CELEBRITY NUTRITIONIST: Do THIS For 14 Days and Stop Feeling Bloated! (Doctors Won't Tell You This!)

Food is information that helps every. single one of the trillion cells in our. body thrive. So, ask yourself if what. you're eating is nourishing you and. helping you become the version of. yourself that you want to become, or is. the food that you're eating depleting. you and taking you away from the health. that you want? >> The number one health and wellness. podcast Jay Shetty Jay Shetty The one, the only Jay Shetty. What is the number one or what are the. top three reasons that your clients come.

to you? What are they saying to you when. they approach you? Yeah, I think that's, you know, my story is what resonates. with people the most and I think that. when clients come to see me, they're. ready to unlearn a way of what it takes. to be healthy in this world and ready to. actually step into that. And what does. that mean? It means breaking up with. diet culture, workout culture, and. really understanding that the health. goals that they're craving go so much. deeper. And for my own healing journey, which we can absolutely talk to, it's.

really about getting cause. And right. now I feel like there's so much. disconnection, dissociation between. what's happening in the world of. medicine. The people are treating. symptoms in its own, instead of looking. at the body like a whole. So, when. people work with me, they really know. that they're working with their mind, their body, and their spirit. So, finally they take this holistic approach. to feel better while they heal their. bodies. I think that approach seems to. be. common sense, but it's not. It It feels.

like it's counterintuitive right now. where we're speaking about one organ or. one part of the brain or one part of the. body. Why do you think that's happened. that we've created this fragmented view. of who we are? Well, this is. conventional medicine, right? We go to. our doctors, we talk about a symptom, and they are trained to treat the. symptom without looking at the body in. its whole, without uncovering where the. symptom comes from. And we know that our. bodies are so resilient. There's. intelligence within the body. So, if. someone comes to me and they say, "Oh,

you want to I have a headache that I get. every day." I can easily put that person. on some Advil, you know, on a program to. kind of help them dissipate their. headache, or I can uncover where it. actually comes from. So, the way that I. work with my clients, kind of like I did. with you, there's two parts. There's. one, the amazing world that we have with. Western medicine and science. So, we run. your blood labs. I do a full panel blood. lab on every single system in your body. Sometimes we look at your stress level. through cortisol test. We do genetic. tests the way that we did with you. Sometimes there's an MRI that's involved.

or. a Dutch test also. But then there's also the other side of. things. So, the first thing that I ask. my client is, you know, if I could take. away three things, what what would it. be? And they typically list the symptoms. that they're suffering from. And they want to know, "Mona, just like. give me the protocol. Give me the the. workout, the supplement protocol, the. food protocol, and I'm going to go do. it." And I think that most people by now. know that that's dieting. That's that. cycle that you've probably tried one or.

a hundred times that just doesn't work. at all. So, from there we dig a little. bit deeper. And after we dig a little. bit deeper, often my clients are they're. met with tears thinking about, you know, the last time I really felt good in my. body was when I was little. And we. uncover things like what their limiting. beliefs are. I know with you we did your. core value elicitation to really. understand what's your core value around. healing. How do you really want to feel? It's not just about getting to a number. on a scale or a pant size. It's. understanding how do you really want to. feel and then what steps can we take.

every single day in order for you to. align with that, right? And that's kind. of a strategy that came to me from the. ashram. When I healed from my heart. surgeries, it wasn't about the protocol. I was actually on a hardcore protocol. that didn't work. It took me really. doing deeper work, getting to the root. cause of my own suffering in order for. my physical symptoms to go away. Yeah, let's talk about that. I want to dive. into your personal experience because I. believe that's why you do what you do. Yeah. >> And so, tell us about your journey. before you were helping other people. with their health. What was the state of.

your health? >> Well, it's funny how your story really. paves the path for your destiny. And I can tell you from my story, nothing matters when your health is. gone. So, prior to working in nutrition, I. worked in the corporate cosmetic world. On paper, it sounds like a really, really fun job that I had working for. these great luxury cosmetic brands, but. I was working out of alignment. I wasn't. on purpose with my calling. It was a. sales job. I ended up getting to that. typical corporate burnout. I suffered. from digestive issues. I ended up.

getting PCOS, which is polycystic. ovarian syndrome, which is so bad the. doctors told me I would never have kids. And then I started getting heart. palpitations. These heart palpitations. would beat so fast I thought that I. would black out. And I would just bend. down to pick something off the ground. It got to a point where if I tried to. exercise or go for a run, I would almost. hit the deck. But at that point in my life, this is in. my 20s, I wasn't interested in getting. to the root cause at all. I wanted quick. fix. Just tell me how to take care of. it. I'm too busy living this amazing,

you know, fashion lifestyle, waking up. in hotel rooms not knowing what city I. was in. And I went to see cardiologists and they. figured out that I had something called. atrial tachycardia, just like these. extra electrical valves beating in my. atrial center of my heart. And the quick. fix was going on a beta blocker. prescription medication. That beta blocker medication ended up. causing me to gain about 45 lb. So, 45. lb later, went back to the doctor and. I'm like, "This is not working. I'm. completely lethargic. I felt like.

like any excitement to live was really. gone. People on the outside probably. wouldn't know that I was suffering, but. I was really suffering. There was a lot. of sadness that was happening in my life. at that time also. And at that point they said, "Well, let's go in for surgery.". So, I went in for my first heart surgery. at 23 years old. You're awake for the. whole thing. It's a catheter ablation. Awake for the whole thing. So, it's not. open heart. They send one catheter up. through your groin, another one through. your neck, and they start pumping you.

full of adrenaline and caffeine to try. to induce these palpitations that I kind. of knew would only happen if I was. moving my body. And so, here I am on the. table, they're pumping me with all these. things. Finally, you know, an hour or so. into it they figure out where they can. do an ablation. Ablation feels like this. explosion going off in your chest. because they burn off this electrical. valve. And the next morning I woke up and. same thing. Palpitations were still. there. And I was like, "This is. ridiculous. I'm young. You know, I grew up with a.

really, really healthy background, which. we should talk about also. Why is this. happening to me?" And they said, "Well, let's go back in.". We went back in for a second. >> Oh my god. heart surgery. Again, heart. massive screen. I see the wires going. everywhere. There's a lock keeping my. leg in place that I can't move. And. honestly, Jay, it was one of those. moments where like. you know, when your life flashes before. your eyes. I'm sure you've heard this. from other guests. It was that moment. Doctors did another ablation. Felt that. bomb go off. But there was still more.

tachycardia. And they said, "Well, you. know what, Mona? We found where we can. do another ablation, but it's too close. to your SA node. So, if we burn that. off, there's a chance you might have to. wear a pacemaker for the rest of your. life." And that's when, "What am I. doing? How is this my life? How have I. burnt out? I'm only in my 20s. How am I. out of alignment?" And the irony of all. of it is that I knew that there was a. better way. So, growing up, my father is. East Indian, my mom is Danish. I've only. ever known my mom to suffer from. debilitating rheumatoid arthritis. So,

her hands are completely deformed. My dad being Indian, it's actually my. mom that found the ashram, Sivananda. Ashram, in Val-Morin, Quebec. Growing. up, we would go and spend summers at. this ashram. We would practice yoga and. meditation every day. Some kids got to. go to fun summer camp. I had to go to. yoga camp as a kid. We ate vegetarian. food. We sat in satsang. We were in. nature, about community. And I noticed the difference in my. parents' health and happiness when we. were there. The motto in my house growing up was, "Eat it. It's good for you." My mom.

