Many of our CNK Chick Chat interviews center around important stories that are meant to empower, educate, and inspire us. What makes these stories unique, is that even though we are all at different points in life, important connections exist between us. They tie us to a sense of community, even if those very relationships are initially formed in the digital world.

If there’s one thing that we’ve reflected on in 2020, it’s our health. There is so much more emphasis on the importance of taking care of our bodies, which could include more fitness routines, better nutrition, or adequate sleep. Essentially, these are all forms of self-care and with the holidays right around the corner, it’s an opportune time to be proactive. With the help of our girl, Stefanie Gilbreath, we are learning how to get our health and wellness plan in order. (That quarantine 15 is real y’all)

Not only is Stefanie part of our sneakHER style sisterhood, but she’s equal parts entrepreneur, athlete, and wellness expert. She’s found the perfect balance of taking her love for sports and merging that passion to help others find sustainable fitness and nutrition solutions. We had the opportunity to chat with Stefanie about her sports career, meal prep company, and current sneaker rotation. Let’s lean with it, rock with it, shall we?!

THE 411 ON STEFANIE.

I’m a University of Southern California graduate with a degree in human performance, having played women’s college basketball at both USC and New Mexico State University. I then went on to play professional basketball for two years in Portugal and Germany. While I was playing, I spent my off-seasons in advertising at Gilbreath Communications Inc., my parent’s company, and took on a full-time position as director of social media marketing and accounting. Once I retired from basketball my sister, Briana Butler, and I decided to launch Power Portions. So, I currently work in both family owned businesses, which is time consuming but definitely a huge blessing.

THE BIRTH OF POWER PORTIONS.

My sister and I were already working towards our degrees in health, when I injured my ACL. I took on the responsibility, along with our trainers, to figure out my recovery plan and my sister put together a nutrition plan for me to follow. That point in my career was life changing and sparked an idea that we would later build on.

While we were overseas playing, we would cook for our teammates whenever we got a chance, so when we decided to retire we thought it would be a great idea to start a blog with recipes and tips on things you can cook or do to stay healthy. From there, things just blossomed into a business. We started cooking for our US clients and my sister furthered her education to become a Registered Dietitian so we could give athletes, amateur to pro, the full nutritional experience. We ultimately developed a one-stop-shop to provide hard-to-access personalized resources for athletes and individuals looking to reach their health goals.

THE MISEDUCATION OF… NUTRITION PLANS.

Common myths are that they are a one-size-fits all solution, take two seconds to prepare, have to be extremely strict, or can be thrown together without a full analysis of someone’s background, health history, and lifestyle. On the contrary! Research shows us that the best and most sustainable plans are individualized and take into account every detail of a person’s background, health status, and lifestyle. With that being said, to put together a plan that will work for you specifically, takes TIME! If you find a plan that has a long list of “no-no” foods, cuts out whole food groups for months-on-end, and seems unsustainable, you may want to look for other options!

BUT IT’S HOLIDAY SZN. WHERE DO I START?

(My sister, business partner and Registered Dietitian, Briana Butler, always has great tips and tricks on holiday health and meal plans. Here’s what she has to say… )

Try to not to think of it as all or nothing! What I mean is, don’t go into it thinking either of the two things: “I’m going to go all out during the holiday season and then go on a water diet in the New Year” or “I absolutely cannot have this piece of pie, if I have this slice of pie my whole health journey is thrown out of the window.” Both of these thoughts are torture!

Be fair yet kind to yourself by creating balanced plates filled with color, utilize the power of portion sizes, listen to your hunger and fullness cues (embracing mindfulness), spread calories across the day to avoid banking them and overeating, and add in a serving or two of your favorite dishes when desired! It doesn’t have to be hard or stressful – you can still be healthy without it feeling like boot camp!

STEF’S 3 TIPS FOR ANY HEALTHY JOURNEY.

#1. There’s multiple ways to exercise, find what you enjoy doing and work that into your journey. Remember the ultimate goal is to get your heart rate up for 30 plus minutes daily.

#2. Everything that worked for your friend/family member/celebrity is not going to work for you. Figure out how your body takes to certain foods/diets/lifestyles and do what’s best for you.

#3. Nobody is perfect! Your health journey is all about balance and sometimes we just need that glass of wine and cake. Stay positive and understand that you're not going to reach your goal overnight.

MAKE YOUR NEXT MOVE, YOUR BEST MOVE.

There really is no career without my parents! It’s really crazy how life has played out. Although my family as a whole is extremely close, my parents played different roles in my career. With my father being a pro track runner, his voice was huge with me in sports. Especially when I got injured and when I needed help understanding the transition from athlete to entrepreneur. My mom then stepped in and taught me the ins and outs of being an entrepreneur since she’s been in the game for 30 years and counting. I’ve been extremely blessed to have their support in this journey.

I always try to inform younger female athletes to treat basketball like that’s all you want to do in life and thrive in it but ALWAYS know what your next move will be. Once you know what that next move is, take time during your career to educate yourself on whatever that is so when you’re ready to hang up the sneaks, you know what you’re going to do. Although women are starting to get paid a lot more, you won’t be able to retire off just basketball. Most women have to get a job post retirement. So make the best of basketball and use the platform you have while you have it.

STEF’S SNEAKER ROTATION IN 3… 2… 1.

Union Jordan 4’s ‘Guava Ice’ – These are actually my first pair of 4’s! It’s so crazy to even say that, but now I’m obsessed with them!

AJ1 Pinnacle Vachetta Tan – Since I’ve had this sneaker it just gives me fall vibes! So every fall I pull them out and literally try to wear them with everything.

Beyonce’s Adidas Superstar Sneaker - I have this sneaker in heavy rotation because of the uniqueness of the sneaker and the fact that a lot of people just wrote them off since they were so different. They also remind me of the first forum I just hosted, with Sole Lounge and Adidas, so they hold a special place in my heart now.

WHAT DOES ‘SNEAKHER’ CULTURE MEAN TO YOU?

For me the SneakHER culture has really been about community and empowerment. Although I’ve been addicted to sneakers my entire life I feel like I’m fairly new to the SneakHER community and I’ve been accepted with open arms. I think the majority of us have the same goal of wanting to simply support and uplift each other in whatever we’re doing. It’s a breath of fresh air to see a group of women always pushing to empower one another in a world filled with male dominance and ideologies.

Catch more of Stefanie via Instagram or learn more about meal prep and nutrition through Power Portions’ website and Instagram.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Chick Chat: Mind Over Matter With Stefanie Gilbreath