 Aloha and welcome to the Savvy Chick Show on Think Tech, Hawaii. I'm your host, Chantel Seville. Now today I'm very excited about the episode, I always am, but most in particular because it's all about raising healthy, fit and confident girls. And in nine weeks I'll be a mother of a little girl myself, so this is really important for me to get these tips. Now this isn't just for the mothers out there, it's for the dads as well this episode and it's for you girls too. Any Savvy Chick out there, you're gonna get tons of helpful hints and advice on how to be healthy, fit and confident. And who better to do this with than the Aloha Fit Mom herself. So Stephanie Peach Gambetta is a local Hawaiian. She might not look Hawaiian, but she's born and raised here. She's an entrepreneur with a business woman. She also is a health and wellness coach. She does boot camps. She does everything active in the local community and is also a mother of two gorgeous young girls. So let's welcome Steph. Hello. Aloha. Thanks for having me. I'm so excited to have you. Ever since I met you I was like, I need to get Steph on the show because you're inspiring in everything you do and all your, you know, every aspect of your life I think is really important to share with the audience and talk about what it is. But what you said and what you say to me is it's all about leading by example and that's how you can raise a healthy, fit and confident young woman or girl. Yeah. Well I think for me it obviously it starts with my mom. And my mom, she worked from the time I think I was eight years old. She's a mom of three and went to school at night and was always just led by, led by example. I was at her aerobics classes in the afternoon. She brought us. And so I just saw an example of a mom who in my mind did it all. And I still think as a grandma she still does it all. And so I think for me part of it just came naturally, you know, I think you emulate what your parents have done, good or bad sometimes. So for me it's just, yeah, I want my daughters to see a mom that's been really busy. You know, I'm very active. They see me moving all the time. They see me work. They see me get back to my community. And so I just think it's important for them to see, and I'm not at all of their games. I'm not at all of their school events because I have other things going on. But I think it's good for them to understand that as well. And I think that that's very important to actually continue to have your own life because what a lot of women and mothers struggle with is having that confidence within themselves. So it's not only about the confidence in the girls but themselves. And I think by you living your own life that gives you the opportunity to have your life and you can have the confidence so that you can be a better mother to the girls. Would that be... Oh, absolutely. I mean, I think if you're not okay, then how are you going to be okay for your children and your husband? So I think, you know, it's so easy to put yourself last when you become a mom because you're overwhelmed and there's so much going on. And of course I can't get out of exercise and how can I eat well? But at the end of the day, those are the most important things. You know, your sleep, what you're putting into your body, how you're being active and it all makes the rest a lot easier. And then so for yourself, like how do you... I mean, we're going to go through it in a lot of this episode, but how do you actually just in the most simplistic form make sure you put yourself first? Is there something you tell yourself or... You know, I think for me, I turned 40, I'm 41, so I turned 40 like it's last year. Looking good for 41. Oh, God, 40. But I just realized for me how important sleep is. You know, I can really, if I really am diligent about my sleep, I can go and hide and go hard. And once I start getting lazy about how many hours of sleep, you know, some people only need six hours. I need eight, you know. I mean, once in a while I can get seven or six, but I function really well on eight. And so just having the discipline to say, okay, my kids are up at six, so I really want to turn that light off at 10 at night. It does me best to unwind that way. It took me a long time to figure that out. So I think for me the number one is sleep. I think I can get a little lazy on the other things as long as I'm sleeping. But once the sleep goes, I'm a little bit off balance, I think. I can agree. And I don't even have a little one. Yeah. Let's take it back a little bit. So you've kind of, as you said, it's because your parents also that you've been able to become a healthy, fit, and confident woman. And then that's obviously how you were a girl at one stage and they've empowered their daughter to be like yourself. And you mentioned you went to Boston, went to university and these types of things. So how much of an impact did your parents have on your life and helped you do that? Oh, gosh. That's amazing. So my mom's from Connecticut, ironically, and my dad is from Hawaii and the name met at the University of Vermont. So you can imagine they went probably as far away from Hawaii as you could possibly go onto the East Coast and that's where they met. And so I was always told, you know, you should go back East for college. If you don't go back there, you probably will never live back there. Go and experience something totally