tried anything and everything to get rid. of this autoimmune disease. But in my. 20s, again, I didn't want any of this. And so, I went for the quick fix. The last surgery was not going to be the. solution. I decided in that moment I had. to go back to my roots to heal. And. that's exactly what I did. I said no to. the ablation. I went back to the. Sivananda Ashram. I became a yoga. teacher, meditation teacher. Eventually, I became a Reiki master, holistic. nutritionist. I ended up going into NLP. I probably could have got my PhD at this.

time, but I was just studying all of. these aspects of human healing for my. own health to heal. But the crazy thing that people need to. understand is that when I went. from my heart palpitations and my busy. life in the corporate world, I was. already like hardcore. I was exercising. hardcore. I was dieting hardcore. My. apartment was called the house of free, sugar-free, fat-free, carb-free, this-free, whatever it was, right? Like. I was really hardcore. And when I went to the ashram, I wasn't.

hardcore anymore. I started relaxing. I started listening. to all of the open running tabs that we. all have in our brain, but I had a lot. of them. I started dealing with these. actual heartache inside me that doctors. never asked about. And I started to heal through those. practices that I mentioned at the. ashram. And I never looked back. The. heart palpitations almost completely. went away. The 45 lb melted off of my. body. I started eating more carbs than. I'd probably eaten in a year from all. the vegetarian food. And yet I felt my.

best. I needed less sleep. more. energized. I felt calm, clear, happy. I. felt like I was going to be happy again. And from there on I knew that if I was. going to do this professionally, it was. no longer about a diet and exercise. protocol. Those things are very. important, but we have to uncover the. deeper root of what's preventing you. from making the choices for yourself. that are optimized health to begin with. Like what is that one thing that happens. that's stopping you from fulfilling your.

optimal health and happiness? I think. it's really. challenging for us to almost look at the. root. when the symptom causes so much pain. And I think that's what kind of makes us. all want to go, I just want this pain to. go. And so when someone says to you, "Hey, I want you to focus on finding the. root." your brain automatically goes to. the path of least resistance, and it. goes, "Yeah, maybe later. I just want to. get rid of my headache." And I think. that's why generics in this country have. taken off and why we pop a pill to solve.

every problem we have because we'd. rather solve the symptom than focus on. the root as well. If someone's listening. right now and they're. listening to you going, "Actually, Mona, I get what you're saying because I'm. trying a lot of stuff." Like, maybe. someone's listening right now and. they're saying, "I tried that workout. I. tried the diet. I tried this, but I. can't lose weight. I can't get. healthier. I can't build muscle. I can't. solve my gut issues, whatever it is.". How does someone start to understand.

what the root of the problem is? I would. say the instigation of everything, and. we know the instigation of all disease. in the body is stress. We need to talk. about stress. Stress is happening to all. of us at this like epidemic level, and. it's the precursor to all disease. So, I. think it really is important for you to. do some deeper investigation. Like, when. did your symptoms first start? What was. happening in your life at that time? Doctors asked me if I was drinking too. much alcohol, eating at a McDonald's. I.

passed the the stress test, but they. didn't ask about, you know, what was. happening in my personal life, the fact. the fact that my parents were going. through divorce. There was a major move. that was involved. They also didn't ask. about the state of my nervous system. So, I love that nervous system. regulation is really, really becoming. more aware for so many people, but we need to address the state of our. nervous system because I think that for. me, what doctors didn't understand is. that I lived most of my life in this. nervous system dysregulated state.

>> Explain to me what regulated and. dysregulated nervous system is. >> Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, think about our. our nervous system, right? It basically. has three stages according to polyvagal. theory. The first one is the feeling of. safety. Safety, rest, digest, life is. good. I feel calm in my body. I eat when. I'm hungry. I stop when I'm full. I. sleep really well. I feel, for the most. part, happy. And then the next one is activation. Activation is fight, flight, freeze. We.

shift into that when we've got big. projects, um when there's a big events. that are happening, maybe at work. throughout the day. But a lot of us will. get stuck there. I was stuck there. And. then the last one is overwhelm or. shutdown. Where at the end of the day, let's just say you've been living in. fight or flight all day, when you go. home, you go straight for a bottle of. wine and the Netflix, you're shutting. down. And that might mimic that safety. phase, that parasympathetic phase, because you're not doing anything. But. all you've done is put your stressors or.

your fears up onto a shelf. You know. that you have to deal with them the next. day, right? So, when we think about this. fight, flight, freeze response, think about the things that we are. bombarded with every single day from our. environment, from our stressors, our. obligations, having to make money, from. world events, from social media, from. the news. If you're a sensitive person, you might be feeling that just like. really in your body, right? I know, especially over the past few years, we. see things on social media and it's like. they're happening right in front of us.

Our brain can't discern the difference. So, if you don't catch yourself getting. stuck in that fight, flight, freeze. stage, this is hypervigilance. For me, hypervigilance felt really, really good. If there was something hard to do, amazing. If it was harder, great. If I. could accomplish it, awesome. If there. was a a challenge that I could go for. that would really, you know, pop my. adrenaline, I wanted to have it because. that was the happy state that I was in. The longer I could stay in that state. means that I could be stuck in my head,

just not think about what was happening. in my body, but meanwhile, for years, I. was stuffing sadness, emotion, fear, worry, anxiety into my body so that I. didn't have to deal with it. And for. listeners, you know, maybe you've been. stuffing these emotions down since you. were a little kid. I think where there's a misunderstanding. is that when we talk about the nervous. system or trauma, for example, trauma is simply how your nervous system. metabolizes an experience. And we think. of trauma, obviously, as the big thing.

So, if there's abuse or neglect or. something terrible that happened, but. trauma for you can also be something. that. really impacted you, but no one else. really noticed. So, maybe you were. humiliated as a little kid, or you were. teased or made fun of, or your. grandmother said something to you and it. really made you become shy or not want. to shine your true colors or your. vibrant light, right? Now, moving. forward, if you don't process that. emotion, that feeling, every time. there's a resonance of that feeling. coming up again, the humiliation, the.

fear, the worry, the excitement, the. stressors, it's like reliving that tone. again, the frequency within your body. So, throughout the day, you might shift. into fight, flight, freeze pretty. consistently, and you're not even. noticing that you're there because. you're not deregulating. You're not. adopting that resilience within the body. to regulate your nervous system. And I. would say this is probably one of the. biggest pillars that I spend with my. clients. One, helping them even become. aware that they're living in that. hypervigilant state, and that they don't.

have to wear it as a badge of honor. anymore. They don't have to be busy. because we we celebrate busyness in our. world. We see busy as a sign of success, when that's the opposite case. And I get them back into their. parasympathetic nervous system, where. they can rest and digest. And we now. know with the nervous system, if you can. live as your parasympathetic nervous. system being the kind of dominant. preferred state, or you have a a healthy. system that can bounce from fight, flight, freeze back into a.

parasympathetic state, this is where. healing happens. This is your rest and. digest and restore. This is when your. immune system is prime. Your digestion. functions at its best. So, I think it's. important for people to really recognize. that as the first stage of healing in. order for the diet and the exercise and. all the other modalities to work, what. is your state of being? Sleep anxiety is. a real thing. This is actually a really. important, you know, part of Ayurveda. In Ayurveda, we talk about not only. digesting the foods that we eat, we.

metabolize everything in our life. It's. not only what we eat, it's what we're. watching, it's what we're listening to, it's what we can smell, and it's what we. can feel. Coffee was not doing me any. favors, right? It increases our. cortisol. It can put us into that fight. or flight state, and let's face it, it's. something that we really, really abuse. Alcohol is a drug, and when we think about the state of the. world, anxiety-related disorders are on. the rise. Over 40 million people are. suffering from anxiety-related disorders.

