What if getting healthy wasn’t about trying harder, restricting more, or fixing everything you think is wrong with your body?

In this episode of the Courageous Destiny™ Podcast, Kristin Crockett sits down with Savannah Taube, founder of VitalPath Wellness, certified personal trainer, and nutrition coach, for a powerful conversation about rebuilding your health—and rebuilding trust with yourself.

Savannah shares her own courageous journey through adversity, addiction, sobriety, motherhood, and ultimately reclaiming her health and her life. Today, she uses what she has learned personally and professionally to help women create sustainable change in their own lives.

Kristin and Savannah dive into something much deeper than diet and exercise: self-trust.

What happens when you start keeping the promises you make to yourself? What changes when you stop approaching your body from frustration and instead begin learning what it actually needs?

They talk about moving away from restrictive diets and all-or-nothing thinking and toward strength training, proper nutrition, sustainable habits, and small choices that can create lasting change.

Savannah also shares why women’s bodies can change over time and why doing more of what used to work isn’t always the answer. Sometimes you don’t need more discipline—you need a better strategy.

This conversation is about health, but it’s also about courage. It’s about taking ownership of your choices, rebuilding trust with yourself, and recognizing that where you’ve been does not have to determine where you go next.

Because sometimes living your Courageous Destiny begins with one courageous decision: choosing to take care of yourself again.

About Savannah Taube

Savannah Taube is the founder of VitalPath Wellness and a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach who specializes in helping women restore their metabolism, build strength, and feel confident in their bodies again.

She works primarily with women who feel like their body has changed and isn’t responding the way it used to—especially when it comes to energy, weight, and overall health. Through a science-backed approach focused on strength training, protein-forward nutrition, and sustainable lifestyle habits, Savannah helps women move out of the cycle of frustration and into lasting, realistic results.

Savannah believes that most women aren’t failing—they’ve simply never been given the right strategy for their body.

Connect with Savannah & VitalPath Wellness

Website: https://vitalpathwellness.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VitalPathWellness/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vitalpath_wellness

Foreign.

And welcome to the courageous destiny build a business and life you love podcast.

I am your hostess, Kristen Crockett.

And today I have the incredible honor of interviewing Savannah Tabby.

She is the founder of Vital Path Wellness.

She is a certified nutrition coach and personal trainer.

And this woman knows her stuff and has one of the coolest stories that I've heard, and I can't wait to share it with everybody today.

Savannah, welcome to my show.

Thank you so much for having me, Kristen.

I'm so excited to be here.

Oh, you are so welcome.

You are so welcome.

I love.

We talked a few, I don't know, a few months ago, and right when I met you.

I love when we have somebody who works primarily with women.

Right.

You work primarily with women, but you have somebody who really, really walks the talk of what they do.

And I have huge amounts of respect for that.

So welcome.

Welcome.

Thank you so much.

Savannah, I would love to start out if you could tell us a little bit about how you got started in Vital Path Wellness and why this is so important to you.

Yeah.

So I have spent the last six years rebuilding my own health.

I am a single mom of two grown kids.

My son is now 23.

My daughter is now 20.

So I'm an empty nester, which is like a whole new season of life.

So I started Vital Path Wellness about two years ago, and it really started with six and a half years ago where I had to make some really tough choices in my own life.

My health was really suffering from the life I was leading, and so I had to make some really hard choices.

What were some of.

I mean, if you don't mind me asking, what are some of the hard choices you make?

That resonates with me quite a bit.

Yeah.

Over the years, a lot had happened.

When I was younger, I had lost my older sister to a car accident.

Accident when I was only a teenager, and then right after that, became a single teen mom.

There was several years where, I mean, I would say, honestly, over half my life where I was just trying to survive and I did not understand how to truly take care of myself when all of those traumatic events happen and you.

You do not know how to support yourself.

It really leads to, like, unhealed trauma.

And for me, that turned into anxiety, depression, and addiction.

So that was probably most of my 20s as I was trying to raise two children on my own.

I was in multiple car accidents and then even a couple DUIs.

And so I finally got to this point where I woke up one day and was like, I cannot Keep abandoning my myself.

I have got to figure this out.

I am not going to survive much longer living the way that I'm living.

And so the first really huge, huge change was getting sober, which was six and a half years ago now.

