A holistic business that recognizes the individual; mind, body and spirit. Rhonda fully understands the physical as well as the spiritual side of individuals.
Specializing in: Education; Consulting; Life and Health Coaching; Meditation; Practical Reiki Energy Healing; Spiritual Services & Counseling; and Regression Hypnotherapy. The mission of Sugar&Soul is to provide services that incorporate the body, mind & spirit while facilitating growth, enlightenment, empowerment & healing. About the owner and operator:
Rhonda Palmiero, BSN, RNC, LNHA, PTC, CCM is a registered nurse who holds a minor in psychology and is board certified in gerontology. She is nationally certified in care coordination and is a licensed nursing home administrator. She holds certifications as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor through AFAA and is a former nationally qualified bodybuilding and physique competitor. An expert in dementia care and motivational interviewing, she has educated thousands across the country on person-centered care and operational change strategies. She partnered with the State Department of Health on licensure requirements and regulatory changes pertaining to long-term care, and collaborated with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in creating dementia care training modules that are still operational today. She continues to teach in a wide variety of platforms on numerous subject matters and welcomes the opportunity to discuss how she may be able to assist you, your business or stakeholder groups. Rhonda retired as a healthcare executive in 2018 and left the corporate world after thirty years to formulate a new, more holistic pathway for assisting others. Combining her education, various certifications and experience, she expanded her educational prowess by garnering additional certifications as a Life & Health Coach, Regression Hypnotherapist, Master Practical Reiki Practitioner & Spiritual Counselor. She wholeheartedly believes that mind, body and spirit go hand-in-hand as it relates to overall well-being and a life filled with purpose and meaning. This ethos forms the underpinnings of all the services she provides. Namaste’!
04/10/2026
“Never doubt that you are more than flesh and bone. You are more than a mind that struggles, more than the hands that tremble upon the keys, more than the fleeting moments of inspiration that come and go. You are eternal, and the music of your soul will never cease. Play your part in the great symphony of life. And when your time comes to cross that threshold, know this-your song will continue, forever expanding, forever growing, forever part of the harmony that sings through all creation.”
~Frederick Chopin
Medical Rant Ahead regarding statins for “high cholesterol”.
I’m almost 60 years old. I have been engaged in sports and/or teaching group fitness, personal training, and physique/bodybuilding since 1984. I am also a 38 year tenured registered nurse who has cared for people cradle to grave starting out in emergency room pediatrics and then managing large healthcare systems in gerontology, rehab, and then insurance. It is a very complex system to understand and I am grateful for the experiential learning, but this isn’t about me, this is about YOU, and ensuring YOU understand what a healthcare professional is asking of you when they wish to perform any test or introduce any medication. ALL medication affects your metabolic and system balance, and some can create homeostasis where it did not exist before, or ameliorate pain for better quality of life. If you think for one second that your provider has all the answers and will be your Wikipedia to assist you in making an informed decision; think again.
Providers are hogtied by insurance companies to follow an algorithm, even if they know the next step or right answer. Insurance companies make them, and you, jump through hoops to get to where you need to be because their objective is not to ensure your well, but to save money and keep money in the system. If you’re well, you’re not a consumer of hospitals, pharmacological interventions, provider offices, and all things filled with DISease. The word disease means something is not in harmony and your body starts with symptoms to get your attention. Ignore those, and things progress, sometimes to a point of no return.
Decades ago the ‘normal’ range for total cholesterol was 250-300 depending on age. Now…. 200 or less. What does this mean? Maybe nothing, but if you don’t understand your numbers, your provider will have the ‘talk’ and start hitting keys to send off a script for a statin to reduce your cholesterol because the mantra is that fat is a precursor to heart disease. Numbers in isolation are never the sole predictor of heart disease. Do your research and make an informed choice.
The human brain is made up of approximately 60% fat. Your neurons are wrapped in myelin sheaths made up of…fat (think fatty seals whose blubber protects them from subzero water temps). Fat is ESSENTIAL for ATP production, your energy system and krebs cycle fuel converting fat and carbs to energy feeding your mitochondria to make you function optimally.
Stay with me.
Statins do not discern between good and bad fat. What if I said there is no such thing as bad fat? Mother Nature has perfectly designed everything you need to function optimally. Take away an essential fuel and you take away, energy, muscle function, brain function.