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your daily mood boost. I think we all. know stress is bad. Mhm. And too much. stress can be really, really bad. And I. think we've seen over time that people. have been more vulnerable about burnout, about shutting down, about, you know, having major health issues. And we. almost wait till something goes really. bad till we address something. The other. side of it, though, we also see is that. laziness, a lack of motivation, the. ability to not create or take on any. stress doesn't make us happy or healthy.

as humans, either, because we almost end. up at the other end of the spectrum. When you're trying to balance it out and. figure it out, how much stress can we. take on in 7 days? And how should we be. thinking about that? Because I think the. challenge is, you're right, we're living. at one end of the spectrum, but we also. know lots of people struggling at the. other end of the spectrum. So, it's. almost like, how do we invite the right. amount of stress? How do we take on a. healthy amount of stress so it pushes us. forward, but not so much that it breaks. us? So, how do how do you balance that.

out? >> there's a couple of ways to approach. this. So, the first is, how stressful is. your stress? So, my version of stress, if we were to imagine that the way that. I interpret stress is like wearing. glasses with a yellow lens. Everything. is going to have a yellow tinge to it. because I'm wearing these glasses of. stress with a yellow tinge. Now, does it. mean that my day is stressful? No, but I. have these glasses on. I'm living in a. stressed state, so I'm going to. interpret everything as being stressful. So, often it takes kind of breaking that.

cycle, taking that lens off to really. understand like, I don't really have to be stressed out. right now. Where did I learn being this. way? I don't want to be this way. anymore. This is where working with a. coach can be really, really supportive. And to your point, yeah, you know, stress, we demonize it, but it can. actually be really good for us, right? Like, having a cortisol spike in a. healthy way first thing in the morning, it's actually our drive, our ambition, our motivation. But the problem is is. that when we live in the sympathetic. state for too long, often the way that.

our cortisol is signal, it's spiking at. the wrong times throughout the day. Sometimes for for people who have. experienced this, they're waking up. between 2:00 and 4:00 in the morning. just thinking about the world crashing. around them, right? This is not a. healthy stress response. And then on the opposite end of the. spectrum, if people perhaps like you. mentioned are stuck in that, well I'm. not going to do anything. I don't like. feeling stressed. I don't like what it. does to my body. So I'm just going to. stay over here. I'm going to stay. comfortable. We know that that could backfire in the. future also. And this is where some.

deeper investigating is really really. helpful. How do you want to feel? Are you happy in your day-to-day life? Do you feel like you're being productive. because we know that having a sense of. purpose and service is so important to. our health and our fulfillment and of. course activity. Like if you're not in. motion with your life, then you're stuck. in a in a way of being and God, if. you're not here to live, then what's the. point, right? But you know, really does. take a leap of faith and so much courage. for people to address these things.

because it's almost like, well I don't. want anyone else to see that I'm lazy. I don't want people to call me out on my. hyper vigilance because gosh, it just. means that I've been busy for all these. years and for what? I've been suffering, right? But it really does take a leap of. faith to do the deeper dive. Again, to. come back into that state of resilience. where you can shift into, you know what? Today's a stressful day, but I'm going. to really master my relaxation like. you're so good at doing tomorrow. And. that way there's that balance so that. you learn how to live in both worlds. Let's say someone answers those.

questions and they say, Mona, I'm. definitely exhausted. I'm overworked. Like I just feel like. I'm just constantly chasing everything. My weekends are just full of like social. events and maybe there's a couple of. work things and I just feel like I've. been on that treadmill and I'm sure you. hear this a lot. I don't think this is a. picture that's abnormal. Where do they start? What should they do. first? Yeah, I work with a lot of high. performers and people who are on the go. all the time and it's a norm and they.

don't really want to think about feeling. that way because they know that they're. overworked, they're overtired. They. don't have time to relax and restore. And I think the the first stage really. is about just the awareness like I'm. here. I don't think I can sustain this for a. long time. And now we have experts, you. know, saying it's not a good idea to. sustain it, right? How long should you. sustain it for if you were to sustain. it? I think it depends on the resiliency. of your body and what you're actually. doing to repair. So for example, someone. like you who I know is prioritizing.

their morning, who is doing meditation, who has grounding practices throughout. the day, you can live in that world of. stress and really go hard for some time, but I know that you will take time to. come back and recover. Other people, and. this is like so common today, I'm. thinking of a group of of men that I. work with. and they're about do more. Go harder, dream bigger, do a harder race next. time, do a 100 miler next time. And they. see it as a badge of honor because. society has really entrained them to.

believe that that's a success motivator, right? Makes them a better person, mind over matter, right? When that's. just not the case. So I think maybe a good opportunity. would be to ask, what symptoms are you. suffering from? So I love doing this. exercise when I'm in a group of of. people and I just ask, how many people. here suffer from anxiety, from worry? And they're putting their. from tension, from digestive issues, from heartburn, from gas, from bloating, from poor sleep, from muscle pain and.

aches, from low sex drive, low energy, brain fog, lack of mental focus, brittle. hair, breakouts, right? By the end of. all this, every hand in the audience is. up. So if you're the person who's living. in that stress state for too long and. you've said yes to one, two, three of. those symptoms, then it's time for you. to do something to course correct. Don't. ignore the symptoms the way that I did. because these symptoms are whispers from. your body. Again, it's that intelligence. of your body which is communicating with.

you. during every second of every day. It's. not about waiting until Monday to course. correct or next month or January 1st to. course correct. We can course correct at. any point of every day and the body will. respond, but it takes some time. So step. number one, the awareness, acknowledging. those symptoms, but step number two is. learning what the modalities are to. really help you shift and I know you. know so many of these. So. one is just take a breath. Like right. now everybody listening, take. long deep breath in.

Like if I had to cue you how to do that, then chances are you're probably not. breathing like that throughout the day. Breath is number one. Meditation is a great option. Getting. out and going for a walk, uh doing some. yoga, uh journaling, scribble exercises. to really like get the thoughts out of. your brain and and onto paper, breaking. the cycle of stress. But again, that's not making the problem. go away. So you have to come back to an. understand, well what again, where is. this coming from? What do I need to do?

So coaching is really great for people. who need some additional support like I. just can't shake this feeling. What do I. need? Coaching is great and one of those. modalities in coaching is called a best. self snapshot. Other people call it a circle of. excellence. So visualization is such a powerful. modality to help us change our state. And if we're living in that stressful. state for too long, but we don't want to. break there, we have to break the cycle. Through visualization, if I were to ask. you, Jay, like how do you want to feel.

in your body? If you were to think about. yourself in the most optimal health and. happiness and waking up feeling joyful, knowing that your digestion is working, your body is primed, everything is just. in tune. Your body is working so hard to. help you heal and it knows that you're. busy, but it's just it's taken care of. things. It's got you, right? By. visualizing that so clearly to the point. that you can make it feel real, that's a physiological shift to shift. you out of that sympathetic state into a. parasympathetic state, which I think is.

so powerful. Breath work is another really great way. to do this. Box breathing is a really. great way to do this. But I would say. that visualization, especially from an. NLP front when I'm coaching my clients, if I can get my clients in touch with. their higher self, like really. understanding like, what am I working so. hard to achieve? You know, I'm doing so. much work around living a great, strong, happy life and dieting and exercising, but how do I want to feel in my body? If you can take a few moments every.

single day and get so clear on how that. feels, then your body doesn't know the. difference between it being the reality. or not. It doesn't know that it's going. to be in the future. But it means that. you have to practice that muscle. Is. there a particular time of day that. that's more prominent and I would say. first thing in the morning. If you can. make your mornings your magic healing. mornings, this is like prime time. because our thoughts tend to be a little. bit more quiet and still first thing in. the morning. You know, a modality that I use with my. clients is to get up, go to the bathroom.

and immediately come into meditation. Now, I'm always cautious talking about. these because people think that my. wellness routine is like what I'm. recommending to everybody. No, just like. a healing protocol that I'm customizing. for all my clients, the way that you. start your morning that feels really. great for you in mindfulness is should. be as unique as your blueprint, right? As your thumbprint. So maybe for you. it's. or journaling or walking or getting in. the sun, but figuring out what and where. is a good place for you to feel. stillness.

Then I want you to go ahead and start to. answer some of those questions. How do I. want to feel? What does it look like? I. think an easy grounding practice would. be to say, if you were to go outside in. your favorite place in nature. You can. do this right now if you're listening. What is your favorite place in nature? I want you to go outside, put your feet. on the ground. I want you to feel the. sunlight on your skin. How does the wind feel on your skin? What does it look like? What are the. sounds in the background? Are there. birds chirping? Like really doing the. investigating to make it feel real.

Now I want you to notice how you feel in. your body in this state. Notice that you. feel a sense of happiness, of peace, of. calm. Can you turn on the feeling of joy. in your body? What happens in your body when you feel. the feeling of joy? And then all of a. sudden, it's like you're turning down. the noise on all of the distractions in. life that are causing you to feel stress. and illness and symptoms and you're. coming into a space that allows you to. feel calm and joy. And if you can.

practice that like a muscle throughout. the day, then you're retraining your. nervous system to make that your core. reality. There's all of a sudden meaning. behind everything that you do despite. the stressors or not. I love the idea. and and for anyone who's never tried it. and wondering whether it works, it. works. It works. >> And why does it work? Because I think a. lot of people if they're doubtful about. practices like this, how do you convince. people that this works rather than it. just being some sort of placebo? So 10. years ago I used to use the word.

vibration with my clients. I helped. shift my clients' vibration from. imbalance to balance. And I remember. like the eye roll back then, yeah, yeah, vibration. But now these words vibration. and frequency, they're no longer woo. woo. They are being backed by science. Doctors like Dr. Bruce Lipton, uh Joe Dispenza are validating through. biofeedback the ability to change our. state without doing anything. It's the. the feelings, our thoughts, our emotions. that literally have the power to change.

our physiology, right? I'm actually. doing my master's in quantum healing. right now because I believe that there's. so much more. to healing. There's this. interconnectedness between our thoughts, our feelings, and our emotions. And so when people get into that state. and they can really feel or imagine, even if they don't know what the feeling. of joy is like in their body, just try. to imagine what it feels like. For a lot of my clients, a really great. practice is to go back to when you're a. little kid. What was your note? We all came into. this world with like a really beautiful.

note, a frequency to play in this world. We love wearing vibrant colors and. playing outside. What did you like. playing? What colors were you wearing? How did you like dressing? Did you make. a lot of noise and scream and dance? Like what was your core essence back. then? And even asking those questions, I. see my clients' faces just light up. because they're going back to a memory. of what their core being is. It's a. feeling of oneness within themselves. before all this stuff started happening. in their lives. And it's like.

stillness, quietness, and coming to. center. And I think that it really just takes. practice for people to feel that every. single day. There's so many incredible. guided meditations online, guided. visualizations online that people can. practice to really go back to that. feeling of joy. And I think that this is. the future of medicine. The future of. medicine is really going to have to. consider the integration between these. Western modalities, but also Eastern. medicine. The things that we're talking about, our.

ancestors have known since the beginning. of time. Yoga has been practicing. mindfulness and guided meditations and. breath work and visualizations for over. 5,000 years, right? But now we're. backing it with science. Traditional Chinese medicine also just. recognizes the energy of your body, the. systems within your body. When there's. lack of coherence, it means that there's. stress and that the body simply doesn't. have the tools to deal with that stress. But what happens when we can come back. into a coherence, the body shifts.

Another incredible company is HeartMath. The HeartMath community, gosh, just. understanding the concept of the. resilience of the heart and heart. coherence. So, an amazing heart coherence practice. to also deliver the same state is to. really just start to tune into. gratitude. If I were to ask you to think. of something or someone that you love so. much right now, make it feel real. Imagine hugging them. Imagine waking up with them first thing. in the morning, traveling with them. How.

good does it feel to be in their. presence? Uh if you're a parent, thinking about being with your child, all of a sudden, the problems from your. 9:00 to 5:00, if you're present with. your child in that moment because of the. love and gratitude that you feel, everything just dissipates. That. frequency of stress just turns down. And I think that we all hold the. superpower to change our frequency from. imbalance to balance. And it's a muscle. that we have to practice for optimal. health. I mean, I mean, I can honestly. say personally like there's so much. value in everything you're sharing. And.

having practiced so much of it with. myself, I've found so much. it almost like gives you a breakthrough. from the place you're at. >> Mhm. Like I think when you're trying to. change the externals, it can kind of feel a bit clunky. And. almost when you change it from the. inside out, it's like, oh, wow, there is. another side. There there is that. belief. And I think that's where it. comes to is do you even have the belief. that there is a healed, happier, healthier version of you? And if you. don't have that belief and you don't. have that in your vision, it's not going to suddenly happen. When.

I was sick, there was not that vision. No. Doctors. had given me a label, you have a heart. condition, you are on medication, you're. going to have heart surgery. I. identified as somebody who was sick. I. had a heart condition. And I gave so much of my power away to. the doctors, right? The doctors were. doing their job. They recognized a. symptom that they wanted to heal within. me, and they tried to do that. God bless them for trying to do that. But they weren't uncovering, again, the. root cause, right? So, at that time, I.

wasn't interested in getting to the root. cause. I was sick. And you know, you're making me think of. a story. My brother, my big brother, he. was the marathon runner. He'd done, you. know, so many triathlons and everything. And he asked me one year to do this. triathlon with him. I was like, no, Mo, like I can't. My heart. And he just. looked at me and he's like, how's that. working for you? And it took someone that I love just. like bringing that up. Like, oh my god. Kind of like shook me for a second. I. really identified as somebody who is.

sick. And unfortunately, it takes those. moments sometimes from the people that. we love in our life or even listening to. this conversation, just questioning, what are the thoughts that you've. identified with, the symptoms that. you've identified with? Maybe you've. suffered from something as like. digestive issues your entire life that. it's become you when it's not you. It's. simply your body communicating with you. that there's an opportunity to resolve. something within. I want to talk about. the physical changes as well because I. think that. that's what you're encouraging. You're. encouraging this.

visualized change, this internal change. as well as practical external changes. And I wanted to ask you about the. connection between stress and the gut. Mhm. Because I think what's only. happened very recently is we've started. to, you know, at least in the modern. conversation, it's been around in. Ayurveda, which you practice for. thousands of years, but only very. recently have we started to understand. that, wait a minute, my emotional stress. is related to my gut health. Like my. mental stress is related to my physical. pain. And I wanted to ask you, talk to.

me about how stress is related to. nutritional health, to your gut. Yeah, so we never really consider in the. Western world that stress could be the. instigation of your bloating or your gas. or your constipation or your diarrhea. And yet now we understand that we have. this incredible wisdom, this. intelligence of the vagus nerve in the. body that runs from your brain down. through your heart into your gut. microbiome. And what's incredible about.

this nerve is that there's bidirectional. communication. If the head is thinking. stressful thoughts, I'm worried, I'm. scared, I'm fearful, that is going to. the gut, right? How many of your. listeners, they feel stressed about. giving a presentation and all of a. sudden their stomach feels off, right? They have to run to the bathroom. But we also know that the opposite is. true, right? So, we now know that we. have more nerve endings in our gut than. we do in our brain. It's communication. So, if we've been living with years of.

imbalances, constantly communicate like. there's stress happening down here, but. we were never taught to tune into that. We were never really taught to tune into. distension. And in fact, I would even. say that we live in a world where we're. normalizing all these symptoms, right? I. know as a woman going out with my. girlfriends, oh, I'm so bloated. Getting. bloated after dinner, it's like, oh, yeah, me too. Me too. It's like this new. norm. But the symptoms are so common, they are not normal. Again, your body is. communicating with you. So, with stress being in the instigation.

of disease, we need to make sure that. within the gut microbiome, if the gut is. the source of all health, we need to. take care of our digestion. In Ayurveda, digestion, the quality of your digestion. and your gut health is really the root. to all health and all disease. prevention. So, digestion is everything. So, this is why we need to not ignore. these symptoms. I know that with you. together, like we were really working. towards healing your gut. And I'm using. you as an example because. you're somebody who is a high performer,

but I knew that you were doing the. mindfulness work. But I also work with. so many people like you who. they don't even notice that they're. living in a stress state, but it's the. same messages that are being. communicated to the gut. So, we've just. become masters at ignoring those. symptoms, right? So, when it comes to stress over time, if your digestion is compromised, what. does that mean? It means that you've got. an imbalance of good and bad bacteria, right? The good bacteria help you. thrive. They're associated with. longevity, with your immune system, with. optimal health and energy and.

motivation. And it means that you're also having. probably a lot more food cravings for. bad foods. Like. even trying to eat really, really well, but you just don't understand why you're. craving those those foods so often. You're craving lots of sugars and lots. of carbs. It's also impacting your anxiety. Like, why do I have anxiety? Can it's that. bidirectional communication? And if we think about that long-term, if. we're living with those stressful. symptoms and digestive imbalances. long-term, that's what leads to further. disease within the body. That could lead.

to things like joint pain, to getting. more headaches, to having really, really. poor sleep, to having lack of sex drive, to not being able to lose weight and. just gaining weight because of feeling. too much stress and too much cortisol. throughout the day. So, healing your. digestion has to be a pillar when. optimizing your health. If someone's. really struggling with bloating, it's so. common now, where should they start? There's a couple of things. So, one, just having a look at how you're. starting your day. Two, what is the state in which you're. eating? Are you eating while you're.

scrolling, while you're driving, while. you're working? You know, at the Ashram, we eat without. any devices. We're eating in nature. We're eating in community. We're eating. in a really, really calm state. Remember, your body has to be in that. rest and digest for your body to. optimize digestion. If you're eating in. fight or flight, you cannot digest your. food. The analogy of running from a. lion, if you were running from a lion. for your life, you never say, oh, I'm. hungry and decide to eat an apple when. you're running, right? But that's the. equivalent of the type of stress that. we're living with today.

The second thing is looking at the foods. that you're eating. So, one of the first. things that I do with my clients is I. get them off of ultra-processed foods. 80% of the diet in the US comes from. ultra-processed, packaged foods. 80%? It's insane, right? And we're kind of. being deceived because on the front of. the labels of those packages and boxes, it might say healthy, gluten-free, organic, keto, all natural in air. quotes. The Ashram belief is if it comes.

from a box, then it's dead food. There's. no life force energy to it. There's no. prana to it. Food is information that. helps every single one of the trillion. cells in our body thrive. So, ask. yourself if what you're eating is. nourishing you and helping you become. the version of yourself that you want to. become, or is the food that you're. eating depleting you and taking you away. from the health that you want? The. second one with is inflammatory seed. oils and vegetable oils.

These food oils are in everything. These. vegetable oils, soybean oil, safflower. oil, canola oil are in everything. If. you look closely at the labels, even on. healthy foods, like I'm talking even in. health food stores, you will see those. foods. And if you are a parent, please. read the labels of your children's. snacks because they're in everything. These we know are pro-inflammatory. omega-6 fatty acids that actually cause. inflammation to our cells. They cause. free radical damage. And if you look at.

one of these blood cells under a. microscope, it literally looks like it. has these spikes around it, right? That. leads to systemic inflammation in the. body. So, taking out those inflammatory. seed oils is key. The last one is sugar. A lot of my clients will say, "I'm not. eating that much sugar, you know, just a. little bit here, a little bit there.". But by the time we add it all up, it's. like, you know, 20, 30, 40 g of sugar in. a day. It's too much. Even simple things. like a fruit organic Greek yogurt could.

have 20 g of sugar in the morning. You're starting your day off with that. sugar boost, right? The general. population is starting with a coffee or. coffee cake or muffins or these bars, right? These protein bars that have so. much sugar and refined oils and refined. ingredients that aren't good for us. Taking out an excess of caffeine is also. a really big deal because that's a. stimulant that causes our body to feel. stressed. Too much alcohol. Alcohol. shuts down digestion. It causes a. further dysbiosis of that good and bad.

bacteria within the gut microbiome. So, those are definitely the key pillars, the state in which you're digesting, and. then of course the quality of the foods. that you're digesting also. What's the. biggest problem with a sugary breakfast? Sugary breakfast, so you're starting. your day with this spike in glucose, right? Whatever goes up has got to come. down. That leads to a sugar crash. So, for a lot of people who start their day. with a coffee, a donut, a muffin, a bar, they crash. So, at 10:00 they need.

another coffee. They're looking for. another hit of sugar to get them back. up. And then the cycle's kind of going. all day. This causes the cycle of. insulin resistance. Insulin resistance. leads to metabolic dysfunction. When I'm. looking at my client's blood labs, I can. see over time this type of person, their. fasting glucose is rising. It's leading. them to diabetes. Like this is a big. area of concern. And again, I want to. just really point out that a lot of. those foods might seem like they're. healthy, but they're just laden with.

sugar. So, it's not really about the. label of the front of the product that. you're eating. It's the label of the. back. Become a master at reading that. label, looking at the sugar, looking at. the the ingredients. If you don't know what the ingredient. is, then neither will your body. So, take ownership of that. So, over time if. we're on this cycle of insulin. instability, then we're going to. continue to crave more carbs and crave. more sugar. The cortisol levels within. our body are going to continue to rise.

We will be more stressed. It's just not. how our body is meant to function. So, starting your day with a high protein. breakfast, you and I talked about a. savory breakfast as being so beneficial, but protein and fiber I would say are. like the the two things that you really. want to optimize first thing in the. morning or when you break your fast. When you do that, you'll feel more. satiated, right? I think, you know, a. lot of my clients will work towards. between 30 and 40 g of protein first. thing thing in the morning. This is. going to keep your blood glucose a lot.

more stable throughout the day. You. actually won't be craving as many carbs. and starches and sugars. You'll actually. be craving just more sustenance or. nourishment, which means you'll make. better choices for yourself. And for. people listening, they're like, "Yeah, yeah, I've tried that.". Maybe try for a little bit longer. Give. me 2 weeks of just focusing on a higher. protein, higher nutrient density. breakfast, and you're going to notice. that your taste buds are going to. change. Your glucose levels are going to. change. Your mood might improve, right?

Less highs and lows. You might be less. reactive. Your sleep might improve. You. might have more creativity cuz you're no. longer crashing throughout the day. So, just take the chance. Try it out. It's. really, really worth it. It's. fascinating to watch how quickly your. taste buds change and how much your body. changes. I find myself having less. cravings for sure. I'm someone who. needed sugar every single day and craved. it so badly. And now that's like almost,

you know, dissipated where I'm not. turning towards it. And on top of all of. that, I'm wanting to make healthier. choices simply by that savory breakfast, that protein, that fiber. And I wanted to ask you, how much. alcohol is too much alcohol? Ah, the. question. Honestly, I think any alcohol. is too much alcohol. Like I've really. gotten to that point. Uh Dr. Amen has. really shed a lot of light on this. The. fact that alcohol can shrink your brain. as somebody who's focused on living a. really long life full of vitality, I.

don't want to take anything in that's. going to shrink my brain, right? And. it's a drug, and we've normalized it as. a society, and it feels so good because. it's a coping mechanism at the end of. the day to deal with the stressors that. we're all enduring. We've normalized it, and we really. need to stop doing this because it's. impacting our health. Gets us on that. metabolic instability again. It disrupts. our sleep. I think over time it makes. you more irritable, more anxious, and.

more stressed. So, taking alcohol out of. your diet, I think, gosh, do that for a. month and you're going to feel yourself. how great you feel, how much more. clarity that you have first thing in the. morning. And there's so many better. alternatives to, you know, there's. non-alcoholic options that are out there. that are delicious. And like, you would. never even know. Whenever I go out to a. social event, I literally will get some. sparkling water. I'll get some lime. juice, some lemon juice put into it. Um. I'll put it into a cocktail glass or. everyone thinks it's a cocktail, and I.

do not feel like I'm missing out. My. digestion is better. I'm digesting my. food better. I'm more present in the. conversations that I'm having. Alcohol is a drug. And when we think. about the state of the world, anxiety-related disorders are on the. rise. Over 40 million people are. suffering from anxiety-related disorders. and depression. And I think that it's. something that we really need to stop. normalizing. I wanted to ask you, because you spoke about alcohol, you. spoke about sugars, you spoke about.

fiber and protein. I was thinking, yeah, what do we substitute coffee for because. that seems to be such a big need for. people. What do you trade the coffee for. in the morning? Oh my gosh. Okay, so. this is what I'm living through right. now. So, I used to say that I was the. nutritionist that would never take you. off of coffee. I love the taste. I love. the smell. I love the aroma. I love the. ritual. Even on days where I couldn't. meditate, I would wake up, put on my. coffee machine, I would do tree pose, I. would set an intention, make it a. mindful moment.

But then, speaking about what we're. speaking to today, I was that. hypervigilant person. I used to say that. anxiety was my blueprint. Coffee was not. doing me any favors, right? It increases. our cortisol. It can put us into that. fight or flight state. And let's face. it, it's something that we really, really abuse. I still love coffee. So, these past 2 weeks I've just been. really focused on removing it from my. diet altogether. And it's hard. This is. a full addiction for me. And for me.

also, I feel like it was one of my only. vices. So, I like, I wouldn't give it. up. There's no way that I wanted to give. it up. Um so, now I'm making chai first. thing in the morning. I'm using things. like mud water, which I absolutely love. No caffeine, no stimulants. And I would. say by about day four, day five, headaches dissipated. I wasn't running. to the bathroom, you know, every so. often because it was stimulating my. bladder so much. I'm looking at my sleep. to see if it's tracking for better. sleep, but I would say that if you're.

somebody who experiences any type of. anxiety, if you are more prone to being. stressed, if you are more prone to. hypervigilance, I know you love that. coffee first thing in the morning, but. do yourself a favor. Maybe switch to. decaf. Use a organic mold-tested Swiss. water decaffeinated coffee first thing. in the morning. Trick your brain. Still. go for the aroma, but get off of the. drugs, the addiction. Yeah, these are. really great solutions and really great. options to choose from because I feel.

like we've just talked about like the. core aspects of what's kind of wiring. our day that way. Yeah. And it does take. a beat. It does take a second. Like I'm. someone who. I crave a sugary breakfast or I used to. crave a sugary breakfast. It was my. favorite thing in the world was to have. a sweet breakfast. And now that I've. been eating a savory breakfast 5 out 7. days a week, it's almost like I'm so. used to that now. And so much of this is. habit breaking, habit formation, habit. learning. Why is it so hard in the.

beginning to break these habits and. start a new one? I always say that. habits come and go, but rituals become. you. And this is actually one of the greatest. lessons that come from the ashram. Every single day the schedule is the. same, right? You know this from being a. monk. The schedule is the same. We're up. at the same time every single day with. the same activities scheduled at the. same time while you're living there. The first few days it feels like torture. uh until you get used to it. And what's.

so great about it is that it teaches you. how to become so like hyper-present. and focused. And you start to ritualize. your behavior. So, over time with practice and. repetition, and also associating with a. feeling like, "Oh, this feels really. good." By merging those two together, you ritualize your healthy habits. So, you know, I think a lot of the things. that we're talking about, it can feel so. overwhelming. Like, "Okay, she's saying. to do this, cut out these foods, cut out. these stimulants." It feels like so. much. Look at the one, two, or three.

things that could make the most impact. for your lifestyle, and start there. And. then maybe start habit stacking. So, you. would never leave the house. forgetting to brush your teeth, or. having a shower, right? So, a lot of my. clients will habit stack. They will, you. know, brush their teeth and do something. like tongue scraping, which is really, really beneficial. They will make their. morning tea, and, you know, hold their. loved one while the the tea is brewing. Um they'll go to the gym, but when they. go to the gym, they're spending 5.

minutes in mindfulness afterwards. So, looking at where you can merge a habit. that you're already doing, something. that you're already doing and loving, with something that would help you kind. of step into the higher version of. yourself and make you feel really, really good. That could be playing loud. music and dancing. Like, that could be. an amazing habit stack. Because again, it's elevating your vibration to make. better choices for yourself throughout. the day. Yeah, habit stacking is such a. great, great skill, and you're so right. If you're going to go work out, 5. minutes of mindfulness. Even when you.

think about being grateful, like while. you're waiting for your tea in the. morning to just heat up, whatever it may. be, to practice gratitude at that time. I think people often think, "Oh my gosh, I've got to find all this time in my. day.". >> No. >> But there are so many activities that. can allow us to be internal. And by the. way, we're thinking during those times. anyway. So, it's replacing what we think. about it with I was wondering, what. about someone who's dealing with brain. fog? Like, what are some of the tools. that someone can have to sort brain fog? Yeah, so big topic. There's a couple of.

things. So, I really become an. investigator for these clients. One, is. there anything in your physical. environment that could be causing your. brain fog? So, we're looking for, you. know, chemical air fresheners, and. perfumes, and maybe noises in the. background, or things that are just. constantly distracting you. We're. looking at the foods that you're eating. Having food sensitivities can actually. cause brain fog. You might not even know. it. >> Yeah, like remember, you and I both had. some similar things. Like, we had. coconut come up, and almond come up,

like pineapple. Like, these things that. are seemingly healthy, but our bodies. just were like, "We don't have the enzymes to digest. those foods right now." That could be. causing brain fog, as well. Nervous. system dysregulation, right? Again, living in that state of hypervigilance. could be causing your brain fog. And. then we look at sleep, also. When I work. with my clients, sleep is actually one. of the biggest pillars of health. If you. are not resting properly, and. recovering, and restoring, there is no. way that you're going to have the energy.

to proceed in your life, and to do all. the things that you want to do with. energy and focus. So, looking at your. sleep. I'm I love data, so I'll use. things like Oura Ring. I know we looked. at your Oura Ring, also. But I had mold. exposure a few years ago. That was my. environment. >> Yeah. that was causing stress to my my. body. And it wasn't actually until I. looked at my Oura Ring, my heart rate. variability continued to drop and drop. My REM sleep started dropping, as well. I got like 20 minutes of REM sleep every.

single night. You wonder why I have. brain fog? So, that caused me to do some. deeper investigation. So, this is where, like again, if you're suffering from. those symptoms, any symptom at all, investigate to see where they come from, because the sources could be very. different for all of us. >> Totally. And it's always so much simpler. than we think it is. And I think often. we do get caught in our heads, and we. just think there's something in my head. Like, I'm I'm doing something wrong. >> It's just the way that I am. And. exactly. And so often, it becomes, like.

