Most know how to be physically fit — eat right and exercise, don’t smoke, don’t drink too much, and so on — and many a book teaches how to build business skills and entrepreneurial chutzpah. But often undermining these goals are less-tangible roadblocks — excess emotional and spiritual pounds every bit as damaging as extra physical pounds, deep-seated insecurity, and sluggish stamina and/or metabolism. As a successful college athlete who suffered through near-crippling depression and self-doubt and went on to build her own professional brand, Kate Eckman knows about all of these. The program she offers in The Full Spirit Workout is the result of her multifaceted training (as an athlete, neuroscience- and positive psychology–informed leadership coach, and meditation teacher) and her work on herself and with countless clients. Readers get a “get real” and rewarding workout made up of daily mind-body-spirit exercises and practices. Best of all, Coach Eckman builds in creativity, flexibility, and delight so that each “rep” feels less like work and more like play.
I will admit that I consistently appreciate a self-development book, and this book stands heads above most others. In The Full Spirit Workout, Kate Eckman provides ten steps that help build your mental and soft skill muscles, and every ounce of this book is either real experience or a well-research, scientific strategy.
From page one, Kate pours out her whole soul onto the pages and you feel like you are talking to a friend. Her vulnerability in the stories that she tells and experiences that she recalls are relatable and make you feel closer to her and the material in the book. Many people will tell you that they have had a bad day at some point, but the courage it takes to recall those feelings and actions and put them on the page is what makes Kate’s work so remarkable.
The ten steps that Kate details are based on the concept that our full spirit needs to be worked regularly, much like our full body does. What I appreciated about the ten steps were that it made me consider aspects of my spirit that I have not particularly noticed or cared for in the past. Each step not only details the aspect of the spirit that it is focusing on, but it also provides meditations, journaling and reflection prompts, and other exercises to help you focus in on that area. One of my favorites was the Mantra for a Spirit of Confidence, which I can say has become a regular staple when I am feeling like I lack confidence in something.
As Kate takes you on this journey of the Full Spirit Workout, she provides a ton of great information about why we need to incorporate these mindsets, where they started, and how they became so common in society and in our lives. I always really appreciate when an author has a well-cited notes section, and this book has that in spades. You can tell that she has a great respect for academics and the work that other people have put out into the world.
Kate is an Executive Coach, and as you work through this book, you feel both held by a supportive and insightful friend and empowered by a knowledgeable and mindful coach. You are guided, encouraged to consider things for yourself, and given personal stories and academic knowledge along the way. This is further demonstrated in each chapter’s “Coach Kate Check-In,” which each help you orient to where you are in the book and in the journey.
My top 3 takeaway from this book were: 1. Kate describes an exercise she did based on Martin Seligman’s “The New Era of Positive Psychology” concept of a “gratitude visit” where you write a 100-word testimonial to a person who changed your life by showing immense bravery. Kate shares a letter that she wrote to her friend Vanessa, and the experience that they both had after she read the letter. Her sharing so much of the experience really demonstrated how important this practice is and how much we should take the time to thank the people in our lives for how they have impacted us. We never know what it will mean to them and what it really means to us. 2. Keep a “most improved” mindset, which is not worrying about being the best or begging others to accept you, but rather changing your perspective so you can “shine in your strengths” as Kate says. I appreciated this perspective because I tend to be very achievement-focused and oriented, and that becomes a very win or lose game. The reframe that this perspective presents is not only less damaging, but also really empowering. 3. The impact of the medical world wanting to push anti-depressants on people when they are just looking at one symptom and not the whole person. Kate details a time when she was a TV reporter, covering crime stories and when she visited her doctor, she was convinced to get on anti-depressants so she would not be influenced by her surroundings. Kate describes it as “numb to my surroundings” and that was an unflinching look at how we work so hard to treat the symptoms in our life through a variety of numbing agents and avoid the actual causes of our stress and suffering (this does not include people who need to be on antidepressants). Kate goes on to describe how she learned to distinguish between what needed a medical intervention and what was something painful that she needed to work through with other-than-medical support and resources.
I wish that a book this educational and heartfelt existed when I was a teenager, so I could have worked through things in my life in a more enlightened and eyes-wide-open type of way. I will keep this book on my bookshelf and go back to it often because I know that these exercises, this wisdom, and these words will always bring more insight and perspective to my life.
A healthy body mirrors a bright and wholesome mind. While none can live while the other experiences dismay, a happy soul is what keeps up the spirit high and leads the way for a healthier self.
The book, 'Full Spirit Workout', engages readers to outperform their minds and concentrate on cleansing the inner self. Not only does it address issues of people, including keeping up and anxiety, social dilemma and interaction; it in fact leads the reader out of the negative thinking and mindset through sensible and gradual steps.
Complete with practical and empowering tools, tips, strategies and practices that helps pull your stuck-up self, the author goes above and beyond to help you shed self-doubt, tune in to your higher purpose in lifestyle. Each chapter and page help you to access and realize your full potential, and not just achieve, but actually harness it for the greater good.
