Have you ever wondered how a person diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) can lead a fulfilling life? Aaryn Olson, diagnosed with MS in 2016, joins us to demystify that. Her journey, from attributing her symptoms to migraines and whiplash to receiving her diagnosis, is nothing short of inspirational. But it's not just about her battles; through our conversation, Aaryn passionately shares how she used her diagnosis as a catalyst to gain knowledge and support her own wellbeing and that of others.
Following her diagnosis, her determination led her to a fulfilling career in health and wellness coaching. She embraced her new path and founded Holiphit, a company designed to guide others through life's transitions. In this part of our conversation, we delve into the effects of stress, the role of mindfulness, and the importance of breathing techniques. Aaryn's insights highlight the strategies she uses in her coaching and how they can benefit others dealing with similar challenges.
Website: https://holiphit.com/
Have you ever wondered how a person diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) can lead a fulfilling life? Aaryn Olson, diagnosed with MS in 2016, joins us to demystify that. Her journey, from attributing her symptoms to migraines and whiplash to receiving her diagnosis, is nothing short of inspirational. But it's not just about her battles; through our conversation, Aaryn passionately shares how she used her diagnosis as a catalyst to gain knowledge and support her own wellbeing and that of others.
Following her diagnosis, her determination led her to a fulfilling career in health and wellness coaching. She embraced her new path and founded Holiphit, a company designed to guide others through life's transitions. In this part of our conversation, we delve into the effects of stress, the role of mindfulness, and the importance of breathing techniques. Aaryn's insights highlight the strategies she uses in her coaching and how they can benefit others dealing with similar challenges.
Website: https://holiphit.com/
Welcome to the Mentally Strong Podcast. Thanks for joining me today for Episode 14. My purpose in recording this podcast is to try and help those who are needing inspiration or guidance, specifically those fighting with multiple sclerosis, but I need your help. If you can like or subscribe or share this podcast, it helps those who need the inspiration and makes it easier for them to find it. It also helps recognize the brave people that come on to talk about their stories and what they're doing, and it helps their stories get heard. It continues to amaze me how people fighting this illness are doing incredible things and giving back.
Speaker 1:In today's episode, you meet Erin Olson. Erin had her wake-up call or what she likes to recall to her holy shit moment, in 2016, when she received an MS diagnosis. She placed her energy in gaining expertise and knowledge to sport her own well-being. Now she endeavors to bring her skills and experience to those who seek to improve their health and well-being. Her holistic approach is relaxed, personal, enjoyable and, most importantly, effective. Erin is pleased to own and operate Holy Fit and to be your partner in healthy living. I hope you enjoy the episode. Hi, erin, welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 2:Thank you, Collim. It's so nice to be here.
Speaker 1:It's a pleasure having you on and I'm glad we could coordinate time zones. You're out in Washington state.
Speaker 2:That's right. Beautiful state of Washington, very lush and green and beautiful place to be.
Speaker 1:I need to get there one day, but right now I'm a little bit worried about your Seattle Mariners and the ML Major League Baseball. I'm putting it on our Toronto Blue Jays, but that should give everyone an idea of when this is being recorded. Two reasons why I'm happy to have you on One. I'm looking forward to hearing your experience as someone who also has multiple sclerosis, and more so than that. I'm looking forward to sharing what you're doing with it, because I think it's inspiring and very helpful and I just everything I've read and heard so far. I love it and I'm sure by the time you're done telling me more, I will be more excited about it.
Speaker 2:Oh well, thank you so much, and I feel the same way about you and what you're doing for the community and bringing awareness to MS through your podcast, so it's such a pleasure to be here.
Speaker 1:Thank you. So when were you diagnosed?
Speaker 2:I was formally diagnosed in 2016, although I had been symptomatic for some years prior to that. Yeah, it came as a real shock to me. I was traveling for work and had a couple of back to back international trips to India and upon returning the second time and this was right before the winter holidays I was experiencing some burning and pain and loss of vision and that scared me and I went to the physician and I was diagnosed with optic neuritis and then subsequently had MRIs and was formally diagnosed with relapsing, remitting MS.