I did not realize that we had that in common.

I did not realize we had that in common.

First of all, know what that work looks like.

And I am so incredible.

One of the things that I, I, I've learned is to say, I'm so grateful that you were able to find that.

I know.

I'm so grateful that I was able to find it.

It's the best thing that ever happened to me once I became sober because had to be my foundation for everything.

I could not agree more.

So.

And the time frame for me, it was the shutdown from COVID Oh, yes.

And I spent the next three to four weeks quitting everything.

So alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs.

It was cold turkey.

No rehab, no meetings.

I really had made the decision that it was time for me to learn how to take care of myself.

And then from that, I got so clear so quickly.

And one of the first things that really just spoke to my heart was being in nature.

So one of the simplest things that I did to start healing was I would go to a nature trail park, and I would either walk or I would run if I felt like, you know, at that point, you just needed to start moving.

Once I got sober, the trauma that I had been running from really came to the surface.

And with those kind of things, movement can be really, really, really important and beneficial to the healing process.

So that was one of the very first shifts that I made after getting sober to really help rebuild my health and to start to rebuild the trust that I had in myself.

I would say, hey, I'm gonna go move for 20 minutes today.

And I did it.

Hey, I'm gonna go to the trails three times this week.

And I did it.

Yeah.

You learn how to honor your word to yourself.

Absolutely.

Which I think a lot of people like.

When I think of, when I think of a courageous destiny, that's to me, what that means in my world is everything you want in your business, in life.

But if you don't do what you say you're going to do, if you don't honor your word to yourself, it's very hard to build that courageous destiny.

You'll only be able to go so far up the ladder of success before you hit that ceiling.

And I, I just think that's so important.

So thank you for sharing.

And like I said, I know what that work looks like.

It's not easy work.

Yeah, it was definitely needed and, and I couldn't agree with you more about it being the best decision that I ever have made.

It unlocked everything else that's happened since.

I would not be who I am today had I not made that choice.

Well, and I know for, for, for me too, when I, once I made that choice, everything else started to.

I could see what I needed to do next.

I couldn't see what I needed to do when my mind was all fogged up and, and, and not clear.

So I would love to.

I, you know, I, I'd like to talk to you a little bit about how your transformation and this transformation evolved from that into vital path wellness.

Yeah, so it was definitely a, a work in progress for many years.

So the first couple years was really about rebuilding my own health.

I.

Started hydrating properly.

I know we've talked about water so much, people think it's such a small thing, but it's actually so beneficial for everything from head to toe.

So, yeah, getting out in the woods, walking, I found myself in an environment that felt really calm and safe, which again allowed me to start healing.

And then I thought, okay, let me start with another simple habit.

Let me hydrate enough, let me look at my nutrition.

Let me properly support and nourish my body.

All these things started to lead into sleeping better.

My hormones balancing out, my skin cleared up, my energy levels shot through the roof.

I was sleeping great.

And I started waking up, looking at myself in the mirror and seeing this healthier version.

And I'm like, I'm myself again.

But even more than the physical changes, I'm sitting down with my kids who are now teenagers that have seen me go through this huge shift.

My conversations are different.

I'm showing up differently as a mom.

I'm rebuilding my relationship with my father, who was literally my savior and bailed me out of I don't know how many bad situations over that 15 year span.

I just kept collecting evidence that I could trust myself again, that I could rely on myself again.

And that was reflected back to me.

And one of the things of going through my journey, I started to see how many other women.

And it might not have anything to do with addiction, but it seemed like everybody had been trying to come back from overwhelm or confusion or anxiety or depression or just something to where their health had been put at the bottom of the list and they did not know how to get back Promising yourself, I'll start Monday, promising yourself that you're going to eat better.

And then the weekend goes off track.

And I just kept seeing women all around me needing to simply have the education that they had never been taught, which was how to properly nourish and support our bodies.

So throughout that whole process, I just was fascinated by my own body changing and watching all of these things happen.

I was getting healthier as I was aging.

It just seemed like such a fascinating, amazing process.

And so I wanted to figure out the whys.

So self education came first.

I am an avid reader.

I started getting into Mayo Clinic at Harvard and CDC and all of this different information.

