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I thought that the more success that I had, the better that I could look on the outside, the less people would see my internal suffering.
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Music
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Karina Dunn has empowered millions of women.
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New York Times, a best-selling author.
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Global leader in the wellness space.
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The founder of Tone It Up.
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The lifestyle brand Forbes dubbed a fitness empire.
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Keynote speaker.
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Leading advocate for mental health and wellness.
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The Big Style.
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Welcome to the Big Silence Podcast, Mona Sharma.
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Hi, hey.
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Hi.
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I'm so excited to do this with you.
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I know.
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You're here in Austin.
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Mm-hmm.
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Excited.
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Not moving here yet.
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No.
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I know.
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You might move to Barcelona or somewhere.
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Who knows?
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The mass exodus from LA to Austin.
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Yeah.
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I get it, though.
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Yeah.
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I feel like, well, we moved here in 2019, and we didn't know anyone here.
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Yeah.
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And then now we know so many people and it's such a great community.
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So if you are thinking about leaving L.A., Austin is a great place and very easy to meet people.
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When do you leave?
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It's on the list.
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I leave tomorrow.
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Oh, yeah.
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You're going to Dallas.
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Yeah, Dallas.
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So I met you at a women's health event.
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Shout out Liz Plosser because we were just talking about you.
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Soul sister.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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You were there speaking and I was speaking and teaching yoga and all the fun things.
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And I remember one morning, I think it was over breakfast, you were talking about how you got into what you do.
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I've recently been asking, like, what is your elevator pitch?
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Who are you?
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What do you do today?
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Yeah.
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Yeah, I love getting that question just in the world of wellness, which is so loud.
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I think my story really is just so tangible for people.
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So prior to health and wellness, I actually come from the world of fashion.
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So I used to work in head of sales and marketing and artistry for brands like Christian Dior and Tom Ford and these big luxury beauty brands.
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And on paper, it was an amazing job.
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It was a dream job, but it was also a corporate job.
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And, you know, typical corporate scenario with corporate burnout, that was me.
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I had tons of anxiety every day.
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I woke up every single morning just like feeling really, really stressed.
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This goes back to childhood.
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But at this point in my life, it was just really amplified.
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And you know when you're working out of alignment with what you're supposed to be doing?
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So although there was like all this fun and excitement and doing makeup for fashion shows and stuff like that, I started getting these crazy heart palpitations where my heart rate would go up to about 200 beats per minute.
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Oh, goodness.
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Out of the blue, just from like bending down to pick something up.
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I had digestive issues.
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I had PCOS, polycystic ovarian syndrome.
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Doctors told me that I would have a really hard time having kids, if at all.
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I have two kids today.
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And I'm like, this isn't working for me.
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Like, what are we going to do?
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So they put me on a beta blocker prescription medication.
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At that point in my life, I wasn't interested in getting to the root cause of anything.
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Like, give me the quick fix.
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I'm on this high, fast-speed lifestyle.
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I need to keep up with it.
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Yeah.
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The beta blocker, what it does, it dulls everything.
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It slowed my heart rate down, but it also dulled my personality, my energy.
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I was like slow and lethargic in life.
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And I ended up gaining 45 pounds.
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So already anxious, depressed.
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How old were you?
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I was in my 20s.
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So this was, it all started, I guess, around much younger, but when things got worse, around 23, 24, 24.
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Went back in, I'm like, 40 pounds, this isn't working, what's the plan B?
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And they said, well, let's go in for a surgery.
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And I said, okay, let's do it.
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Let's go in for a surgery.
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So first heart surgery, my heart is on a massive screen.
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You're awake for the whole thing.
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They go through your groin, they go through your neck with these wires, and they try to induce these palpitations that I had by...
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pumping me full of caffeine and adrenaline and all these uppers when I knew the palpitations would only happen if I was moving my body.
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So anyways, I was getting so worked up that the palpitations finally happened and they do an ablation.
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An ablation is where they literally burn off an electrical node of your heart.
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And then they burned off a second node that they found.
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And then the next morning I woke up in the hospital with my heart pounding again.
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The surgery didn't really work.
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And so I said, well, let's do it again.
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So we went in for a second surgery.
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This is at 24.
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They did an ablation, but then they found a second one that was by my SA node.
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So it moved from atrial tachycardia to sinus node tachycardia.
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They said, well, if we do this one, you might have to wear a pacemaker for the rest of your life.
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And it's like one of those moments where your life flashes before your eyes.
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I'm like, what the hell is happening?
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Which causes more anxiety.
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Totally.
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Yeah.
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What is happening?
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I can't have kids.
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I'm identifying as somebody who has a heart condition.
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I'm not doing anything fun with my life.
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I was definitely like at that point partying as a form of release because I just, I didn't care anymore.
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I knew that there was a better way to heal my body because...
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Growing up, my mother, who suffered from debilitating rheumatoid arthritis, her hands, her feet, everything was completely deformed.
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My father, who's Indian, would take us to live at an ashram every single summer.
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So an ashram, just for your listeners, it's a spiritual center where you practice meditation and yoga and chanting and spirituality and meditation.
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living in community and eating real whole vegetarian food every day outside in nature.
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So I saw firsthand my mom's ability to heal or how she felt better.
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And so in that moment on the surgery table, I knew that I had to go back to my roots.
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And I also knew like these doctors, God bless them for trying to take away my pain.
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That's what the Western medicine system is trained to do.
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You know, you have a problem, let's take away the imbalance.
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But they also weren't interested in getting to my root cause.
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So if any of your listeners do get heart palpitations, basically doctors, they want to know, okay, well, are you taking too many stimulants?
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Do you have a lot of stress?
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But to diagnose my stress, they just put me on a stress test.
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Oh, they actually did a stress test.
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They did a stress test.
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Usually it's just like, here, take this.
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Yeah, but I feel like anyone, I was young, like, oh, you're healthy, you got through it?
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Okay, you're doing okay.
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You're not eating too much McDonald's.
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Yeah, you would like my doctor.
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Side note here, my doctor in my 20s when I was having psoriasis all over my body.
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It was a free clinic in Hollywood.
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And she was like, do you have stress in your life?
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I'm like, yes.
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She's like, I am not giving you any prescription.
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I want you to get vitamin D and go do yoga.
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Yeah.
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And this was in 1999 or 2000.
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Wow.
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Yeah.
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Yeah, it didn't have that cardiologist.
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Not at all.
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And like these doctors also get paid for doing surgeries, right?
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Correct.
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And then the last thing is sepsis.
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So do you have an infection in your body?
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So I kind of got cleared of all of those and that was it.
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But now looking back, like I was going through so much hardship.
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I mentioned the anxiety.
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I literally had a broken heart.
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Like my parents were going through a divorce, massive change, end move, new job, new...
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everything.
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And I think that I was living with a nervous system that was completely dysregulated from the time that I was a child.
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And so at this point in my twenties, we're like overstressed, overworked, not knowing the direction of my life, not knowing what to do, not feeling good in my body, not feeling healthy on medication.
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My heart was like, all right, enough is enough.
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Like we can't do this anymore.
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Right?
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And,
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And we know that your heart is, it's connected to so many things, your gut, your energy, your emotions, your thoughts, your beliefs, your lifestyle, your environment.
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And doctors didn't really ask about any of that.
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So going back, I wish that I just, I'd done the investigation.
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But to close this off, like I went to the ashram and I finally just started dealing with all of the running open tabs in my mind, the critic in me, the judge in me, the sadness in me,
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And I started spending some time in nature.
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I started talking to other people and sharing my story there.
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And I knew in that moment that I had to make some big changes.
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So I left the corporate world.
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I became a yoga teacher, meditation teacher, holistic nutritionist, just for my own personal healing journey.
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But I got really curious and then I became a Reiki practitioner and then I got into NLP and then I just started studying energy and stuff like that.
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And
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I've never looked back.
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So the foundation with my clients today is, one, let me teach you how to build your ashram at home.
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And two, like you are the healer.
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How do we get to the root of your suffering so that your body can come back into balance for you to be able to heal itself?
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Because I think that the body is incredibly resilient.
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And when we go to a doctor's office, we really lose all of our power.
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We forget that we're the ones in control of our own healing journey or that we even have the capacity to do that.
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I certainly didn't believe it.
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I gave all my control to the doctors.
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But going back to the ashram, I realized that I could do it myself.
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I just had to remember my superpower.
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The healing journey.
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And I agree with you.
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Love doctors.
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They help a lot.
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But sometimes, like my wish all the time, even when my mom was suffering, I was like, don't you want to know what's happening mentally that she's having this disease?
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Have you gone into her cabinet?
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And because I went into her cabinet and looked at what she was eating and consuming.
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And even for myself around 2020, when I was going through being a caretaker for my mom and we know what 2020 was.
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And they're like, you have high blood pressure.
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Here's a medication.
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I'm like, I don't want a medication.
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Why don't you ask what's going on in my life?
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And maybe I'm not meditating enough.
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Maybe I'm not doing this.
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Like, do you have stress?
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Are you working out?
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There's just so many things around wellness that we need to integrate full circle, right?
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Totally.
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And what's so crazy is that we call things like...
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Ayurvedic medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, ancient Greek medicine as alternative healing.
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But really, those were the original forms of healing the body.
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It's really Western medicine that should be called the alternative because they test time.
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Ayurveda is a 5,000-year-old practice, right?
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And what they did at the ashram I met with an Ayurvedic practitioner was,
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When I was doing my yoga teacher training and she looked at me as a whole being, my physical body, my emotional body, my spiritual body, my energetic body.
