Optimum Health For Life

02/24/2026

Yesterday, my interview with Megan Knight of WMAR TV was shown in the morning segment of Good Morning Maryland, and then 3 times on the news shows at 5, 6, and 7 PM! Here is the article she kindly wrote after coming to my OHL office in Columbia, and she embedded the video within it for all to see this heart health month!

Linda Penkala traded the life of a horse jockey for a more zen career: massage therapy. After a health scare with her heart, she wrote a book about heart disease to raise awareness.

11/15/2025

Despite being absent from this page, I am ever-present on all my social media posts!
I welcome you to visit these recent posts to stay on top of all things in the wellness genre.
Here is a timely published article to help you stay calm and grounded in the upcoming Holiday season:

Explore "Rest, Rhythm, and Relationships Of the Holidays, Into the New Year," by Linda Penkala, Author at Optimum Health For Life in Columbia, MD. Discover tips for a stress-free holiday season.

02/25/2024

If you are local to the DMV, join my good friend Karen and me at her Salt on Main Wellness studio in Laurel tomorrow night to relax & de-stress:

Feb. 26 at 7 PM - Heart Sounds at Salt on Main 575 Main Street, Suite 149. Owner Karen Schembari will soothe our senses with sound bowls while I lead you through breathwork and mindful relaxation techniques.

Kindly RSVP to Karen at saltonmain@gmail.com or Linda at Lpenkala96@gmail.com. Here is the link to register and pay; click to purchase your seat for this Class:

https://go.booker.com/location/SaltonMain/service-menu

Salt on Main 301 776-SALT

And after, you can join the Tapping World Summit to learn excellent tools for life, courtesy of your fingertips and acupressure points:

Feb. 26 - The Tapping World Summit - a free 10-day online event to discover how to overcome stress, pain, and anxiety! www.thetappingworldsummit.com

12/24/2023

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07/25/2023

Take a moment to Pause, and read my recent wellness article that the American Institute of Stress posted on their website, with the Contentment Podcast I was interviewed on. Within our chat, I teach you 2 techniques for breathing, one that can help you with sleep, and one that can help with focus. Sit with your family and watch together, and thanks in advance for sharing with the tribe in your life! It can also make a fun lunch and learn at work to bring a team together to lessen stress for their health and wellness!
https://www.stress.org/connecting-for-contentment-and-peace-is-possible

If we tapped into the magical moments in our lives where we felt undeniable calmness, peace and contentment, they still can offer a visceral shift in our mental state. Each scene whether solo or a social one with people, allowed for the healing connection with Nature, an

06/30/2023

This is so over-the-top exciting to share this interview from the American Institute of Stress! It is an honor to have been asked to be interviewed for their Contentment Podcast, back in May (on my birthday - what a gift!). A huge thanks to AIS's Will Heckman who asked some targeted questions to shine the light on stress and how it affects us.
Please feel free to share these two links with your FB buddies and anyone in your life, so folks can see the 2 breathing tools I share, plus have some solid tools for life! Thanks in advance! From AIS:
We hope you will join AIS in our mission to raise awareness of the effects of the pandemic's stress. If you can, make a donation to empower others.
No matter your contribution size, it can make a difference in the lives of those in need. Please hit the subscribe button and then share this podcast with everyone you know, as stress is so insidious these days, and needs to be addressed! Thanks in advance!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmZHrmoD0VE
https://podcasters.spotify.com/.../american-institute-of.../
Finding Contentment • A podcast on Spotify for Podcasters
PODCASTERS.SPOTIFY.COM
Finding Contentment • A podcast on Spotify for Podcasters
Official podcast from The American Institute of Stress. This podcast focuses on stress and stress-related issues and features interviews with healthcare practitioners, stress experts, and professionals with expertise in stress research and management. Hosted by Will Heckman, AIS Executive Director.

Get to know Spotify for Podcasters, the free, all-in-one podcast platform for every creator.

03/03/2023

Staying on the cutting edge of health trends is key in this holistic wellness field. Here is an amazing company LifeWave that offers people and horses wearable wellness technology that is simple, drug-free, and easy to put the patch on. Here is my recent article in Your Health Magazine to explain just how it works:

An Ancient Healing Modality for Modern TimesThe science of phototherapy using light to enhance health and well being has been around for over 100 years, lik

12/25/2022

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy New Year to all!

12/17/2022

Three years ago this month, my self published first book came on the scene, from Outskirts Press. It was beyond thrilling do some book signings at Shift Yoga, my yoga studio among others. Sharing the journey of my racing career as a jockey, while educating about heart disease in women, was exciting and so needed at the time. Showing parallels between both, to empower women to pay attention to lifestyle choices, while addressing the effects of stress on the heart. This mission is not easy, but becomes ever more urgent post pandemic, with the rise in CVD, heart attacks and the younger showing symptoms already. I never tire of speaking on this topic to educate women and men that CVD is our #1 killer, but that women surpassed men is noteworthy. The greatest gift you can give another at this time of year, is a gift of health, so kindly consider buying my colorful book (on Amazon, KDP, and e books) with lots of horsey pics, and healthy tips for life. To help keep women resilient and thriving!

12/01/2022

This last month of the year and we have much to reflect on! From Nature's wrath by way of Ian to your own personal moments of joy or drama, it is how we end it that matters. Just like at the wire in a race, finishing the race at times is enough, even if you didn't win! Here is a hopeful way you can go into next year, from this article I wrote about your wellness team! It was distilled from Chapter 6 in my book The Pause to Relax Ladies for Robust Heart Health as a reminder to think about who is on your team, and how they support you. And if you don't have many, no worries, I help you do just that in this piece or my book. Solutions are there! Feel free to share away:

Published on Your Health Magazine

10/21/2022

Here is a simple reset to calm, and even though I teach my breathwork version with oils to get the same results, there are many who are enlightening the world about the Vagus Nerve:

PDF exercise chart here: https://www.yogabody.com/vagus-nerve-reset-youtube/ Do you suffer from stress and anxiety? Can one negative event sometimes spin you...

09/15/2022

What an energizing time I had with the women of the GFWC Women's Club of Linthicum on Tuesday! It was wonderful to present in person, and sell my book, The Pause to Relax Ladies! I shared my story from being a jockey to an author, LMT, and wellness educator speaking on wise heart health, and the value of friendships. It was evident these are such caring, deeply connected friends who serve each other and the community! Their homemade food at their first tea was amazing! The Hoby students who spoke were so appreciative of this club's support in sending them to their leadership weekend!