112: Living A Soul-Fueled Life, with Amber Lilyestrom

Sex, Money & Food

Welcome to this edition of The Sex, Money and Food podcast! Today’s guest is yet another amazing woman: Amber Lilyestrom. She’s a branding and business strategist, writer, speaker, wife and mother. She also hosts The Soul Fueled CEO podcast and loves supporting visionaries, leaders and disruptivators changing their lives and the world around them.Today we talk about how becoming a mom led to becoming an entrepreneur and business owner, what her eating disorder showed her about self-love and so much more. Join us on this enlightening adventure we call episode 112 of the Sex, Money and Food podcast!

More About This Show

When Amber became pregnant with her daughter she instinctively knew she was being led to leave her corporate career. It was a hard realization, but she knew that was where she needed to go next. That instinct was only made more real when during her daughter's birth she had a near-death experience, what she calls an awakening. She knew the truth of what she was here to do, and it wasn’t to stay in her old job any longer than what was absolutely necessary. Now emboldened about what she was meant to do, she went back to her job knowing she was a different person with a different awareness for her life. She had to make some hard choices and create change, but with the courage to do so comes a sense of ease and peace.

Amber says it's been the greatest gift she’s given to herself and her life; she's a different wife, mother, daughter, friend, and coach in the world. And she’s a different person for herself.

On this episode of Sex, Money and Food, we also talk about her eating disorder. At one point she realized marrying the man of her dreams wasn't going to be sustainable unless she healed herself and worked on herself first. She says she was a mess, she was ready to admit it. The roots of the issue began in childhood, she was sexually molested by an extended family member when she was very young. With her parents support and belief, she went to court to prove she was telling the truth. She remembers standing in a room by herself in front of adults telling them what happened, and then watching them evaluate whether or not she was telling the truth.

That would be an intense experience for anyone, but especially a 5-year old child.

Going forward in life she carried that experience with her. When her body hit puberty and she chose soccer over gymnastics. And she had something to prove: she played on three teams a year, went to tons of tournaments and was recruited. She barely had any time off, and neither did her body.

In fact, she worked her body so hard she hardly ever had her period as a teen. Doctors told her she didn’t have enough body fat to menstruate, but she was not convinced. She believed she was overweight.

In college, it got even worse. Now there was no one else around watching over her. She was on her own. Adding to that was the pressure of being a D1 scholarship athlete competing for playing time. She would do whatever needed to be done to compete; her value of herself was based on how she performed on the soccer field, nothing else mattered.

Amber talks about how that came to a head after a 15 year battle, how she got honest with herself about the situation and how she began the healing process.

We also discuss why most of us feel like things should be "hard" but they don’t have to be, and how to find what's next for you when you know it's time to move on. Share in the conversation on those topics and more on today’s edition of the Sex, Money and Food podcast!

Tweetable: “We don't have to work to be worthy of our own love!” -

Amber Lilyestrom

Amber Answers The Questions

• Rank the following in order: Sex, Money, Food:

Intimacy has got to be #1! I think connection has to be #1, nourishment/food is #2 and money is abundance and fun so it’s #3.

• There is nothing better in life than…

being with the people I love.

• Your ultimate pleasure in life is?

It’s really trusting and honoring myself and my needs, and crafting a life that supports that mission.

• What does “soul-fueled” smell like to you?

It’s my home, it’s dinner cooking. The fire is on - that smokey smell with food and being home together!

Episode Resources

• The Soul Fueled CEO website
• Amber Lilyestrom’s Top 5 Branding Secrets
• The Soul Fueled CEO podcast
• Amber Lilyestrom on Twitter
• DoTerra’s Emotional Aromatherapy Kit
• Connect with me on Instagram
• Sign up for my Five Day Self-love Challenge
• Follow me on Twitter

• Subscribe to the Sex Money and Food Podcast on iTunes

• Check out my new podcast, Life With Herpes