Speaker 1:How long had you been experiencing symptoms before that?
Speaker 2:You know, I attributed my symptoms to migraine and to whiplash, some neck pain nothing that I thought was MS related. But it turns out that in 2009 I had gone to a neurologist because of both of those of the neck pain and the headaches that became really frequently after I had started a new job and she had done a neuro test on me and said you have lermit sign when you tilt your head forward and back and you feel this kind of shocking sensation down your spine. I had thought, oh, that was just due to these car accidents and whiplash. So at that time I had an MRI and she had thought well, if you do have MS, it's probably clinical, isolated syndrome. But at that time I didn't go on any medication and I dealt with the migraines as best as I could with medication and some stress management techniques. But it wasn't really up until that 2016 period when I had this acute episode with optic neuritis.
Speaker 1:So did you lose your vision for a period of time, or was it just difficulty seeing, or you couldn't see at all?
Speaker 2:My vision became very blurry. I could see, but it was blurry, and they started a steroid treatment for, I think, five days and it hasn't fully resolved, to be honest. I mean, there's still blurriness, especially in my left eye, but it's not something that I think about much anymore because I think with stress the pain will come again and that will scare me a bit. But it's just something that you live with and I try not to think too much about it.
Speaker 1:Human beings are amazing in how we adapt so that we can cope and survive and move forward, regardless of what our symptoms are. It's funny how it just becomes part of us and be like okay, let's go.
Speaker 2:Yes, very true.
Speaker 1:Until it's not so, what surprised you about the diagnosis of MS? I believe you had a pretty healthy lifestyle at the time. Was that part of the impact on you or?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I would say so relatively speaking.
Speaker 2:My background is in public health and I was raised to eat healthy and be physically active.
Speaker 2:So, yes, the diagnosis came as a complete surprise. I mean initially, as I mentioned in 2009, I was going in for headaches primarily, but the optic neuritis really threw me for a loop and I had two young children, two boys, and I was very scared of what that meant for not only myself but for my family, and I didn't want to burden anybody with having an illness. I was also the primary breadwinner for my family and so I was concerned about not being able to provide for them. So, yeah, I thought, you know, when you live healthy, you typically don't really get much illness. And then this came about and it really. Initially there was a shock and I was very scared, but then after that, I really delved into researching about MS and what I could do to support my own health, and then subsequently, after I tried to follow those actions and behaviors which did seem to be helping me to some extent, I really wanted to help other people in supporting them through their journeys.
Speaker 1:What did you find or what were you looking into to try to help you move forward and stay healthy?
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think this can apply to most everybody. It's really around the pillars of lifestyle medicine having a life that is about movement, even if you are ill and you're not feeling up to it, making sure you do what you can and what you're physically able to do to move, and that really does help not only your physical well-being but your mental well-being. And then in terms of nutrition, I think you know I would say the biggest factor was going plant-based primarily, and that, I think, has served me well Ensuring a lot of intake of fruits and vegetables and whole grains. I think that has been very helpful, as well as limiting simple sugars.
Speaker 1:When did you switch over to plant-based?
Speaker 2:Oh my, Probably around 2010 or so it's been a while.
Speaker 1:And that was based on research into MS, or was that based on other lifestyle factors?
Speaker 2:It was based on MS, I would say, because you know the first diagnosis of well you potentially may have this clinically isolated syndrome scared me as well. So, yes, I threw myself into the literature really on MS and that led me down the path of lifestyle medicine and plant-based nutrition.
Speaker 1:I'm always curious how was the transition to plant-based for you?