And then I just decided one day I need to be certified so that I can help other women through this process as well.

So that's when I went and got certified as a personal trainer and then immediately a nutrition coach.

Wow, that is awesome.

That is awesome.

And I know for me once I saw like for me the, it, it was a little different.

So I did a lot of mindset work where I would start to hear what decisions that I had made about who I was and the way the world worked.

And one of the decisions that had kept me stuck in my weight because originally when I started, when I hired my first coach, it was just because I wanted to lose £20.

And I thought that was the most impossible thing in the.

I tried everything except for sticking to something.

Right.

But like I, in my mind I had tried everything and I did this and I did that and I was so, you know, you know, I tried it all.

But there was one decision that I had and you mentioned it, it was, well, I'll just start tomorrow.

And that decision had me keep from starting.

And so I never started.

And you can do that for years and years and years and never start.

And then you never build that, you never start building trust with yourself.

You never start building that muscle.

And I also love what you said, I'd like to point it out for the listeners too, is you looked for evidence that you could do it, that you could be a healthier version of yourself, that you could go to the trail.

Right.

I started creating my own evidence.

So if I didn't have the evidence from my past to support it now I'm going to create evidence from right here, right now.

And now I can start building those stepping stones with myself.

Absolutely.

We are the co creators of our reality.

Absolutely.

But yeah, I love how you pointed that out.

Tomorrow never comes.

No.

Once it's tomorrow, it's today.

When we wake up tomorrow, then it's today.

Tomorrow literally never comes.

And so not waiting for more motivation, not waiting for Monday, not waiting for life to be perfect.

Just taking the step and following through and making it something small to where it was.

Promises I could keep to myself, built over time.

And then I literally get to wake up and look at myself in the mirror and say I can count on me every single day.

Well, and I, you know, it's really timely that we're doing this podcast because I call it resurrendering.

I've resurrendered to my own health.

Journey definitely took my eye off the prize for a very long time.

I mean, we're talking six years and I was an athlete.

I was doing very advanced pilates four days a week.

I was in great, great, great, great shape.

I would walk or jog up to six to seven miles a day.

I mean, the whole thing.

And I went from that to completely abandoning myself in that area.

And f. Fast forward, I would just start tomorrow, right?

I'll just start tomorrow.

Or, or I would find a reason that it was okay that I hadn't started yet.

And then I was constantly, you know, soothing myself instead of starting.

Yeah, absolutely.

It almost becomes part of a limiting belief.

Yeah, absolutely.

And so the habit then I fell into was one of just putting it off.

And that's, that's what we do most of the time in a courageous destiny.

Right.

No matter what your courageous destiny is, if it's to rebuild your health, if that's part of it, if it's to rebuild a business, if it's to find that relationship, whatever it is, if that's your courageous destiny, watch where you're putting things off.

It's very, very wise piece of advice right there.

Absolutely, absolutely.

Resistance is a funny way to show us where we need to actually pay attention.

It's like a little double edged sword.

I would fight you tooth and nail and give you 10,000 reasons why I wasn't going to the gym.

Yeah.

And most commonly I hear I'm tired.

Yeah, I'm tired.

I'm too tired.

Right.

And then we just allow ourselves and it's like, well, even if you were tired, did you get up?

Did you go to work?

Even if you were tired, did you still make dinner because you had to eat?

Life is not perfect and every day looks different.

But when we can commit to small promises that we can follow through with, we will rebuild that self trust.

And that is the key to lasting change.

I'm really glad that you said that because I Can't tell you how many people you talk about a code or a decision.

Like, sometimes a decision is like a code, like a behavioral code, like a program inside of somebody.

And a lot of people say, well, I can't trust myself, or I have to be motivated before I start or something like that.

I'm like, yeah, that's just a trap that we've.

We've created to stay the same.

That's all that is.

Yeah.

This being motivated first.

That is rarely.

Every now and again, there will be somebody that has went through enough.

I think you've probably had these moments where you finally have almost fed up with yourself enough, where you walk in and you're ready to go.

That is not going.

That's.

It's usually not sustainable.

That can be a fleeting moment.

So again, those just small.

And I think you do it as well.

Week by week, we have something small that's attainable that becomes sustainable.

And those repeated patterns that gives us that consistency.

The brain then quiets down on all of those excuses.