If you’re on a statin, are you getting muscle cramping? Brain fog? Train runs out of steam by 2pm?
Follow along here. IF your provider tells you you need a statin based solely on your blood numbers ask the following: Is there family history of stroke and heart disease. Were those affected leading sendintary lifestyles, did they smoke (anything), drink large amounts or regular amounts of alcohol, were they diabetic- with is also largely affected by lifestyle and diet, did they live in a smoke-filled environment? The results were not genetic, they were lifestyle. Then understand what your ‘good’ number value is in comparison. Do you lead a healthy lifestyle (movement, weights to maintain muscle mass, particularly after meno and manopause…. Yes, gents, you tank too! Just not as ugly as females; and rest- sleep and rest is your repair mode). And, AND….
If you are concerned about taking these drugs and knocking off your entire fat metabolizing system, ask for a CT scan of your heart. A non-invasive test that can see any plaques that may be of concern.
Wait for it…. often this is not covered by insurance. Why?!?! Why indeed…. Not to worry, on average these tests cost under $150.00.
Ok, help me make it make sense.
Patient A has ‘high’ ‘bad’ cholesterol, but the good guys are also high. The person is active, and by ‘old’ standards there is no concern. Patient A asks for the CT and pays out of pocket to create peace of mind and to actually see if these ‘bad’ guys have been wreaking any havoc in the absence of any symptoms that would dictate otherwise.
Results are 0.
ZERO!!!!
That means no evidence of coronary artery disease. Why then if patient A who has been living with horrible values based upon current standards want to take a medication to remove fat production from their body?!?!
Please know I am not anti-pharm, I am anti-HARM. Isn’t that the underpinnings of safe medical practicing, ‘First Do NO Harm?”
Be an advocate for yourself and don’t do everything you’re told simply because someone has a bunch of letters after their name. Have they earned them? No doubt. But, keep in mind not one size fits all and just because there’s an algorithm today that falls under the umbrella of standard of care, doesn’t mean they have it right. Remember when individuals suffered from mental illness they went through electroshock therapy and lobotomies. There’s a great pun there, but I’ll leave it to your own interpretation.
We are always learning and growing. Don’t be a lemming! Play it safe, and play it smart.
03/01/2026
Release what’s already dead!!!!
Relationships; projects; identities; or believes that are done.
STOP resuscitating them!
The energy it takes to keep dead things alive is the energy you need for what’s trying to be born.
What needs to shift in your life right now to create the space, clarity, and capacity for what life is calling you toward?
Hit reply and tell me.
There is power in naming it!!!
Big love 💜❤️💜
02/15/2026
Round is one type of a shape. If you’re thinking you are ready to change yours, let me know how I can help.
01/02/2026
It’s the new year and you’ve set your sights on things you want to accomplish, remove, or make better.
Where do you begin?
and steady wins the race. Make small, but consistent changes, it’s ok to rest and regroup. It’s ok to not do it all masterfully, the growth and value is in the journey. You cannot appreciate cold unless you experience hot…contrast creates comparison and clearer intent.
Want your next right answer? Stop looking outside yourself to find it!
12/30/2025
Posted in 2023, still so relevant.
12/29/2025
As we embark upon 2026, when most people set their intentions for change, I invite you to be mindful that change isn’t magical. It takes focus, and placing one step forward in the direction of your desires, allowing nothing to divert you off course.
One step, followed by another, and another. Eye on the prize.
What is within you is far more powerful that what surrounds you.
Perspective and drive. No setbacks, just the need to pivot around that obstical. Finding that work-around and being grateful for that newfound knowledge.
May 2026 be the year you discover what a badass manifester you are!
11/27/2025
May you be extra mindful today of all that you are grateful for.
In 2026, may this be your state of mind more and more.
I am thankful for each person reading this and am sending positive intentions that the remainder of 2025 be exactly as you intend.
11/12/2025
We’ve all been there. When you feel like your social calendar, apts, and to-do list is overwhelming and you’re craving solitude.
When the invites of things you need to attend keep showing up, and you feel like you can’t decline.
When the housework, ever-growing grocery list, and, ‘What am I going to make for dinner this week?” keeps ever present in your psyche.
When the holidays appear out of nowhere and you have all of that a top the ever-growing time demands.
