Dying To Ask

3 Ways To Become A Runner

How can I become a runner? Easy. Start running.

It sounds a little flip, but it's actually the truth. Goals don't become reality until you take the first steps.

If your goal is running, those first steps are quite literal.

Running consistently is a goal a lot of people struggle to meet. Why? Running is hard. It's tiring. It can be painful. It's annoying at times. You know, kind of like life.

And that's why conquering a running goal is a powerful confidence booster for so many people.

This episode came from a listener's suggestion.

Listen if you have a goal of becoming a runner.

Listen if you just like talking about goals period. The hacks are applicable to any fitness goal or life challenge.

In this Dying to Ask:

• A three-step plan to get your feet moving and your brain cranking this fall.

Three Ways To Look And Feel Better, Plus Medical Myths Busted

Feeling blah?

Dr. John Whyte has a prescription to feel and look better with three tweaks to your day.

No drugs. No supplements — and best of all, no copay!

Whyte is the Chief Medical Officer of WebMD. It's his job to make sure the medical info on the site is factually correct. He's a medical storyteller with a background that includes stints at the Food and Drug Administration and time as the chief medical expert at Discovery Channel.

The good news heading into fall? Whyte is positive about our ability to manage COVID-19 without the world shutting down and needing to mask mandates.

The bad news? We have some work to do on our mental health. Like a lot of work.

This episode starts with some good news about the pandemic.

Then, Fitz and Whyte have some fun breaking down five medical myths. Spoiler alert: Fitz isn't on board for two of them!

Think it's gross when someone doesn't shower every day? That person may have a health edge. Pop a lot of Vitamin C when you get a cold. Skip it. Get irritated when your family members don't make the bed? Get over it.

Finally, Whyte has three hacks to improve your health, physical and mental. You can implement them today and he'll be surprised if you don't feel different quickly. They'll cost you nothing. They don't take much time. They're backed by science.

On this Dying to Ask:

• Why showering daily is overrated
• The health benefits of not making your bed
• Why Vitamin C is probably a waste when you're sick
• Three changes you can make today to improve your health dramatically in days

How To Perfect An Apology

Sorry, not sorry.

Know someone who is horrible at apologizing for a mistake? Or, for those self-actualized among us, maybe you're that person?

Quickly taking responsibility for messing up has a near-instant impact on your mental health and well-being.

Blaming others for your own mistakes is a one-way street to sabotaging your mental mindset.

So, what if you commit to accepting responsibility for screwups quickly? It could be a lifestyle hack that could change how you perceive the world and how it perceives you.

In this episode, Fitz shares a personal story about a podcast guest scheduling mistake she recently made. It left a CEO stranded solo in a Zoom waiting room while Fitz ate breakfast at the TV station. She shares how she handled it that preserved the relationship with the CEO's company and how it allowed Fitz not to beat herself up about the error.

On this Dying to Ask:

• The surprising mental health benefits of apologizing for mistakes quickly
• The link between responsibility and anxiety
• Fitz' "Triple A" method of saying sorry and actually meaning it

Dorm Designers, Phone Dumps And All Things College 101

We're going back to school in this week's episode of the Dying to Ask podcast. Not a la Rodney Dangerfield in the 1986 comedy. More like a time hop to a time that may seem just as foreign.

Colleges expect this school year will be the most "normal" year for students since the pandemic started.

It might be normal by today's standards for young people. But if it's been a while since you moved into a dorm, wait until you hear what the college experience is like these days.

Jenn Curtis and Cynthia Muchnick, authors of "The Parent Compass," are back on the show this week.

And we're talking about everything from the HGTV-ization of dorm rooms to how phone dumps work and why your family needs one.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, buckle up, and get ready to go back to school, Dying to Ask-style. And yes, there will be a pop quiz for anyone who fails to leave a rating or review.

On this Dying to Ask:

• The emergence of college trends like professional dorm decorators
• Why you need a "proof of life" plan with your kid
• The pros and cons of a "phone dump"
• How to ease the transition to college for parent and child

How Being Hangry Costs You Friends And Productivity

Hunger plus anger equals hanger. It's a thing. And science now backs that up.

You could be one snack away from sabotaging your relationships and career. An exaggeration? Only slightly.

A new survey on hanger proves the phenomenon exists.

That "hanger" is actually fluctuating blood sugar that leads to impulsive decisions, words you don't mean (or shouldn't say out loud) and interactions you might regret.

Dr Neha Pathak is part of WebMD's medical team. Her job is to make sure the site's articles and videos are medically sound. She says the hangry study confirms what moms have known forever.

"Absolutely, so I think what we've known for a long time, is when we have low blood sugar it puts us up higher risk of being irritable getting angry and being impulsive. So this new study kind of adds to that, by showing us that when we're hungry, we also are at higher risk of negative emotions on a day to day basis," Pathak said.

The takeaway?

You might make some really bad calls in life because you needed a snack.

Think about that. You could be a handful of almonds away from setting your body and mind up for a blowup or for success.

One snack!

On this Dying to Ask:

• How scientists studied hanger
• A simple explanation of why you get cranky when you get hungry
• The time of day you should probably never schedule an important meeting
• Dr Pathak's pick for the number one food to treat hangriness fast
• And what it's like to be a WebMD doc

5 Ways To Stress Less By Walking More

Feeling blah? Three words: take a walk.

Walking is having, as they say, a moment.