different. And so for me, I just was like, okay, you know, I'll go back East. This will be great. I was able to run cross country there and I went to Boston College, which was a great experience for me to be in the city. But a funny story is so my mom was a college counselor at our, Punahoa at our school. And she kept, she took me on her college tour trip and she took me like Bates and Bowden and Colby and there's these little small liberal arts colleges in the middle of nowhere. And I looked at her and I was like, you raised me on an island in the middle of nowhere. You can't put me in the woods. So Boston, I think was a nice middle ground where there was ocean. Like I needed to see ocean and know that like, okay, I can breathe if I have ocean near me, even though it was really cold. But I loved my experience. I grew so much and they just gave me the confidence that that's going to be a good decision for me. I have the tools at that time of my life to go and just do it. And for parents and also girls watching this episode, being American, because obviously I'm actually dual, but I grew up in Canada, you can go. So if someone lives in Connecticut, they could actually apply for university in Hawaii. If they get in, they could. Oh yeah, you can. Different schools and states have different, you know, it's easier to get into the UC system if you live in California and it's less expensive. So some, you know, states have different rules for their state universities, I would say, or in terms of how you get in. But yeah, I mean, if you do well, I mean, you can go really where you want. It just depends on kind of your credentials. There you go. If you do well, you can go where you want. That's why it's really, it is important to work towards whatever it is that you want in life. That's one of the other things you're passionate about is helping people follow the passions because when you're passionate enough, you can really achieve whatever you want, which leads to the next thing of you opening up a fish taco business here in Hawaii. Yeah. How did that happen? I still laugh. I'm like, I want a fish taco restaurant. I was working at a college, I worked in the sports industry, so I worked for Reebok, their headquarters is in Boston, right out of college. And I went to graduate school and I got a job from a sports agent at the time, which moved me back to California. And so I was kind of had my sit in California, I worked for the Angels baseball team, and that was my net, I was going to be doing sales for sports teams. That was kind of my niche at that time. And I met the guys who owned Wahoo's fish taco, and I thought to myself, oh my God, I lived in Hawaii, I've grown up here, there's nothing like it. Why do we not have fresh fish tacos and fresh, healthy Mexican food where you can just get a beer, it's quick and casual? We should do this. I had no experience. I had a restaurant for maybe a summer. And somehow I convinced these three brothers that I, my sister and I could open a taco shop. So I don't know, we did it. And it was crazy. It was a crazy chapter of my life. You know, growing up in Hawaii, we know that if you open something new from the mainland, it's going to be a hit because everyone's like, oh, I want to try this. But the question is, can you maintain that? And it was like a circus. I mean, literally, I remember the second day I got up and I just pulled the covers over my eyes and I started crying and I called my mom into the covers. I'm a 29-year-old and I was like, I just realized that this doesn't close. It's open seven days a week. You know, what have I done? I'm having a baby. It doesn't go away. It is. It's a business for a baby. But it's been a great experience for me. I've learned so much about people, about business, obviously about the food industry. So you had no experience in any of that? No. No. I learned. When I went to California, I went back for six months. I wore a hair net. I cooked in the kitchen. I mean, I had the funniest people where I'd be serving food and they'd be like, do you need a job? And I was like, no, I have a job. And just people are a little bit confused. I own the place. But it still is. It's a great experience, a ton of learning. Going back to my kids, they always say, our generation really needs to give our kids grit and really get them to kind of dig their heels in. Millennials, they say they don't work or no work ethic. And just how do you get our kids to struggle a little bit? And I feel like this opening a business for myself and my brother, my sister, was, I don't want to say it was a struggle, but you had to do it. I mean, this was something you created and it was your investment and you've got to see it through. So definitely gave me, I mean, I had a strong work ethic going into it, but I think coming out of it, oh my God, I mean, I can do anything. But you were a mom during that time? You became a mom? So I got married our first year that we were open. And then, yes, I became a mom shortly after. And then when we opened our second location, I had two kids and 50 employees. So it was a hard time. Balance. Wow. Yeah. So two kids and 50 employees and they would have been under five, obviously. Oh, God. I had a newborn and had a two-year-old. They're 26 months apart. And so then who looked after them when you went to work, when you did see them? So I had a full-time nanny for a good year and a half of