I was in this headspace over the last month and one half and then, …………………………………………………..I changed my thoughts to those of gratitude.
Grateful that my body works optimally permitting me to drive and attend all of those social events, gather and prepare meals that I enjoy, and can control what goes in them. That I have the finances to purchase gifts, and the dexterity in which to wrap them all with tender, loving care. That I can clean my home, and decorate it in ways that bring me such joy during the holiday season. That I have people in my life that I love so very much and bring me such happiness.
Whatever your ‘struggles’ or as I like to call it, ‘stinking thinking’, may be, change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.
What are you grateful for?
10/31/2025
We have come upon the season of cheer for some, grief for others, or anxiety around many challenges that may be present.
May we be ever mindful of grace, patience, and kindness as we never truly know the shoes another may be walking in.
What we send out, returns to us.
08/15/2025
Glenda to Dorothy, “You’ve always had the ability to figure out how to get back home, you just had to figure it out for yourself.”
So often we force change that is not the right answer for us. This becomes clear after we’re knee-deep in regret. Ahhhh, the beauty of hindsight.
Perhaps before making a knee-jerk or hasty decision, you sit in contemplation and pay attention to the hints the universe is sending. Stop the extraneous noise and pay attention.
Your next right answer awaits. Click your heels three times.
👠👠👠
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Sugar&Soul’s mission is to offer education, coaching and holistic services that incorporate the body, mind and spirit in a safe, authentic and energy-centered manner.
About the owner and operator:
Rhonda Palmiero, BSN, RNC, LNHA, PTC, CCM is a registered nurse who holds a minor in psychology and is board certified in gerontology. She is nationally certified in care coordination and is a licensed nursing home administrator. She holds certifications as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor through AFAA and is a former nationally qualified bodybuilding and physique competitor. An expert in dementia care and motivational interviewing, she has educated thousands across the country on person-centered care and operational change strategies. She partnered with the State Department of Health on licensure requirements and regulatory changes pertaining to long-term care, and collaborated with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in creating dementia care training modules that are still operational today. She continues to teach in a wide variety of platforms on numerous subject matters and welcomes the opportunity to discuss how she may be able to assist your business or stakeholder groups.
Rhonda retired as a healthcare executive in 2018 and left the corporate world after thirty years to formulate a new, more holistic pathway for assisting others. Combining her education, various certifications and experience, she expanded her educational prowess by garnering additional certifications as a Life Coach, Regression Hypnotherapist, Master Practical Reiki Practitioner, Spiritual Counselor and Psychic/Medium. Check out an event page on Facebook entitled, “Meals and Messages” for the latest entertainment craze in Western New York.
Rhonda fully understands the physical as well as the spiritual side of individuals. She wholeheartedly believes that mind, body and spirit go hand-in-hand as it relates to overall well-being and a life filled with purpose and meaning. This ethos forms the underpinnings of the services she provides.
Each relationship that is cultivated through Sugar&Soul® strives to leave the client feeling a sense of personal growth, peace, hope, empowerment and healing. As we collaborate, the intention is to achieve the desired objectives and goals through education, coaching and/or facilitation. The ideal is to empower the individual to live their best life, under their own guidance, deeply connected to their higher self because within each of us lies our own authenticity, unique pureness and truth.
Namaste’!
Sugar & Soul was born from the understanding that people are multidimensional and to obtain overall well-being we must nurture and provide support to our spiritual body as well as our physical one.
If we consider that every cell in the body requires energy to function, sugar (= energy) then becomes the cornerstone for all human organisms. The soul or the essence of who we are is constant and eternal. These two facets are the primal components of what it means to be human and are therefore intertwined as there cannot be one without the other. This connection indicates a collaboration to support the person in all ways; mind, body, and spirit. The words are encased in a circle to indicate the continuation of life that is unending. The orange coloring represents the Sacral (2nd) Chakra that impacts joy, creativity and compassion for others. The purple coloring represents the Crown (7th) Chakra that is associated with the connection to higher realms of consciousness.
The butterfly is symbolic for transformation, an awakening of the person from self-imposed boundaries and limitations, or being someone that they are not meant to be. The metamorphosis from cocoon to butterfly that must occur is representative of the freeing evolution that a person experiences and how those positively charged changes improve overall well-being.