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And she customized a protocol based on that.
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And that really was what allowed me to lose the weight.
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Like 45 pounds melted off my body.
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I started eating more carbs than ever before at the ashram.
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I wasn't working out two hours hardcore at the gym, which is what I thought I had to do in order to be fit and healthy, to fit into the fashion world.
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I stopped doing all of that.
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My body just came back into balance.
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That's so interesting, too, because I stopped weighing myself a few years ago.
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But when I stopped, I had gained 35, 40 pounds.
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And I was like, what is happening?
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I'm working out more.
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I'm not eating carbs.
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I'm not doing this.
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But then once I got into how to mentally lower my cortisol.
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Yeah.
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It fell off.
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Mm-hmm.
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This is the cool thing about today.
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Like, I think women especially are waking up to the fact that a lot of the science and fads and trends and everything that we're seeing publicized on the media, a lot of those studies were only done on men.
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Right?
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So, like, those protocols were perfect for men.
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But for me, the reason why my PCOS was so bad is that I had insulin sensitivity with stress and anxiety.
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Also, in your prime fertility years, removing carbs and fat from your diet, it's like the worst possible thing that you can do.
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So like that was further putting on more stress to my body.
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So I think that now I'm just, I want to empower every single woman to believe.
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Your perfect healing protocol, your perfect diet, your perfect workout routine should be as unique as you.
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Like what if you just got really curious about that and like the foods that make you feel good, the workouts that actually make you feel your best and you follow that path instead of what you think the world is telling you to do is the right way.
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It's time to sing.
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You mentioned making an ashram at home.
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Yeah.
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Tell me how to do that.
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Yeah, build your ashram.
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As much as I would love all of your listeners to be able to go to an ashram, the one that I grew up with is the Shivananda Ashram.
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They have locations all around the world.
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I grew up with the one in Valmoran in Quebec.
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And then when I was old enough, they've got one in the Bahamas where I lead retreats today.
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When we look at the ashram, basically they set the stage for optimal wellness to happen.
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So how do they do that?
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First and foremost, there's a daily schedule.
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Our bodies love consistency and love rituals.
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The more that you can adopt doing the same things at the same time every single day and hopefully align those with nature, your body will have its own circadian rhythm that will thrive.
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Right.
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So first thing in the morning, we rise with the sun.
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We go outside.
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We get energized by looking at the sun.
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We drink some hot water for our digestion.
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And then we go straight into meditation.
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And I highly recommend that everyone, if you don't have one already, whether you're religious, spiritual or not, build an altar at your house.
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Like an altar that's an anchor for you.
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And there you can put religious images or deities or even...
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your vision board or a picture of yourself in a moment in your life when you felt so happy and at ease allow it to be an anchor for yourself so every time you look at it you know one it's time to meditate or two oh yeah that's who I want to be that's what I want to return to after meditation we move into a yoga practice and it's not like western yoga where it's like hardcore athletic acrobatic yoga what I love about this style of yoga is that we go into a pose and
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And then we rest afterwards.
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So imagine doing a pose, holding it, you know, moving into that little bit of stress.
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Finding stillness.
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Yeah, finding stillness.
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The hardest part of yoga is yoga when you have to hold poses.
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Totally.
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But there's a way to train your body to like, you can daydream, you can visualize in those moments.
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You can speak to your body.
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You can think about what you want to build in your life.
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But after the hardship of the pose or the stress of the pose, you get down on your mat and you go into Shavasana after every single pose.
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What that looks like for you here, maybe for some of you it's a yoga practice, maybe it's a tone it up workout, maybe it's a net form of exercise that you love, but like really establishing a strong morning practice that's going to set the tone for your entire day.
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And then go through your house, like do an audit of your house at the ashram.
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Everything that you see, everything that is there is attuned to your highest health and well-being.
273
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So imagine you have Karina and myself with you, your nutritionist.
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We're going to start with your kitchen.
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We're going to go through your kitchen just like you said you looked at your mom's and just see.
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That all had to go.
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It had to go.
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Yeah, for so many people.
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Like if you don't want to show it to me, ask yourself why you think it's okay for you to eat it, to consume it.
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Part of that is definitely going to be maybe food addiction that you have to a certain food.
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But when you get off of the addiction to certain foods, your body resets itself.
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Your taste buds actually change.
283
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On the food topic, obviously, because you're a celebrity chef and extraordinaire.
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You know, with my mom, when I became her caregiver, they said she had two weeks to live.
285
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And I went to her house and saw what she was consuming and bought her the empty vodka bottles and processed food.
286
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And even in the hospital, then I started bringing her like green juices and fresh food because the hospital food...
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Love our doctors, but it's crap.
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She lived five years, five years changing her diet.
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I believe it was changing her diet and not having her being isolated.
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Yeah.
291
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Oh, my God.
292
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That's amazing that you did that.
293
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You changed her life.
294
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And I wish...
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Doctors and nurses, they just need to learn.
296
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They need to understand that food is information.
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Like there's a genetic profile to food.
298
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At the ashram, we even say that food has energy.
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It has light source, energy, life force from like the sun, the air, the water, the soil that it's grown in.
300
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there's actually like a genetic code within the soil that food is grown that supports our immune system.
301
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So you want to look for real, whole, unprocessed foods as much as possible.
302
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I know we're busy, but like shop the outer perimeter of the store.
303
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Do your best to buy the bulk of those foods.
304
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Today you can buy them pre-cut, pre-washed, ready to go.
305
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And then once a week, like try to just focus on doing a little bit of food prep so that maybe two meals are done, three meals are done, four meals are done.
306
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And you establish this opportunity to eat like you love yourself, like foods that are actually going to help you thrive.
307
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So I have a question for you.
308
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I just had a guest on the podcast last week and we have been trained or I have and a lot of people to shop the perimeter.
309
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But she was saying that shopping the frozen vegetable and fruit department is actually really good right now.
310
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It's actually a great idea.
311
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Why?
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Because those foods, they have to be plucked ripe and then they're frozen immediately, right?
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So they keep their nutrients.
314
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They keep their nutrients, right?
315
00:16:57.707 --> 00:17:04.769
A lot of the other foods, because you can get foods from all over the world, most seasonal foods any time of the year, they're plucked before they're ripened.
316
00:17:05.189 --> 00:17:15.393
They're sprayed with toxic chemicals and fertilizers and things that help them ripen in transit that could be hundreds of thousands of miles before it lands into looking pretty in the grocery store, right?
317
00:17:15.693 --> 00:17:17.996
I don't know if I interrupted your at-home ashram.
318
00:17:19.017 --> 00:17:20.278
Yeah, yeah, I can finish it up.
319
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So we go through the kitchen is the first thing.
320
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Eat like you love yourself.
321
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Nourishment is everything.
322
00:17:26.045 --> 00:17:29.109
And yeah, like your body can have some fun foods, okay?
323
00:17:29.129 --> 00:17:35.817
So like you will find some processed food in my house, but we live in a time where you can get healthier options for processed foods.
324
00:17:36.197 --> 00:17:37.999
And just make sure you minimize those, all right?
325
00:17:38.339 --> 00:17:42.984
So protein, carb, and fat at every single meal is the establishment of how to build a plate.
326
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So after the kitchen, you know what to eat.
327
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We're gonna go through the rest of your house.
328
00:17:46.388 --> 00:17:48.590
We wanna go through the personal care products that you're using.
329
00:17:49.030 --> 00:17:53.435
When I worked in cosmetics, I was spraying hotel rooms, conference rooms with perfume.
330
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I was inhaling them.
331
00:17:55.115 --> 00:17:58.116
Now perfumes are loaded with chemicals and phthalates.
332
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Phthalates is a chemical binder that goes onto your skin that prevents you from having to respray the perfume over and over throughout the day.
333
00:18:04.977 --> 00:18:06.897
But those are massive hormone disruptors.
334
00:18:07.437 --> 00:18:10.018
So sure enough, my hormones were a complete mess back then.
335
00:18:10.058 --> 00:18:12.658
I stopped getting my menstrual cycle when I worked at Dior.
336
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It was crazy.
337
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So skip the perfumes.
338
00:18:16.239 --> 00:18:18.479
There's so many cool, safer, better options.
339
00:18:18.539 --> 00:18:20.079
Never put perfume onto your body.
340
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Put them onto your clothes.
341
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Clean up your personal care products.
342
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One brand that I love is the Detox Market.
343
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It's a place where you can go shop your heart out with products that are safe.
344
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Check to see.
345
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There's tons of apps online.
346
00:18:32.902 --> 00:18:37.763
There's a Yucca app that you can go and just see the safety of the products that you're using at home.
347
00:18:38.323 --> 00:18:42.164
You want to do this for your personal care products, your laundry detergents, your cleaners.
348
00:18:42.184 --> 00:18:45.505
You want to minimize the toxin exposure that you have at home.
349
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When you minimize your toxin exposure, the way that you do it in ashram, your body can heal itself.
350
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It's not defending itself from what you're putting onto it or into it anymore.
351
00:18:53.931 --> 00:18:55.893
So that would be another staple.
352
00:18:56.393 --> 00:19:01.738
My question there is you said you stopped having your menstrual cycle, but you were working in corporate.
353
00:19:02.298 --> 00:19:09.204
So was it stress corporate, not doing what you loved, not doing the practices that you do now?
354
00:19:09.224 --> 00:19:11.986
I had the perfect modern day storm.
355
00:19:12.606 --> 00:19:14.468
So me trying to hustle...
