ďťżResonance â Episode 22
Verbatim Transcript
Speaker: Viktoria Levenberg
Guest Speaker: Anna Resende
Anna Resende: Iâm a perfectionist in recovery. Stress is imprinted in our bodiesâitâs not just a
state of mind. Iâm not gonna say that I was sad, but I didnât know how unfulfilled I was before. I
just had that big feeling that I was not using my potential. Iâm capable of so much more. I have
been so productive since I changed the way I live.
Viktoria Levenberg: In todayâs episode, youâre going to hear me and a fellow health coach, Anna,
talk about her journey from transitioning from a 20+ year career as a corporate engineer into
finally finding her passion and truly redefining her lifeâand what her health and well-being look
like. Itâs so good. Sheâs going to share with you her tips as to how now she is more productive
than ever, and likely give you some inspiration on where to start if you perhaps see yourself in
her story. Enjoy.
Viktoria Levenberg: Welcome to Resonance â a podcast for ambitious, heart-led humans craving
more balance, depth, and aliveness in their lives. Iâm your host, Vik â health coach, yoga teacher,
facilitator, and fellow high achiever learning to live in tune with my nervous system, not against it.
This space is here to remind you that you can have it all â the career, the success, the fulfilment
â all aligned with your truth. Through honest conversations, expert insights, and practical tools,
weâll explore how to work with your body, mind, emotions, and spirit â not against them.
And the best part? You donât have to stay stuck in survival mode to get there. Because true
wellbeing is not about being perfect â itâs about being in resonance. Letâs dive in.
Viktoria Levenberg: So, Iâd love to give you a quick intro to Anna. Anna is a health coach. She also
graduated from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and in fact, we share a lot in common. We
are kind of around the same circles, and sheâs also a fellow podcaster. She is an authorâsheâs
recently published her first book called Living Your Dream Life in College. And she is really
someone I look up to.
Sheâs quite the way-shower in breaking the boundaries of whatâs possible out there. And you
know, her story of how she actually listened to the nudges and the whispers that life was giving
her is so important, because chances are in your life, you also are experiencing some little
whispers and nudges and opportunities to maybe course-correct a little bit.
And youâre going to hear what worked for her, and also really understand that the better care you
take of yourself, the more productive you are. Itâs like, almost like you become superhuman and
discover these little superpowers you never knew you had. So without further ado, enjoy the
episode. Iâll see you inside.
Viktoria Levenberg: Welcome, Anna. Welcome to Resonance!
Thank you again so much from the bottom of my heart for being hereâand for being you as well.
Youâre honestly like a little ray of sunshine in my field, even if youâre, you know, a couple
thousand miles away. Haha.
Anna Resende: Thank you for having me. Such an honour to be part of your work.
Viktoria Levenberg: Well, it only feels right to return the kind of exchangeâyou know, you hosted
me on your podcast. I think it was maybe around this time last year actually?
Is it that long ago?
Anna Resende: Yeah, itâs been a while.
Viktoria Levenberg: Such a special experience. Itâs really what helped me see, you know, that it is
possible to do this. So you were, in a way, a way-shower for me with your podcast. And now, to
be honest, youâre actually a way-shower for me with your book as wellâto be honest.
Anna Resende: Thank you. I will receive that.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah. Itâs honestly such, such a privilege. And I guess before we dive inâyou
know, Iâve known you for a little bit, but for people who may not be familiar with you, would you
be able to just give us a little introâwho you are, what you do, where youâve come from?
Anna Resende: Well, Iâm an integrative nutrition health coach since 2023, so itâs not been a long
journey in this new field. I changed careers like 180 degreesâfrom engineering to health
coachingâand now I feel more in alignment with my values, my passions, and everything else.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah, from engineering to health coachingâmm-hmm.
Anna Resende: Yeah, so from corporate world to health coaching.
Yeah.
Beingâworking from home and loving it, like every minute of it. Being able to be more present
to my kids, to their needs, and enjoying my breaks outside, having lunch on my patio, and, you
know, having time to do all the things. So Iâm living my dream life now.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah, youâre living your best life, right? Actually, like, Iâve got your book just
here actuallyâLiving Your Best Life in Collegeâand I was like, oh my gosh, I was like, but like,
sheâs not in college, and sheâs still living her best life! But like, just start âem young, you know?
Hahaha.
It really sounds like youâre living the dream.
Anna Resende: Yeah, yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg:
And itâs something we share in common as well. You know, I still have one foot in the corporate
door. Iâm kind of slowly on my way out, but itâs really given me that insight into what a lot of the
people who we help and work with are struggling withâand how to help them.
I mean, itâs like, I almost feel like weâre that secret spy on the inside. Every conversation we have,
itâs likeâ
I know! Hahaha.
Anna Resende: Yeah, so I know. Iâve lived, like, 27 years of my lifeâit is a lot of timeâworking in
corporate. So I really do know the ins and outs and how it works, and how stressful it is, and how
demanding. And no weekendsâwell, my husband is still on it, so I cannot forget because he
keeps reminding me.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah, mm-hmm.
Youâve got that real-life case study right in front of you.
Anna Resende: Exactly.
Viktoria Levenberg: Mmm, oh, weâre gonna have such a juicy conversationâI can feel it alreadyâ
because, you know, instead of those experiences shared, I think itâs gonna be a rude awakening
for most of the listeners here who are still in corporate.