Speaker 2:You know, honestly, I think it's evolved over time. Initially it was pretty difficult, back around 2010. You know, I think predominantly I was focused on tofu as a source of protein, you know, and now we have a number of different options, and which has been great, it has been fine and you know, trying to be creative in the recipes and what you're making and but also cognizant that I don't have a lot of energy or time to prepare. You know big meals, so being cognizant of that and trying to simplify but getting the most out of what I'm able to do, In what role does exercise play a factor in terms of your lifestyle going forward, what you were diagnosed with?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so prior to my diagnosis, I was very big on running and I realized that that actually triggered headaches for me, unfortunately, which was very sad because it was such a wonderful outlet. Now I really focus on strength training and yoga and mindfulness, and I feel that those types of that type of physical activity has been very, very helpful, not only for my balance, but also just to ensure that I have proper conditioning, and you know, as we age, our muscle mass tends to lessen, but this has been fabulous in trying to ensure that that doesn't happen.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it tends to disappear if you don't do something about it. That's for sure. That's right, so that's what I'm going to make. Something I spend a lot of time looking into or listening to or researching with different podcasts is sad, I think. When a lot of people hear about lifting weights, they picture those big body builders and they get scared off, which is funny because most people aren't going to work that hard to look that way anyway. But it's more about functional and just being able to maintain yourself as you grow older and stay healthy.
Speaker 2:Oh, for sure.
Speaker 1:So you made a career transition at one point during all of this. Is that accurate?
Speaker 2:Yes, that is accurate, During the pandemic. I've been working in pharmaceuticals, drug and vaccine safety for about 20 years and during the pandemic my company was trying to produce a COVID vaccine and I was supporting that effort. However, and I don't know if it's related to this or not, but the stress of that time period, I think, really affected me and my condition, unfortunately, and it led me to take an absence from that career. I think about, I would say, two years before the pandemic, as I was researching health and wellness, I came upon health and wellness coaching as a potential avenue to help others and my company, thankfully, was very supportive of me in that endeavor. And so, and when I left the pharma work, I thought I would, I had to take some rest, but my intent was really to not only help myself through that period but help others, and to that end, I created a company called Holy Fit, which is really designed to help others in their holy shit moments, for which I was experiencing myself.
Speaker 2:And really the focus is to provide coaching and education to support others through life transitions, whether that be through diagnosis of a disease or retirement, or caretaking, having responsibility for someone else. There's so many different life circumstances that may warrant support of one's own health and wellness, and so that was really. My aim is to help others.
Speaker 1:Starting not to surprise me, but it still surprises me how people take their diagnosis and turn it around and use that to serve others, starting to become a consistent theme. I was diagnosed with this. Okay, this is how I feel I need to go help others.
Speaker 2:Yes, and I've seen that so many times myself with people that I've been blessed to meet and befriend, and through the whole lifestyle medicine area there's so many great experts and through patient advocacy in a range of different diseases. And one of my friends is going through cancer treatments and is still on a podcast, leading a podcast while they're on treatment, and I'm just amazed and totally impressed and inspired by others who are going through similar or worse circumstances than myself.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, I need to ask the name of your company, holy Fit. How did you come up with the name? I sort of know. Was there a certain moment where you went? I'm going to translate Holy Shit to Holy Fit.
Speaker 2:I just liked the ring of it, honestly, and then I was trying to think of well, what would that stand for? And that came after the fact of the rhyme, but it was really around holistic health and personalized health for individuals and teams. So it's not just one-on-one focus, but also it could support groups of people in companies who may need that boost as well, who are maybe through the pandemic or other stressful experiences, could benefit.
Speaker 1:You mentioned that earlier about stress and how it relates possibly to triggering, I guess, episodes of MS or symptoms of MS, and I think, regardless of whether it's related to MS or not, I think stress affects everybody, and especially if it's a very stressful time, which working for a pharmaceutical company during COVID would be. You don't need a lot of imagination to go there. I can only imagine how much stress that would be Now that you've turned into the coaching aspect of it. What is your process or how do you help people who are dealing with large amounts of stress? Try to bring them to a healthier lifestyle?
Speaker 2:If that's really such a good question, colm. I think every individual is different in how they process and deal with stress and cope with that. And helping them understand what their patterns are, I think is beneficial just having more awareness about how they tend to cope with stress and then providing them with the tools that may help them, and it can be an experiment of. Here are some tools. Let's try them out and see if that works for you, and maybe one or two hit and the others don't. Okay, now what can we do differently or change it up a bit to help you and it's not one size fits all and it's not a panacea of. These tools are going to knock out your stress, because stress exists. Everyone deals with it every single day. It's just trying to get it so that the magnitude of the stress isn't so overwhelming that it adversely impacts your health, and I think sometimes stress is actually good for you. So it's really, and I think the specific tools are looking at mindfulness.