356
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to prove to myself.
357
00:19:16.709 --> 00:19:23.834
And I thought that the more success that I had, the better that I could look on the outside, the less people would see my internal suffering.
358
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Then there was waking up with stress and anxiety, which we know shuts down everything within the body.
359
00:19:28.558 --> 00:19:31.740
Stress is the instigator of all dis-ease within the body.
360
00:19:31.760 --> 00:19:38.665
And then there was the chemical aspect, just like inhaling, breathing, wearing, all of these chemicals every single day.
361
00:19:39.065 --> 00:19:42.668
On top of not dealing with like the emotions that were coming up, I literally...
362
00:19:43.308 --> 00:19:45.049
Was, nope, not going to deal with that now.
363
00:19:45.369 --> 00:19:46.170
Pushing it down.
364
00:19:46.190 --> 00:19:48.231
I don't even think I could cry at that time.
365
00:19:48.331 --> 00:19:50.112
I was just so angry.
366
00:19:50.432 --> 00:19:54.635
And I was such a hustler to get to the top of my game that nothing else mattered.
367
00:19:55.495 --> 00:19:55.776
I know.
368
00:19:55.816 --> 00:19:57.857
I'm like, why do we get to that point?
369
00:19:58.617 --> 00:20:00.138
We're the same age now.
370
00:20:00.418 --> 00:20:01.219
And now I'm like...
371
00:20:01.619 --> 00:20:01.919
Mm-mm.
372
00:20:02.700 --> 00:20:09.443
Because society really rewards busyness and looking busy and being on the go and being a hustler.
373
00:20:09.463 --> 00:20:15.146
And especially as a woman, if there's any mothers listening to you, I despise the term mompreneur, right?
374
00:20:15.166 --> 00:20:16.367
We don't give that to dads.
375
00:20:16.787 --> 00:20:17.808
I didn't want to do it all.
376
00:20:17.988 --> 00:20:23.911
You know, as a woman, I wanted equal rights, equal pay, equal opportunities, but I didn't want to necessarily do it all.
377
00:20:24.371 --> 00:20:27.653
But even now as a mom, like the conditioning runs really, really deep.
378
00:20:28.213 --> 00:20:34.298
And then I think for myself, having immigrant parents, too, I just had to hustle to get to the top of my game really fast.
379
00:20:34.538 --> 00:20:42.004
Having an Indian dad, I didn't become a doctor or a lawyer, as I was always, you know, really pushed and admired in the South Asian community.
380
00:20:42.745 --> 00:20:44.186
And it was being reflected back at me.
381
00:20:44.607 --> 00:20:45.287
Get a promotion.
382
00:20:45.768 --> 00:20:47.049
I'd move up at the corporate ladder.
383
00:20:47.689 --> 00:20:52.674
I was getting recognized by other people in the industry, and so I wore that as a badge of honor.
384
00:20:52.994 --> 00:20:55.836
So my stress and my anxiety came with a badge of honor.
385
00:20:56.037 --> 00:20:57.878
Oh, well, look, I just have to keep doing this, right?
386
00:20:58.439 --> 00:21:04.925
You get to a point where if you live in a hypervigilant state for too long, your body will shut down completely.
387
00:21:05.505 --> 00:21:13.369
And that's when we moved to coping mechanisms, alcohol, drugs, too much caffeine, too much working out, too many stimulants, Netflix binging, whatever you call it.
388
00:21:13.689 --> 00:21:20.413
And it might feel like it's coping in the moment, but all you're doing is delaying all the hardship, the trauma, the stored emotions for a new day.
389
00:21:21.356 --> 00:21:30.618
So for me, I've had the opportunity where I've worked really hard and my husband's like, Karina, just stop.
390
00:21:31.138 --> 00:21:31.538
Slow down.
391
00:21:32.359 --> 00:21:33.279
You don't have to do this.
392
00:21:33.439 --> 00:21:34.419
And I did for a minute.
393
00:21:34.959 --> 00:21:36.920
But I realized I love working.
394
00:21:37.160 --> 00:21:38.440
So how do you make that shift?
395
00:21:39.280 --> 00:21:43.701
And I know this might sound a bit privileged or I don't want to come across wrong.
396
00:21:44.181 --> 00:21:46.702
So straighten me up if I'm coming across wrong.
397
00:21:47.002 --> 00:21:50.644
But I love, that's why I started the big silence, to give back.
398
00:21:50.804 --> 00:21:56.608
I love doing things and connecting with people and community and healing lives.
399
00:21:56.628 --> 00:22:01.691
So where is that shift for you coming from that hustle culture?
400
00:22:01.711 --> 00:22:03.993
But you still, you work a lot.
401
00:22:04.273 --> 00:22:05.794
You're out there doing the thing.
402
00:22:05.994 --> 00:22:11.858
And at what point, if any, did that anxiety shift to joy?
403
00:22:12.418 --> 00:22:13.519
I catch myself.
404
00:22:13.939 --> 00:22:20.264
As I said, I lived in that hypervigilant state for so long that it's almost like that felt more comfortable for me.
405
00:22:20.765 --> 00:22:25.629
I felt like if I were to relax or not do enough, then I was being lazy, right?
406
00:22:26.049 --> 00:22:27.290
So like, nope, get off the couch.
407
00:22:27.390 --> 00:22:28.091
I couldn't nap.
408
00:22:28.231 --> 00:22:28.971
I couldn't rest.
409
00:22:29.071 --> 00:22:29.892
I couldn't take a break.
410
00:22:29.932 --> 00:22:30.713
I couldn't do any of that.
411
00:22:30.733 --> 00:22:32.534
I love napping now.
412
00:22:32.614 --> 00:22:35.376
Yeah, I'm learning how to nap at 44 years old.
413
00:22:35.457 --> 00:22:36.237
Isn't that crazy?
414
00:22:36.397 --> 00:22:36.637
I know.
415
00:22:36.658 --> 00:22:38.399
I'm like, I think I'm going to take a nap.
416
00:22:38.659 --> 00:22:39.540
Yeah, it's beautiful.
417
00:22:39.560 --> 00:22:42.002
I think I'm going to say no to that call because I'm busy.
418
00:22:42.022 --> 00:22:45.826
To give your body with rest, which by the way is scheduled at the ashram.
419
00:22:45.906 --> 00:22:47.047
Rest is scheduled.
420
00:22:47.067 --> 00:22:48.729
I think we all need to practice doing that.
421
00:22:49.169 --> 00:22:57.277
So today, like you and you're such a role model for women in this area, but turning your passion into purpose, right?
422
00:22:57.337 --> 00:22:58.218
That's the difference.
423
00:22:58.858 --> 00:23:09.343
So now when I catch myself like, oh my God, I'm speaking here today, doing this podcast, book offers coming up, growing my own podcast, interviewing guests, meeting with my clients one-on-one, like it's just, it's constant.
424
00:23:09.483 --> 00:23:11.384
But then I have to like, oh, you're doing it again.
425
00:23:11.404 --> 00:23:15.026
You're judging, you're criticizing, you're in that mode of hypervigilance.
426
00:23:15.466 --> 00:23:19.167
Pull back for a second and just like, hang on a second, I get to do this, right?
427
00:23:19.668 --> 00:23:24.430
And even today, you know, coming to meet you, I think the blessing is like, I get to do this.
428
00:23:24.470 --> 00:23:26.491
I get to help inspire other people.
429
00:23:26.991 --> 00:23:30.854
My hope is that one person is even inspired to make one single change, right?
430
00:23:30.874 --> 00:23:32.435
And like that feels really, really good.
431
00:23:33.035 --> 00:23:39.380
And I think that now I just came to terms with the freedom that comes with being who I am.
432
00:23:40.040 --> 00:23:42.702
Like, oh, I don't have to try to be like anyone else anymore.
433
00:23:42.722 --> 00:23:44.443
I don't have to fit into a mold anymore.
434
00:23:44.523 --> 00:23:46.805
So I get to just go out into the world.
435
00:23:46.825 --> 00:23:48.366
And I really do think that...
436
00:23:49.146 --> 00:23:54.848
An optimal healing journey ultimately becomes a journey of spirituality and consciousness.
437
00:23:55.168 --> 00:23:59.590
You're awakening the version of yourself within you that you came into this world as.
438
00:24:00.070 --> 00:24:04.292
So if you, Karina Daan, the day you were born, you came into this world as a note.
439
00:24:04.692 --> 00:24:06.953
This beautiful, vibrant, energetic note.
440
00:24:07.193 --> 00:24:13.694
And all you had to do was like, stay true to who you are and that path and sing your note really, really loud out into the world.
441
00:24:13.814 --> 00:24:22.236
But what happens to all of us is that that note, that light gets dimmed through not just our parents and our trauma, but even from like bullies.
442
00:24:22.296 --> 00:24:27.737
Children are mean growing up or shitty teachers, or maybe you had a sibling that just like destroyed things for you.
443
00:24:27.897 --> 00:24:28.177
Right.
444
00:24:28.518 --> 00:24:30.498
And so our light dims and dims and dims.
445
00:24:35.259 --> 00:24:39.943
do the work to remember who I am and what I really want and how I live my life.
446
00:24:40.043 --> 00:24:46.328
And I don't know if you've gone through this yet, but I feel like now I'm at an age where life is going by so fast.
447
00:24:46.928 --> 00:24:51.472
Like everything all of a sudden is just on fast forward and looking towards the end.
448
00:24:51.512 --> 00:24:54.074
Like, what do I really want to be doing with my time?
449
00:24:54.234 --> 00:24:55.155
How can I be of service?
450
00:24:55.175 --> 00:24:56.196
How do I want to be remembered?
451
00:24:56.216 --> 00:24:56.836
I know.
452
00:24:56.896 --> 00:25:00.659
I mean, my husband's like, you're turning 43 this year on Saturday.
453
00:25:00.679 --> 00:25:00.739
I'm
454
00:25:04.922 --> 00:25:09.388
Dear Bobby, who's 40 and had like a very hard time turning 40.
455
00:25:09.989 --> 00:25:16.537
But I think it's even with age, that's where you start to figure out like that doesn't matter.
456
00:25:17.525 --> 00:25:21.446
No, and I don't know about you, but I feel better in my body than ever before.
457
00:25:21.466 --> 00:25:22.067
I do too.
458
00:25:22.427 --> 00:25:25.028
More at ease with who I am than ever before.
459
00:25:25.048 --> 00:25:27.108
I feel like I'm falling in love.
460
00:25:27.148 --> 00:25:30.990
Like I said to that analogy, like trying to remember myself as a little girl.
461
00:25:31.050 --> 00:25:33.391
And I do this practice with my clients, actually.
462
00:25:33.851 --> 00:25:37.272
If we were to go just take a trip, and it's called timeline therapy and NLP.
463
00:25:37.872 --> 00:25:41.755
We go and visualize yourself as a kid before all this stuff happened.
464
00:25:42.316 --> 00:25:43.417
What colors were you wearing?
465
00:25:43.617 --> 00:25:44.998
How did you wear your hair?
466
00:25:45.138 --> 00:25:46.439
What shoes did you have on?
467
00:25:46.479 --> 00:25:47.820
What toys were you playing with?
468
00:25:47.860 --> 00:25:49.141
What were you doing at the playground?
469
00:25:49.762 --> 00:25:50.062
Right?
470
00:25:50.122 --> 00:25:51.243
There was a song in the background.
471
00:25:51.263 --> 00:25:52.384
What was the song playing?
472
00:25:52.924 --> 00:25:58.311
More often than not, I'm met with tears, like just the remembering of like, oh, my God, I remember.
473
00:25:58.331 --> 00:26:00.814
I used to be really confident just being me.
474
00:26:01.235 --> 00:26:07.282
Yeah, thinking if we're talking about the body specifically, I remember a moment in my childhood bedroom before I.
475
00:26:07.943 --> 00:26:11.365
all of the body shaming and stuff that went on as a teenager.
476
00:26:11.745 --> 00:26:18.169
And I was sitting in front of a mirror with my sister, my older sister, and I squeezed my leg and I laughed.
477
00:26:18.209 --> 00:26:19.730
I'm like, look, I create this.
478
00:26:20.230 --> 00:26:20.931
It was cellulite.
479
00:26:20.951 --> 00:26:22.412
I was like, how cute is that?
480
00:26:22.492 --> 00:26:24.033
Look, and you laugh about it.
481
00:26:24.633 --> 00:26:27.835
It's just a different thing where as a child, like that is fine.
482
00:26:27.895 --> 00:26:34.659
And then the world as an adult or a teenager, society's pressure really changes that.
483
00:26:34.899 --> 00:26:36.240
And then you become shameful.
484
00:26:37.070 --> 00:26:39.791
What I'm noticing now with my kids, so I was able to have kids.
485
00:26:39.811 --> 00:26:41.692
I had a brutal miscarriage.
486
00:26:41.732 --> 00:26:42.632
I miscarried twins.
487
00:26:42.772 --> 00:26:46.254
But after that, my daughter is seven and my son is 10.
488
00:26:46.954 --> 00:26:51.856
Every single night when I put them to bed, I'm telling them the things that I wish I had heard as a child.
489
00:26:52.476 --> 00:26:54.137
Don't ever try to be like anyone else.
490
00:26:54.637 --> 00:26:55.957
Be exactly who you are.
491
00:26:56.057 --> 00:26:59.859
You are amazing and incredible just the way that you are.
492
00:27:00.039 --> 00:27:02.920
Pure perfection, golden light, just happiness.
493
00:27:02.980 --> 00:27:03.921
Never dim your light.
494
00:27:04.441 --> 00:27:04.681
And...
495
00:27:05.221 --> 00:27:06.162
They're breathing it in.
496
00:27:06.242 --> 00:27:09.243
Like now when I say goodnight to them, I'll say those words.
497
00:27:09.783 --> 00:27:13.646
They take a deep breath and there's just like a sense of ease, right?
498
00:27:14.166 --> 00:27:21.230
Is there anything more safe, like a safer feeling in your body than just like the permission to be who you are and who you're meant to be?
499
00:27:21.250 --> 00:27:22.410
That's beautiful.
500
00:27:22.590 --> 00:27:28.874
I'm not a parent for many reasons, but I know I'd be a great one and I can see.
501
00:27:29.274 --> 00:27:30.114
You care in other ways.
502
00:27:30.375 --> 00:27:31.415
Yeah, I do.
503
00:27:31.635 --> 00:27:31.975
I do.
504
00:27:32.716 --> 00:27:34.177
Deeply in other ways.
505
00:27:34.377 --> 00:27:34.697
Yeah.
506
00:27:35.528 --> 00:27:37.249
Back to at-home ashram.
507
00:27:37.509 --> 00:27:37.889
Ashram.
508
00:27:37.949 --> 00:27:38.850
I know we could.
509
00:27:39.170 --> 00:27:40.671
Yeah, so build your ashram, right?
510
00:27:40.731 --> 00:27:42.972
So then we're going to go into sleep, right?
511
00:27:42.992 --> 00:27:48.234
So like we just mentioned, rest is such a priority for the body to heal itself.
512
00:27:48.314 --> 00:27:49.675
Your body can regenerate.
513
00:27:50.135 --> 00:27:51.015
And we forget this.
514
00:27:51.076 --> 00:27:55.958
Like if doctors recognize that, okay, well, there's an imbalance, but I know your body can heal itself.
515
00:27:56.578 --> 00:27:58.160
How do we work back to help it heal?
516
00:27:58.680 --> 00:27:58.960
Rest.
517
00:27:58.980 --> 00:28:00.361
What do you have to do after surgery?
518
00:28:00.662 --> 00:28:01.262
You have to sleep.
519
00:28:01.482 --> 00:28:02.223
You have to rest.
520
00:28:02.763 --> 00:28:08.148
So when you go into your bedroom, I want you to notice if there's any distractions, anything that could be stimulating for you.
521
00:28:08.168 --> 00:28:12.711
I tell my clients that your bedroom is meant for sleep, for sex, and for rest.
522
00:28:12.891 --> 00:28:13.252
That's it.
523
00:28:13.732 --> 00:28:16.193
Next, we want to go through, do you have blackout curtains?
524
00:28:16.693 --> 00:28:17.933
Is the temperature cool?
525
00:28:18.134 --> 00:28:20.474
Do you have sheets, hopefully, that are non-toxic?
526
00:28:20.554 --> 00:28:24.956
And I'm listening to myself speak, and for some people listening, it gets so expensive.
527
00:28:25.196 --> 00:28:27.397
Why is being well so expensive?
528
00:28:27.437 --> 00:28:31.898
Like buying non-toxic stuff, non-toxic cleaners, non-toxic food, organic.
529
00:28:32.318 --> 00:28:34.799
And it is really, really frustrating, but buy what's on sale.
530
00:28:35.219 --> 00:28:37.580
Take advantage of those things when they do come on sale.
531
00:28:38.060 --> 00:28:48.844
And just take your time turning your house into an ashram so that when you go home, you know that you're stepping into a space that's about creating the optimal version of you or for your family as well.
532
00:28:50.285 --> 00:28:51.685
Michael, halfway there.
533
00:28:51.865 --> 00:28:52.485
Halfway there.
534
00:28:52.505 --> 00:28:57.187
I mean, even if you're halfway, that's a lot of pressure, especially if you have kids and clutter.
535
00:28:57.207 --> 00:28:57.647
Totally.
536
00:28:58.027 --> 00:28:59.088
Yeah.
537
00:28:59.108 --> 00:29:01.549
That clutter drawer, which everyone has.
538
00:29:01.749 --> 00:29:04.850
I have a clutter room and a clutter hallway.
539
00:29:05.290 --> 00:29:05.810
And I get it.
540
00:29:05.830 --> 00:29:08.412
Like growing up, my dad would always say cluttered house is a cluttered mind.
541
00:29:08.512 --> 00:29:09.633
Cluttered house is a cluttered.
542
00:29:09.653 --> 00:29:10.994
And we all know it too, right?
543
00:29:11.014 --> 00:29:17.899
But I think that because we've become so busy in life today, we're putting our own health and well-being aspects to the side.
544
00:29:18.059 --> 00:29:19.220
We put them off till later.
545
00:29:19.801 --> 00:29:25.345
And, you know, if you paid for a practitioner to work with you, they would partner with you in creating a schedule.
546
00:29:25.765 --> 00:29:27.866
Here's the schedule for how to do your food prep.
547
00:29:28.326 --> 00:29:33.948
Here's the schedule for the one day that you're going to clean out that drawer or that closet or throw away those old things.
548
00:29:33.968 --> 00:29:36.269
Like, just create a schedule so that you know what's happening.
549
00:29:36.749 --> 00:29:38.570
And then you won't have that constant overwhelm.
550
00:29:38.670 --> 00:29:42.311
Like I said, that open tab at the back of your brain that's just, like, draining energy.
551
00:29:42.351 --> 00:29:42.891
Like, ugh.
552
00:29:43.572 --> 00:29:45.332
Just make the space and get it done.
553
00:29:45.572 --> 00:29:50.754
Yeah, I definitely, each day, I'm, like, one little task of cleaning and decluttering.
554
00:29:50.974 --> 00:29:51.514
You got it.
555
00:29:51.855 --> 00:29:52.755
The Big Silencio.
556
00:29:54.818 --> 00:30:01.422
I want to talk about how you became a private chef for Will Smith, Jay Shetty.
557
00:30:01.702 --> 00:30:02.123
Who else?
558
00:30:02.843 --> 00:30:05.545
Julian F. I've worked with a handful of other celebrities.
559
00:30:06.928 --> 00:30:11.251
And how you got to that point from your corporate job?
560
00:30:11.851 --> 00:30:12.231
Yeah.
561
00:30:12.291 --> 00:30:20.736
So when I became a nutritionist, again, just for my own healing journey, I somehow started teaching yoga in Toronto, working with NHL players there.
562
00:30:20.956 --> 00:30:24.838
And my first nutrition client was Jonathan, the Property Brothers.
563
00:30:24.898 --> 00:30:25.959
Jonathan, do you know who he is?
564
00:30:25.979 --> 00:30:27.600
Oh, yeah, yeah.
565
00:30:27.660 --> 00:30:29.221
I was like, I really enjoy this.
566
00:30:29.321 --> 00:30:29.601
And like,
567
00:30:29.901 --> 00:30:33.685
He was having some success in changing the way that he eats and stuff like that.
568
00:30:33.905 --> 00:30:40.211
Flash forward, we ended up moving to Los Angeles and just like trying to be active and getting to know other people and networking and stuff like that.
569
00:30:40.231 --> 00:30:44.095
And I met this great doctor and this doctor said, I think I have a client for you.
570
00:30:44.416 --> 00:30:46.258
Be available tomorrow at 12 o'clock.
571
00:30:46.318 --> 00:30:47.138
Just pick up your phone.
572
00:30:47.779 --> 00:30:50.902
I was like, all right, pick up my phone the next day at 12 o'clock.
573
00:30:50.962 --> 00:30:53.044
And the voice on the other end said, hey, Mona, it's Will Smith.
574
00:30:54.666 --> 00:30:57.587
Oh, and like you don't mistake that voice, right?
575
00:30:58.247 --> 00:31:00.709
Yeah, he was such a gift.
576
00:31:00.769 --> 00:31:04.471
They had me on the Red Table Talk show working with him and his family.
577
00:31:04.491 --> 00:31:07.152
I took them through everything that I'm talking to you about today.
578
00:31:07.172 --> 00:31:11.074
I just like this holistic approach and how to optimize their health inside and out.
579
00:31:11.675 --> 00:31:15.997
And that really, I guess, put me on the radar and opened up the door to other opportunities and stuff like that.
580
00:31:16.057 --> 00:31:17.197
So super grateful.
581
00:31:17.718 --> 00:31:19.078
Love that family until this day.
582
00:31:19.279 --> 00:31:20.159
What you see is what you get.
583
00:31:20.179 --> 00:31:21.620
They're just incredible people.
584
00:31:22.413 --> 00:31:27.679
And so then you transition to not doing one-on-one nutrition clients.
585
00:31:27.719 --> 00:31:28.600
So where are you today?
586
00:31:28.921 --> 00:31:30.723
Still working with one-on-one people.
587
00:31:30.843 --> 00:31:33.226
You know, I've had a great few years with a guy named Jesse Itzler.
588
00:31:33.246 --> 00:31:33.946
Do you know who he is?
589
00:31:33.966 --> 00:31:34.387
Oh, yeah.
590
00:31:34.407 --> 00:31:34.907
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
591
00:31:34.927 --> 00:31:35.768
Well, his wife.
592
00:31:36.269 --> 00:31:36.910
Sarah Blakely.
593
00:31:37.150 --> 00:31:37.450
Yes.
594
00:31:37.791 --> 00:31:38.151
Spanx.
595
00:31:38.231 --> 00:31:40.534
I don't know them, but I love them.
596
00:31:40.654 --> 00:31:41.335
They're so funny.
597
00:31:41.495 --> 00:31:42.435
They're so great.
598
00:31:42.515 --> 00:31:42.796
Yeah.
599
00:31:42.836 --> 00:31:44.836
I'm like really lucky to work with all these people.
600
00:31:44.856 --> 00:31:45.137
Yeah.
601
00:31:45.697 --> 00:31:49.779
And Jesse, he did these adventure retreats for about three or four years that we were part of.
602
00:31:49.919 --> 00:31:59.483
And in this weird way, what he was doing was the same aspect of an ashram, getting yourself into nature, prioritizing moving, prioritizing your mental health.
603
00:32:00.003 --> 00:32:01.505
eating real food from the earth.
604
00:32:01.645 --> 00:32:04.308
Jesse's a great advocate for eating really great, healthy food.
605
00:32:04.969 --> 00:32:14.040
And from there, I still work with some clients one-on-one, like people who are really committed to just dressing it and like really taking healing from the inside out in the same way that I approach it.
606
00:32:14.501 --> 00:32:17.805
And then I launched my podcast, Rooted in Wellness, which I love and like the
607
00:32:18.280 --> 00:32:25.442
The intention on everything that we're speaking to today, it's time for us to merge ancient wisdom with modern medicine, right?
608
00:32:25.562 --> 00:32:29.183
You and I, at some point, we needed modern medicine and the gifts that it has.
609
00:32:29.223 --> 00:32:36.306
And by the way, modern medicine is doing some incredible things in terms of understanding our biology and preventing disease, right?
610
00:32:36.706 --> 00:32:40.587
And once in a while, we do need medication, but it is a very antiquated system also.
611
00:32:41.167 --> 00:32:46.869
They need to learn about nutrition and more about mental health and how to heal the body outside of prescription drugs.
612
00:32:47.469 --> 00:33:00.083
So if they were to merge that with, you know, these 5,000-year-old practices that come from ancient wisdom, just imagine what would it be like if you were to go to the doctor and the waiting room was now instead a guided breathwork practice before you see your doctor.
613
00:33:00.744 --> 00:33:06.370
And when you leave, if you're given a prescription drug, it also comes with a personalized food protocol.
614
00:33:06.830 --> 00:33:09.634
And maybe some supplements and an actual game plan.
615
00:33:09.654 --> 00:33:11.776
Okay, like three months from now, we're going to meet again.
616
00:33:11.796 --> 00:33:14.339
We're going to see if the inflammation has gone down on your body.
617
00:33:14.359 --> 00:33:16.382
We're going to see if your digestion has improved.
618
00:33:16.402 --> 00:33:18.044
We're going to see if your mental health has improved.
619
00:33:18.444 --> 00:33:20.386
And so you actually have a partner in healing.
620
00:33:20.406 --> 00:33:22.689
And I pray that that's the future of health.
621
00:33:22.789 --> 00:33:25.873
We talk about integrative health medicine, but we don't practice it yet.
622
00:33:26.133 --> 00:33:27.394
And it's wild to me.
623
00:33:27.594 --> 00:33:30.555
And I had this conversation when my mom was in the hospital.
624
00:33:30.835 --> 00:33:35.337
I'm like, don't you want to know why she's having all these GI problems, these bleeds?
625
00:33:35.757 --> 00:33:37.018
Do you ask her what she's eating?
626
00:33:37.078 --> 00:33:37.438
Have you?
627
00:33:37.658 --> 00:33:41.140
I was like, she has a history of schizophrenia and depression.
628
00:33:41.200 --> 00:33:41.960
Like, how do we?
629
00:33:42.000 --> 00:33:44.722
They're like, and the doctor literally got mad at me.
630
00:33:45.822 --> 00:33:48.423
And said, we don't deal with mental health.
631
00:33:48.623 --> 00:33:50.083
We deal with physical.
632
00:33:51.023 --> 00:33:52.383
But it's intertwined.
633
00:33:52.923 --> 00:33:56.684
At what point are we going to have that integration?
634
00:33:57.084 --> 00:33:57.544
Oh, my God.
635
00:33:57.864 --> 00:33:58.625
It made me so mad.
636
00:33:58.785 --> 00:34:01.045
A doctor recently told me that leaky gut doesn't exist.
637
00:34:01.565 --> 00:34:03.186
Careful what you need to see on social media.
638
00:34:03.346 --> 00:34:04.306
Leaky gut doesn't exist.
639
00:34:04.346 --> 00:34:05.606
I'm just like, are you kidding me?
640
00:34:05.626 --> 00:34:06.146
Oh, yeah.
641
00:34:06.206 --> 00:34:09.767
And my mother, after having a portion of her colon removed, the doctor's like, yeah, you're fine.
642
00:34:09.787 --> 00:34:11.067
Go into McDonald's if you need it.
643
00:34:11.127 --> 00:34:12.267
That's what's easiest for you.
644
00:34:12.287 --> 00:34:14.808
Yeah, my mom had a portion of her colon removed, too.
645
00:34:15.228 --> 00:34:15.488
Yeah.
646
00:34:16.188 --> 00:34:17.989
So frustrating, right?
647
00:34:18.610 --> 00:34:24.994
So I really hope that the future of medicine has to change because what we see now is that the system is broken.
648
00:34:25.034 --> 00:34:33.059
Like this is the first time in the past 50 years that the life expectancy in the U.S. has actually declined in comparison to the rest of the world.
649
00:34:33.099 --> 00:34:34.420
We spend more on...
650
00:34:35.020 --> 00:34:38.583
health and wellness and on our medical system than ever before.
651
00:34:38.704 --> 00:34:40.045
But these numbers are going down.
652
00:34:40.625 --> 00:34:46.331
So would you say you have to be your own advocate, go to the doctor, listen to them?
653
00:34:46.371 --> 00:34:53.837
But at the same time, there's a lot of blood work companies that then can provide supplements for you these days.
654
00:34:54.538 --> 00:34:56.900
And supplement world is also coming a little bit like the Wild West.
655
00:34:57.020 --> 00:34:57.221
Yeah.
656
00:34:57.961 --> 00:35:07.449
And some really reputable, amazing supplement companies that I loved, I just found out like they often get bought out by companies like Nestle that makes chocolate bars, right?
657
00:35:07.569 --> 00:35:09.231
Like, is the intention still the same?
658
00:35:09.331 --> 00:35:11.993
Is the efficacy and the quality of ingredients still the same?
659
00:35:12.413 --> 00:35:20.520
When you read the back of the label, which is so important to do, whether it's a supplement or a food or a personal care product, all of a sudden the ingredients change.
660
00:35:20.560 --> 00:35:22.602
So you really do have to be in control.
661
00:35:22.622 --> 00:35:22.722
Yeah.
662
00:35:23.322 --> 00:35:26.665
60% of the population in the U.S. has one chronic disease.
663
00:35:26.745 --> 00:35:29.007
40% has two chronic diseases.
664
00:35:29.427 --> 00:35:34.031
Over 40 million people in the U.S. are suffering from some sort of anxiety-related disorder or depression.
665
00:35:34.532 --> 00:35:37.414
And these numbers are all now targeting our kids.
666
00:35:37.654 --> 00:35:39.636
There's a rise of cancer amongst children.
667
00:35:39.676 --> 00:35:41.397
Depression is happening earlier.
668
00:35:41.717 --> 00:35:45.761
Men and boys, the testosterone is dropping by 50%, right?
669
00:35:46.061 --> 00:35:48.163
Girls are going through puberty so much sooner, so...
670
00:35:48.703 --> 00:35:52.445
We see in flashing red lights that the system is broken.
671
00:35:52.705 --> 00:35:54.987
And I'm all for science.
672
00:35:55.347 --> 00:36:05.632
But when I don't have access to the science, and for example, if I do take one of my clients to the ashram and they feel a difference, now that I've been doing that for 15 years, that trumps anything, right?
673
00:36:05.653 --> 00:36:09.915
I don't need to see the data if I know that my client, one, they see the physical changes happening.
674
00:36:10.335 --> 00:36:11.296
Their emotions feel better.
675
00:36:11.316 --> 00:36:12.296
Their sleep is optimized.
676
00:36:12.316 --> 00:36:13.457
Their bowel movements are better.
677
00:36:13.477 --> 00:36:13.597
Right.
678
00:36:13.797 --> 00:36:14.638
then that's all you need.
679
00:36:14.658 --> 00:36:22.969
And I think it does take quite a bit of ownership to really understand that and the initiative to really find a doctor that's your partner in healing as well.
680
00:36:23.169 --> 00:36:25.532
And there's lots of amazing resources online.
681
00:36:26.012 --> 00:36:29.517
Never self-diagnose with Dr. Google and stuff like that.
682
00:36:29.537 --> 00:36:30.418
Dr. Google's the worst.
683
00:36:30.678 --> 00:36:42.722
But definitely, you know, take in as much education as you can so that when your doctor who wears that white lab coat, we'd mentioned that I felt like my power was taken away because this professional is in front of me.
684
00:36:42.762 --> 00:36:43.362
He knows best.
685
00:36:43.402 --> 00:36:43.923
I know nothing.
686
00:36:44.043 --> 00:36:44.263
Right.
687
00:36:44.743 --> 00:36:48.264
That doesn't exist anymore because we know that their form of training is very antiquated.
688
00:36:48.344 --> 00:36:52.125
So go in with questions, write them down on paper so that you don't feel nervous when you're there.
689
00:36:52.145 --> 00:36:56.707
I do this with my mom and I'm amazed like the doctor that my mom has today is,
690
00:36:57.287 --> 00:36:59.871
He actually gave her a meditation app to practice.
691
00:37:00.311 --> 00:37:01.213
I was shocked.
692
00:37:01.553 --> 00:37:01.934
Yeah.
693
00:37:02.334 --> 00:37:06.640
I sent Bobby's dad some meditations, but I don't think he listened.
694
00:37:06.660 --> 00:37:08.363
He's going through a big health problem right now.
695
00:37:08.463 --> 00:37:11.707
But I do believe that meditation can be so healing.
696
00:37:12.348 --> 00:37:12.648
Totally.
697
00:37:12.668 --> 00:37:13.469
And that's a good point too.
698
00:37:13.509 --> 00:37:14.269
I love that you brought that up.
699
00:37:14.329 --> 00:37:15.290
I'm talking about my mom.
700
00:37:15.310 --> 00:37:17.951
You're talking about your mother and your father-in-law right now.
701
00:37:18.351 --> 00:37:20.713
So I said the life expectancy in the U S is going down.
702
00:37:21.113 --> 00:37:25.515
The last 10 years that we have in our life are really like, they're not quality years.
703
00:37:25.616 --> 00:37:26.696
We're in nursing homes.
704
00:37:26.736 --> 00:37:27.897
We're being shipped off.
705
00:37:27.937 --> 00:37:29.838
We're guaranteed that we're going to be sick.
706
00:37:30.358 --> 00:37:32.860
We're going to have like lots of health issues, be on medications.
707
00:37:32.920 --> 00:37:33.200
It's like.
708
00:37:33.660 --> 00:37:36.621
We're working so hard to heal now, but for what?
709
00:37:37.401 --> 00:37:42.283
So I would say like, when I'm working with my clients, it's so important for you to adopt a why.
710
00:37:42.843 --> 00:37:47.204
My why when I was in my 20s was, how do I get the number on the scale to look like this?
711
00:37:47.784 --> 00:37:49.805
How do I fit that skirt or those pants?
712
00:37:50.245 --> 00:37:51.386
How do I get rid of my acne?
713
00:37:51.406 --> 00:37:53.906
Like all of these like external physical things, right?
714
00:37:54.326 --> 00:37:55.547
And now my why is...
715
00:37:56.127 --> 00:38:08.718
How do I make it so that when I'm 100, 110, because gosh, it's probably likely that you and I can live that long, or I still have my strength and my mental health and my posture and my vitality.
716
00:38:09.139 --> 00:38:11.701
How can I go hiking with a grandkid on my back at that age?
717
00:38:11.741 --> 00:38:15.824
And I literally feel I can see that moment so clearly within my body.
718
00:38:16.645 --> 00:38:26.773
And if your why is so big and important to you and you can make it feel real, it's only natural that the decisions that you make are going to align with the version of yourself that you want to become.
719
00:38:26.833 --> 00:38:28.234
So it has to be a priority.
720
00:38:28.795 --> 00:38:29.675
Don't just hope for the best.
721
00:38:30.396 --> 00:38:30.916
I love that.
722
00:38:30.956 --> 00:38:31.257
Yeah.
723
00:38:31.397 --> 00:38:35.340
My why these days, I'm like, Bobby, I just want to live in joy.
724
00:38:35.360 --> 00:38:36.080
I don't care.
725
00:38:36.100 --> 00:38:41.345
And obviously I care what I look like here and there, but I just want to love our life.
726
00:38:41.525 --> 00:38:41.905
Yeah.
727
00:38:41.985 --> 00:38:42.986
And less stress.
728
00:38:46.216 --> 00:38:55.405
I want to talk about hydration, not just gut health, mental health, because I feel like a lot of people are dehydrated in this world.
729
00:38:55.445 --> 00:39:00.390
I was just taking a sip of my big old water and I have some electrolytes in there, too.
730
00:39:00.450 --> 00:39:02.472
But just your thoughts on hydration.
731
00:39:03.499 --> 00:39:10.589
I think it's going to be different for everyone based on, you know, the climate that you're in, your type of lifestyle, also the types of foods that you're eating.
732
00:39:11.070 --> 00:39:15.556
Generally, the consensus, though, when people increase their water intake, they tend to feel better.
733
00:39:15.997 --> 00:39:20.183
From an Ayurvedic perspective, we typically prescribe not having iced water.
734
00:39:20.763 --> 00:39:43.154
ice if you think about your digestive fire your agni it needs to stay hot so when you pour ice on top of it it could deplete your digestion and just notice if that maybe improves your digestion so a good rule of thumb is to definitely aim for over a liter a day if it feels good to get to two liters a day and your urine isn't clear and you're not running to the bathroom all the time taking small tiny sips throughout the day away from your meals
735
00:39:43.654 --> 00:39:45.336
And then I really like boosting my water.
736
00:39:45.456 --> 00:39:50.743
So adding things like a Baja Gold sea salt, or there's an amazing company called Beam.
737
00:39:50.984 --> 00:39:51.605
Have you tried Beam?
738
00:39:52.586 --> 00:39:58.414
I'm not even connected with them, but they've got minerals and electrolytes that you can put into your water that doesn't taste like anything.
739
00:39:58.774 --> 00:40:01.737
We don't think about our body losing electrolytes or losing minerals.
740
00:40:01.777 --> 00:40:06.422
And minerals are so important to our brain function, our hormones, our bones and stuff like that.