And maybe they wanna stay in corporate, but really what Resonance is all about is showing
people that thereâs another way forwardâthat they can thrive in their career without the
weekends, without the long nights, without sacrificing their health.
And you and I are the lone soldiers who venture off the beaten path and decide to make this our
lifeâs calling. But thatâs not kind of, you know, the majority. And so even hearing how you
navigated the struggles of your corporate world and how that helped you come closer to who
you are is gonna be so, so incredible.
And before we go into that, I do have one question that is always quite a fun one: What is one
thing about you that doesnât show up in your bio?
Anna Resende: Wow, itâs a good one. Because I think Iâm an open book, so I have pretty much
everything there. But wellâIâm a perfectionist in recovery. That is how I try to put it. So thatâs not
in my bio.
Viktoria Levenberg: Haha, yes! Recovering perfectionist!
Anna Resende: I used to be that really bad controller and very good planner.
You know, Iâlike youâevery time I see you with your massive calendar, Iâm like, oh my gosh, that
was me. Iâm a big fan, and I still have my calendars and my, you know, my written plan. But Iâm
kind of letting go of it little by little.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah.
And itâs like you sayâitâs that balance of the two. Like, you can still be organised and planned,
and like, if you enjoy it, right? Like, I was listening to your podcast with Zach and how you were
talking about being a Capricornâlike itâs so in your natureâand thereâs an easier way to do it as
well.
Like, rather than being like, âI need to fill every blank day on the calendar, and every single
minute needs to be scheduled,â itâs like actuallyâwhat would it be like to have, like, empty space
and leave it empty on purpose?
Still planningâitâs just a little different.
Anna Resende: Yeah, those are the things Iâm working on right nowâlike learning to live more in
flow, and instead of having everything so well plannedâŚ
Just leaving some room for improvisation.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yes, yeah. Improvisation.
Yeah, and it's so important that you mention this, because I feel like people tend to gravitate
towards two opposite sides of the spectrum. Either you're like really planned and control freak,
and kind of, as you say, a recovering perfectionistâhello, me too.
We meet on Wednesdays at six PM, hahaha.
And then you have kind of, on the other side, just likeâI donât knowâpeople who are like
absolute chaos and feel really lost and disoriented. And itâs kind of finding that middle path that
resonates and helps to keep things in balance.
Alright, and thatâs what weâre all here to do. And so, I would love to hear a little bit more about
your story and how you got to where you are. You know, youâve kind of scratched the surface
there, but yeah, I would love to hear more about your experience of 20+ years in corporateâand
what was that like for you?
Anna Resende: Well, you know, I always tell people that I felt round in a square hole. You know,
like when you kind of fit, but not entirely. I was always with that feeling of, hmm, that doesnât feel
quite right.
I always liked what I did, um, but I was just different from the other people that I worked with. I
was always more in arts, in music, more towards people, so that is what Iâve always enjoyed, was
to work with people.
So every time I had a team to manage or projects to work with people, that is when I actually
thrived. That is when I actually felt in flow, because that is the part I always enjoyed, um. So when
I didnât have that, and I just had to work by myself, that was quite draining for me.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah, uh-huh, um.
Anna Resende: But fortunately, I had a very long and extensive period of time where I had this
kind of job. So I was managing people, and I was leading those teams and helping them do their
work.
So that is why I say itâs interesting, because I was always helping people improve the processesâ
you know, the manufacturing processes they were responsible for.
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm-hmm.
Anna Resende: So, there is a big correlation between the work I was doing before and the work
Iâm doing now, because Iâm still helping people to improve their lives, the physiological processes
instead of the manufacturing processes.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yes! So it isâyouâre helping them optimise the standard operating
procedures of their life.
Anna Resende: Hahaha, exactly. Exactly.
And when I had this realisation, it was such an âahaâ moment for me, because then I could
understand that everything that Iâve lived up to this point was just a setup for the work Iâm doing
now. Because I know, you knowâI know all the technical terms, I know how it works to find a
root cause of a problem, I know the methodologies, I know, you know, the jargonâand I can
apply it now for a different purpose.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yes.
Anna Resende: So yeah, that was pretty cool. The day I had this realisation wasâwow.
Viktoria Levenberg: Hmm. And tell me more about that day. I justâI just saw you kind of go there
almost mentally. It seems like there was a day that something happened where things shifted for
you. Can you share a little more about that?
Anna Resende: That was so interesting because there were so many synchronicities in this
process of career change for me. I started the advancedâthe accelerated July 2022 cohort,
whatever they call it, umâso the classes started late in July.
And I had a trip with my son scheduled, so I actually started later than the starting date because I
was travelling with him. And um, we did a tattoo together, because when I got thereâhe was in
Brazilâand I travelled to meet him there.
And when I got there, he said, âMom, I would like to ask you something.â Because I was not into
tattoos, but he decided to ask me. So he asked me, âWould you like to make a tattoo with me?â
And I said, âWell⌠oh, what are you thinking?â And he showed me the design. And then he did
show me that drawingâI said, âYes, I will do it with you.â
So he had this massiveâyou know, the life tree?
Viktoria Levenberg: Uh-huh.
