Navigating College Admissions | The Positively Healthy Mom Podcast

Welcome back, Positively Healthy Moms! In this episode, host Laura Ollinger sits down with Jenna Schebell, founder of The College Navigators, to demystify today’s college-admissions landscape and equip families with the clarity and confidence they need.

What you’ll learn

• How to stop overwhelm by focusing on what you can control in the application process
• Why colleges care more about context than raw GPA or test scores
• Depth over breadth: building a meaningful activities list that truly stands out
• The real purpose of the personal essay and how to keep it authentic
• Understanding institutional priorities, enrollment trends, and why acceptance rates keep shifting
• Practical tips for crafting a balanced college list that fits academic, financial, and personal goals
• When working with a college consultant makes sense—and plenty of free resources if it doesn’t

Key moments

00:02 Introduction and Jenna’s dual perspective (admissions + high-school counseling)

08:45 GPA vs. SAT and why context matters

14:30 Building a list you’ll love—even if every “reach” says no

22:05 Post-COVID shifts: why Southern and SEC schools exploded in popularity

29:50 “Big fish, small pond?” How campus culture shapes success

36:40 Writing essays that sound like you (and no one else)

45:55 Services Jenna offers: 1-on-1 advising, group coaching, and application reviews

52:10 Final takeaways for parents and teens

Connect with Jenna Schebell

Instagram: @thecollegenavigators

Free guides and timelines: https://thecollegenavigators.com

Connect with Laura Ollinger

Instagram: @positivelyhealthycoach

Podcast archives and coaching programs: https://positivelyhealthycoaching.com

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Welcome back to another nourishing episode of The Positively Healthy Mom Podcast!

In this powerful conversation, your host Laura Ollinger is joined once again by Marquelle Brown—functional medicine nutritionist and betrayal trauma coach—for a deep dive into how food, energy, and emotion are connected.

Marquelle shares:
✅ How the 7 energy systems (chakras) relate to specific foods
✅ The impact of trauma on brain health, mood, and digestion
✅ Simple tools to help regulate the nervous system (like Havening and orienting)
✅ How color, creativity, and intention can support emotional healing
✅ Why small, consistent shifts in your diet and mindset really do matter

Whether you're healing from emotional wounds or just trying to feel more grounded and nourished as a mom, this episode is full of soul-fueling insights that meet you right where you are.

👉 If this conversation spoke to you, please like, subscribe, and share it with a friend who needs a little extra nourishment today.

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#PositivelyHealthyMom #MarquelleBrown #FunctionalMedicineMom #ChakraNutrition #FoodMoodConnection #MindBodyHealing #BetrayalTraumaRecovery #EatTheRainbow #MomSelfCareMatters #HealingWithFood

Welcome back to another nourishing episode of The Positively Healthy Mom Podcast!

In this empowering conversation, your host Laura Olinger sits down with Coach Eric Stenlake—Teen & Parent Coach and part of the Positively Healthy Coaching team—to redefine what confidence truly means for teens and parents.

Eric shares:
✅ Why confidence isn’t about perfection but self-acceptance
✅ How to help teens shift their inner dialogue and challenge self-criticism
✅ The difference between parents being a provider, protector, or pathway
✅ How parents can model healthy confidence through vulnerability and accountability
✅ Practical tools to slow down, ask better questions, and build confidence one small win at a time

Whether you're raising a teen who struggles with self-esteem, or you're working on your own parenting confidence, this episode is filled with real stories, simple strategies, and powerful mindset shifts to support your family.

🎧 Watch the full episode now: Redefining Confidence with Coach Eric Stenlake

👉 If this episode resonates with you, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share it with the moms in your circle!

Follow us for more:
📘 Facebook: Positively Healthy Coaching
📸 Instagram: @positivelyhealthycoaching

#PositivelyHealthyMom #RedefiningConfidence #ParentingTeens #TeenSelfEsteem #MindfulParenting #CoachEricStenlake #ParentingSupport #MomSelfCareMatters #PeacefulParenting #ConfidenceIsAProcess