help, but she'd bring the baby into the restaurant. I had the flexibility because it was mine and I would go into the alcohol storage room and I would pump and I would feed the baby and I nursed for 14 months. So it was something where if moms say, oh, I can't nurse because I work full-time, I'm going to say, if there's a will, there's a way. And pumping is an easy way to just continue to be able to give your child nourishment from you if you can. Not everyone can, but if you can, it's great. And that's why it's important, obviously. So just stepping back a little bit, the reason that you wanted to open the fish taco business in Hawaii was because you wanted something healthier as well, a healthier alternative. So was this always throughout your life this sort of health-awareness kind of streak? I think, you know, I was an avid soccer player growing up, so I loved that piece. I saw my dad running and my mom went to Robics classes. Intrinsically inside, I knew it was important to stay active and healthy and it made me feel better. I think, to be honest, the restaurant was more the entrepreneurial spirit in me was like, there's nothing in Hawaii to do this, you know, and that piece of it. I don't know if it's as much healthy, but it was definitely, well, this is healthy food, but I think that stemmed more from my desire to do my own thing. And your own independence and being that confidence aspect of it, because I'm really passionate about being healthy and fit because I think that empowers confidence. And I suppose that when you do a lot of things, you need a lot of energy. So if you're sleeping and eating well, that allows you to be able to be the mom and be the business owner. That's probably all you have to have on the way. Absolutely. I wouldn't have opened a burger joint. I'll put it that way. I eat the food, my kids, if you ask my kids and their cousins, my nieces and nephews, their favorite food in the entire world, it's wahuas. All of them would say that. I mean, they will eat it every day if they could, breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and just love it. And so for me, it makes me feel good, because I know that I'm feeding them really healthy, clean food. And it's still takeaway, which is great, because it's still so cool, you know. Oh, when I want to cook, I'm like, let's get wahuas when you go down and, you know. So go down and get that. So then how do you sort of share these messages with your daughters to help them to be healthy and make healthy choices when they're only young, like how old are your girls at the moment? So I've got an eight-year-old and a five-year-old. And so at eight and five, I mean, I see your little one drinking her green juices and things like that. How do you get an eight and a five-year-old to want to eat healthy food? Well, I think what's interesting is my, you know, they see what, especially my little one, this one who's drinking the cute perium drink, she wants to do a mom dust. So she's really open to trying different things. And so with that, I really sneak it in. So I mean, she'll drink it straight, but for the girls every morning, they start off with a smoothie. And it's got, you know, vitamins in it, it's got protein in it, it's got peanut butter in it, it's got bananas. So that to them, it's like a chocolate milkshake. So no matter what, that goes into their bodies in the morning. And then it's, I don't want to say it's tricking them, but it's educating them, but also finding out what, what do they naturally like. And then every time putting on their plate a rainbow, so, okay, you're going to have your vegetable, you might only eat four peas. But eventually they keep eating four peas, you know, they might slather with butter or they might put ketchup on their, you know, broccoli. But what I've learned, and I think the hard way with my oldest one is they really eat what they're exposed to. And if you talk to a lot of the moms and stuff, you know, like I have a friend whose daughter loves me so soup, mine won't touch it. But they will eat beans and rice and avocado and guacamole. And theirs won't touch it. So it's really what you expose them to. So I even have to push myself to, and it's hard when you're a busy mom to say, okay, I'm going to make something that 99.9% of me believes they're not going to eat. But it's trying over and over again or saying, okay, here are three vegetables, pick one girl. And you at least have two bites if you want dessert. So I think it's negotiating, it's bargaining, but it's actually getting it in front of them. And even I could do a better job. So I try my best. But I think that's what it's all about is really trying your best. And we're going to come back after the break and share a few more of her tips and secrets on how you can create more healthy, fit and confident girls. And for you girls, how you can be more healthy, fit and confident. We'll see you soon on The Savvy Chick Show. Hello, my name is Crystal. Let me tell you my talk show, I'm all about health. It's healthy to talk about sex. It's healthy to talk about things that people don't talk about. It's healthy to discuss things that you think are unhealthy because you need to talk about it. So I welcome you to watch QuokTalk and engage in some provocative discussions on things that do relate to healthy issues and have a well-balanced attitude in life. Join me. Hello, I'm Richard Emory, host of Condo Insider, a weekly Thursday show at three o'clock that goes all summer long talking about issues living in a condo association. Each week, we bring experts to talk about the rights and obligations of owners and boards of directors to successfully run their condominium. It's a great educational show, answers a lot of questions. We hope you'll visit us sometime. Aloha. For a very healthy summer, watch Viva Hawaii. We are here live on Mondays at 3 PM, and we bring guests like our best health coach, Elena Maganto. Eat well and follow her tips. Viva la comida saludable. Welcome back to the Savvy Chick Show on Think Tech, Hawaii. Thanks for tuning in and do remember we're alive every Wednesday at 11 AM Honolulu time. So back to raising healthy, fit and confident girls with the Aloha fit mom herself, Stephanie Peach Gambira. And here we are, let's talk a bit more about. So before the break, we were talking about how you sort of grew up, how you're doing a bit of, you know, how you balance and help your young girls be healthy and fit and confident. And we also discussed your wahoo fish tacos. But now you're actually transitioning more into even more wellness. Now, how did that happen or how is that looking? So you're doing some boot camps and some coaching and all kinds of community things. Well, yeah, I think for me, the girls getting older, the restaurant getting older, you know, so it has management. I'm not in there as much. And I turned 40 and you're kind of like, gosh, now what, you know? And for me, it was just really gravitating towards my passion and, you know, being able to bounce back from pregnancy really easy and get back into shape and learn. Everyone's going to want to know that. So we're going to have to share that. Yeah, and just like what, you know, I have a lot of who can come into, what are you doing? Like, what do you do? What are you doing? How do you, how do you balance? Like you go out, you still enjoy your wine, you, how are you handling out? So I just felt like for me, it was like, gosh, I maybe I should get some education behind me, share what works for me, my passions, but definitely get educated. And then just create an environment where I could help people because it makes me feel really good inside to help people. And I think that's what I've realized over the years that I'm naturally a caretaker. I like to help, I want to fix things. Like, you know, if you're having, I want to fix it. Like I want to help you feel good about yourself. Let's do this together. And so why not take it a step further and have a platform to do that? So I'm right now currently in the Institute of Integrated Nutrition. It's an online course out of New York, which is great. Loving it, so many amazing speakers. And you kind of start off the program and a lot of my friends have done it. And you think about yourself as you're listening to speakers, like what can I do better? Or what am I, where is my life out of balance? Or I have a daughter who has a gluten intolerance that I found out at two. Okay, how do I navigate that? And so it's really fun to have a group of like-minded people. And then before I had kids, I taught spin classes and I did aerobics. And I've always been, I like to teach because being athletic was very natural to me. So I started just doing these boot camps with a couple girls. And what we've done is we've created a community of like-minded people. And being outside, we live in Hawaii. So I didn't realize, I mean, I run outside but I hadn't done these boot camps. And you leave just feeling like, oh my gosh, this fresh air, it's beautiful. And you can't leave unhappy. And there's no feeling better when you get a bunch of women together exercising and doing something empowering. There's just something really special about that. Yeah, we've seen women who've gone through breast cancer surgery and we've nurtured them back. We see women who are going through divorces or just having children and they bring their kids with them to boot camp and I'm holding the baby and they're working out and just creating an environment that they feel safe. It's for all levels, we modify for everybody. And I just really enjoy getting to know these women and really practicing what I'm learning in my school with them and seeing what works, what doesn't work and how it resonates with them. So it's been really fun. And a lot of them are actually mothers and that's probably partially the reason that you wanted to create this so that you can share. I mean, you're an absolute example of what it looks like to be a healthy, fit and confident mother. And your daughters are perfect examples of what it's like to be daughters of a healthy, fit and confident mother. And for anyone who's watching this, whether you're a mother or a daughter, you don't have to be that person but I mean, you can strive to be and perhaps if it's not your mom, you can encourage her or you can look to other moms' role models if that's something that your mom doesn't have. Because I mean- Oh, and I just started these afternoon boot camp classes and I have six ladies between the ages 60 and 70. And it's amazing what they can do. When I first saw them come to class, I go, oh gosh, I got my soccer moms and then I've got this group and they are amazing. They can hold a plank, you know, for a minute and 90s. Oh, it's amazing what they can do. And so I just believe that, you know, and looking at my parents that there's no time in your life where it's like, oh, I'm too old to stay healthy and be active. We just modify, you know, there's modifications for everyone as you build your strength up. And so did your girls start when they're really young as well to do fit, like type exercises? How did you start that? Yeah, they look, I mean, I've exercised at home a lot. So they'll do yoga with me or I've got this hill behind my house and literally they'll see me running up and down because it's right, you know, they can see me and so it's kind of a babysitter as I'm doing it. And they'll run halfway up with me or I've got an exercise bike at home. And so a lot of my stuff, especially at the younger years because the kids were home, they were watching me do it at home and they want to do what mom does, you know, and they want to emulate what mom does. And so I think it's natural. I think for the child to say, this is what you do. And I guess what you're exposed to as you mentioned is what you do. Something that I definitely want you to share before the end of this episode. And now is hilarious what you're saying, how the girls will emulate what you do. And for example, when your daughter is playing. Oh God, okay. God to share this. So I'm sure this has happened to many moms and it can be a very, very scary situation because they basically are acting like you. So my daughter, my oldest is eight and she loves to play, play, dress up and whatnot with other kids or cousins or whatever. And so she'll kind of read my closet and she'll come down and she's got her purse and her outfit and she says, you know, she's like, okay honey, I'll be right back. I'm gonna go to a yoga class and a board meeting and then I'll be back. You know, and you're, I looked at it and I started laughing because I'm like, is that me? But I thought, well, thank God, she's not saying like, well, I'm gonna go to shut them all and go shopping and then I'm gonna, you know, things that were coming out of her mouth, I was proud of that. And yeah, I do do yoga and I do sit on boards. And if that's what she thinks I do during the day, then I'm doing a good job. And I think that if that's the most important thing that anyone takes from this episode is it really starts and ends with you. I mean, the more healthy fit and confident you are as a mother, the more healthy and fit and confident your daughters are gonna be. And that's why it's important. And I know being in Sydney and being around of a lot of exposed, a lot of different types of people, both, you know, who are very wealthy and what not have all the resources and those who are low socioeconomic. And there can be even a lot of more pressure on, you know, the kids of the private schools, for instance, because their moms are so conscious about themselves and how they look. It's like with you, it's all about feeling good, right? And it's all about sharing those messages. Whereas when you're focused on how you look, that can also cause problems. Growing up my mom was a model and she has always said to us, be known for your mind. Don't be known for how you look because that's gonna go away, you know? So just be known for that. So I think I take it one step further and be known to be strong, independent, you know? And that's, we never, in our households, we never talk about what we look. We never talk about our bodies except that they're strong, you know? Oh, we want you to eat this so because I want you to be strong and look how tall you've grown and you talk about that. Or like my little one can climb up a rope to the top and we celebrate that. We make a really big deal about their strength and what makes them able to be confident and strong and jump off rocks and not have fear that they can do anything. And I think that that keeps them self-focused and it's more about focusing on what they can do rather than what they look like or how people are judging them. Because when you're jumping off a rock or on a surfboard, it's not about what people think about you. You're really in your own zone. Yeah, when I worry, I mean, I see social media and for my eight-year-old, what's down the line and heard speakers about how girls are so fixated on fitting in and what they look like in the new coolest thing and I don't think my girls are gonna be immune to it. I just hope that I can learn from my older friends and just get the tools of how do you handle that and how do those conversations and dialogue go? I'm just hoping if my keep my kids really active and involved in things outside of school that build their confidence up, that's kinda how they're gonna be able to tackle when something hard at school happens. They might get picked on or bullied or what it is that they say, well, I'm good at other things or I can go and do this and just the confidence that it's not just about what you look like or your hair color or what car you drive or any of that stuff. So I love how you share on your Instagram, even the family and you share your girls doing their active things in yourself and for those of you who wanna check her out at Steph Gambetta, is that her yet? You can find her on Instagram and you're always sort of sharing these healthy inspirations and it's also a place that you can connect with Steph if you wanna do any of her boot camps or just learn more about her coaching and yes, she's got all kinds of different