Anna Resende: Yeah, with a big Yin and Yang at the bottom. And that was it. That deeply
resonated with me. And I said, âYes, Iâll do it with you. But Iâm not doing something so massive,
because itâs bigâitâs all like, in his form.â
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm-hmm.
Anna Resende: Um, Iâll do a little Yin-Yang, and I looked for a different design. So I came up with
thisâwowâwhich is all the different parts coming together.
Viktoria Levenberg: Mmm.
Anna Resende: To formâ
Viktoria Levenberg: Oh my goodness! Can you just show it to the camera once more? I just want
a littleâwow, that is gorgeous.
So, you know, for people who are listeningâyouâve got the Yin and Yang in the center, and then
the individual components coming out.
Itâs gorgeous, yeah.
Anna Resende: And um, so we did this. That was prior to starting the classes.
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm-hmm.
Anna Resende: Then we came back from the vacation and all, and I started. And the firstâthe
very first class, I donât know if you rememberâand that was Zach. And that is the beginning of
my relationâmy, you know⌠yeah, relationship withâthat was that very day.
The first thing that he said about the coaching was the Yin and Yangâbeing and doing.
Do you remember that?
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah.
Wow. Iâm justâIâve got goosebumps from your story.
Anna Resende: When I saw that, I was speechless. I was speechless. I said, âOh my gosh, this is
another sign of the universe.â
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm-hmm.
Anna Resende: That Iâm on the right path. And then, one synchronicity after the otherâthat was
the whole thing.
And then, I think the same weekâone class after thatâthey showed the tree with the roots.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah.
Anna Resende: And that is the classic that Iâve been doing my whole career, you know? Like
asking five whys and looking for a root causeâ
Viktoria Levenberg: Getting to the root cause analysis. Yes!
Anna Resende: And then it wasâit was just one moment like this after the other. And IâI was in
shock. I said, âOh my gosh, thatâs it. Thatâsâthatâs meant to be.â
Because the whole process was really magical. It was really the universe giving me those nudges.
I could have not changed if things didnât happen the way they happened, you know what I mean?
I would never have left that work, uh-huh, if it was not the big chain of events that happened.
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm-hmm.
Anna Resende: That led me to actually take the leap.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah, you took the leapâand look at you now, you know? Three years laterâ
successful podcaster, author, speaking gigsâI mean, youâre doing it.
Anna Resende: Yeah, youâre doing it. And I feelâI feel so, so happy doing it.
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm-hmm.
Anna Resende: And that is the biggest change, because thatâIâm not gonna say that I was sad.
âSadâ is not the word. But I didnât know how unfulfilled I was before.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah.
Anna Resende: You know what I mean?
Viktoria Levenberg: I know exactly what you mean. Because call it synchronicity or notâ
But as you were thinking of the word, itâs exactly what I was writing down, hahaha.
tâs, yeah, just empty.
Yeah, kind ofâyou mentioned it earlier, actuallyâthat like, you felt like that round, umâŚ
Anna Resende: In a square hole.
Viktoria Levenberg: In a square hole. And something didnât feel right, but you couldnât put a
finger on it. But it was justâit was a feeling. It was a felt sensation. And thatâs often, especially
when weâre still so much in our head, itâs really hard to trust that feeling, right?
Like, how many people out there are living a life where something feels off, and theyâre
unfulfilled, and theyâre emptyâbut they just kind of think itâs normal?
Anna Resende: I just had that big feeling that I was not using my potential.
Viktoria Levenberg: Oh.
Anna Resende: You know, when IâmâIâm capable of so much more. And that is how I felt most of
the time when I was not working with people. Because when I was, I was fulfilled. Because I could
see on other peopleâs eyes the difference that I was making in their lives.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah, you knowâit was your calling still.
Anna Resende: Yeah, and I still have those people reaching out every now and then, telling me
that they admire me for whatever I did for them back then, you know? So, this is really what I felt
was my calling all the time.
Viktoria Levenberg: Hmm. And you trusted that calling, and you followed through. And you
mentioned just earlier that, you know, of course there were all these synchronicities and this
chain of events that unfolded.
I guess I would really love for you to shareâif youâre comfortable sharingâyou know, like, close
to the end of when you were reaching that tipping point of, âOkay, I gotta get out of here,â what
was that looking like for you?
Anna Resende: You know that story about the old farmer that only had one cow, and somebody
pushed the cow from theâ
Viktoria Levenberg: Letâs share the story, âcause itâs ringing a bell, but itâs very deep in the
recesses of my brain. So please, tell me the story.
Anna Resende: So there was this old farmer that had just one cow. So everything was around this
cow, and one dayâI donât remember all the detailsâbut somebody pushed the cow out of the
precipice.
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm-hmm.
Anna Resende: And then he started getting really upset, and he didnât know what to do. And
then he started a whole new life after that. So what he thought was awfulâhe started, I donât
know, I donât remember the details, but I only focus on the counting the recipes, umâso what
happened with me was, I couldnât find a job when I was moving here.
So me and my husband, we worked in the same company for a number of years, seventeen
years, and
Viktoria Levenberg: A number, hahaha.
Anna Resende: Yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: Itâs like two decades! You downplayed that, hahaha.