Yeah.

One of my new sayings.

And I.

And I believe we're right in line with that.

With what you're saying is little by little.

Great.

Yes.

Right.

Little by little.

Like, we don't have to do all this all at once.

We don't have to eat the elephant in one bite, which is really gross analogy to me because I would never do that.

But.

But you don't have to eat that elephant.

One bite.

You can just take it a little.

A little by little.

Little by little.

And that will help you.

That will help you build trust, and that will get you momentum.

And then we can surprise ourselves when we get that compounded effect.

So, you know, the other thing I see is the.

The feeling like I got off track.

So even when someone gets started and all of a sudden they miss a workout or they have one unplanned meal, that immediate.

I'm a failure.

I'm failing.

That's another key piece to really try to work your way from, because neither of those things are true.

Missing a workout does not mean you're failing.

Having a meal that was unplanned does not mean you're failing.

It's just simply not true.

It means life happened.

And so I think the problem is when those individual moments stack and then become who we say we are and where we're capable and where we're not capable.

Mm.

And it.

I love that you said that because one of one like to try and completely change everything all at once.

Give yourself some grace.

We.

We I always like to.

To.

To showcase this and highlight this, that our brain processes at 11 million bits per.

Per second, and we get access to 30 to 40 of those bits, which is not a lot of consciousness when you think about.

There's a lot going on.

I like to say there's a lot growing on under the Hood.

There's a lot happening.

And, And.

And so we're going to have those moments where we just feel compelled to have a sweet roll or we feel compelled to.

To do something that's off our program.

But the more we can.

I used to say this a lot, and I found myself saying this the other day, too.

It's.

It's like I just need to get back on the saddle.

If I fall off, I just get right back on.

And then I keep.

Then what am I supposed to do?

I just keep writing.

I don't have to stop.

Create drama for myself, make it mean that I'm incapable of doing this and also make it mean I'm really excited for the first time in a health program in years that I'm not making a big deal about it.

In.

In the way that it's not pressure,.

Then it's not pressure.

Right, Right.

It's important to me.

It's sacred to me.

But it's not.

It's not some weird program where I can only eat leafy vegetables and I can only eat from the hours of 12 to 6 and I can't have any dairy and I can't have any gluten, and I can't, you know, And I used to go on these things, and they were really very effective, and I lost lots and lots of weight doing them.

I've been on keto.

I've been on almost every program that you could imagine, but that's not.

That's not sustaining.

Exactly.

Exactly.

Yeah.

My.

Everything that I have learned through my own journey and my professional education, everything went into this very clear picture for me.

Most everybody else thinks it has to be a restrictive plan.

It's one size fits all.

Oh, this person did it.

That means it's going to work for me.

All of these different things.

And once I dove really head first into all of this, it just was so clear of like, that is so backwards.

Let me find out where you are in your life.

Let's take where you are right now and create a plan that is going to be sustainable for your life.

I don't care if it works for Sally if it doesn't work for Kristen.

Right.

Right.

Small sustainable changes, personalized support and accountability.

I think are all so important to helping someone when they start on their health journey.

Because the moment that you get somebody on a restrictive diet, like how you are so you're so aware of the difference where you are now.

It doesn't feel like all or nothing when it feels restrictive or it feels like all or nothing.

We literally set ourselves up for failure from the get go.

We need to feel like it is tailored to our lives.

And even if life gets on track, we know how to get right back to ourselves.

Mm.

I had a coach one time say, and I really love the saying, it is what it is.

What's my next move?

That's great.

It is what it is.

What's my next move?

Yeah.

Yeah.

I've had clients that literally have had just.

I mean, you.

We've all been there.

You'll have a Monday hit, the car breaks down, and Tuesday you get a phone call that somebody's sick.

And then when I.

It's just back to back to back to back.

And by the end of the week, you don't know where to go.

And the smallest thing, and I'm like, your next meal is your next opportunity.

Yes.

Okay, you already had breakfast.

It wasn't great.

Okay, what are we going to have for lunch to make ourselves feel better?

Like, what's that next very small step?

I think overwhelm and confusion and conflicting advice have all fed into a society where people do not know where that next step is.

Most of us know we're supposed to eat healthy and exercise and we're supposed to, you know, drink water.