This book is a must read for everyone. Through it, the author has shared realistic ideas for self-actualization and introspection for greater peace, connection and joy.
What makes this book better than any other self-help guides, is that Kate hasn't put her personal experiences locked away. She has discussed vividly how her life took turns and toils and how she overcome the shady times. Through various examples from her personal life, she gives out ways to develop resilience and compassion. Kate shares her experience as an athlete, executive coach, journalist, and experienced world traveler to present the vitality of self-acceptance which furthermore leads path to confidence and Optimism towards life.
Throughout the book, an understatement that lies adamant and consistent, is that life doesn't require you to juggle a million things on one leg and still smile, its instead present in each breath that you take and the realization that comes with it. One step at a time and that’s how you shine your darker days of anxiety with rays of knowledge, enlightenment and self-love.
“What does your anxiety do? It does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but it empties today of its strength. It does not make you escape the evil; it makes you unfit to cope with it if it comes”. The line bears close relevance with the main theme of the book whose title itself is capable of filling the readers with the required deal of vigor in their lives
Delving further, the main theme of the book tends to address the most prevalent issues which tend to hinder mindfulness and instances including severe anxiety, Insecurity, etc. have been taken care of and the sole objective behind the same remains to ensure proper fitness of an individual in mind, body, and soul. It is imperative on our part to take heed of the arrangement of the book as chapters have been substituted with steps that enhance its inclusive aspect to a great extent and also give us a fine impression of inherent lucidity as one can take heed of the same from titles such as:- Stretch your comfort Zone, Lift Yourself up, Feel the Burn, Strengthen your core confidence, Step up your Spiritual Stamina, etc. Upon brief delineation of the same, much of clarity is given to the readers in the form of the foreword itself as it lays down the basic precepts upon which the book has been written that being Honesty and Integrity and also lays down the other aspects to workout and why they hold great importance in our lives. In addition to the same, the content of the book tends to have a very common angle with which many people can relate and that is ignoring oneself and pleasing others which is a practice that readily countermands all the basic precepts of attaining a perfect life for oneself and additionally the contents progress steadily with its content as well
The whole book readily plays upon the contours of lucidity and inclusiveness and the presentation aspect of the same also adds to it in the form of a contract that psychologically makes them resolute for their goals and task
“Being okay if it happens and okay if it doesn’t is a very powerful place to be.” - Kate Eckman
𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 :
This book is a spiritual guide to make you aware of your spiritual being & strengthen its core. Just as strong physical muscles help you live more effectively, strong spiritual muscles can give you the power to navigate your inner world, as well as the external world.
🌸The book is constructed just in a way a physical workout is designed.
From stretching to feeling the burn, from building the muscles to cooling off all with respect to the spiritual muscles & the spiritual body.
𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤:
𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐳𝐨𝐧𝐞:
Muscles crave stretching, and they become tight and contracted when we don’t stretch them. Similarly, our spirit craves stretching too. If we always stay in our comfort zone we will never discover how juicy life can be.
𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲:
Each time, recommit to changing how you talk to yourself about your body. Remind yourself that you are a beautiful soul, not a physical body. Your body is just a suit of clothes. The real you are your spirit and the love within you.
𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬:
At the end of each step, there is a journaling exercise where the author wants us to ask ourselves some important and uncomfortable questions & write the answers to bring more clarity & then there are meditation practices which is one of the best parts of this book.
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧:
🌸Kate has shared her experiences very honestly and she has designed this workout by literally living through it. She has shared a lot of experiences from her personal life and how incorporating this spiritual regime has helped her overcome her limiting beliefs. I recommend this book to everyone.
This book is extremely well-written, thoughtful, engaging, and has inspired me to change the way I view myself and my life. I love how the author weaves personal stories with neuroscience, academic research, and easy-to-apply strategies that I can instantly incorporate into my daily routine. Coaches of this caliber can be very expensive so I appreciate that Coach Kate asks the reader so many questions to get to the root of our issues and challenges and come up with a plan of action. I’ve found the journaling exercises, meditations, and affirmations to be a huge bonus in my practice as well. I can’t recommend this book more! I rarely read books, and I couldn’t put this down. I will return to it again and again. Such a great life resource tool!!!
I don't often come across a books that engaged me right from start to finish. The introduction of The Full Spirit Workout blew me away. Each chapter of the book provides the reader with solid information, and practical tools, that anyway can use daily. What's also nice about this book and Kate is she walks the talk, which is rare these days. The Full Spirit Workout is original, well structured and not full of cheesy catch phrases and fluff, unlike a lot of self help books I have read. I recommend The Ful Spirit Workout to everyone, yes everyone, whether your a coach, author, house wife, entrepreneur or struggling your way through high school or college. This book will help you redefine your purpose, help you set goals and teach your practical ways to manage your stress daily.
It is incredible how powerful a book can be. This is the one!