Anna Resende: Hahaha, yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: If youâre enjoying this episode and wanna stay connected beyond the
podcast, I would love to invite you to join my newsletter. It is a soft little pause in your inboxâan
email that you actually want to readâsharing reflections, wellness wisdom, and seasonal insights
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Youâll also be the first one to hear about new offerings, events, upcoming episodes of Resonance,
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free, it is gentle, and always created with care.
Now, back to the episode.
Anna Resende: But for work, weâve moved a lot.
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm-hmm.
Anna Resende: Um, so in Brazil, we worked in two different plants in two different opposites of
the country. And then we moved here to the U.S.âto Washington State.
Um, so in all the moves, he was the one getting the position, and they were always able to find a
place for me, you know. They were accommodating because I had a broad knowledge, and I
could work in whatever areas.
So they were always very accommodating, finding places for me to go and still work in the places
we moved in.
At this very last time, when we were moving here to Tennessee, they didnât have a position for
me. And I started my job research, and I could not find a job.
Viktoria Levenberg: Mmm-hmm.
Anna Resende: So I did, like, maybe a handful of different processesâ
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm-hmm.
Anna Resende: âand nothing worked. And then, in my job, I was being always well evaluated,
like as a high performer.
Viktoria Levenberg: Uh-huh.
Anna Resende: My manager was trying to help me, and his boss was trying to help me. They both
put in, like, lovely recommendations for me on LinkedInâum, on this, the process of trying to
help me to find another position.
But they couldnât influence the higher people in the organisation to keep me working for them.
And thenânothing worked. I mean, none of the processes that I had applied worked, and I
couldnât find a job.
Then I was having this conversation with a former colleague of mine, and he was also frustrated
because he said, âHow come they cannot give you a hybrid job or maybe a remote job, and you
can keep doing what youâre doing?â
And I said, âI donât know. I just donât know. They donât have anything, and Iâm moving on.â
And then he said, âWhy donât you try to be a health coach?â
Viktoria Levenberg: Uh-huh.
Anna Resende: And I said, âWell, never heard of it.â
Viktoria Levenberg: Oh really?
Anna Resende: No, I havenât.
Viktoria Levenberg: Uh-huh.
Anna Resende: I had no idea that that was a profession, or a job, or anything. And so, the
following day, I had a quiz popping up in my Facebook feed from IINâyou know, âCheck if health
coach is a good profession for you,â or somethingââgood fit.â
Viktoria Levenberg: Oh, the algorithm did its thing, hahaha.
Anna Resende: And then I said, âWow, okay.â I feltâI did the quiz, and two days later I got the
email from IIN with the curriculum.
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm-hmm.
Anna Resende: And that was enough for me. Once I read that curriculum, I was in awe. I said,
âOh my goodness, this is for me.â
And I applied. I didnât research other schools, I didnâtânothing. I just felt that that was what I
had to do. And I applied. Two days later, I was registered for the training.
Viktoria Levenberg: Wow.
Anna Resende: Wow, and that was it.
Viktoria Levenberg: Soâand then you started your business.
Anna Resende: Yeah, I was just pushed, you know. I was pushed, and IâI justâ
Right in.
Viktoria Levenberg: Wow. Like, talk of the universeâlike, just as you say, pushing you into
something that youâre meant to do.
And like, speak of kind of the inevitable breakdown that comes before the breakthrough, right?
Because of course, moving to a different state without a job, and kind of that uncertainty, would
have come with its own challenges.
And yet, as you reflect on that time, it also helped navigate you to where you are now. And, um,
that probably maybe wouldnât have happened if you werenât forced.
Because, like, you knowâyouâre noddingâand I think thatâs the case for so many people, is that
they are tolerating being unfulfilled because itâs good enough.
Anna Resende: Yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: And so they keep doing what theyâre doing until life kind of slaps them in the
face. âCause not many people tend to actually get up and take action, right?
Anna Resende: Yeah. And I was lyingâI mean, if I had found a job, I was gonna probably be
working another corporateâ
Viktoria Levenberg: Uh-huh.
Anna Resende: âcompany or another, you know. So Iâm so, so grateful. I couldnât be more
grateful for the way things happened.
Because I was not sick. Because many people get really sick or, you know, have an accident or,
yeah, I donât know. But Iâm really, really grateful. It wasâit was wonderful.
Viktoria Levenberg: Well, you listened to the whispers and the nudges. You know, I think people
who have to get to the point of getting sick or having an accident or like having something really
big happen in their lifeâitâs because they ignore the whispers and the nudges. And so life has to
scream for them to finally listen.
And I guess on that note as well, you know, like for anyone who might be listening and thinking,
âHmm, I donât know what to listen out for, I canât hear the nudges,â like, if things hadnât worked
out the way they did for you, what would you have said to your corporate, unfulfilled self in order
to shift her perspective? Like if you could speak to her now, what would you say?
Anna Resende: You deserve better.
Viktoria Levenberg: Uh-huh.
Anna Resende: You deserve better. Go find something.
Viktoria Levenberg: Uh-huh.
Anna Resende: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: Youâyou donât have to settle for less.
Anna Resende: Yeah, yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: We donât need to settle. Like, we have this one life after all.
Anna Resende: Yeah, exactly.
Viktoria Levenberg: Weâlike, my goodness, this life is so short. I donâtâI still canât understand
how weâre all taking it for granted. And like, lookâus included, right? Weâre not perfect either.
But itâs so easy to just fall into that trap. And it was quite interesting, like I was reflecting on this
yesterday. Um, I like had a busy day and then I was like, âOh, like this is just an average Tuesday.
How do I make this average Tuesday, like, fantastic?â You know? Likeâlike, if this was my last day,
would I still be happy with my life? And I think we donât ask ourselves these questions enough.
Anna Resende: Yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah, because otherwise youâre just waiting for the next day and the next day
and the next day, and then like life slips away.
Anna Resende: Yeah, exactly. So the way Iâm living now is that Iâm living every day as a vacation.
Because Iâm only doing everything that I love.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah,
Anna Resende: It doesnât feel like work. It doesnât. Because it makes me so happy. It fills me with
joy. Like a podcast, for exampleâitâs just such a high to finish a very good conversation. That fuels
my whole weekend.
Viktoria Levenberg: Mmm-hmm,
Anna Resende: You know. And everything that Iâm doingâbecause I love writing. So every time
Iâm writing or Iâm drafting my newsletter to send, and then I have been, uh, getting all those
feedback of people that are impactedâthey like it, they, you know, they think itâs helping them.
So it just keeps me going.
Itâs, yeah, itâs just a feeling of, yes, Iâm sure Iâm doing what Iâm supposed to right now.
Viktoria Levenberg: Hmm, yeah. Itâs filling up your cup. And I love how you put thatâitâs like, live
every day as a vacation. Because I think like, you know, take us back to our corporate stressed-out
selvesâwe would be like, âWhat, youâre like in La-La Land or something?â
But no, like, itâs just youâre doing what fills you up. On the surface, like from an outsiderâs
perspective, it probably wouldnât look that much different, would it? Itâs more how you feel
inside.
Anna Resende: Yeah, exactly.
Viktoria Levenberg: Wow. Wow. And on that note as well, like I would really love to hear what
your living-your-life-as-a-vacation looks like. Because lookâdonât get me wrongâif you said this
to me like four years ago, I probably would have thought that youâre just like out by the pool,
sipping cocktails and reading your book all day.
âCause thatâs what my vacations used to look like, hahaha.
Hahaha.
Anna Resende: Yeah, so thatâs a very good question. I have established very slow mornings for
me.
Viktoria Levenberg: Hmm.
Anna Resende: And those are the kind of mornings I used to have when I was on vacation. And
that is what IâI keep in my everyday life. So I wake up early enough to see the sunrise. And I
journal.
Viktoria Levenberg: Uh-huh.
Anna Resende: Then I meditate. I do yoga. And then I read.
Viktoria Levenberg: Hmm,
Anna Resende: Of course. Iâm not doing, you know, long stretchesâI do 30 minutes-ish of
journaling, then I meditate for 20 to 30 minutes, and I do at least 30 minutes of yoga if Iâm not
going to class. Um, because I do go to class three times a week, three to four. And then I read for
at least 15 minutes every day. And Iâm doing all that on my back porch outside, getting sunshine,
listening to the birds, and watching the trees. You know, so that is the feelingâthe, do you know
that freedom feeling? That when I am on vacation, I feel the same way.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah.
Anna Resende: So thatâs howâthatâs why I say I feel like I have a little vacation every day.
Viktoria Levenberg: That is so powerful. Like, thank you for sharing that because even as you
speak, thatâs inspiring me on so many levels. Itâs like, how can we even createâI mean, you have
created such a luxurious container for yourself, right, that like really feels like a holiday.
And again, like someone might be like, âOh my gosh, thereâs no way I could have, like, two to
three hours in the morning.â Itâs like, cool. Like, start somewhere. Like, you didnât start like this
either. Start with 15 minutes, you know? And um, I can really resonate with what you said
because back in my day, I also used to just kind of get up and Iâd already be in a rush and behind
on everything. Um, and now my routine looks a little bit different to yoursâbut also slow, yeah.
Also very intentional.
Anna Resende: Yeah. So, you know, if I wasâif I was still working outside, uh-huh, in the
corporate worldâ
Viktoria Levenberg: Out in theâin the corporate world, yeah.
Anna Resende: I would start at eight, right? Usually something between eight and nine. So I still
have two hours if I wake up at six to do everything.
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm-hmm, right.
Anna Resende: So itâs not something really crazy, impossible.
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm-hmm.
Anna Resende: But I was just not thinking about that back then. I was just waking up, getting
ready, and leaving. Like my husband, for instanceâwe wake up at the same time.
Viktoria Levenberg: Uh-huh.
Anna Resende: He leaves in 15 minutes and works 12 to 14 hours every day.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah.
Anna Resende: He could be doing my routine with meâ
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm-hmm.
Anna Resende: âand still getting there on time.
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm-hmm.
Anna Resende: To work. But heâs not. So it sometimes looks like crazy, but itâs not.
Viktoria Levenberg: Uh-huh.
Anna Resende: Itâs not. Itâs possible.
Yes, itâs possible.
Itâs just a matter of prioritisation.
Viktoria Levenberg: Uh-huh, right. Yeah, and that change is gonna come from within as well. Like I
can really feel your frustration because I am in a very similar positionâum, also kind of live with
someone who is exhausted, overwhelmed, burnt out, overworked, barely gets any sleep, gets up,
is in a rush, or then, like, just completely burnt out that they have to take the day and just be on
the couch all day.
