This episode includes discussion of stroke, paralysis, depression, and recovery.Episode Summary:In this powerful conversation, Heather sits down with Maria Garcia—author, coach, and stroke survivor—whose life changed dramatically after a massive stroke at 25 left her paralyzed and struggling with depression and identity loss. Maria shares what recovery really looked like over 15 years, including the moment yoga helped lift her out of a “black hole,” and the surprising nutrition methodology that helped her recover another 20% more than a decade after traditional therapy plateaued. Together, they unpack food psychology, how culture and childhood shape our relationship with eating, why you can’t outwork a bad diet, and what it means to stop outsourcing your health and live beyond the BS of society’s expectations.Key Takeaways (What Maria Said):✅ A stroke at 25 shattered her identity—and her belief systems—because she could no longer “perform” perfectionism or control outcomes the way she used to.✅ Depression was real and deep, and yoga became a turning point that helped her feel “a ray of light” again—mentally and emotionally.✅ Recovery wasn’t linear: she tried “everything” for years (multiple therapies, experimental approaches, diet changes), then hit a wall around year 10 and chose to live beyond recovery-as-purpose.✅ Nutrition changed everything: 15 years after her stroke, a nutrition course led to another ~20% recovery—including hiking stamina, better balance, and major improvement in her voice.✅ Food is meant to be nourishment, not entertainment—and our culture trains us (by design) to associate every emotion/holiday/celebration with food.✅ Your childhood shapes your food patterns (comfort, rewards, soothing, “sit still and eat”), and real change requires awareness of the psychology—not just a list of foods.✅ Taste buds and cravings change when you stop living on ultra-processed/sugar-heavy foods—what once felt “normal” can start tasting artificial.✅ You can’t outwork your diet: Maria estimates ~85% of health change happens in the kitchen, with exercise as the “cherry on top.”✅ Stop outsourcing your health: your body isn’t failing you—you may be failing your body without realizing it.✅ Living beyond BS means dropping the mask and releasing other people’s expectations to live more authentically.Heather’s Reflection:This episode is such a living example of what I teach: awareness and choice are everything. Maria’s story reminds us that healing isn’t just “medical”—it’s emotional, mental, physical, and deeply connected. When we stop seeing food as reward, comfort, or entertainment—and start seeing it as self-respect—we begin rebuilding trust with our bodies. And that’s the real shift: not “new year, new me,” but one aligned choice at a time, in any moment, on any day.Guest Info (Maria Garcia):✅ Website: https://www.genuinelymaria.com/✅ Program: 3-month flagship program (private or group) focused on slowly resetting your relationship with food + food psychology + sustainable change (as described in the episode)Heather’s Info + CTA:✅ Website / Work with Heather: https://www.heathermcnally.com/✅ Program Happy, Healthy, Whole starts January 20, 2026: https://www.heathermcnally.com/happyhealthywhole✅ Newsletter Sign up for weekly tips, tools, and updates: https://www.heathermcnally.com/signupfornewsletterIf this episode spoke to you, please consider liking, commenting, and following/subscribing so this message can get out to more people!Thank you so much for sharing this space with me today. My hope is that you walk away knowing that you have the power to choose differently. Go live fully, freely, and unapologetically — your life beyond B.S. starts now.

Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of suicide, self-harm, and mental health struggles.If you or someone you know needs support, please contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.Call or text 988 (U.S.) or visit 988lifeline.org

Episode Summary

In this raw and deeply human conversation, Heather sits down with writer, mental health advocate, and marathon runner Jen Hoye, author of Thick Thighs, Tattoos & Breaking Taboos. Jen shares the story of losing her brother Teddy to suicide—and how grief, anger, self-harm, and isolation became the road she had to walk before she could begin healing.

What started as one small walk during the pandemic turned into an extraordinary mission: Healing Miles, where Jen honors lives lost to suicide through running and storytelling. This episode is filled with honesty, humor, and hope—plus practical conversation about asking the hard questions, breaking cultural silence, and letting joy and grief coexist.

