In this powerful episode of Vivatude, certified health coach and fitness professional Tracy Cromwell sits down with Dr. Kelly Kessler, licensed physical therapist and transformation coach, to explore how mindset and chronic stress directly impact the body—and what women over 40 can do to restore balance, vitality, and inner peace. Through deeply personal storytelling, Dr. Kessler shares the wake-up moment that shifted her from survival mode to presence, revealing how years of overachievement, self-neglect, and stress manifested as chronic pain and emotional disconnection. This conversation will resonate with women navigating midlife transitions, caregiving responsibilities, and the pressure to “do it all.”

Together, Tracy and Kelly unpack how high-achieving women often carry stress in their bodies, leading to chronic pain, inflammation, fatigue, and burnout. Dr. Kessler explains how patterns of external validation, people-pleasing, and conditional self-worth—often rooted in childhood—can keep the nervous system stuck in fight-or-flight. She offers compassionate insight into how shame, guilt, and the belief of “not being enough” become embodied over time, and why healing requires more than pushing harder or fixing symptoms. This episode reframes success and wellness through the lens of nervous system regulation, self-trust, and emotional safety.

The episode closes with practical, actionable self-care strategies you can begin using immediately, including body scanning, breathwork, and gentle awareness practices designed to help you tune back into your body and reset your stress response. Dr. Kessler also shares how to show up more authentically when old patterns resurface—without shame—by meeting yourself with compassion and curiosity. If you’re ready to stop surviving, reconnect with your body, and create a healthier, more balanced life from the inside out, this episode of Vivatude offers the tools, insight, and encouragement to help you begin again.

✨ Connect with Dr. Kelly Kessler

💠 Website: 👉 https://drkellykessler.com/

💠 Podcast: 👉 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rewiring-health/id1627787362

✨ Connect with Tracy Cromwell

💠 YouTube: 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@tracycromwell

💠 Podcasts: 👉 https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/tracy-cromwell

💠 Interviews: 👉 https://tracycromwell.com/pages/interviews-with-tracy-cromwell

✨ Connect with Vivatude

💠 Watch Vivatude: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6fyZTWObj0&list=PLAaH5P8bm1O2DNFGvKx2uh0rqhA8fWo7F

💠 Vivatude's Facebook page at 👉 https://www.facebook.com/VivatudeOfficial