Peers Assistant Listeners), which aims to promote wellness and connectivity on campus by peer-counseling other students and planning spirit events. The two of them also talk about their experiences in PALs and their passion for living a fulfilling lifestyle in this episode!

Thank you so much for tuning in!

Host Karina Parikh interviews Rani Shah, a rising junior at UC Davis, about her experiences with transitioning to being vegan and joining the club ultimate frisbee team! Rani loves hiking, camping, rock climbing, reading, and traveling in her free time. In today's episode, she shares how her hobbies play a big role in her personal wellness and how she dedicates time to doing all the things that she loves. 

Welcome to the Stick 2 You podcast! Thank you so much for tuning in!

Ms Myers joins host, Karina Parikh, in this fun-filled episode to share her journey to becoming a high school english teacher and to share her experiences working directly with teens! We talk about how she keeps her classroom culturally-relevant, and she even drops some of her biggest wellness tips for teens towards the end of the episode as well. 

Here is the link to the feedback form! I would absolutely love if you could fill it out. I am open to any and all feedback that you may have, so feel free to fill it out honestly: