Productivity Smarts

What if the "sugar high" you rely on for a productivity boost is actually the very thing sabotaging your focus, mood, and long-term performance?
In this episode of Productivity Smarts, host Gerald J. Leonard sits down with Connie Bennett, a transformational speaker, certified health coach, and bestselling author of Sugar Shock!, Beyond Sugar Shock, and I Blew My Diet! Now What? Together, they uncover the profound connection between what we eat and how we perform, revealing that productivity isn't just about time management, it's also about biochemistry.
Connie shares her deeply personal journey from a self-described "sugar-addicted journalist" suffering from 44 unexplained ailments to a leading voice in health and empowerment. She explains how processed carbs and sugar create a vicious cycle of fake productivity followed by debilitating crashes, and why willpower alone is never enough to break free.
Backed by research and real-world coaching experience, Connie introduces the concept of the "Big Four Binge Triggers," including heartbreak, relationship stress, trauma, and caregiving, and explains how identifying your why is the first step toward lasting change. She also offers practical, neuroscience-backed techniques like the "Broccoli Process" to help listeners shift their state in moments of temptation.
Whether you're struggling with afternoon slumps, emotional eating, or simply want to sustain high performance without burning out, this conversation will help you understand how to align your food choices with your goals.
Tune in to learn how to stop fighting your cravings and start designing a lifestyle that supports steady energy, mental clarity, and true productivity.
 
What We Discuss
[00:00] Introduction

[02:01] Guest introduction: Connie Bennett

[05:13] Connie's journey: from journalist to health coach

[07:21] The turning point: quitting sugar

[09:33] Relapse and carb addiction

[11:53] Researching binge triggers

[13:14] The four big binge triggers

[16:27] Journaling and creative expression for healing

[19:39] Sly shopping catalysts and blood sugar roller coaster

[20:52] Practical tips: avoiding snacking and habit stacking

[23:48] Other sly chompers: stress and mindless munching

[26:59] Consequences of poor eating habits

[28:36] Goal power vs. willpower

[31:13] Healthy eating strategies and food choices

[32:15] Developing a healthy eating plan

[33:29] Book structure and coaching approach

[34:02] How to connect with Connie and book giveaway

[34:48] The broccoli process: overcoming temptation

[38:46] Podcast wrap-up and final thoughts

 
Notable Quotes
[07:12] "So I was like a fake productivity high, eat sugar or carbs, get my buzz so I can be productive and then come crashing." – Connie Bennett

[08:32] "Once I decided I quit. Every single ailment vanished." – Connie Bennett

[10:52] " We could be sabotaged by ourselves, by our non-conscious habits, because our subconscious and non-conscious habits actually runs about 95% of our life.." – Gerald J. Leonard

[12:45] " After the loss of my mother, I was doing what I now call heartbreak binging." – Connie Bennett

[15:16] "Once you know your why, that can enable you then to move on, to become, to learn." – Connie Bennett

[20:00] "If you start your day and you just have coffee and then you go to the gym, or you take your kids to school or whatever, you're setting yourself up for a major blood sugar low." – Connie Bennett

[24:41] "If you want to be a really highly productive person who creates wonderful things and helps other people, you know, to to do their best. You are not going to be your best or your brightest. If you are eating junk foods." – Connie Bennett

[28:55] "I say that we live in basically junk foods jungle." – Connie Bennett

[29:15] "You don't want to rely on willpower. Willpower, the research shows it can, like, run out." – Connie Bennett

[30:00] "When you eat better, you will feel better. You will become better. You will be more the kind of person that you want to be." – Connie Bennett

 
Resource and Links
Connie Bennett
Website:www.connieb.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conniebennett/

Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/ConnieBennett?

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conniebennettauthor/

Twitter (X): https://x.com/smarthabitsgirl

Books: Sugar Shock!, Beyond Sugar Shock, and I Blew My Diet! Now What?

 
Productivity Smarts Podcast
Website - productivitysmartspodcast.com

Gerald J. Leonard
Website - geraldjleonard.com

Turnberry Premiere website - turnberrypremiere.com

Scheduler - vcita.com/v/geraldjleonard

 
Additional information
One sheet

ConniebMedia One Sheet – Connie Bennett, Your Bounce-Back Boldly Guide™

Press kit

ConniebPress Kit – Connie Bennett, Your Bounce-Back Boldly Guide™

PDF of my new book, I Blew My Diet! Now What?

Sync- AMAZING! - I_Blew_My_Diet_PagePerfect_V8.pdf

Rave reviews (mostly rave) of I Blew My Diet! Now What?

 
Kiva is a loan, not a donation, allowing you to cycle your money and create a personal impact worldwide. https://www.kiva.org/lender/topmindshelpingtopminds

Did you know the habits and environment you create in your child's first six years can shape how they focus and function for life?
In this episode of Productivity Smarts, Gerald J. Leonard sits down with Teresa Angeles, a Montessori educator, parent mentor, and author of The Montessori Home and Beyond. Together, they explore how early childhood development connects directly to adult productivity, and how a Montessori approach can bring more calm, clarity, and intention into everyday life.
Teresa explains the Montessori method in a practical way, showing how ideas like the "Absorbent Mind" and a thoughtfully prepared environment influence both children and adults. Backed by modern neuroscience, these principles help us raise emotionally balanced kids while also becoming more focused and less stressed ourselves.
Hear simple but powerful insights, like how clutter affects your nervous system, why following curiosity helps you get into flow, and how your surroundings quietly shape your behavior.
The conversation also touches on epigenetics, highlighting how a peaceful, organized space can support productivity at a deeper level.
Teresa shares easy, actionable steps you can start using right away to create a more supportive environment, whether you have children or not.
Tune in to learn how to design your home and routines in a way that reduces stress, builds focus, and supports lasting productivity.
 
What We Discuss
[00:00] Introduction

[02:01] Guest introduction: Teresa Angeles

[05:08] Teresa's success with Montessori and its impact on her parenting

[08:45] The role of environment and epigenetics

[10:41] Montessori's focus on environment

[12:32] Montessori principles

[16:21] Multiple intelligences and nurturing gifts

[18:18] Montessori practices: circle time and self-trust

[19:38] Normalization and flow

[21:16] Right brain development and language acquisition

[23:28] Structure, order, and emotional regulation

[26:34] Decluttering and creating order

[28:33] Observation and the Montessori adult

[31:47] Practical habits and learning areas

[33:06] Setting up the Montessori home

[39:38] Observation and self-reflection

[44:08] Where to find Teresa and her work

 
Notable Quotes
[07:37] "There were three things impacting the child… the child, the adult and the environment." – Teresa Angeles

[09:31] "If you set up the right environment for the children and for yourself as an adult, you begin to turn on productive genes." – Gerald J. Leonard

[11:19] "Give them time to plan their own schedules, even as toddlers. It creates the executive functioning skills." – Teresa Angeles

[14:18] "Neuroscience is now confirming that the right brain is totally in control for the first five to six years of a child's life." – Teresa Angeles

[14:57] "The first six years is the time that you want to give your child everything beautiful—your heart, your presence, your kindness." – Teresa Angeles

[17:59] "Montessori said that every child has what she called an inner teacher. It's like the inner sense." – Teresa Angeles

[19:44] "Normalization is the idea that, again, by doing what we love to do. By learning to concentrate, we develop flow." – Teresa Angeles

[26:35] "Try to clear out the clutter in your home." – Teresa Angeles

[27:00] "I finally learned from being in a Montessori environment that I have to order my environment before I can even think." – Teresa Angeles

 
Resource and Links
Teresa Angeles
Website: https://montessorifamilies.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresa-angeles

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nurturingyourchildsheart/

Book: The Montessori Home and Beyond

 
Productivity Smarts Podcast
Website - productivitysmartspodcast.com

Gerald J. Leonard
Website - geraldjleonard.com

Turnberry Premiere website - turnberrypremiere.com

Scheduler - vcita.com/v/geraldjleonard

 
Kiva is a loan, not a donation, allowing you to cycle your money and create a personal impact worldwide. https://www.kiva.org/lender/topmindshelpingtopminds

We often measure productivity by output, deadlines, and achievements. But could one of the most powerful indicators of human performance be something we rarely discuss in leadership conversations, our fertility and overall biological health?
In this episode of Productivity Smarts, host Gerald J. Leonard sits down with Dr. Marina, an experienced OBGYN and educator with more than 30 years of experience in women's health and reproductive medicine. Drawing from insights in her upcoming book, Optimize Your Fertility Naturally, they explore the surprising connection between fertility, overall health, and long-term productivity.
Dr. Marina explains why fertility should be viewed as a vital sign of overall health, much like blood pressure or heart rate. When the body is functioning optimally, reproductive health reflects that balance. But when lifestyle factors such as poor sleep, chronic stress, unhealthy diets, and environmental toxins accumulate, they can disrupt the body's natural systems and reduce both fertility and overall well-being.
Throughout the conversation, Dr. Marina highlights how modern lifestyles often prioritize quick pharmaceutical solutions instead of addressing the underlying biological foundations of health. She emphasizes that sustainable productivity begins with the basics: quality sleep, nutrient-dense food, physical activity, stress management, and reducing exposure to harmful chemicals in everyday products.
The discussion also explores the hidden role environmental toxins and endocrine-disrupting chemicals play in modern health challenges, including declining fertility, obesity, and chronic fatigue. Dr. Marina shares practical tools, including the Environmental Working Group's Healthy Living App, which helps consumers identify safer household and personal care products.
If you want to improve your energy, protect your long-term health, and build the foundation for sustainable productivity in both your career and personal life, this episode offers practical insights you won't want to miss.
 
What We Discuss
[00:00] Introduction

[02:01] Guest introduction: Dr. Marina

[02:31] Personal motivation and upcoming book mention

[05:10] Producing healthy humans as productivity

[05:42] Holistic health vs. crisis response

[06:24] Fertility as a vital sign of overall health

[07:44] Holistic medicine vs pharmaceutical-first healthcare

[10:02] Biological energy as productivity foundation

[11:05] Managing stress for productivity

[12:22] Invisible performance disruptors

[13:21] Environmental Working Group and Healthy Living app

[14:34] Water and air quality concerns

[17:36] Environmental toxins and longevity

[18:06] Long-term health and productivity mindset

[18:41] Burnout and biological costs

[20:28] Processed foods and weight loss challenges

[22:56] Core pillars of high-performance health

[23:38] Importance of sleep and circadian rhythms

[25:38] Shift work and health challenges

[26:12] Productivity as lifetime legacy

[27:16] Health, wealth, and purpose

[28:00] Resource recap: Healthy Living app

[28:22] Where to find Dr. Marina and the book prelaunch

 
Notable Quotes
[05:22] "In order to produce healthy humans, you have to be healthy yourself." – Dr. Marina

[06:36] "Fertility should be considered a vital sign as well because it's a very good reflection of your overall state of health." – Dr. Marina

[07:20] "What's going to solve the problem is you getting enough sleep, you eating a good diet, you moving your body, you are reacting to stress in a positive way." – Dr. Marina

[10:23] "If you're not thinking clearly because you're exhausted, if you're stressed and you haven't dealt with it, it's very hard to be productive in a positive way." – Dr. Marina

[12:40] "It's been estimated that 90% of doctors visits are due to stress related factors." – Dr. Marina

[19:16] "If you rely on burning the candle at both ends, it's like the turtle and the hare." – Dr. Marina

[22:01] "We tend to look at overweight people and think it's their fault, but that's no longer the case. They are being affected by the environment, chemicals, and the food itself." – Dr. Marina

[22:58] "You want a diet that's nutrient dense that doesn't contain a lot of junk food and sugar." – Dr. Marina

[27:34] "If you're wealthy but your health is bad, you'll spend all your wealth trying to get healthy." – Gerald J. Leonard

 
Resource and Links
Healthy Living App

Dr. Marina
Website: https://drmarinaobgyn.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marinaobgyn/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.marina.obgyn/

Coming Soon: Optimize Your Fertility Naturally

 
Productivity Smarts Podcast
Website - productivitysmartspodcast.com

 
Gerald J. Leonard
Website - geraldjleonard.com

Turnberry Premiere website - turnberrypremiere.com

Scheduler - vcita.com/v/geraldjleonard

Kiva is a loan, not a donation, allowing you to cycle your money and create a personal impact worldwide. https://www.kiva.org/lender/topmindshelpingtopminds

Are you leading from a place of wholeness or simply performing while carrying hidden emotional wounds? What if your struggles in leadership, creativity, or relationships are not really about strategy or productivity systems, but about deeper issues that have never been addressed?
In this episode of Productivity Smarts, host Gerald J. Leonard sits down with Terry and Carol Moss, relationship architects, leadership mentors, and co-authors of Hold You Before Two. With more than five decades of combined experience in ministry and corporate leadership, they explore the powerful connection between emotional wholeness and sustainable productivity.
Terry and Carol explain that real productivity is not just about output, efficiency, or performance metrics. Instead, it begins with emotional maturity. This means knowing who you are, loving who you are, and living true to who you are in every environment. When leaders operate from that foundation, they create healthier workplaces, stronger relationships, and more effective teams.
Drawing from their own life experiences, including Terry's difficult journey through divorce after 26 years of marriage and ministry, they share how painful moments can become catalysts for growth, healing, and deeper self-awareness.
The conversation also explores how unresolved emotional wounds can trigger stress responses in the brain, pushing people into survival mode and undermining creativity, empathy, and clear decision making. In contrast, emotionally grounded leaders create environments where people feel valued, heard, and inspired to contribute their best.
If you want to strengthen your leadership, build healthier relationships, and discover how personal wholeness fuels sustainable productivity, this episode is a must-listen.
 
What We Discuss
[00:00] Introduction 

[02:02] Introduction to Terry and Carol Moss

[10:04] How emotional wholeness impacts  a leader's productivity

[13:58] Adam and Eve: Biblical principles and self-worth

[16:24] Learning emotional maturity

[20:18] AI vs. human wisdom in relationships

[25:01] Leadership patterns when emotional intelligence is ignored

[28:20] Unresolved conflict and women's creativity

[31:18] Amygdala hijack and work performance

[38:24] Applying Biblical principles in high-pressure environments

[42:09] Human skills in the age of automation

[44:35] First step to getting unstuck 

[49:35] Podcast closing 

 
Notable Quotes
[10:11] "Emotional wholeness is when your emotional, spiritual, and relational life is aligned." – Terry Moss

[12:54] " Emotional intelligence, emotional wholeness is so important, especially when you're blending a family."– Carol Moss

[21:53] "AI can give you the knowledge, but wisdom comes from experience." – Carol Moss

[25:18] "When you are emotionally whole and you have self-awareness, you know who you are and so you have strength because I know who I am and I'm not intimidated or I'm not insecure." – Terry Moss

[27:12]  "We can look at each other's eyes, and we can feel that emotional, we can pick up on that vibe and we can even impact each other to produce the same neural chemicals."– Gerald J. Leonard

[43:14]  "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."– Carol Moss

[43:53] "When you have wholeness, you can communicate in a way that elevates, encourages, and inspires."– Terry Moss

 
Resource and Links
Terry and Carol Moss
Website: https://onefleshministries.org/

New For-Profit Initiative: Whole Leader Blueprint, LLC

Book: Hold You Before Two: How Emotional Wholeness Transforms Every Relationship

Book: In the Beginning It Was Not So

Productivity Smarts Podcast
Website - productivitysmartspodcast.com

Gerald J. Leonard
Website - geraldjleonard.com

Turnberry Premiere website - turnberrypremiere.com

Scheduler - vcita.com/v/geraldjleonard

 
Kiva is a loan, not a donation, allowing you to cycle your money and create a personal impact worldwide. https://www.kiva.org/lender/topmindshelpingtopminds