you said earlier, it becomes our. identity. It's really interesting. So, I'm someone who's generally thankfully. never struggled with sleep, knock on. wood. And it's so funny, cuz I was. talking about this recently, and for the. past couple of weeks, my sleep was. getting really rough. And I was like, "That's really weird." Like, I literally. just spoke about this on a podcast. Like, what's going on?" And I was. thinking about it, I was trying to. figure it out. I was like, "Wait a. minute, I'm not looking at my phone. I'm. not stressed. I'm not anxious. I've got a really good routine. I'm. working out. I'm eating right." Like,

"What is going on?" And I realized, it. sounds crazy, but it was my mattress. Mhm. >> And so, my mattress was slowly getting. worse, and my sleep was slowly getting. worse. And it was only until me and. Roddy had a conversation about it, and I. was like, "Roddy, I just haven't been. sleeping well for the past couple of. weeks. Like, how are you doing?" Cuz. obviously, we're sleeping in the same. bed next to each other. So, it's like. And she was like, "You know what? I've. not been sleeping well, either." I was. like, "What do you think it is?" She. goes, "I think it's the mattress." I was. like, "You're so right. I keep waking up. because my back hurts, and I'm. uncomfortable." But I didn't I just.

didn't like it sounds so ridiculous, No. no no. >> sense it, because life's so busy. You. keep moving fast, and you're out of bed, you're in your day, and your day is. fine. And then only in your bed are you. feeling that way. And so, we recently. replaced our mattress, and again, my. sleep's back to normal. Because I was. thinking about it, I was like, "Wait a. minute, why am I sleeping well in. hotels, but not in my own house?" Yeah. >> And I was literally in a hotel for the. last two nights, slept amazing. And then. we got back last night, slept in and a. new mattress, slept amazing. But. something as small as that can have such.

a big impact. >> Do you remember, I think we started. working together, you lived in a. different house or something? >> don't even get me started. Yes. Your. sleep back then was. >> That energy of that home. There was lots. of things wrong with that home. The. first thing is the main generator was. hidden behind the master bedroom in the. house. So, the sounds, the frequency, the vibration of that was there. It was. also a home that was really old. So, you. could hear animals in the floorboards, in the walls. I would wake up to that.

And then the energy of the home by day. was beautiful, and by night was not. good. Like, there was a there was some. kind of stuff going on there. Well, how. many people put up with that, right? Like, they put up with maybe the the. partner that's snoring and snoring, or. the mattress that isn't so great, or too. much light coming in, or they just get. used to it. This is how I sleep. I'm a. terrible sleeper, right? Again, you've. got to like become an expert. You are. the healer. You have to take control of. your life, and without even working with. me, pretend I was in your bedroom. Like, I'm doing an audit of your bedroom.

We're looking at the quality of your. mattress, the quality of your duvet, your pillows, >> Everything. >> the lighting, the sounds, right? How do. you make your bedroom your rest and. digest oasis? >> Yeah. >> I don't allow my clients to have any. screens in the bedrooms. Uh bedrooms are. meant for rest, restoration, for sleep, and for sex. That is it. And once you. master your sleep, like, gosh, the joke. is like, let that cure 99% of your. problems, because your body has the.

ability to heal itself. Our bodies are. healing in the second. As you're. listening to this, your body is so. resilient, it is healing. But if we're. not giving it the proper rest and. restoration that that it needs, it's not. going to be able to do that. It's. putting out fires here and there to try. to keep up with your busy life. >> We have to change the identity. What you. just said that, this idea that I'm a. terrible sleeper. That's what needs to. be solved at the root of it, because if. you keep saying that, and you keep. repeating it, rather than what you said, do an audit of everything from the.

pillow shape and size to your bed. sheets, everything that you just. mentioned, that audit is so important, because you'll find it in that audit. that there's something else tripping you. up, and it isn't this weakness you have, or the fact that you're just a bad. sleeper, or And And also, sometimes I. think we do overestimate the anxiety in. our life. Like, we do just make it. about, "Oh my gosh, I'm just anxious. I'm just this." And it's like, "No no. no, that you've got a TV on in your. room. You've you're on your phone all. this time before you go to bed. Of. course, you're not just going to switch.

off.". >> Sleep anxiety is a real thing. >> Yeah. This is actually a real important, you know, part of Ayurveda. In Ayurveda, we talk about not only digesting the. foods that we eat, we metabolize. everything in our life. It's not only. what we eat, it's what we're watching, it's what we're listening to, it's what. we can smell, and it's what we can feel. So, look around you right now, or look. around in the rooms where you spend the. most time, and ask what you are. digesting. You know, I always say, "Clean up that the the cupboard, or that. drawer that's just like chaos for you.".

Because a cluttered house it causes a. cluttered mind, right? That was my dad's. message growing up. Look at your space, and see, is it a reflection of the. version of yourself that you want to. become, and how you want to feel? Often. with my clients, I'll help them kind of. build their ashram. As much as I want. everybody to go away and experience what. ashram like is, uh and all the gifts. that come with it, create your ashram at. home. So, what does that mean? We talked. about your bedroom, optimizing your. sleep. Going into your kitchen, and I.

always say that self-care starts in the. kitchen. Your kitchen is your first line. of defense when it comes to your health. care. So, if I were to come over again, do an audit of your cabinets, your. cupboard, your fridge, what would I see? What would you have to hide from a. nutritionist, right? Just get rid of it. Why do you think it's okay to feed. yourself those foods? If you know that. they're inflammatory, why aren't you. putting yourself into the position of. wanting to nourish yourself so much, and. heal, and break that addiction? I often. say to people, you build an altar,

whether you are religious, or spiritual, or not. Build an altar in your home that. reminds you of what it means to go back. to that core frequency of who you are. Who are you? How do you want to feel? What are you working towards? It could. include a religious deity, or a god, or. something spiritual. It could be a. picture of yourself in nature, in your. happiest spot. It could be a picture of. your family. It could be a vision board. It could be, you know, some devotional. practice that you have. There I love.

putting some Santo and stuff like that. there. But have a space in your home. where you go to that altar. It's always. something that's going to anchor you in. the version of yourself that you are. becoming. And then I also add in like have a space. for for mindfulness. It's funny you and. I we talk a lot about meditation, right? If there was something that you could do. that would take away your stress, improve your digestion, help your. memory, your brain function, your mood, your motivation, your creativity, how. you show up in this world, would you do.

it? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> Meditate. Yeah. It's crazy. >> do it. It's free. What if doctors. started to prescribe meditation? What if one day we could go to the our. doctor's offices and before we even. stepped in to see them, we were guided. into a meditation to surrender and just. practice that muscle of feeling peace. You would learn how to change your. physiology. You become the master of. your own health and because you remember. how good it feels even if it's a split.

second in the meditation that day, you're practicing that muscle. You're. building the fuel of what it feels like. to feel good and you deserve to feel. that way. So yes, you need to meditate. And gosh, if you haven't practiced yoga, yoga is something that I think that. needs to be recommended to everyone. A. lot of my clients will say, I can't do. it. I can't stay still for that long. That's why you need to be doing yoga, right? That's exactly why you should do it. But. when we think about the ancient wisdom.

behind it, Surya Namaskar, right? Sun salutations, first thing in the morning. Right now we're talking about our. circadian rhythm, going out into the. sun. We know that this really supports. us with our sleep training at night. It. helps to boost serotonin in our gut. microbiome. Yogis have known this. forever. We go outside, we salute the. sun, we're inhaling sunshine, allowing. nature to really calm and soothe us. We're aligning with the rhythm of nature. also. We're moving our bodies in.