741
00:40:06.482 --> 00:40:08.263
So really boosting your water.
742
00:40:08.444 --> 00:40:12.307
And if you're somebody who has a hard time drinking water, put some fruit in it.
743
00:40:12.447 --> 00:40:17.332
Put the organic berries or some apple or some lemon or orange, whatever feels good.
744
00:40:17.352 --> 00:40:20.856
And most importantly, I would say love on herbal teas.
745
00:40:21.396 --> 00:40:27.479
At the ashram, we drink so many different types of herbal teas because herbs are medicinal, literally as nature's medicine.
746
00:40:27.539 --> 00:40:37.205
So at home, please make sure that you've got a beautiful spice cabinet, maybe grow some fresh herbs on your counter, adding rosemary to your water, peppermint to your water, or drinking those types of teas.
747
00:40:37.705 --> 00:40:39.066
Tulsi tea is great.
748
00:40:39.146 --> 00:40:41.667
Ashwagandha tea is really great for minimizing stress.
749
00:40:42.267 --> 00:40:46.670
Green tea is really supportive for longevity because of the L-theanine that's in it also.
750
00:40:46.770 --> 00:40:48.811
So try to get at least a cup of green tea a day also.
751
00:40:49.218 --> 00:40:50.699
But what if you don't want caffeine?
752
00:40:50.939 --> 00:40:54.182
Like I'm not a caffeine person because I have anxiety.
753
00:40:55.163 --> 00:40:56.364
Oh my gosh, you would hate this.
754
00:40:56.644 --> 00:41:06.753
But I'm going to tell you, years ago, let's say 10 years ago, I would wake up, have a shot of espresso to then go walk to the coffee shop and get a triple espresso.
755
00:41:07.393 --> 00:41:10.536
Come home, do a little workout, get ready for work, go to the office.
756
00:41:10.656 --> 00:41:14.159
My assistant would have a triple espresso ready for me at the desk.
757
00:41:14.479 --> 00:41:17.042
And then at least a double or a triple around 2 or 3 p.m.
758
00:41:19.035 --> 00:41:19.575
Isn't that insane?
759
00:41:19.595 --> 00:41:20.296
Sister, I see you.
760
00:41:20.316 --> 00:41:22.637
When I was in corporate world, the exact same thing.
761
00:41:22.657 --> 00:41:28.600
Yeah, having caffeine now, I used to drink the same venti latte at like three o'clock in the afternoon.
762
00:41:28.620 --> 00:41:30.982
If I did that today, I would be wired.
763
00:41:31.502 --> 00:41:35.664
I stopped because with my mom, I had so much anxiety that I stopped drinking caffeine.
764
00:41:35.684 --> 00:41:36.985
And then I was like, oh, I don't really need it.
765
00:41:37.005 --> 00:41:38.806
I've kind of like eased in.
766
00:41:38.846 --> 00:41:43.629
Like people know I might have like one sip of coffee or I love ketone IQ.
767
00:41:43.729 --> 00:41:43.949
Yeah.
768
00:41:44.289 --> 00:41:45.770
Love, love ketones.
769
00:41:46.130 --> 00:41:47.491
Stuff like that just for energy.
770
00:41:47.931 --> 00:41:49.092
So what's the deal with coffee?
771
00:41:49.212 --> 00:41:50.692
So coffee can be toxic.
772
00:41:51.172 --> 00:41:56.034
If you go to Starbucks, just stop because the coffee is full of mold and pesticides and toxins.
773
00:41:56.274 --> 00:42:06.638
And then you're pouring this insanely hot liquid into a cup that's rimmed with plastic and plastics and all these microplastics are now being found in our bodies, but also in umbilical cords.
774
00:42:06.678 --> 00:42:07.419
Like it's crazy.
775
00:42:07.439 --> 00:42:07.879
Okay.
776
00:42:08.459 --> 00:42:10.720
So take your own cup of coffee if you're going to go somewhere.
777
00:42:10.800 --> 00:42:14.342
Find an organic coffee barista if you love coffee.
778
00:42:14.362 --> 00:42:15.322
And that's with me.
779
00:42:15.422 --> 00:42:18.143
I love the taste, the smell, the aroma.
780
00:42:18.163 --> 00:42:20.104
Like I love everything about coffee.
781
00:42:20.164 --> 00:42:22.845
But again, my blueprint is anxiety, right?
782
00:42:22.865 --> 00:42:25.466
So when I have it, it's like, I remember this feeling.
783
00:42:25.506 --> 00:42:28.708
It feels really good to be agitated and like up and like go, go, go.
784
00:42:29.588 --> 00:42:33.590
So now I can have a coffee, but it's typically after 10 o'clock.
785
00:42:33.990 --> 00:42:37.252
It's typically with food also, and I'll brew at home.
786
00:42:37.452 --> 00:42:46.977
So you want to look for brands of coffee that are really clean, that are tested for mold because coffees carry a lot of mold that are organic also, and you want to store it in a dry place.
787
00:42:46.997 --> 00:42:49.638
I think a lot of people store their coffee in the fridge or freezer.
788
00:42:49.738 --> 00:42:49.898
Yeah.
789
00:42:50.038 --> 00:42:52.700
That's a, Bobby is a big caffeine person.
790
00:42:52.760 --> 00:42:53.140
It's in a,
791
00:42:53.500 --> 00:42:57.363
So you're not supposed to because moisture builds up on the inside.
792
00:42:57.423 --> 00:43:01.125
So every time you take it out, the moisture will turn into mold over time.
793
00:43:01.465 --> 00:43:01.745
Yeah.
794
00:43:02.366 --> 00:43:05.047
So yeah, love on your coffee, but be mindful of your hormones.
795
00:43:05.107 --> 00:43:07.969
So if I do have coffee now, like I said, it's a great brand.
796
00:43:08.269 --> 00:43:09.890
There's so many Four Sigmatic.
797
00:43:09.990 --> 00:43:13.192
Dave Asprey's got his Danger Coffee, which is really great.
798
00:43:14.553 --> 00:43:15.893
Yeah, there's Purity Coffee.
799
00:43:15.973 --> 00:43:17.094
There's so many great brands.
800
00:43:17.114 --> 00:43:19.895
Did you connect with the Four Sigmatic founder?
801
00:43:19.915 --> 00:43:20.755
He's here in Austin.
802
00:43:20.995 --> 00:43:21.715
Oh, is he really?
803
00:43:21.755 --> 00:43:21.955
Yeah.
804
00:43:22.155 --> 00:43:23.676
Oh, he's loved Four Sigmatic.
805
00:43:23.756 --> 00:43:24.216
Yeah.
806
00:43:24.556 --> 00:43:26.297
I know his wife, Cora Skinner.
807
00:43:26.977 --> 00:43:29.218
We, in our 20s, modeled together.
808
00:43:29.478 --> 00:43:30.178
Great.
809
00:43:30.218 --> 00:43:31.018
No way.
810
00:43:31.418 --> 00:43:32.098
What a lovely family.
811
00:43:32.118 --> 00:43:34.019
Now they have like three boys or something together.
812
00:43:34.059 --> 00:43:37.321
Yeah, what's great about their coffee is that they've got adaptogens added to it.
813
00:43:37.641 --> 00:43:40.222
Another brand is Strong Coffee, which I really, really love.
814
00:43:40.262 --> 00:43:41.823
Paleo Valley is a great coffee.
815
00:43:41.863 --> 00:43:44.144
That's organic, mold-tested, pesticide-free.
816
00:43:44.184 --> 00:43:48.907
So just stand for a coffee that's actually going to work for you if it's going to have benefits for you also.
817
00:43:52.868 --> 00:43:53.629
So many things.
818
00:43:54.149 --> 00:43:54.929
So many things.
819
00:43:54.949 --> 00:43:55.610
So many things.
820
00:43:55.690 --> 00:43:57.131
It can be very overwhelming.
821
00:43:57.151 --> 00:43:57.431
Yeah.
822
00:43:57.511 --> 00:43:59.072
And let's hover on that for a second.
823
00:43:59.152 --> 00:44:05.116
So for people, if anyone's just like, oh, you know, they're inspired to take action on one or two or three things today.
824
00:44:05.156 --> 00:44:10.840
That was my last question was, what's one wellness myth you wish people would stop believing?
825
00:44:10.880 --> 00:44:13.122
But maybe you can also simplify.
826
00:44:13.362 --> 00:44:14.082
I'll tie that in.
827
00:44:14.122 --> 00:44:14.823
Yeah, tie that in.
828
00:44:15.223 --> 00:44:23.588
So if I was working with you, we would hop on our first assessment call and I would ask you, what are the three imbalances that you're suffering with that I can help you take away?
829
00:44:23.608 --> 00:44:25.849
I want everyone to put that down on paper.
830
00:44:26.150 --> 00:44:27.290
And then you can do this yourself.
831
00:44:27.450 --> 00:44:36.996
So if you're looking at things like digestive issues, like poor sleep or anxiety, what are the three things that are happening at your home or in your life that are contributing to your imbalances?
832
00:44:37.396 --> 00:44:38.037
And start there.
833
00:44:38.677 --> 00:44:39.378
That's it.
834
00:44:39.618 --> 00:44:41.220
Don't do a crazy overhaul.
835
00:44:41.560 --> 00:44:44.063
I'm telling you now, officially diets don't work.
836
00:44:44.103 --> 00:44:45.224
There is no red pill.
837
00:44:45.264 --> 00:44:47.287
There is no best fad or diet.
