Episode #76
Coach Mo Cooper: Your Best Health Is Hiding in Your Calendar - Live from Podapalooza
Episode Summary Recorded live in the Podatorium at Podapalooza, this episode brings Georgette together with Maureen “Coach Mo” Cooper, a Healthy Lifestyle and Nutrition Coach who lost more than 65 pounds and has kept it off for over 15 years. Georgette opens with honesty about her own lifelong struggle with weight and self-esteem, and Mo meets her there with warmth, humor, and hard-won wisdom. Mo shares how years of putting herself last — raising three little ones in constant chaos — finally shifted with an unlikely gift: a Wii workout game that sat in its box for three weeks. That small, goofy start became a 5 AM habit, and that hour of “just me” time became the beginning of her transformation. She explains why her signature talk says your best health is hiding in your calendar: your calendar has no feelings and doesn’t judge what you look like in a bikini. It simply shows you where your time, energy, and thoughts are going. Together they unpack why willpower isn’t the answer for women who have tried every diet, why restriction only adds pressure, and why lasting change is about building on rock instead of shifting sand. Mo tells the moving story behind the name Mo Mind Body Soul — born in a moment of making the sign of the cross on a drive home — and describes herself as a “backdoor preacher” who weaves faith into wellness because peace is critical to lowering stress. She also shares her morning routine, the SOAP journaling method (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer), the books that shaped her, and a beautiful prayer: “Lord, empty me… fill me… use me.” In This Episode Why putting yourself last isn’t heroic — and why nobody hands out medals for it The Wii workout game (and the awkward Christmas gift) that changed everything The 5 AM hour: finding time when nobody wants a piece of you What your calendar has to do with losing weight — and why it’s the neutral place to start Why “we don’t need more discipline, we need less pressure” How forbidden foods make us think about them all the more The Holy Trinity story behind the name Mo Mind Body Soul The secret to keeping weight off for 15+ years: less stress, not perfection The SOAP journaling method: Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer Breaking free from all-or-nothing thinking Mo’s heart-to-heart café guest — and the prayer that changed her mornings Memorable Moments “Putting yourself last isn’t heroic… we don’t get any medals for not showing up for ourselves.” — Coach Mo “Your calendar doesn’t have feelings. Your calendar’s not telling you what you look like in a bikini.” — Coach Mo “We don’t need more discipline. We need less pressure.” — Coach Mo “I want you to build on rock, not on sand.” — Coach Mo “What we do either dims the light or brightens the light.” — Coach Mo Books & Resources Mentioned Atomic Habits by James Clear (and the companion workbook) Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking by Jon Acuff Finish by Jon Acuff Jesus Calling by Sarah Young (devotional and podcast) The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron — featured in Georgette’s Junk to Jewels Heart Challenge SOAP journaling: Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer Podapalooza — the podcasting event where this episode was recorded; guests, speakers, and podcasters can all take part Connect with Coach Mo Website: MoMindBodySoul.com ABOUT OUR GUEST Maureen “Coach Mo” Cooper Healthy Lifestyle & Nutrition Coach | Founder, Mo Mind Body Soul Maureen “Coach Mo” Cooper is a Healthy Lifestyle and Nutrition Coach who helps busy women break free from the cycle of dieting, overwhelm, and starting over. After losing 65+ pounds and maintaining it for over 15 years, she now teaches simple, sustainable habits that support lasting weight loss, more energy, and greater confidence. Her philosophy is simple: “Your Best Health Is Closer Than You Think!” — and it starts with small, practical steps that fit real life. Certified through Precision Nutrition, Mo takes a whole-person approach rooted in mind, body, and soul, and she serves women 40+ who want to lose weight for life. A self-described “Jesus girl” and “backdoor preacher,” she weaves faith and peace into her coaching as a pathway to lower stress and lasting change. Podapalooza Talk: Time Freedom: Your Best Health Is Hiding in Your Calendar! Who She Serves: Women 40+ looking to lose weight for life Website: MoMindBodySoul.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mocoopercoaching Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/momindbodysoul/ ABOUT THE PODCAST The Junk to Jewels™ Podcast was inspired by Georgette’s first book, Junk to Jewels: A Journey from Brokenness & Despair to Beauty & Delight. The podcast will inspire, educate, encourage, motivate, and give hope to listeners as they heal from their past, in the present, for their future. Georgette shares her heart on all “heart matters” — divorce, loss, abandonment, rejection, insecurity, self-esteem, remarriage, blended families, stepparenting, suicide, abortion, life purpose, faith, disappointment, depression, happiness, joy, hope, grief, sorrow, health, and more. Episodes include stories from Georgette’s life, affirmations, scriptures and quotes, wisdom from other authors and books, and guest speakers sharing their own junk-to-jewels stories. Follow along to be inspired, encouraged, and receive hope daily! Produced and created by Georgette Beck. ABOUT YOUR HOST Georgette Beck Georgette Beck is an award-winning author, host of the Junk to Jewels™ Podcast, entrepreneur, mentor, and lay minister based on Florida’s Treasure Coast. Her memoir, Junk to Jewels: A Journey from Brokenness & Despair to Beauty & Delight (Fedd Books, 2024), is a winner of the International Impact Book Awards (Inspirational/Transformational category) and a Semi-Finalist in the 2025 Royal Palm Literary Award Competition with the Florida Writers Association. Georgette is the Founder and President of Bella Healing Hearts Foundation, a nonprofit supporting single-parent families through mentorship, education, and scholarships, and a Realtor with Beach Front Becks – Realtors at Beach Front Mann Realty in Jensen Beach, alongside her husband, Scott. She holds an MA in Human Services from Liberty University. A wife, mom, stepmom, and grandmother of eight, she teaches the Four C’s — Contemplation, Community, Caring, and Contribution — and lives by her signature message: Nothing is wasted. Connect with Georgette Website: www.georgettebeck.com Book: https://a.co/d/0etqV85U Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/georgette.beck/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GeorgetteBeckWriter LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgette-beck-7a659387/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/GeorgetteMBeck TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@georgette2038 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@georgettebeck9168 Subscribe and share the show - it means the world to us!