different ways to alleviate stillness, working our lymphatic system, our. respiratory system, ultimately letting. go, releasing things from the night. before, stuff that's come up from while. we sleep. Do that first thing in the. morning if it's, you know, one round of. sun salutations, two rounds of sun. salutations, but just give it a go. Notice how it's like an instant energy. boost. You won't need coffee anymore. Your body will feel primed for your day. When you talk about it, you make it. sound so easy. I'm like listening just. going, "Mona, you're amazing. This is. awesome." This is like it's it's so.

blissful to to live this way. And I think anyone who's listening right. now, it's about finding the time you. have to start doing one of these things. and seeing how it changes your life and. that will build your confidence. I think. when I've looked at my health journey, it's been changing a pillar at a time. And when I've changed a pillar and built. confidence, then I can add another. pillar and then I can add another one. rather than this let me just destruct my. entire health regime and start a new.

one. And it doesn't work that way. I. feel like if you solve your sleep, all. of a sudden now you can solve your food, then you can solve your workout. If you. try to do it all at the same time, most. people don't have the time or can't find. it or are not prioritizing it. There's. too many things going wrong because each. of these things is going to take time to. practice and prepare for and get right. >> Oh, yeah. And that's a good reflection. too because I don't want people to look. at me and think that I've got it figured. out. Mona's outside doing sun. salutations every single morning. It's.

just her blissful self. No, I'm a mom. I've got two little kids. Life is. stressful and it's really busy. But I. know that when I come back to those core. practices, then I feel my best. And for. listeners, I want you to start thinking. about what are one, two, or three things. that you can start doing. And maybe. consider one thing in the nutrition. category. What's one thing like drinking. water first thing in the morning? That. could be so simple that could help you. optimize. What if it's removing one food.

ingredient? What if it's deciding to eat. dinner a little bit earlier because you. know that's going to help you sleep a. little bit better. Then from the movement category, you. know, what's one type of exercise that. you actually love? Focus on doing. something that you love. Don't go do hit. training because, you know, social media. is telling you to do that. Don't go and. lift heavy weights if it's something. that you just absolutely hate. Find. something that you love doing. And then. do something for your spirit. What makes. your spirit feel really, really great? And do one thing from each of those.

buckets every day acknowledging that. it's that 1%. It's the 1% every day. that's really putting you on the best. training ground to have the most optimal. health span. And I wanted to point out too also. having a strong why. Everyone's talking about longevity, right? I want to live longer, you know, but. why? Why do you want to live longer, right? The way that we're looking at aging. right now, aging kind of sucks. We get. to the last 10, 15 years of our life.

and, you know, we're put into nursing. homes, we're given a chronic disease, we're put on prescription medication. Like I don't want any of that. But my visualization is to think about I. want to live to till I'm 100 so that I. can throw my grandkid on my back and. hike Runyon Canyon and have that. strength and that posture to have. clarity of my mind so I can be fully. present. So with a why that is so powerful for me. because I really want to meet my.

grandkids one day and I can visualize. this. I can visualize hiking and make it. feel real. Now my actions throughout the day are. going to be aligned with the version of. myself that I am becoming. I love that. So many of us listen to social media and. I'm guilty of it too. We hear about. these things that we should be doing, you know, the things that um we need to. be doing for longevity, but we don't. have a why backed behind them. And it's. like trial and error to see like what. works, what will stick. Maybe stop. looking for trial and error and finally.

just get to the source of what's going. to make you feel your best and then. follow those nuggets and that's going to. lead you to your perfect healing. protocol, not somebody else's, yours. Own that. I love that, Mona. What a. beautiful reminder and I loved hearing. about your visualization because. you made it so tangible and real for us. and I could vision it for you as you. were saying it. So imagine if we were. all doing that for ourselves. And I. think the why is. so critical and so important and I think.

everything gets fueled from that deeper. purpose that we have of why we want to. live longer. I always think about it. It's like I want to be able to do this. for as long as I possibly can. This is. all I want to do is serve and give and. when I came to seek your help or when. I've gone to others to find their. coaching or mentorship in my health, it's purely been because I'm just like I. want to do this forever. Like I'm not. trying to retire. I'm not trying to stop. doing what I'm doing. There's no end. point for me. This is what I love doing, but I want to be healthy while I do it.

And so uh Mona, we end every episode of. On Purpose with a final five. So these. are your final five. They have to be. answered in one word to one sentence. maximum. So. uh Mona Sharma, these are your final. five. Question number one, what is the. best health advice you've ever heard or. received or given? Eat like you love. yourself. Question number two, what is. the worst health advice you've ever. heard received? Carbs are your enemy. Oh, explain. Explain. Carbohydrates, our body needs carbs. But.

I want you to start loving on. carbohydrates that come from the earth. Vegetables that are grown in the ground, squashes, yams, sweet potato, those type. of carbohydrates are loaded with. nutrients, with vitamins, with minerals, with polyphenols that help our bodies. thrive. They're antioxidants for our. bodies. So focus on those carbohydrates. from the earth. Great answer. Uh. question number three, what's something. you used to believe was true about. health but you don't anymore? That. somebody else knows the answers to my.

body and how to heal. Tell me more. When. you don't have your health, nothing. matters. Time stops. I had to get to. that point to really take initiative to. learn what my body needed to get to a. place to heal. And ultimately, that was. embodiment. It was coming into my body. to learn what my body needed. And I. think that if we start to talk more and. have conversations like this about the. fact that our bodies actually do have. this intelligence. and maybe for once and for all we start.

teaching our kids on the wisdom that our. bodies have, then they're not going to. be in the same position when they grow. up. They will acknowledge that they are. their own healers and that we can merge. Western medicine with these Eastern. training modalities that we've talked. about today. Yeah, I love that you've. been speaking about that so much. That's. what I'm so passionate about as well. I. feel like there's so many great. strengths from both and it's a missed. opportunity to ignore either or. My. dream is that the future of health care. is really the integration of modern. science, which is so cool. There's so.

many cool things that are happening with. ancient wisdom. And if the two would. come together, I think that the. trajectory for the future of health, how. we age, the symptoms that we suffer from. will dissipate. There will be more. awareness and openness that we will be. on this like exciting journey to uncover. the human body. Question number four, uh what's the first thing you do every. morning and the last thing you do every. night? Meditate in gratitude for my. heart. Yeah, our hearts have been beating for.

us since before we even got here. And to. get into my heart, I come to the feeling. of just love. I'm so in love with my. kids and my husband and being a mom in. my life and coming into that heart. coherence is everything. Beautiful. It. comes across. It's very it's very real. It just oozes from you. Beautiful. Fifth and final question, if you could. create one law that everyone in the. world had to follow, what would it be? Lead with empathy. You do not know your the other person's. story. And notice how often you are the critic.

or the judge in your day-to-day life. Maybe turn that around to empathy. towards yourself. Once you experience. that, you will take that out into the. world and it will be contagious. It's. amazing, Mona. Thank you so much for. your time today. Everyone who's been. listening or watching, I want you to tag. me and Mona on Instagram, on TikTok, whatever platform you use. Tell us what. you're testing, what you're. experimenting with, what you're trying. because I want you to try and put at. least one piece of advice into practice.

And of course, please go and follow Mona. Sharma across all of the social media. platforms. And you can check out her. podcast Rooted in Wellness as well. Mona, thank you so much again for your. wealth of wisdom, your amazing energy. and aura that you have that you carry. everywhere you go. And I'm so grateful. that we got to finally connect on the. show. And I'm excited for people to. start practicing these things. So thank. you so much. Thank you for having me, Jay. If you loved this episode, you love. my conversation with Dr. Joe Dispenza on. why stress and overthinking negatively.

impacts your brain and heart, and how to. change your habits that are on. autopilot. Listen to it right now. How. many times do we have to forget until we. stop forgetting and start remembering? That's the moment of change. No one. cares how many times you fell off the. bicycle if you ride a bicycle now. You. ride the bike.