Walking is the simplest thing we do each day and it may be the most instantly impactful when it comes to our mental and physical health.

In this solo episode, Fitz takes a walk on the not so wild side to explain how adding frequent walk breaks to the day had a positive impact on stress and creativity.

You'll learn the science behind why "moving mindfulness" works and you'll get easy hacks to make walk breaks a powerful reset button in your day.

Feeling stuck? Take a walk.

Feeling down? Take a walk.

Feeling frustrated or tired? Say it with me, take a walk.

Up for taking our walk challenge? Take a selfie and post it on social media with #walkwithfitz and she'll share your pics to motivate the Dying to Ask community.

On this Dying to Ask:

• How to sneak walking into your work or school day to improve productivity
• The hidden benefit to taking your kids on a lap around the block
• The science behind why walking impacts mood, depression and anxiety
• Five ways to make a walking habit stick

Creating Confidence With TV Host Amy Schmidt

Want to be more confident? Maybe you need to practice more.

That's the philosophy of author, TedX speaker, podcast and TV host Amy Schmidt.

Amy's "why not me and why not now" philosophy has made her an expert in mid-life reinvention.

Amy co-hosts the Better Than Gossip podcast and streaming TV show. The show's tagline, ageless advice for timeless women, promotes the idea that most problems are solvable with help and empathy from friends.

She says she's noticed many people complaining about a loss of confidence after everything we've been through in the last few years.

Her advice?

Recruit a good friend/ accountability partner and ask them a simple question: "what am I good at?"

"When you really dig into that conversation with someone you really trust that accountability partner and they say, 'you know what, I admire your confidence around public speaking. I love the way you can just, you know, go to a PTA meeting, and you can stand up and take charge. Or, I love the way when you walk into a yoga class, you kind of are this light.' You find out these things about yourself and you're like, 'wow I should do more of that.' That is the stepping stone to building more confidence."

On this Dying to Ask:

• Three ways to boost your outlook when you're feeling flat
• How to know it's time to make a personal or professional pivot when things are actually going OK
• What Fitz said on Amy's podcast that turned out to be controversial
• The power of having a word of the day

How To Define Your Life’s Purpose With News Anchor Latrice Currie

What's your purpose?

The pandemic forced all of us to reflect on where we are and where we're going. The Great Resignation is full of people who've redefined their life purpose and made professional and personal changes based on those evaluations.

Latrice Currie didn't need the pandemic to redefine her life's purpose. Life dealt her a curveball in 2019 and she's been on a different path ever since.

Latrice is a longtime, respected news anchor at WRCB-TV in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She's a wife and a mom. She's active in her community.

She also survived a life-threatening health scare she never saw coming.

Latrice suffered a blood clot. Quick thinking saved her life. Careful reflection changed her life after she spend six months off the air in rehab.

Everything changed one Sunday morning when Latrice suffered the blood clot out of the blue. She woke up three weeks later unable to speak and walk and comprehend how much her life had changed.

Her new book, My Journey: Finding God's Purpose and Power, tells the story of what happened before and after LaTrice's turning point. The good news? You don't have to live through a blood clot to live a bigger, more satisfying and impactful life!

It's equal parts raw and inspiring. And, it's a road map to identifying and following through on pivoting to one's true purpose.

On this Dying to Ask:

• What LaTrice did while barely conscious that gave her a shot at surviving a blood clot
• What she advises all people to do to better their chances of a freak health problem
• What it was like to BECOME the story instead of TELL the stories
• How we can all find our purpose when life deals us a bad hand

The Annual Summer Beach Reads Episode, Part 2

Go read a book.

Those four words summarized my mother's constant summer refrain in my childhood and I find myself parroting her words as a mom myself!

Part 2 of our annual summer beach reads episode focuses on books for kids and young adults, or YA readers. But, here's the thing. YA is actually for all ages.

Do you just love a quick, fun read? Listen for some great YA reads that will inspire and entertain.

Have a reluctant reader at home? My guest Tina Ferguson has some great hacks to get kids lost in the pages of a great book.

Tina is the owner of Face in a Book bookstore in El Dorado Hills, California.

Titles mentioned in show:

• Family of Liars by E. Lockhart
• The Peach Rebellion by Wendelin Van Draanen
• Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl by Julie Kagawa

In this Dying to Ask:

• How to get a reluctant reader interested in reading
• Why graphic novels are a powerful reading motivator
• How Disney and TikTok are inspiring great children's literature
• The rise of inclusivity and diversity in children's lit
• Why YA books are for all ages
• And, stick around to the end for the backstory on how Dolly Parton and James Patterson teamed up for one of the most popular books of the year

The Summer Beach Reads Episode, Part 1

Read anything good lately? Your answer will be 'yes' if you pick up any of the titles in our annual summer beach reads show.

We've broken the show into two parts. Part one covers titles for adults. Part two has suggestions for kids and young adults.

Our guide to all things literary is Tina Ferguson, owner of Face in a Book Bookstore in El Dorado Hills, California.

This summer's picks include:

• Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel
• Book Lovers by Emily Henry
• One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
• This is Not a Pity Memoir by Abi Morgan
• The Divorce Colony by April White

In this Dying to Ask:

• How pre-sales factor into authors making the New York Times Best Sellers list
• The influence of groups like Reese's Book Club and Jenna's Book Club on book sales
• How authors are referencing the pandemic in fiction set in COVID-19 years
• Fitz and Tina share their favorite titles for a great summer read