Speaker 2:I think mindfulness, as research has shown, has very, very positive effects, and there are apps that we can use, like the comm app and others, that it doesn't take too much time out of your day.
Speaker 2:I mean you can do it in the morning when you wake up or at night before you go to bed, and it really does make a difference. And then breathing techniques, pausing, you know, just removing yourself from a situation and going into the bathroom or some other place where you just have some privacy and can take a couple minutes just to you know. Count, count in for four, hold it for four, breathe out for four or whatever interval you know helps you, and that can help as well. That can help with stress management. And also just understanding what's on your plate. And is it feasible that you have all that's on your plate and what can you do to offload certain activities that may not be serving you well and I understand that not everyone is able to do that, depending on their circumstance. If there is a way to solicit help and support in managing those activities, that can also go a long way.
Speaker 1:What's your personal experience been with meditation? Have you used it for your own purpose?
Speaker 2:Yes, I actually do use the comm app. I have a lifetime subscription. Every now and then they come out with this great deal for a lifetime subscription and I'm not I'm not an ambassador for comm or anything, but I would say and I know there's others that you know work just as effectively but that is something I do. I try to do every day. I say, you know I fall off the wagon, but I would say I probably do it at least four or five times a week. Takes me about 10 minutes and I feel a whole heck of a lot better after I do it. It just puts my mind at ease. Things just don't seem as big as they did before and there's just there is there's just a sense of calm that comes over me.
Speaker 1:I find it interesting that, because it does different things for different people, for me it doesn't necessarily calm me brings or it allows my attention to see what's really on my mind, because you're going to have the thoughts and for me, the purpose of meditation is to observe the thoughts. You're never going to get rid of them, but I can tell what's going on in terms of stress and I know what's stressing me just by what keeps coming up as I'm going through the meditation. I use YouTube so I don't get the discounts with calm, it's free. Yes, okay, there it is. Everyone should go to YouTube.
Speaker 1:Well, there's lots and there's also. There's also different types. So there's, I've started doing non-sleep deep rest meditation quite a bit. It's really just focusing on breathing and being mindful of your body, and I just find it very soothing. And if you're a napper, like I am, I actually find I wake up more or I come out of it more refreshed than I would if I did a 15 minute nap or 20 minute nap. It surprises me every time, but it seems to work for me. Back to something you said earlier you sort of have to test everything on yourself to see what works for you.
Speaker 2:That's so true. It's so true, and I'm glad you found something that does help you.
Speaker 1:That really resonates with me, and I can't remember which podcast person said it, but it's experimenting on yourself to see what works for you and see what makes you feel better, because there's not a one size fits all. I mean, if we think about how many different ways there are to eat out there, it's not everyone needs to eat this way. It's just not going to work for everyone.
Speaker 2:That's so true. And I would also add to that that you know it's an ongoing experiment, because what may work for you today may not work for you a week from now or the month from now, you know, because we all grow and change and we need to adapt. So that part of it, I think, is exciting, Although others may say it's a little bit scary, because it's nice when you find something to stick with it and have that feeling of comfort. But for me I find that piece of it exciting because I know that there's an opportunity really to refresh and maybe improve in the future.
Speaker 1:Tony Robbins says that the human beings need certainty and variety. We just can't have both. Yes, yes, if everything's exactly the same all the time, it's going to drive us nuts.
Speaker 2:Yes, very true.
Speaker 1:When you're dealing with your clients, what role does exercise play? Do you discuss that with them, whether it's movement, weights, yoga, etc.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's not prescriptive. It's really trying to understand what people have done in the past, where they feel the best. When they feel the best, what are they doing? Maybe what time of day are they?