838
00:44:47.607 --> 00:44:49.749
You really need to figure out what works best for you.
839
00:44:49.970 --> 00:44:52.733
And to do that, I look at my client's biology.
840
00:44:52.773 --> 00:44:54.575
So like, make sure you're getting a blood lab done.
841
00:44:55.095 --> 00:45:18.279
once if not twice a year and a full spectrum full panel bud lab for every single system in your body check on your inflammatory markers check on your blood glucose also check on your cholesterol level so that you can actually just know what and why you're supposed to be eating and what and why you're supposed to be taking in terms of supplements because with supplements whatever you see happening or trending on instagram might not be good for you
842
00:45:19.399 --> 00:45:21.740
So really tailor it down to those three things.
843
00:45:22.140 --> 00:45:25.521
And in terms of like, okay, so not dieting is the first one.
844
00:45:26.261 --> 00:45:28.862
The biggest myth I would say is like that carbs are bad.
845
00:45:29.202 --> 00:45:31.062
Carbs can be so beautiful for you.
846
00:45:31.262 --> 00:45:33.383
And we talk about gut health a lot today.
847
00:45:34.063 --> 00:45:43.526
In order to diversify your gut microbiome and the trillions of gut cells within you, you want to feed the good bacteria and they love fiber.
848
00:45:44.006 --> 00:45:45.606
Fiber that comes from vegetables.
849
00:45:45.646 --> 00:45:47.487
And I know that you've all heard of eating the rainbow.
850
00:45:47.507 --> 00:45:47.607
Yeah.
851
00:45:48.067 --> 00:45:53.991
Eat the rainbow, reds, greens, purples, blues, everything, and build your fiber intake up over time.
852
00:45:54.051 --> 00:46:04.638
Don't do it all right away, but I would love to kind of partner with you in getting to 25 or 35 grams of fiber slowly, but from foods that come from the earth, not foods that come from boxes.
853
00:46:05.318 --> 00:46:10.922
And instead just focused on, it's like these ultra processed foods that we know are causing us some harm, right?
854
00:46:11.302 --> 00:46:13.203
So turn the box over at the ashram.
855
00:46:13.223 --> 00:46:15.965
We say anything that comes from a box is like it's dead food.
856
00:46:15.985 --> 00:46:16.185
Okay.
857
00:46:16.405 --> 00:46:16.645
Right.
858
00:46:16.805 --> 00:46:19.387
There's no life force, no energy to it whatsoever.
859
00:46:19.407 --> 00:46:21.629
So just minimize your intake of those foods.
860
00:46:21.709 --> 00:46:28.474
If you don't know what the ingredient is, neither will your body and it probably won't serve your health, your happiness, your energy, your sex drive.
861
00:46:28.695 --> 00:46:29.075
None of it.
862
00:46:29.255 --> 00:46:29.475
Right.
863
00:46:30.116 --> 00:46:34.059
So, yeah, increasing your fiber, but love on carbs that come from the earth at every single meal.
864
00:46:34.659 --> 00:46:39.663
So would you say that's a myth that people need to stop believing is avoid carbs?
865
00:46:40.005 --> 00:46:42.567
Yeah, and like some people do well with pasta.
866
00:46:42.587 --> 00:46:43.468
Some people don't.
867
00:46:43.568 --> 00:46:47.651
For me, I noticed that when I cut out gluten, my anxiety actually goes down.
868
00:46:47.671 --> 00:46:49.573
Yeah, and you can do tests for this too.
869
00:46:49.633 --> 00:46:53.736
So you might not be celiac, but you might have non-reactive gluten sensitivity.
870
00:46:54.037 --> 00:46:55.598
There's great labs that can test for this.
871
00:46:55.618 --> 00:46:59.301
If you want to do a genetic test, you can actually figure out a lot of things about you.
872
00:46:59.381 --> 00:47:05.046
So your sleep chronotype, whether you're a fast caffeine metabolizer or a slow caffeine metabolizer,
873
00:47:05.526 --> 00:47:15.076
the types of exercises that are best suited for your constitution, your methylation pathways to see the types of supplements that you should be taking or the ones that just don't work for your physiology.
874
00:47:15.637 --> 00:47:24.767
The more information that you can get to really understand your constitution and your body and your cells and everything allows you to really take control over your health.
875
00:47:25.452 --> 00:47:30.634
And I know that sounds like a lot again, but it really doesn't have to be.
876
00:47:31.094 --> 00:47:34.695
And I feel like your newsletter would be a great place to start.
877
00:47:35.015 --> 00:47:35.655
Absolutely.
878
00:47:35.715 --> 00:47:35.955
Yeah.
879
00:47:35.975 --> 00:47:36.895
So I send out my newsletter.
880
00:47:36.916 --> 00:47:41.637
Anyone, if you go to monasharma.com, you'll have access to the foundations that we've talked about.
881
00:47:41.717 --> 00:47:47.639
So like these things that help you get rooted in your wellness and the pillars that you can start with and doing an audit of your house.
882
00:47:48.239 --> 00:47:49.579
I will guide you through all of that.
883
00:47:49.719 --> 00:47:51.400
And through my newsletter, you'll get lots of tips.
884
00:47:51.800 --> 00:47:54.961
I will only ever support brands that I love and stand behind.
885
00:47:55.561 --> 00:48:01.562
So I'll never recommend something for the sake of recommending in the world of influencer land like we were talking about before.
886
00:48:01.582 --> 00:48:02.222
Yeah.
887
00:48:03.243 --> 00:48:05.783
Yeah, we've got to make a stand as women.
888
00:48:05.803 --> 00:48:06.403
We do.
889
00:48:06.523 --> 00:48:07.344
No more suffering.
890
00:48:07.504 --> 00:48:07.884
Exactly.
891
00:48:07.924 --> 00:48:08.964
You are your healer.
892
00:48:09.084 --> 00:48:09.944
Just own that.
893
00:48:10.104 --> 00:48:10.764
I'm a healer.
894
00:48:10.884 --> 00:48:13.565
I can take control over what I want to do and how I want to feel.
895
00:48:13.585 --> 00:48:16.986
And it doesn't have to start on Monday and it doesn't have to start on January 1st.
896
00:48:17.006 --> 00:48:17.966
It can start tonight.
897
00:48:18.446 --> 00:48:19.927
And start this minute.
898
00:48:20.247 --> 00:48:21.107
Go have a glass of water.
899
00:48:21.607 --> 00:48:22.388
Take a deep breath.
900
00:48:24.949 --> 00:48:28.450
Maybe acknowledge something that you're ready to let go of, an emotion.
901
00:48:28.470 --> 00:48:38.694
Notice when you're a critic or a judge in your mind, and if there's like a behavior that needs to stop, find a resource or a practitioner that can really help guide you because there's no need for you to suffer.
902
00:48:38.715 --> 00:48:39.635
This life is too short.
903
00:48:40.255 --> 00:48:40.836
I love that.
904
00:48:40.896 --> 00:48:45.220
And I fully agree with that, where we have that choice of suffering.
905
00:48:45.260 --> 00:48:50.024
And I know for some people, they don't know, they don't believe that.
906
00:48:50.724 --> 00:48:53.467
But there are the resources asking for help.
907
00:48:53.847 --> 00:48:57.530
There are people who want to help and hold your hand and walk you through this journey.
908
00:48:57.838 --> 00:48:59.439
Especially with mental health.
909
00:48:59.539 --> 00:49:02.960
God, if you're suffering from mental health, your body is communicating with you.
910
00:49:02.980 --> 00:49:16.346
And often when we fix specific imbalances in the body, even like food allergies and food sensitivities and food additives and chemicals and colors and dyes and all these things, like the reports are out there that the symptoms are minimized in people.
911
00:49:16.786 --> 00:49:17.007
Yeah.
912
00:49:17.627 --> 00:49:17.847
Wow.
913
00:49:18.481 --> 00:49:19.301
We're here to help.
914
00:49:19.542 --> 00:49:19.902
Yes.
915
00:49:20.562 --> 00:49:21.623
Thank you, Mona Sharman.
916
00:49:22.123 --> 00:49:25.525
Everywhere how to connect with you will be in the show notes.
917
00:49:25.885 --> 00:49:28.667
And I appreciate you having this conversation with me.
918
00:49:28.847 --> 00:49:29.307
Me too.
919
00:49:29.347 --> 00:49:30.388
Find me on Instagram.
920
00:49:30.448 --> 00:49:31.148
I love community.
921
00:49:31.188 --> 00:49:32.989
Doesn't it feel so good to connect with your community?
922
00:49:33.089 --> 00:49:33.309
Yes.
923
00:49:33.569 --> 00:49:34.190
Yeah.
924
00:49:34.210 --> 00:49:34.870
So find me there.
925
00:49:34.890 --> 00:49:35.530
Send me a message.
926
00:49:35.771 --> 00:49:36.471
I'll always respond.
927
00:49:36.511 --> 00:49:36.811
It's me.
928
00:49:37.031 --> 00:49:39.132
And then I'll be on your podcast soon.
929
00:49:39.152 --> 00:49:40.233
Yes, you will.
930
00:49:40.773 --> 00:49:42.654
I'm going to head to LA shortly.
931
00:49:42.895 --> 00:49:43.975
Cannot wait.
932
00:49:43.995 --> 00:49:45.256
All right.
933
00:49:45.376 --> 00:49:46.076
Thank you.
934
00:49:46.437 --> 00:49:47.277
The Big Stylus.
935
00:49:49.268 --> 00:49:50.079
It's time to sing.