inspiring ways to keep healthy and fit and confident with your family because I mean, it's a family event as well. I mean, your husband gets involved and you're all out there doing things and I think that that just also brings a family together more and probably perhaps makes it a bit easier to incorporate ourselves. Yeah, we play together. I think just, we live in Hawaii. So you gotta get out and play and that's why we're all living here, I think, for the lifestyle and so making sure that our kids aren't hanging out at the malls but they're in the ocean, they're hiking, they're out there having fun as a family. And I'd love to also, because you have so much knowledge to share and I mean, we'll have to give you another episode as well, but could you share some ideas of how to perhaps with food with young girls or girls and young women of how to make it easier to be healthy and to fit these things in and also then for the moms how they can fit in a bit more exercise. Well, I think from the healthy, I mean, my eight year old, I talk about food. I mean, we talk about why a yellow cheeto that's fluorescent orange, where it came from. So educating them on why that's different than an orange carrot. And so she's old enough to understand that. So we talk about making healthy choices and then also balance. Okay, well, if you want to eat your Nutella sticks, you know, okay, well then what are you gonna eat that's healthy? So it's not, because I do think even for me, it's a balance. Like I like dessert, I like wine, there's things that I like. I don't eat kale and drink green drinks all day long. Don't you? No, I don't drink them. You look like you do, but that's what the great thing is. That's where, for them, it's balance. So yes, you can have those things, but we also need to put a rainbow of colors into our body from everywhere. So I just, understanding that they understand these things and sitting down and slowing down just explaining why, you know, not just saying you can't have that. Well, this is why I choose to not have fluorescent orange chips in my house. It's just me, you know, but this is why. So that was the first question. What was your second question? How do, how mothers can keep more active? Oh, I think just, you know, like you said, walk, fitting it in, just figuring out, you know, there's no reason in a day, I tell moms, like after you drop your kid off to school, do you have an hour? It can be with a cup of coffee, it can be with your phone, walk. Just start with a simple walk, just move. And so keep it slow, don't make it feel like daunting. Like I've got to go to these classes and sign up for these gyms. Just start to slowly move and find a friend and make it fun, but don't make it daunting. Start off really slow and I believe that with everything. It's a baby step. That's, and so with, yeah, with, you basically walk and then from there you can go on to, you know, run and. And find someone that's gonna help you accountable. You know, find a friend. I think a workout friend or your husband or a partner or somebody, or if you need to, you know, go to a class, I think having that accountability of a friend or somebody to do it with or hey, I'm gonna call you on my walk every morning to a friend who lives in Australia and I'm gonna walk and talk to you. But just find a way that it's something you want to do. I think people want to say I'm gonna start off and I'm gonna run a marathon or I'm gonna sprint or I'm gonna, no, that hurts. Like start off doing something that is gonna make you feel better and then we work on your walk might turn into a run walk. You know, but there's stuff that, you know, it's easy to coach people along to take these little steps and don't make it feel like you have to start off by running a 10K. No, just start walking your neighborhood. And automatically seeing you doing that is gonna help empower your girls to be healthy and fit and confident. Yeah, get a jogging stroller, move. Do you have any last advice for the savvy chicks and mums out here today? I just think keeping it, keeping it simple. You know, don't make it with anything. Like people are saying I'm gonna go on this big diet. I'm gonna eliminate huge food groups. No, just say okay, let's, I'm having dessert every night. Why don't I try my dessert five nights a week, not seven? And you just start to slowly make changes. You know, or my stomach just doesn't feel good. Maybe I should go see a natural path and just start to see maybe I'm eating something that doesn't necessarily agree with me. But don't make it this huge daunting task but I'm not gonna drink wine for a month. Well, that's not fun. So why would you wanna do that? But just really, for keeping it simple and taking baby steps and those little steps pay off over time and it becomes a lifestyle. Not as extreme, I'm gonna do something for a limited amount of time. Perfect, that's my advice. Thank you so much for being on the show today. It's been awesome having you and those of you watching, be sure to find her on Instagram and follow all the inspiration and I'm sure you always put up little healthy tips and ideas. Maybe you can sneak that little recipe for the smoothie maker for the weekend. Yeah, I will, I will do that. Keep your eye on her Instagram on all three shared on the Savvy Chicks and we'll look forward to seeing you next week on the Savvy Chick Show on Think Tech Hawaii. Aloha.