This book was extremely pivotal for me. Hit me right where I felt I needed it to. My mental outlook has already changed after reading Kate's book. She did an amazing job! I love the line, "In every moment, we get to choose who we want to be, and the best part is, we can always change our minds." Kate really produced good work with this book. Can't believe it is her first book! I love how this book is rooted in neuroscience, positive psychology, and coaching techniques. This book shares the full-body workout that doesn't require a gym. Just something to write with and a paper to write on. Grab this book!
Truly a Full-Spirit/Body Workout! No gym required! Most focus entirely on the importance of having a strong physical gym routine but not many spend time highlighting the need and benefits of a spirit workout. 99% of our problems are home to our mind, heart, and spirit. Physical workouts will help these for a bit but until you immerse yourself in a true full-spirit workout, you won't be able to shed them for good. Thankful for Kate who wrote this amazing first book! Her research backed strategies are super effective. I will recommend her book to my close friends!
A refreshingly brave, honest, and intelligent life resource tool I will return to again and again. I appreciate the science-backed research along with personal stories filled with love and humor to help drive the messages home. A fun, enjoyable read. I feel like the author is speaking directly to me and genuinely cares about me, which shows her talent as a writer and authenticity as a human. Looking forward to more wisdom from this author. She’s definitely unique.
Really amazing job by Kate with her first published book! It is incredibly empowering and strengthening to read. I could not agree more that even tho a physical workout is necessary to stay healthy, so is a spiritual workout. We can all use help shedding self doubt, strengthening our spiritual core, and creating a fun and fulfilling life. Thank you, Kate for your vulnerability!
Awesome quote by Kate that I loved, "It is our birthright to be unstoppable. We just have to rediscover what it means to be free—of judgement, fear, doubt—of anything that weighs us down." Really enjoyed this book and glad it had tons of research backed information in it. Most books don't contain this added backing. Kate made sure this book was super well done.
Super, super impressed by this book. The story of Kate's life and the challenges she has faced tied with the amazing research she provided within the fields of positive psychology, neuroscience, and whole-person coaching techniques makes this book incredible! Really fortunate to have read it when I did. Thanks, Kate!
Kate Eckman gives a plan for living in our anxious age. Through various practices from her very full life she gives you ways to develop your own resilience and compassion. Kate draws on her experience as athlete,executive coach,journalist, and experienced world traveler to present a wealth of options for engaging your inner voice to help speak in a frantic world. Highly recommend this book!
This book brought me peace. I also lost loved ones to suicide and I admire the author’s courage in sharing her heartfelt story and effectively teaching what she’s learned to help us evolve. It takes guts to put yourself out there in this way. Her words are deep and take you on a journey. Everyone needs to experience Kate’s work.
I couldn’t put this book down! Brilliantly written and full of wisdom, grace, and aha! moments. The author meets you where you are and takes you on a journey into yourself. I appreciate the confidence boost I feel after doing the journaling exercises and meditations. I’ve recommended this book to so many friends and family members.
Truly a life-awakening book! The vulnerability, research, and passion within this book is tremendous. Kudos to Kate. Thank you for writing it! Really life-awakening and life-changing. I hope this book finds the hands of more people who need it!
Extremely well-written guide to excellence. My business partner suggested I read it, and I couldn’t put it down. Easy read. Practical guidance. Makes me feel empowered rather than stressed. Recommend.
Loved it. Every chapter drops some real knowledge and practical tools that you can actually use every day. Plus, Kate's not just talkin' the talk, she's walkin' it with her personal stories she shares.
Growing up requires a lot of work and effort. In "The Full Spirit Workout", author Kate Eckman draws on her multifaceted training—as an athlete, executive leadership coach, and meditation teacher—to present daily mind, body, and spirit exercises and neuroscience-based practices that keep us engaged with our growth advancing towards our goals.
Through a 10-step program, the complete spirit training proposes to expand the comfort zone to grow emotionally, accept new challenges, reduce insecurity, work on resistance to our vulnerabilities that strengthen self-esteem, all of the above seeks to strengthen central confidence, mindful eating and freeing yourself from fears to avoid counterproductive habits, negative beliefs and self-fulfilling fears.
In summary, the exercise proposal is a hard training that requires constant time to build a strong spiritual core, reduce fears about oneself and absorb its benefits of living mindfully. Ideal reading for those getting involved in their self-development journey.
It was good (I listened to the audiobook), but a bit too long, many things were repeated so in the second half I was just pushing it to get to the end.
A life resource tool! The Full Spirit Workout gives important tools for navigating life and being grateful for all the things. Loved the energy and tips in this book. Definitely recommend.
So much of this book is the author bragging about her own achievements - best for someone starting from a similar very successful place but not relatable otherwise
A transformative life companion! Kate Eckman’s Full Spirit Workout provides invaluable tools to gracefully navigate life’s journey while fostering gratitude. Highly recommend it!
A holistic life handbook. The book’s energetic vibe and actionable tips create a powerful combination, making it a great recommendation for those on a journey of self-discovery.