Speaker 2:doing it what the frequency is and trying to revisit what had worked for them in the past. Are they able to do that again? What are the barriers or obstacles that may be preventing them from doing that? If there are barriers, what can we do to make it so it's something achievable, as we talked about before, experimenting with that, whether that's going out and taking a walk or dancing in your kitchen for playing a song and dancing in the kitchen or whatever it may be that shows up for you and not only helps you your physical well-being, but your mentality and making you feel better. I think that's some, or you try to explore.
Speaker 1:I like the idea of what did you like doing before Exercise is super important. I think everyone agrees on that. I think the program that you adhere to is probably the best program you can do.
Speaker 2:Yes, something that is sustainable, right? I think if you go out and you maybe like a weekend warrior, you go out and you want to run at 10K and then you're hurting for the next week or so, I don't know how beneficial that is going to be the next week.
Speaker 1:Yes, we're talking a month. If I'm running 10K, I can cycle forever, but running no.
Speaker 2:Yes, something that provides enjoyment but is sustainable and doesn't it may not necessarily feel like you're dreading doing it, whether that be exercising with friends and to have some rapport and conversation during a class, or just taking a walk and being alone and incorporating the mindfulness while you walk, as you said. I mean having some variety there, I think, can also be helpful in achieving different outcomes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, If you can like exercise to social and turn it into something that you look forward to versus dreading.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:There's your game changer right there.
Speaker 2:There it is.
Speaker 1:Yes, there's work in finding it, but if we can change exercise into something that we love doing versus something we dread doing, then the adherence is going to be higher and, of course, all the benefits are going to come from there.
Speaker 2:Yep, you got it. That makes sense. Oh, yes, absolutely.
Speaker 1:So you and you said you earlier, you replaced running with weight training.
Speaker 2:I did because the running was unfortunately triggering headaches and that and the neck pain and the strength training has really helped, helped me, I think, because number one, I feel more tone and fit, even in less time than it would take me to run. But it is helped, helped Help me meant mentally, I would say. I feel like my mood is just. It's so much better when I am able to do strength training and I do try to do it with other ladies and have that camaraderie and we help each other through it and that and that is that's been.
Speaker 2:That's been a wonderful change, but one that I did not Think was going to be. I thought running was the panacea. I was, I loved running, that was my vice and so giving it up, for you know it was a grieving process and even till this day, when I see others are running, you know I miss it and that and that's okay, but I know that that's not serving me any any longer and now I have other activities. Thankfully that I never even thought of trying, I never thought about weightlifting before, but it's been a wonderful, wonderful addition said, other activities.
Speaker 1:What else do you do besides weight training?
Speaker 2:I do dance in the kitchen when no one's looking and I burst into song and that is Very enjoyable. I would say no, in fact, my poor children see me dancing and they think I'm crazy, but that's okay.
Speaker 1:So that's normal. Children think parents are crazy. I.
Speaker 2:Like to walk, I enjoy walking and in fact, um, my husband and I had started a chapter called walk with a doc some years ago, and Not only for our own, our own purposes of activity and well-being, but again it was really to promote Healthy living, and that's been great. Yoga, yoga, a lot of stretching. So that's, that's basically my repertoire of activities.
Speaker 1:I did my first hot yoga last night.
Speaker 2:Oh Now, how did that work for you? Because I know he can really impact MS. What did you think?
Speaker 1:Wow, did you ever nail that one right on the head? Whole not surprised. I guess I made the mistake of not realizing it was a hot yoga class. Oh my bad. I Saw it was yin yoga, which is what I want. It just nice and relaxing and minor stretching. And when I got in there and the room was hot and I started sweating instantly I'm like, okay, this is gonna, this is gonna be interesting. But it turned out to be fine. As you bring that up, I do have. I do have some challenges when I'm working out with overeating, so I was a little bit concerned. But I was in there for an hour, came out Okay, came up feeling great. I really enjoyed it. I don't know if I'm willing to try it with something more strenuous.
Speaker 1:Like I'm more strenuous form of yoga. I'm not sure if I would do that very well, at least not for that length of time. As far as hot yoga, doing yin yoga, that might have been the most relaxing thing I've ever done. Oh, like I was a marshmallow coming out. I was like all right, bedtime.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's great. And how do you feel today, hey?