So I really resonate with what youâre saying there. And itâs really hard to observe that as an
outsider when you know there is a better wayânot âbetterâ in the sense of like right or wrong,
but just like feels better. Like youâagainâyou deserve better. Itâs what you said earlier, right?
Anna Resende: Yeah, yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: And um, three things really came up for me as you shared that as well. Itâs
like, you know, um, a lot of peopleâand Iâm sure that may have come up for you with your
clients as wellâlike struggle waking up in the morning because theyâre so tired. And the irony is
that when you pour into your own cup and you get that movement, you get that kind of
conscious time with yourself in, and you get yourself to bed with a good bedtime routine, you get
better quality sleep so you can wake up consistently and early and have that timeâand then you
become more productive in the time that you do have at work.
So you donât need to do the 12, 13, 14-hour days. You get the same, if not more, done in less
time.
Like I will come out here and actually say that Iâm currently employed part-time with corporate,
and thereâs probably people who will be listening to this who are still at my corporate job. So
here I am, like outing myself publicly, right?
But like, I show up at 9:30 at best, and generally Iâm out the door by 4. And I take a lunch break,
and I chat with people, and I still do the equivalent of a full-time job in a part-time capacity.
Itâs not because Iâm some genius with some gifted talents â itâs because I put the body first, and
you do the same. Because thereâs no way that in three years you would have been able to launch
a podcast, write a book, completely shift careers, and still be as glowing and radiant as you are
without having taken care of yourself first.
Anna Resende: Yeah, and that is what I think when I look back. I say, oh my gosh, I have been so
productive since I changed the way I live.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yes.
Anna Resende: Itâs just amazing. It is amazing. I havenâtânever in my life been so productive.
And another very interesting thing is how now Iâm more intuitive.
Viktoria Levenberg: Uh-huh.
Anna Resende: I donât know if that happens with you.
Viktoria Levenberg: Uh-huh.
Anna Resende: But I can feel and perceive all the signs of the universe so much easier.
Viktoria Levenberg: Uh-huh.
Anna Resende: Just because Iâm in tune with my intuition. IâI donât know. Itâs so weird that it
might be the meditation, it might be the breathwork, I donât know, but I am so more in tune. So
now I keep throwing the questions to the universe, right?
Viktoria Levenberg: Mmm.
Anna Resende: âWhat else is possible? What else is possible? What is required for me to da-da-
da?â And I receive theâI receive the answers.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah.
Anna Resende: And I noticed that those are answers IâI probably was getting the answers
before, but I was just not recognising them. I donât know. But now Iâm in awe, because when I see
something, I say, âOh my goodness, this is an answer. I just threw the question, and this is the
answer.â
Viktoria Levenberg: And sometimes the answer doesnât make sense, but you just gotta listen.
Anna Resende: Yeah.
And itâsâit has been so amazing.
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm-hmm. Yeah, Iâyou touched on such a golden nugget there, because I
feel like there is such a myth, especially in the corporate world, about productivity being
associated with working hard, long hours, being stressed, burnt out, overwhelmed, and
exhausted. And itâs like two and two together, right? Itâs like the epitome of hustle culture.
And yet here you are, saying that you are now more productive than ever before, and like you are
thriving. You are in alignment with your values. You are doing what fills you up and taking care of
yourself.
So itâsâthis is exactly why weâre here. Itâs like showing people there is another way. You know,
you can do better. You can be better.
Anna Resende: Yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: And so, in the time of, you know, your both personal and professional
journey, and everything that you have learned, what is like one myth about stress, well-being, or
health that you wish that people would unlearn?
Anna Resende: Well, one thing is that stress is in the mind.
Viktoria Levenberg: Uh-huh.
Anna Resende: I think everybody thinks that stress is just a mental state. I think we need to talk
about this more and more to actually, um, let people know that stress is imprinted in our bodies.
Itâs not just a state of mind.
Stress actually affects everything â our metabolism, and our hormones, and our, um, mood, and
everything. Every single aspect of our bodies is, yeah, impacted by stress. And I donâtâI donât
think people are awareâ
Viktoria Levenberg: Uh-huh.
Anna Resende: âof how bad it is forâ
Viktoria Levenberg: Uh-huh.
Anna Resende: âour health.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah. They say that, like, up to 90% of doctorsâ visits are actually stress-
related.
Anna Resende: Yeah, and I agree. And I agree because people just donât have the idea of how bad
it is.
Viktoria Levenberg: And weâve normalised it so much as well, you know? IâI donât know about
you, but inâin my journey it was sort of like, âOh yeah, Iâm stressed, but obviously because Iâm
ambitious,â or âobviously because Iâm working a lot,â or âobviously âcause Iâve got big dreams.â
Like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. These two donât have to go hand in hand, my friend.
Anna Resende: Yeah.
So yeah, I think itâs important for us to help people be aware of other ways of living and other
ways of finding that productivity that theyâthey really want.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah.
Anna Resende: Yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: And on that note, I would love to hear your experience because like, I mean
yes, youâve shared that youâre living your dream life andâand your, you know, kind of every day
is a vacation. And at the same time, like, life is still gonna happen, right?
Like none of us are exempt from stress. But itâs more how we respond to it. And so with all the
experience and knowledge that youâve gained, like when life starts to get a little bit much for you
personally, how do you come back to centre and and ground yourself?
Anna Resende: Yeah, that is a very good point because this is really important as well on the way I
live my life now. Itâs the acceptance of everything as part of it.
So, two books were reallyâactually, two to three books were really impactful for me. One is The
Power of Now of Eckhart Tolle.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah.
Anna Resende: Uh, Full Catastrophe Living from Jon Kabat-Zinn, and Wherever You Go, There You
Are from Jon Kabat-Zinn. So those three booksâand Full Catastrophe Living is so interesting
because what Jon says is, âPut the welcoming mat to everything.â
Because life was not supposed to be perfect, but we need to guard ourselves and find that joy
within that is independent of whatâs happening outside. Yes, weâll have wars. Yes, weâll have, um,
revolutions. Weâll have all the bad stuff in politics.
Viktoria Levenberg: Uh-huh.
Anna Resende: But we just have to be centred in our values, and with that, um, certainty that we
are doing everything thatâs in our capacity.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah.
Anna Resende: So, people say, âFocus on what you have control over,â right?
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm-hmm.
Anna Resende: And that is what heâs saying in that book. So the full catastrophe living is
accepting everything as part of life.
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm-hmm.
Anna Resende: Not that that can have a bad impact on you, because you have control of what
you let in. And finding that joy within is the key.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yes.
Anna Resende: So thatâs how Iâm seeing everything now. Of course, I do have a lot of stress â I
have two kids still at home, and I am learning to accept their choices. And that has been a very
interesting journey for me â perfectionism recovery and former controller, you know?
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm-hmm.
Anna Resende: Learning to accept their choices has been really interesting. But that is, I think,
the key. I know I have to let them do whatever they have to do, and I can only do my best,
showing that Iâm caring for myselfâ
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm-hmm.
Anna Resende: âand being that living example.
Mm-hmm, soâand thatâs how I have been facing the stress.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah.
Anna Resende: Just taking care of myself and making sure I manage.
Viktoria Levenberg: Putting your own mask first.
Anna Resende: Yes, exactly.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah, and there is a lot outside of our control. So Iâm grateful that you
mentioned that because, yeah, there is the stress, but then we have agency over how we
respond to whatever is coming up. And where your attention goes, energy flows. And it sounds
like you are very conscious with where you put your attention, and thatâs helping you stay
resilient no matter what may be going on out there or even inside the house or inside yourself.
So thatâs a very potent nugget of wisdom that youâve shared there.
Anna Resende: Yeah, so itâs been a journey. But yes, yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: And thank you for sharing this journey. Yeah, I mean, I feel so honoured and
privileged, and you know, as we look to kind of bring things full circle, weâveâweâve touched on
so much, right? Like your story and your journey and the way of following lifeâs twists and turns
to get you on that right path. And um, youâve shared so much of your experience and wisdom
about holistic health and also the importance of staying in alignment with yourself in order to
then be able to live a life in resonance.
And so if I were to throw it back to you â um, if there was one thing that someone listening to
this episode took away from today, what do you wish is this one thing that resonates for a long
time after they finish this episode?
Anna Resende: I would say, um, so many things. But itâs just learn to appreciate the present
moment.
Viktoria Levenberg: Hmm.
Anna Resende: Whatever is coming, um, itâs here to help us in some way, shape, or form. Yeah.
And that is the acceptance thing. And yeah, I think that is a changing perspective that is really
important and makes everything seem lighter.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yes, my goodness, that resonates so strongly with me because, um, my coach
actually mentioned it a few weeks ago that, um, as soon as you focus on the present momentâ
like whatâs actually here right nowâyour breath, what you can see, feel, taste, smell, etcetera,
everything seems lighter, as you say.
All of a sudden the problems go away because like there is no overthinking of the past, and
thereâs no projecting of the future. There is just the now. And I love that you said that as well
because this morning, I journal in the mornings as well, and I kind of set an intention for the day.
And my intention today was to be as present as possible in every interaction, in every moment.
And I feel like weâve been so, like, in this dance together that I donât know how an hour just went
past. Iâm like, what? This feels like it was five minutes. So I was like, are you sure? I like had to
double-check the clock.
Which is again just such an affirmation of howâhmmâhow good life gets when you are doing
what youâre meant to be doing, you know?
Anna Resende: Yeah, and thatâs how I feel every time I record a conversation for the podcast. And
thatâsâthatâs how I know Iâm doing the right thing.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yes.
Anna Resende: Because it fills meâ
Viktoria Levenberg: Oh, uh-huh.
Anna Resende: âIt lights me up. Itâsâitâs, yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yes. Yeah, I love it.
Anna Resende: It gives you energy.
Viktoria Levenberg: I love it.
Anna Resende: Hmm.
Viktoria Levenberg: And so, tell me, Anna â how can people find you? Where can they work with
you? Where can they learn more about you? Iâll pop all the links in the show notes, but would
love to hear it from you as well.
Anna Resende: Yeah, so I have everything on my website. That is Mammaâwith double mâsay
hi, itâs t-e-r-r-a-h-c, from Health Coach. So MammaTerraHC.com. So I have everything there. Even
the podcast is there on the menu, like âRead and Listen.â So I have a page for my book so people
can see the book, and there is a link to buy it. Itâs available on Amazon.