But what's my next first step?

I think you nailed it on the head with that.

And I think that.

I think that's something that at least this is what happened to me.

I kept making such a.

A big deal about it.

Like I was going to have to transform my life so much that I couldn't, you know, I would have to do so many habits differently that I wouldn't recognize my own habits or, you know, like, I wouldn't be able to sustain that change.

That significant amount of change, along with building a business, along with being a mother, along with.

Right.

How am I going to focus on this?

Because this is going to be all consuming.

So overwhelming.

Right.

And it.

And it's not.

No, no, it's not.

Someone that has, you know, obviously they have.

They're waking up tired.

Okay, let's talk about how.

When are you going to sleep?

How much are you.

How much sleep are you getting?

Enough.

Okay.

Three nights a week, try to go to bed.

30 Minutes earlier.

So we're going to work on this week.

Now that, that is key.

Those small, sustainable.

And then we already know what the brain's going to do.

Okay, So I made it three through the whole week.

And those three nights I went to bed 30 minutes earlier.

Those more next morning as I woke up and I felt great.

Now we're training the brain that this is what we're going to normally do without feeling overwhelmed, without feeling like we had to overhaul our life overnight.

I, I love that and I would love for you to tell our listeners how do we engage?

How do they engage with you?

And, and what are some of the, what has some of the transformations.

I know you have an incredible story.

And now you went.

And one of the things that I love, everybody, I love this kind of story.

It's a, it's what I would call a courageous story.

And to me, like those things that happen to us that don't show up, like unicorns and, and rainbows, they can lead us right into our purpose in life and right into what we should have been doing all, I guess if you're going to use a should, right?

But what we could have been doing all along, where our gifts truly lie.

And you've transitioned your career, haven't you, from corporate into, into doing this full time, correct?

I have, yeah.

I got to a point.

I mean, it was already three.

This is what I'm, this is what.

I get excited about.

Right.

Like, and it became a war within myself.

I mean, the level of duality that I have had to live with these past two and a half years.

I went back into therapy last year.

I had to have a therapist to help me get through the last nine months of working in corporate as a sales and project manager while I was building my business.

And then in the evenings and weekends, I was doing all of this education.

I made the decision, I am going to do this properly.

I'm going to have all the certifications, I'm going to have all the information, all the education so that I can be the best coach and help as many people as possible.

And so that just kept building and building and building and then march of this year I left very comfortable salary working from home to be the full founder and running Vital Path Wellness, which is my, my health and wellness company.

My flagship program launched in April of this year which is a 12 week program specifically for women.

I will work with men one on one, but the 12 week program is called Vital Foundations and it is for women specifically.

I even have went through additional education earlier this year to become a certified female specialist TR trainer which took me through hours upon hours of hormone training, postpartum, specifically perimenopause, menopause and syncing with your cycle for nutrition and strength training.

So that's even incorporated with the 12 week program.

But everything we're talking about is how this all came about step by step, myself and then creating this program that mimics that every single week we talk we have one main focus and it just builds.

And so the first month or so is all about nutrition.

Most of us have some level of insulin resistance or blood sugar instability which makes fat loss a lot harder.

So I became fascinated with how the body works when you properly nourish and pair certain foods together, specifically protein, fiber and healthy fats for a woman to support your hormonal health muscle, lean muscle mass and then getting your blood sugar stable so that fat loss becomes a lot easier.

Then we work into strength training and then lifestyle integration is the full program.

One of my first clients messaged me two Fridays ago and after she completed the program, life got really messy.

Her and her husband are separating, her nephew ended up moving in with her and all these things happened and she ended up sending me, you know, five page text.

But she said, you know, I've stuck with my nutrition, I've stuck with my hydration.

Last week I wasn't doing my workouts like I normally would, but she, this was her quote.

I feel like I took a side quest and now I'm excited to get right back into my routine.

And that right there just was like one of the most rewarding things I've heard yet as, as a coach, as a woman that has went through building self trust and rebuilding my, my relationship with, with health.

This is a woman that before she started the program would have literally beat herself up and just been guilty and, and just almost went into a depressive state for letting herself down.

And instead she was like, hey, it was a side quest, no big deal, I'm right back.

And I'm like this is, this is amazing.