Speaker 1:still good still good. Yeah, as we were. Just I'm looking forward to going back and doing it again, for sure okay.
Speaker 1:It's a good combination of stretching, which is important for us, and it's only it's minor stretching, so it's not strenuous at all super relaxing, and Meditations involved, because you're with your thoughts most of the time, like our. The instructor was not talking very much during the course of the hour. It was candlelit, it was very dark. Based on the level of breathing on the left hand side, I would say someone fell asleep. They weren't snoring, but they were a heavy breather. I was glad I tried it and Definitely try it again and, to your point, the heat did concern me when I first got in the room, but it worked out well that time. So we'll see good, good.
Speaker 2:Well, you know, I think, as you know, we talked about before the importance of energy Conservation and if you're able to do activities that also Couple the social aspects or the mental aspects, like you know, the mindfulness, or what have you Given that for? For art, for our MS? You know we only have so many hours in the day which seem to be Okay hours, right that we're able to do stuff. So, yeah, I mean the greatest bang for your buck was in terms of Incorporating activities that that encompass all of those aspects. Think it's helpful.
Speaker 1:It's interesting you say that because that's something that I'm still juggling and trying to figure out how to balance it with the Fatigue and lack of energy, yet on the other hand, knowing how important exercise and movement is and then to what level can I get to, I'm very fortunate at this point I I'm still able to work out vigorously and I don't have any Real medical issues holding me back from working out. But there are days where if I do it, then by two o'clock I'm done.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Trying to figure that out. And is it a strenuous workout day or is it a hot yoga, lay down and just relax day?
Speaker 2:Oh for sure, and as much as you can plan, depending on what you have going on in the day. I think that's important as well. Like as you mentioned, I mean there, there be days where I would do it an hour class of weight lifting, and it would be outside and the temperature would start climbing up as the hour progressed. And then I realized, you know, when I came home Afternoon time, I hit a wall and it probably into the next day. And then I have to think to myself Was that a smart move? Should I have reduced the amount of time? Should it have been a half hour? Should I've been indoors? And all of these? You know all these questions, you know replay and as much as I guess we can plan. You know because because our lives are unpredictable with our disease that I Do think that can support us. If we, if we do know that we have Maybe a meeting or an appointment that we have to be on, for what can we do around that to to help our energy levels? I think it's good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and we also have to have compassion for ourselves. We don't know when it's going to hit us hard. There's some days where I can do a hard workout in the morning and my energy level for the day is high because of that workout, and Then, to your point, the next day it would be totally the opposite. I'm sure it's going to hit you hard. Thank you for watching.
Speaker 2:That is true, and sometimes you can see patterns and other times you know, as you say, I mean, it's unpredictable. So you're absolutely right about compassion and having compassion for oneself. I think that's been a big lesson for me because and it's still working on it.
Speaker 1:I'm working.
Speaker 2:I'm every single day. I think I have more compassion for others typically than I do for myself. I'm sure that rings true for you too, and many other people. Yeah, so that's an ongoing journey.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't think we're alone on that one. Whether you have MS or not, self-compassion is not a strength. A lot of people have that I've seen. We talked about nutrition, we talked about exercise. We talked about mindfulness. Is there anything else you tend to chat about with your clients?
Speaker 2:I think that the importance of community is very important. You know that you don't feel alone, that you have a network of individuals who are there to help you and that you're there for them and however you are able to be there for them. Whether that's you know, I know for myself anyway. Sometimes it's hard to just get out of the house and meet somebody. Thankfully for technology, we can text and we can make phone calls and see each other on Zoom and FaceTime. That helps and sometimes it doesn't even have to be a long conversation. Just knowing that you're not alone and that someone is there and is thinking of you and is there to support you, I think are all good things.