Key Themes & Takeaways

• Jen identifies first as a mom, and as a lifelong writer who used words to be heard in a loud family culture.
• Losing her brother Teddy to suicide in 2017 changed her life completely—she says she stopped living for years.Teddy was mischievous, hilarious, deeply kind, and prepared for everything—“a helper” in every way.
• Grief wasn’t processed at first; Jen describes years of anger, secrecy, disconnection, and coping through binge eating, self-harm, shopping, and staying numb.
• COVID forced a turning point: her secret coping strategies couldn’t stay hidden with everyone home.Healing began with an almost impossibly small step: walking 0.1 miles, then doing it again.
• A fundraiser turned into a mission: 300 miles in a month, dedicating each day to someone lost to suicide—Jen realized how many families need to be seen.
• She reframes “be strong” as often being for other people so they don’t have to witness grief.
• She emphasizes the importance of asking directly: “Are you thinking of taking your life?”
• Jen shares a pivotal story where a young woman came to her because she had a plan—and today she is thriving.
• Advocacy is both service and connection: she feels it keeps her close to Teddy by living his best qualities.Grief is not linear and never “ends”—you just learn to carry it differently.
• Jen talks about identity: breaking out of boxes, people-pleasing, and reclaiming self-trust.
• Her ultimate hope: readers feel seen, heard, understood, and believe they can build a beautiful life after loss.

Heather’s Reflection

• Heather highlights the power of choice as a superpower—how one small choice (a walk) can change your life.
• She relates deeply to turning pain inward and discusses the importance of not glossing over emotions: feel your feelings, but don’t live there.
• Heather validates grief as more than death—grief can be losing a version of life, identity, relationships, or safety.
• She reinforces that honest conversations can change lives—silence makes things grow heavier, while speaking releases pressure.
• Heather ties identity + belief systems into the theme: we often live from inherited beliefs and expectations instead of who we truly are.

Guest Bio

Jen Hoye is a writer, mental health advocate, and the author of Thick Thighs, Tattoos & Breaking Taboos. She founded Healing Miles, honoring lives lost to suicide through running and storytelling. Jen has represented suicide prevention and mental health charities in major races including the Boston and Chicago Marathons, and she is a frequent speaker on suicide prevention, grief, and mental health.

Connect with Jen

IG: @jen.and.pen

FB: Jen Fusco Hoye

Website: jenniferhoye.com

Book available at local bookshops, select Barnes & Noble locations (Northeast), and online (Amazon/B&N).

If this episode spoke to you, please follow, rate, and review the show—it helps more people find support, hope, and tools to live Life Beyond B.S.

Want deeper mindset + identity work?

Heather’s 12-week program Happy, Healthy, Whole begins in January.

The space between the holidays and the new year has a way of amplifying everything — joy, grief, loneliness, reflection, and quiet questions about who we are and what we want. In this solo episode, Heather explores identity, emotional complexity, and why feeling lost doesn’t mean you’re failing — it often means you’ve outgrown an old version of yourself.

This episode gently dismantles “New Year, New Me” pressure and offers a more compassionate path forward rooted in awareness, alignment, and small intentional choices.

Key Themes & Takeaways

✅ Why the holiday season can feel joyful and heavy at the same time

✅ Loneliness doesn’t always mean being alone — it often means feeling unseen

✅ Feeling lost is a signal, not a failure

✅ Identity isn’t something you create — it’s something you remember

✅ Why resolutions fail (and why that’s not your fault)

✅ Real change comes from awareness, not pressure

✅ Small aligned choices matter more than dramatic overhauls

✅ How disconnection from self leads to burnout and illness

✅ Why HHW was created — not to fix people, but to help them understand themselves

Heather’s Reflection:

This episode is an invitation to soften — especially during a season that tells us to push, perform, and reinvent. Heather reminds listeners that they are not behind, broken, or failing. Identity work isn’t about becoming someone new — it’s about remembering who you are beneath expectations, roles, and noise. And that remembering can begin right now, in this moment.

If this episode resonated — share it with someone who needs permission to soften.

And if you’re ready to reconnect with who you are beneath the noise, Happy, Healthy, Whole begins January 13th.

*** Sign up for Happy, Healthy, Whole by December 31st and get a BONUS course called Rewriting Your Story that will take place once you have completed Happy, Healthy, Whole. ***

Connect with Heather:

Website: Click HERE

Happy, Healthy, Whole Program: Click HERE

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Schedule a FREE 60-minute Consultation to learn about 1:1 coaching with Heather: Click HERE