And that is Living Your Best Life in College. And I actually wrote the book for my kids. And my
daughter isânow Saturday, we are actually driving her to college.
Viktoria Levenberg: Did they read the book? Just checking â you wrote the book for them, that
they actually read it?
Anna Resende: Not yet, Iâll tell you that, being really honest. I have been, yeahâyou know,
Viktoria Levenberg: speaking of stressorsâ
Anna Resende: Yes, yes.
You will understand that, um, so I have been asking, and um, yeah, you know those things will
happen.
Viktoria Levenberg: You can lead a horse to water, but theyâve got to drink themselves.
Anna Resende: Yeah, exactly. So anyway, um, so the podcast is there, but itâs also on Spotify,
Apple Podcast, and YouTube. But from my website, you can see everything. So I have my
programs there, I have the podcast, the book, and I have some recipes. I have a page for recipes
because, you know, thatâs a passion of mine. I love cooking, and itâs really therapeutic for me.
Viktoria Levenberg: So I made your, uh, immunity ginger turmeric lemon thing, um, this week
actually. Iâve been having a shot every morning and whoo â she is spicy!
Anna Resende: Oh yes, yes, itâs aâwhoo!
A wake-up.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah, good morning!
Anna Resende: Yeah.
So everything is there. So Iâm on Instagram too, and that is a fun place to connect, but you can
get there too, through my website as well.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah, often if I need some sunshine, nature, or birdsong, I know to go to your
profile, and thereâs definitely a lot of that on your stories. Iâm like, oh my gosh, please, can I live
on your back porch too? Hahaha.
Anna Resende: It looks like my favourite place.
Viktoria Levenberg: So yeah, amazing. Thank you so, so much for coming on, Anna. Thank you for
sharing your story, your experience, and your wisdom. I could go on and on for ages, and I think
weâll definitely have to do this again sometime. And in the meantime, uh, I will be diligently, you
know, reading your book as well â even though Iâm not going to college, I know a lot of the
wisdom in there is still very applicable to the day-to-day humans.
And yeah, just so, so much gratitude and love for you, and oh, I just canât wait to see whatâs next.
Anna Resende: Yeah, me too. Thank you so, so much. Iâm so glad that you decided to do your
podcast, and um, I wish it fills you up like it fills me up.
Viktoria Levenberg: Wow, that was such a joy. I mean honestly, I donât know about you, but for
me time just flew, like it didnât even exist. And thatâs because I was really present, and itâs so
interesting that that was Annaâs final takeaway as well â itâs just learn to appreciate the present
moment, because thatâs actually all we have.
Like, if you are constantly in your head worrying about the past or projecting into the future, you
are missing the only thing you have right here, right now. And I keep reflecting on this â like this,
our life, this is it. Itâs right here, right? Like itâs already, at the time of this recording, July. I can tell
you that January feels like it was only a couple of days ago, and at the time that this episode is
gonna air, itâs gonna be pretty much almost Christmas.
So like time is just going by like this. And if you are not appreciating the present, if you are not
truly here, like then where are you? Because next thing you know, itâs like this year flew by, and
then the next five years fly by, and then the next ten years fly by â and youâre constantly just
staying stuck in what someone told you you had to accept as normal, like what society deems is
good enough.
Like, no â you deserve better.
And so my invitation for you, as a little action step from todayâs episode, is just to add five
minutes of that conscious vacation time to your day. Maybe itâs in the morning, maybe itâs at
night â but you knowâŚ
You heard Anna speak about how sheâs pretty much living every day as a vacation. Like how could
you even add five minutes of that? Like, what little luxury can you create for yourself? Maybe itâs
getting out the fancy coffee cup when you make your coffee, or getting the fancy milk that just
froths better. Or maybe itâs just sitting down and trying out some mindfulness for five minutes. Or
maybe itâs taking a moment as you moisturise your face in the morning to give yourself a little
jaw massage and release some of the tension from your jaw.
There are so many ideas â I just wanted to sprinkle a couple in there to kind of get you thinking.
But just five minutes â how can you add five minutes of slowness and vacation time to your daily
routine? I guarantee you it is going to change your life.
Thank you for listening. Iâll see you next week. Bye for now.
If the word mindfulness has ever felt vague, overwhelming, or just a little out of reach, I created
something just for you. Live in Presence: 8 Days of Mindfulness is my free online course that
gently walks you through everything I wish I had known when I first heard the word mindfulness.
It is a soft, spacious introduction to presence â thereâs no jargon, no overwhelm, and no
pressure to âdo it right.â So over eight days, youâll receive short grounded lessons and simple
practices that you can weave into your real life â even if you are busy, tired, or feeling totally out
of sync.
The link is in the show notes below or through the link in my bio at LVN Health, because presence
isnât something you have to earn â itâs something you get to return to.
The views and opinions expressed by guests on Resonance are their own and do not necessarily
reflect the views of me, Viktoria Levenberg, LVN Health, or anyone working within the LVN Health
brand.
This space welcomes a diversity of ideas, experiences, and stories â and part of Resonance is
learning to take what aligns, and gently leave the rest.
Also, while I am a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach and deeply passionate
about wellbeing, this podcast is intended for educational and inspirational purposes only.
Resonance does not substitute personalised medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice.
Always seek guidance from qualified professionals for any physical, emotional, or mental health
concerns.