Speaker 1:It's something that recently for me, I've started planning more for more social connection, specifically in person. Because of COVID, I've gotten used to, as many of us have, doing virtual, which is great, because otherwise we wouldn't be chatting right now.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Right. So it's wonderful and it often is helpful. I still think, as humans, we need that in person, and that's the reason I went to yoga last night. I can do yoga at home, no problem, but it's being around people and getting that energy from people, even if it's whatever your needs are once a week, whatever the case should be. Yeah, but social is so important and this is a spoiler alert so have you watched Blue Zones on Netflix yet?
Speaker 2:Not, yet I did see the ad. Yeah, I'm excited to see it.
Speaker 1:This is going to spoil a little bit for you, but it's not going to surprise you as he goes to the different pockets of centarians. It's exercise, it's nutrition, it's mindfulness and it's social, and those four themes are pretty much in every pocket. There's a spin on it which I won't give away, but it's. I was just watching it and I'm going yes, nutrition, yes, exercise, yes, social connection, yes, mindfulness. Got it, we have the answers, we know the answers to the task. We just have to go do it.
Speaker 2:That's very true.
Speaker 1:The whole time you've been speaking to them like did she watch the Netflix? Was this her stuff?
Speaker 2:Not yet no.
Speaker 1:We should have just talked about Blue Zone.
Speaker 2:I'm familiar with the Blue Zone, but I haven't seen it and I'm really excited to see that.
Speaker 1:I won't say another word, okay, okay, any other messages you might have for people out there trying to be a better version of themselves in terms of health.
Speaker 2:Like one day at a time and, as you say, it is self-compassion and give yourself grace.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. A recent guest gave me the question to ask yourself which is is this a today problem? Is this something that's affecting me today? And it brings you back to the present moment. I would say, more often than not, whatever's on your mind either has already happened and you're okay, or it's not an issue at this point and it doesn't have to be dealt with today and it doesn't have to be stressed about and you're probably making it out to be worse than it actually is.
Speaker 2:That's absolutely right. That's such a good message.
Speaker 1:It's a powerful question Is this a today problem? I keep reminding myself and talking about it, so that I remind myself to do it.
Speaker 2:Thank you, I'm going to use that too.
Speaker 1:Surprise questions for you. So I don't know if you're a big podcast listener. If you were to recommend someone, either listen to a podcast or read a book what would it be?
Speaker 2:You know I am not much of a podcast listener.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:No, but I would say I would say call them that I'm. I find that this one is the and I I'm going to go back and listen to your podcast, but I, I, I'm inspired by what you're doing. I think this is so important for the community but for people in general, to let to live better lives and the best version of themselves and to carry on that message and bringing in people who are experts and can provide guidance in these, these areas. I think it just serves the greater good and I I'm thank you for what you're doing.
Speaker 1:I'm still learning to accept that praise. But thank you Actually have a friend right now. When he hears this he'll be laughing. I mean, turn what you just said and me trying to accept. It Teases me all the time. He goes just say thank you, you're very kind and move on and you're good. I'm like I'm trying Say thank you. The second question is if you could host a podcast and have any guest you want, alive or dead, who would it be?
Speaker 2:Oh wow, that is such a good question. There's so many people, I'm sorry not to. I don't mean to avoid the question, but but you're going to?
Speaker 1:Yeah, but I am Pick one.
Speaker 2:Pick one person. You know the. The one person who did inspire me on my journey, and I'm not sure if you're aware of her, is Dr Sarace Stansick.
Speaker 1:No, I'm not.
Speaker 2:She's a physician who has MS and she has all. She also has a documentary about her journey with MS and I think she has been pivotal in how you know how I am doing and what I am doing today and giving me the courage and strength basically recognizing through illness. You know it's. That's not the end. You know you can, you can do more and I feel like I am doing more to serve others because of the diagnosis and it was through her support that I came to this point. So yes, Great answer. Thank you.
Speaker 1:And you are doing more for others and you inspire me, so thank you.
Speaker 2:Thank you, Colin.
Speaker 1:It's been a pleasure having you on. I'm so glad that Rebecca connected us and I'm sure our my listeners will very much enjoy this and have several takeaways from this episode. So thank you.
Speaker 2:Thank you, thank you.