So I do have my website, of course.

I start with a wellness roadmap session with everyone and I Love to start to hear about where someone is at first.

When a woman comes to me, she's typically overwhelmed.

So confused by all the conflicting advice.

Going through social media these days.

Like you talked about keto, intermittent fasting, do I hit?

Do I do hours of cardio strength?

Like, it's just so confusing.

It really is.

Yeah.

So through, you know, 20 or 30 minute phone call with me, we can go right through where you're at.

I could already identify a couple actionable steps for you to take with you.

If coaching with me is what would be your next next best step, we would talk about that.

I have the 12 week program which is really where most people fall into, but I also specialize in, in one to one coaching for people that do not feel comfortable in a group atmosphere.

Very good.

Very good.

Well, you guys, I am going to highly recommend that if this is something that you've been struggling with or you'd like to know more about in the show notes, we're going to have how you can reach out to Savannah and book a discovery call with her to be able to explore that.

I also have.

I know I could talk to you for a very long time, but we have so long that we can have our show be.

But I do have two questions that I ask every guest that comes onto my show and I have a hunch I may know one of these, but we'll see.

What is the most courageous thing you've ever done?

I think you might lean into getting sober, but honestly, I think it's bigger than that.

I think,.

And it still is so crazy to say it this way.

Looking in the mirror and realizing I was my.

My own worst enemy.

Yeah.

I was my own worst blocker.

And I had to look myself really right in the eyes and admit that so that I could move forward.

We could have a whole show on that.

Have a whole show on that.

Like that resonates with me a lot.

Like me looking in the mirror going, well, you know, all these things that happen to you, you're the common denominator.

Yeah.

It's a hard one to swallow when you've been through so much.

It's a hard one to swallow.

But I really do believe that that is the most courageous thing that I've ever done.

I. Yeah, yeah.

And I'm glad that you said that.

You're the only person that has ever said it like that.

My show, and this will be, I believe, show.

This is either going to be episode 61 or 62.

So that's not none.

That's awesome.

Okay, last question.

What is the most courageous thing you have left to do on your bucket list?

More than one person.

I, you know, I'm just getting started with Vital Path Wellness.

And I definitely see this growing so that I can help change our society, to help women truly understand how to nourish and support their bodies.

Because the ripple effect of when a woman takes back her own health is exponential in taking care of her family, taking care of her community, contributing more in the workplace.

So I really do want to grow to a point where I am helping on a national, if not worldwide scale to help uplift and empower every single one that I talk to.

Woo hoo.

I love it.

I love it.

And we women, we need to be empowered in this area.

You guys, it starts everything.

I'll never forget when I hired my coach years ago and he had asked me, he's like, if any area of your life could be completely different and that would make the.

That would make the biggest impact in your life, what area would it be?

And at that point in time, I was tired.

I had triplets.

They were five years old.

I was on Prozac and I felt like mud.

The best way for me to explain it, and I'm like, I just want to feel good and I want to.

And I want to drop some pounds.

I didn't even recognize the woman that I was seeing in the mirror.

And so in going into that area, that was my starter point, to be able to find what I was here to do, which was to help other people live their courageous destiny, but also to be a better mom, to be a better businesswoman, to be a better person.

It all starts with what we're putting into our bodies and how we're moving our bodies.

So you guys have to find Savannah.

Find her.

Don't be shy.

Some of the best, the best steps in life that we are ever going to take are the ones that make us a little bit nervous.

And we're not really quite sure what we're doing or how to do it.

Do it anyway.

We'll give you how to do it.

Savannah's information will be in the show notes again.

You can look to the show notes and you can contact her there.

And I know I have to wrap up for today.

Savannah, is there anything you would like to make sure that you leave the listeners with today from our conversation?

Yeah, absolutely.

The goal isn't to never get off track.

The goal is to trust yourself enough to know how to find your way back.

Did you guys hear that?

Great, great, great, great.

Words.

All right, everybody, if you've been listening today, don't be afraid to let this be the start of your journey.

Just start.

It starts.

It could start with just listening to a podcast like you're doing today.

And by all means, please reach out to Savannah.

And with that, I'm going to sign off for today.

Don't forget to live courageously.

All right, bye, everyone.

Thanks, Kristen.

You're welcome.