Do you know your unique stress personality pattern? What if your stress isn't coming from your workload… but from a hidden personality pattern running your life? Why do some people shut down under pressure, others explode, and others spiral into anxiety and overwhelm? And what if understanding your unique stress personality could completely transform your productivity, health, and leadership?
In this episode of Productivity Smarts, host Gerald J. Leonard sits down with Dr. Trupti Gokani, board-certified neurologist, stress expert, and author of The Stress Rx: A Neurologist's Ayurvedic Prescription for Happiness and Health. Together, they explore the powerful connection between stress, trauma, brain function, and performance.
Dr. Gokani explains how stress hijacks the brain, shifting control from the prefrontal cortex to the amygdala and survival centers. When that happens, we lose clarity, creativity, and executive function. Instead, we default into reactive patterns rooted in ancient wiring and often unresolved trauma.
Drawing from Ayurvedic medicine and neuroscience, she breaks down the three stress personality states: windy (scattered and anxious), fiery (critical and reactive), and earthy (withdrawn and stuck). Understanding your state is the first step toward reclaiming balance.
They also explore how hidden trauma, limiting beliefs, and unconscious narratives quietly shape leadership style, workplace dynamics, burnout, and even chronic illness. Through breathwork, awareness, and simple daily practices, Dr. Gokani shares how anyone can interrupt the stress cycle and return to optimal performance.
If you want greater clarity, energy, emotional resilience, and productivity, this conversation offers both science and practical tools to help you reset from the inside out.
 
What We Discuss
[02:05] Introduction to Dr.Trupti Gokani

[03:45] The relevance of stress today

[04:47] Dr. Kokanee's personal journey with stress

[06:34] Defining true healthy: Western vs. Eastern perspectives

[08:08] The disconnection of mind, body, and spirit in medicine

[09:09] Stress personality states & Vedic elements

[12:05] How stress states show up at work

[14:46] Early trauma and generational influence

[22:57] The power of narrative and self-talk

[24:14] The three-brain model & emotional awareness

[26:14] Creating space between stimulus and response

[28:16] Physical manifestations of emotional stress

[35:17] Types of trauma and workplace dynamics

[36:34] Limiting beliefs and the reticular activating system

[41:19] Key practice: self-awareness and the stress quiz

[42:42] Closing thoughts & where to learn more

 
Notable Quotes
[05:16]  " I got into the stress world because of my own journey with trying to understand why 30 years ago I was struggling with sleep issues." – Dr. Trupti Gokani

[06:08] " Once I discovered my stress state, I was able to help others figure theirs out." – Dr. Trupti Gokani

[06:55]  "What healthy really is is being in that state of optimal mind, body, and spirit."– Dr. Trupti Gokani

[19:57] "When someone's at work and saying, "Why am I so scattered? Why am I so stressed?" remind yourself first and foremost, this isn't you. This is your personality, your alter ego, showing up to protect you from perceived danger." – Dr. Trupti Gokani

[32:46] " Trauma is when the experience has fundamentally shifted your reactive state, meaning that you start to now look at things in a different way and your nervous system is a little bit more on danger mode.It's almost perceiving danger and danger doesn't exist." – Dr. Trupti Gokani

[43:53] " Life is a journey. The more we learn about ourselves, the happier and more productive and powerful our lives can be." – Dr. Trupti Gokani

 
Resource and Links
Dr. Trupti Gokani
Website:https://truptigokanimd.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trupti-gokani-md-17533a8

Book: The Stress Rx: A Neurologist's Ayurvedic Prescription for Happiness and Health

Book: The Mysterious Mind (2015)

Take Stress Personality Quiz: https://truptigokanimd.com/stress-personality-type/

Productivity Smarts Podcast
Website - productivitysmartspodcast.com

Gerald J. Leonard
Website - geraldjleonard.com

Turnberry Premiere website - turnberrypremiere.com

Scheduler - vcita.com/v/geraldjleonard

 
Kiva is a loan, not a donation, allowing you to cycle your money and create a personal impact worldwide. https://www.kiva.org/lender/topmindshelpingtopminds