Life is sweet for Kimberly Hand. The Hobe Sound mom and host of the podcast The Cinnamon Effect is having the time of her life sharing conversations about wellness and self-discovery. Along the way, she’s helping other women find the best versions of themselves. “The Cinnamon Effect is about how I make each day sweeter, healthier, and more fulfilling,” says Hand. “We’re sprinkling that little boost into our lives every day.” For Hand, that boost can be anything from embracing natural beauty, to the benefits of infrared saunas, to finding inner strength in challenging times. As she approaches the two-year anniversary of the start of her podcast, Hand has found that part of the journey she is taking her listeners on includes her own self-discovery.
A Florida native, Hand grew up in Wellington and graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a degree in communications. After graduation, she embarked on a career in advertising sales, working for television and print media companies. Then, in 2008 she decided to pursue a childhood dream of becoming a Miami Dolphins cheerleader. “I was 28, so I was older than a lot of the girls,” says Hand. “I didn’t think I could do it earlier on. It was a confidence thing.” She discussed the experience on her podcast and says it gave her a new perspective. “The experience surfaces for me in my podcast,” says Hand. “I say, ‘Life is too short. Go out there and pursue the thing, whatever that is. What do you have to lose?’”
Hand’s decision to start The Cinnamon Effect came in 2023 when a friend suggested she might make a good podcaster. “We were talking about social media and she said: ‘I think you have more to say than what you can convey in a social media video. Would you ever consider doing a podcast?’ It sounded like an immediate yes to me,” says Hand. She found a local studio and recorded a couple of episodes. Her first episode launched on November 1, 2023. “I was hooked. I loved talking to different people,” says Hand. Since then, she has released a new show every week.
Hand covers a wide range of topics, such as living a nontoxic lifestyle, the invisible load of motherhood, embracing natural beauty, and how to plan the perfect vacation. She often pulls from her own life. “I had some health challenges after having my son, and it was a traumatic birth experience,” says Hand. “I had a miscarriage a few years later. So, I had these things I have walked through.” She shared her miscarriage experience on the podcast. “No one was discussing this, and I had a couple of women reach out to me and thank me. That made it worth sharing.”
In one of the most popular episodes, Hand took her listeners on a journey of self-empowerment. “I went python hunting in the Everglades,” she says. “There was this moment where I said I wanted to do this really scary thing, but then I was there and I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it.” She overcame her fear and did what she had to do. “I grabbed the python by the neck,” she laughs. “Now I think if I can grab a python by the neck, there’s nothing I can’t do.”
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